I DEMAND BETTER FREE THROWS

how do you know he doesn't? i'm sure each and every memphis player shoots hundreds of free throws a week, per calipari's demand for better free throw shooting. but he can demand all he wants, that's not going to put the ball in the basket.

3/3/2008 10:46:06 PM

Just for the record I'm not saying he's a bad coach because his team cant shoot free throws. Maybe thats on him, but that wasn't my argument.


Just watching his team play, they look sloppy and unorganized, yet they pull it off because they have sick players. Thats all. Contrast to UNC, who I hate, but they play fast, under control, and while not as good in the half court, they at least play a nice brand of basketball.

3/3/2008 10:49:09 PM

Calipari has said he doesnt like using screens but he has players to play that uptempo style that he likes.

None of this changes the fact that he's a slimey bastard

3/3/2008 10:52:50 PM

the top 3 on that team in terms of number of FTs shot, shoot around 70%(last i checked, thats a good team percentage), which is where the majority of their FTs come from, there is one guy on that team, who is prob keepin them down who is like 30/90 from the free throw line...

i doubt you are arguing that point fully, but to even say a coach is partially bad cause of his team not being able to shoot FTs is still absurd to me

[Edited on March 3, 2008 at 10:54 PM. Reason : d]

3/3/2008 10:53:30 PM

Generally coaches that emphasize good free throw shooting have their teams or at least specific players shoot free throws better toward the end of the year. Take a look at Tracy Smith. He was pretty terrible at the FT line early in the season, which I think was the main reason he wasn't playing along with adjusting to the speed of the college game. Fast forward to now in the season and he's now a pretty reliable free throw shooter. In fact he went 6-6 from the line against Duke. Now Oliver Purnell on the other hand, while I do think he makes them shoot free throws in practice like most coaches, I don't think he emphasizes good free throw shooting as much as most coaches in the league do. They are absolutely terrible at FT shooting every year. It's one thing that you can rely on come every season with his teams. And you know what it's really cost them a number of games since he's been there.

3/3/2008 11:00:01 PM

Free throw shooting isnt my point at all, I'm just saying you cant argue one way or another on that point.

3/3/2008 11:10:05 PM

I was just mentioning free throw shooting b/c you can usually tell which coaches emphasize free throw shooting enough for their team to improve throughout the season. I don't think Cal and Purnell emphasize free throw shooting as much as some coaches do. That doesn't mean that they are bad coaches, but poor free throw shooting can cost teams close games. And it certainly has cost Clemson a ton of close games.

3/3/2008 11:23:27 PM

^and one could argue that FT shooting has cost them games because they play better competition than, lets say memphis, who normally doesnt have to rely on their FT shooting because they play bums more times than not.

[Edited on March 3, 2008 at 11:53 PM. Reason : commas are goooooooooood]

3/3/2008 11:53:11 PM

Actually, Memphis' starters are terrible free throw shooters too. Honestly though, its more mental than anything else. IMO if you're shooting that bad you shouldnt be allowed to leave the gym until you hit 10 straight or something after practice, but they may do that anyway.


http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/teams/stats?teamId=235


A guy I know that coached high school ball WAY back in the day said the best free throw drill he ever used was at the end of practice, you had to hit the front of the rim 10 times and make the shot. They had the coaches stand there and watch and you went to the back of the line when you fucked up. Makes you shoot much softer and gets you to release better when you're not trying to hit the rim. Nobody ever did that with us....anyone else heard of that?

[Edited on March 4, 2008 at 12:16 AM. Reason : link]

3/4/2008 12:13:12 AM

My coach WAY back in the day did a similar drill. Our team consisted of a bunch of cracker farm boys, but if it came down to freethrows, we'd win every time. The starters and the regular 3 off the bench shot something like 79% for the year.

Bad free-shooting teams drive me absolutely nuts. They don't call them free for nothing kids.

3/4/2008 8:36:08 AM

God-dammit. State Basketball Recruiting.

Get back on the damn topic.

3/4/2008 1:50:34 PM

Brown enjoyed the atmosphere, but not enough to commit yet.

His top three are State, Memphis, and Miami.

He is visiting Memphis sometimes soon. They like him at PG.

Our staff has told Brown they like him as a combo guard.



god i hope we get him and Wall

3/4/2008 2:04:26 PM

the only advantage we have is that Sidney coached in the NBA, and we're in the acc i guess...

3/4/2008 2:14:39 PM

^ That and we have a staff full of guards, two of which were the starting point guards of national championship teams. If I was a point guard (or any kind of guard for that matter), I don't think I would mind learning from those guys.

3/4/2008 3:21:35 PM

yea i guess, but look at from a high school senoir's perspective, you know they want to go to memphis mane

3/4/2008 3:36:04 PM

Quote :

"the only advantage we have is that Sidney coached in the NBA, and we're in the acc i guess..."

calipari coached the nets and was an assistant w/ the sixer.

3/4/2008 4:41:19 PM

I have a pretty good feeling about brown, but not so much with wall. no proof, just pure hunch/gut instinct. just figured i'd share that, carry on!

3/4/2008 7:15:33 PM

Seniors = Degand(R), Johnson, Ferguson(R), Horner, Costner(R)
Juniors = Gonzalez, Hickson, Smith
Sophomores = Thomas(R), Mays, Williams

So we have two scholarships available, 3 if Hickson leaves early (I dont think he stays 2 years). If he does go early, our only two big guys are Costner and Smith. Everyone else are guards or wing players. We have Scott Wood as a commit already, another guard. So, there are two slots left with us recruiting both Brown and Wall. Is Lowe just hoping one commits and leaves the last scholarship for a "big" or is he trying to land both?

[Edited on March 4, 2008 at 8:49 PM. Reason : .]

3/4/2008 8:48:04 PM

I'm gonna breakdown some pros and cons for why the players that we are targeting in the 09 class should and should not commit to us.

Pros:
-State plays in the ACC. The ACC is considered year in and year out the most prestigious and best conference in college basketball. The competition is top notch. The bottom feeders even have good athletes. There's no Northwesterns in this conference.
-State's facilities are second to none.
-State's diehard fanbase. If you win here the fans will treat you like a god.
-Raleigh. While not a world renowned city like Boston or NYC, Raleigh is a decent city for night life with Glenwood South and other parts. So at least it isn't Bumfucksville College Town, USA.
-Experienced coaching staff. There is a ton of experience on this coaching staff. If you are a point guard, you will benefit greatly from having two of the ACC's greatest point guards coaching you.

Cons:
-State plays in the ACC. You will have to hear non-stop about Carolina and Duke unless you can come in and win and put State back at the top of the conference and in the national spotlight. Also you will have to deal with biased officiating.
-State's diehard fanbase. If you lose here the fans can be very critical.
-Raleigh. It's not the typical Bumfucksville College Town, USA if that's what a recruit is looking for. The small college town that revolves entirely around the school.
-Sid and Co. aren't established enough to know whether they are great coaches or not.


Now Pros and Cons for the 4 individuals that we are heavily recruiting.

John Wall - Pros: Close to home so family and friends can watch all of your games live. PG's on staff. Can go up against UNC (his favorite team based on his myspace page) a school that passed on recruiting him in favor of Dexter Strickland a dude from Jersey. Early playing time. Plenty of exposure in the ACC for him to get the eye of NBA scouts for him to possibly one-and-done.
Cons: Close to home. Perhaps Wall would like to get out of Raleigh. Memphis, Kentucky and the like have great facilities as well and will get him exposure too.

Lorenzo Brown - Pros: Early playing time at the 2 position, but the staff will probably have him handle the ball some too. Again the PG's on the staff. If Wall comes with him those two would arguably make up the best backcourt in the nation.
Cons: Memphis has a better shot right now at making a Final Four. Distance from Roswell to Memphis and Roswell to Raleigh is about the same.

Derrick Favors - Pros: Immediate playing time at the 5. Seriously he would be the man from day one with McCauley graduating and JJ probably being gone by then. Costner and Smith will still be here which would give him two good players to play alongside of in the frontcourt. Sid's offense loves to get the big man touches. If Wall and/or Brown come he would have good PG's to get him the ball. Even if they don't come Gonzalez and Degand should have progressed enough to be adequate ACC PG's.
Cons: Georgia Tech is a major player. They are the hometown team and just like us with Wall, his family and friends would be able to come see him play live at every home game. Also Georgia, Florida State, and Clemson, schools closer than State, are all major players as well. Clemson has recently had some success with producing pretty good frontcourt players out of guys that weren't too highly recruited. So imagine if Purnell got a talent like Favors.

Ryan Kelly - Pros: If Favors doesn't come he would get immediate playing time (even if he was a backup for Smith and Costner). Like Wall, State is close to home and allows family and friends to come see him play. We are one of if not the most notable program to offer him.
Cons: If he can't cut it in the ACC, he will be recruited over. He'll need to gain some pounds and quickness if he plans on playing a lot in the high paced offense that Sid wants to run in the future. Notre Dame. What tall goofy looking white boy can pass up the opportunity to play for the Irish? It seems that's all they recruit.

3/4/2008 8:59:02 PM

Brown just looks like a State player to me...

3/4/2008 9:02:01 PM

Pros: ACC
Cons: We are the worst team in the ACC with a questionable coach.

v Ha, tell me one thing that is idiotic about my pros and cons. Just speaking the truth.

[Edited on March 4, 2008 at 10:11 PM. Reason : a]

3/4/2008 9:58:20 PM

Cons: Idiots like Jmhans82 cheapen any degree you might get

3/4/2008 10:02:20 PM

lol at thinking any major basketball prospect even cares about a degree.

3/4/2008 11:39:47 PM

http://sandspuronline.com/article?id=287632

Quote :

"The winners from the regional tournament games will advance to the state championship contests. The 94th annual men’s championships will be held at Reynolds Coliseum at N.C. State University on March 15. Williams, a N.C. State signee, summed up his feelings when asked about possibly finishing his high school career at Reynolds Coliseum. “With all the history in Reynolds Coliseum with both national championship teams at N.C. State playing there and then myself going there, it would be a great feeling to end one chapter of my life in Reynolds and start another one in the RBC,” Williams said."

3/5/2008 7:55:35 PM

How could you not love CJ Williams?

3/5/2008 8:31:12 PM

i just hope he's decent.

[Edited on March 5, 2008 at 9:12 PM. Reason : ]

3/5/2008 9:11:25 PM

Quote :

"Bucs down by 1 with about 30 seconds to play, Brandon Nichols hit a clutch three to take a two point lead, CJ Williams steals the ball with about 7 or so seconds to go and gets downcourt for a dunk to seal the deal."

[Edited on March 6, 2008 at 11:35 AM. Reason : in beating Middle Creek]

3/6/2008 11:34:41 AM

someone compared him to josh howard. that would be "profit"

3/6/2008 11:48:33 AM

If he's half of a Josh Howard we'll be lucky.

3/6/2008 1:20:11 PM

A friend of mine told me that Lorenzo Brown might have cancelled his visit to Memphis.

3/6/2008 5:53:46 PM

you can't possibly have a friend who knows lorenzo brown.

and while we're on it, i don't understand canceling visits. he has a written offer, he knows we're not going to pull it off of the table, he has a free trip to visit a school. why would you cancel it?

although i'm all for kids realizing how awesome we are that they don't even want to see a current top5 program.

[Edited on March 6, 2008 at 6:25 PM. Reason : but really, it's a free trip and you might like it better.]

3/6/2008 6:22:48 PM

i have a friend who knows a guy who's girlfriend's brother reads packpride

he told me there might be something a brewin'

[Edited on March 6, 2008 at 6:25 PM. Reason : .]

3/6/2008 6:24:44 PM

^ lawl, that's basically what's going on here.

since i know everyone wants my expert opinion on recruiting, cj williams' latest video on rivals is a lot more impressive than the ones i've seen previously, and i have a newfound optimism about him.

[Edited on March 6, 2008 at 6:32 PM. Reason : his shot still needs work but he looks way more athletic than he did in other videos.]

3/6/2008 6:25:58 PM

Why would you visit that shithole town of Memphis anyway? Wasn't there a multiple murder there just a few days ago that made national news? Don't answer that, the answer is yes.


Memphis is one of the worst cities in america. I'm not saying Raleigh is great, but Memphis is terrible.

3/6/2008 9:58:05 PM

and their basketball team sucks too.

3/6/2008 10:17:21 PM

Top 10 Reasons to go to Memphis.

1. Calipari pays well.

2. You can take that money and gamble it on the river boats on the Mississippi.

3. Beale Street is pretty awesome, and you can be a baller there and get plenty of sluts with all the money Calipari gave you.

4. FedEx Forum is nice.

5. Memphis has a good chance at going deep in the tournament b/c they get a high seed every year.

6. They get the high seed b/c they play inferior competition, so you will never have to worry about going through a rebuilding year. If they truly are rebuilding no one in the conference will be able to unseat them anyways.

7. Because Memphis is winning so much they are getting plenty of national attention. National attention can get you notoriety and perhaps get you drafted high. Think about that guy from Rider that is really good (Thompson?). He'd probably be drafted if he was on a team that was getting a lot of national exposure.

8. If you are dumb and can't get into an ACC school, Memphis will take you. That's not to discredit Memphis as a whole. I knew a National Exchange student that went to Memphis that was in my immunology class and she was pretty smart and was a good student.

9. If you can't hit free throws don't worry about it. Calipari isn't going to sit you, b/c he doesn't care as much about free throws. He cares more about if you had been on a state championship team in high school. In his eyes that state championship that you won in high school validates you as a basketball player.

10. Calipari pays really well. Note: if you can't get into the NBA and don't feel like playing overseas you can be rest assured that they can hook you up with a job at FedEx upon graduation.

3/6/2008 10:20:52 PM

^ pretty spot on there.

3/6/2008 10:27:01 PM

When we first signed CJ Williams I thought it was a waste but he really has improved that year and has carried his school to the regional final so I have changed my stance on him somewhat. If he can keep developing that outside shot he could be another Cam Bennerman for us.

3/7/2008 12:58:40 AM

Quote :

"i have a friend who knows a guy who's girlfriend's brother reads packpride"

Lol...exactly what I was thinking

3/7/2008 8:47:21 AM

Quote :

"he has a free trip to visit a school. why would you cancel it?"

unofficial visits are not free?

3/7/2008 7:50:19 PM

recruit the military. plenty of 22-27 year olds who have never been to college. hard to beat them. they have MEN STRENGTH!!!

MUA HAHA

3/7/2008 7:53:59 PM

^thats what Case did in the 50's. I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that anymore.

[Edited on March 8, 2008 at 12:23 AM. Reason : ]

3/8/2008 12:22:45 AM

I wouldn't mind it if Sid got a few of the best young European players every now and then, provided they don't play pussy ball and flop all the time like Evtimov.

3/8/2008 12:42:27 AM

Quote :

"European players every now and then, provided they don't play pussy ball and flop all the time like Evtimov."

Right, and I just invented cold fusion

3/8/2008 1:23:57 AM

Yeah it's pretty hard to find European players that don't flop.

3/8/2008 1:26:10 AM

Just got back from the Jack Britt vs. Apex Semifinal game('04 grad so Go Cougars)........I have to say I was very unimpressed with CJ Williams. Usually when you go to a high school game where a team has an ACC commit, you expect that guy to stand out. That was not the case at all. He didn't play hard, he had at most 10 points, and he was basically dominated by an inferior Apex team.

Hopefully what I saw today was not a foreshadow and what's to come when he gets to Raleigh but damn I was expecting much more.

3/8/2008 6:36:29 PM

no, it definitely is foreshadowing.

3/8/2008 6:43:44 PM

^^ people on PP that went to the game said he had two early questionable fouls. they also wondered why they didn't get him the ball more and have him shooting the final shot. every player has bad nights. in all the other games in the playoffs before the Apex game, it sounded like he was the difference in why Jack Britt won those games. he scored over 20 in i think all of those games. just look at Gavin who had only 5 or 6 points in the game against Duke at home. everything i've heard about him besides this game sounds like he'll be a good player for us. wait till the players get to State before we tear them down.

[Edited on March 8, 2008 at 6:48 PM. Reason : ^]

3/8/2008 6:47:45 PM

Bad games or off games happen to everybody, but this didn't seem like that kind of game. His effort is what bothered me. He never moved. He was like a sitting duck on offense. He did have a nice looking stroke but his shot selection was awful.

As for the two early fouls, yes they were both bad calls.

3/8/2008 8:01:22 PM

two years ago we were 4th in the ACC, and had been to the tourney 5 years in a row, with the talent we have we have fallen pretty far in a very short amount of time

3/8/2008 8:43:47 PM