Sword in the Stone

[Lettucexxxx]

I think Sword is a star waiting to rise. The kid has a great body to work with, he just lacks technique around the basket. I again compare him to a young DWade, am I way off here? Overall tonight, no one can be too disappointed. Cant wait for this one to be over...fock

 

[Faustdog]

I think Sword is a star waiting to rise. The kid has a great body to work with, he just lacks technique around the basket. I again compare him to a young DWade, am I way off here? Overall tonight, no one can be too disappointed. Cant wait for this one to be over...fock

He has some athletic ability, but his form is awful. Of course there are many good basketball players with flawed jumpers. Sword's on the other hand is so bad that I'm not sure he has the athletic ability to overcome it and become a big time scorer at the D1 level.

Zimmerman's was bad, but I don't think Sword is as athletic as Zimmerman. Is "deflicted" still a part of basketball lingo? I've been out of that scene for a while, but back when I played we would have called Sword's shot deflicted.

 

[Lettucexxxx]

He has some athletic ability, but his form is awful. Of course there are many good basketball players with flawed jumpers. Sword's on the other hand is so bad that I'm not sure he has the athletic ability to overcome it and become a big time scorer at the D1 level.

Zimmerman's was bad, but I don't think Sword is as athletic as Zimmerman. Is "deflicted" still a part of basketball lingo? I've been out of that scene for a while, but back when I played we would have called Sword's shot deflicted.

He needs more arch on his shot. He rushes his release because he is never set. He did make an impressive jumper, cutting into the lane, around the free throw line late second half....the ability is there. He needs a year against better competition in practice....where im sure he runs all over Price. Fresh legs will only open up more lanes for him in the future. Its so hard to gauge these guys in our situation. I will say this, I believe coach Cal would like to have Sword, Thomas, or Ware as freshman on his squad. They would not start but all three are better than T.Beckom, right now.

 

[DAWG61]

Sword almost had a nasty dunk tonight. WCS blocked it and fouled him but it was still impressive by Sword.

 

[MetEdDawg]

People see he was the best player in the state of Alabama

then automatically assume he has all the tools to just take over immediately. He didn't when he came out of high school. You have to look where he came from. He came from Carver High School. That school is a heavy dribble drive team and that's basically all they do, and those are the only teams they schedule to play are dribble drive teams just like them. They don't shoot a lot of 3's, they just out athlete everyone they play. Sword was very talented athletically coming out of high school, but he was not a well trained all around basketball player.

Look at their high school team this year. They are once again considered one of the best in the state. They scheduled a match against De'Runnya Wilson's Wenonah team, who many consider to be the best in the state and one of the best in the nation. They got completely run out of the gym and lost by 27. Against teams that have a good combination of athletes and basketball players, that style will get beat every time.

Sword was a very raw talent coming out, but people saw 4 stars and expected him to be all world the moment he stepped on campus. I would argue that Fred Thomas was a much more college ready basketball player coming in than Sword was because Sword had no 3 point ability and had no mid range jumper. Thomas had all of that, he just missed a lot of his shots early on. Once we get some depth and Ray can actually teach Sword a lot of the fundamentals of the game, he will explode. He's going to be good, but it's going to take some time.

 

[DAWG61]

Haha you said "and Ray can actually teach Sword a lot of the fundamentals of the game". Whose going to teach them to Ray?

 

[AROB44]

Haha you said "and Ray can actually teach Sword a lot of the fundamentals of the game". Whose going to teach them to Ray?

He can probably teach them a hell of a lot better that our former coach could.

 

[Tds & Beer]

Our fanbase likes to complain about this season. I look at it like this. If we don't have any key players transfer, this season was good for us. Our three freshman are going to be a great tag team next year. If they can make it through this crap, they will be stronger for it. Nobody has had to grow up as fast as these three and they are the ultimate keys to our program making a comeback. They will be much better next season as a result of this year. They have been through the gauntlet. Next year they will have an entire roster supporting them, along with two true point guards and backup big men. I look forward to next season and think that Sword will be All-SEC before he leaves. If he finishes his career here, he will be All-SEC. Mark it down. And people want to complain about him because of turnovers. It blows my mind the way people can't look past this year instead of dwelling on it. We are ok.

 

[tcdog70]

He can probably teach them a hell of a lot better that our former coach could.

Your statement is based on what?. Stans would have more data in His column than Ray. Whose team by the way shot a whopping 18%. And mad e 7 baskets in a game.

 

[madisonmd]

There is talk around campus sword is looking to transfer. sick of losing!

 

[BonzoGoesToCollege]

There is talk around campus sword is looking to transfer. sick of losing!

I wouldn't blame him. There is no reason why Cunningham should be playing 25 minutes while Sword only gets 18, even if he did have 2 first half fouls. That just ain't right. Cunningham cannot guard anybody.

 

[QuaoarsKing]

Ban this troll

 

[DAWG61]

Cunningham can shoot 3's better than Sword and if we're gonna jack up 3's all game I'd rather Cunningham take them over Sword. No ****. Cunningham is shooting 42% (16-38). Sword is shooting 18% (10-55). Cunningham also shoots 80% from the line although he's only taken 10 of them. Sword is shooting 56% from the line (66-118). Wanna go further? Cunningham plays 21 minutes a game and averages 1 turnover. Sword plays 25.6 minutes a game and averages 4 turnovers. Sword looks physically more gifted and he has some nice drives (which usually result in a charge) but numbers don't lie right? Stop hating on Cunningham. He's maybe the ONLY player on the team playing above what everyone would of said his talent level was at the beginning of the season.

 

[missstdawgs4]

Cunningham can shoot 3's better than Sword and if we're gonna jack up 3's all game I'd rather Cunningham take them over Sword. No ****. Cunningham is shooting 42% (16-3. Sword is shooting 18% (10-55). Cunningham also shoots 80% from the line although he's only taken 10 of them. Sword is shooting 56% from the line (66-11. Wanna go further? Cunningham plays 21 minutes a game and averages 1 turnover. Sword plays 25.6 minutes a game and averages 4 turnovers. Sword looks physically more gifted and he has some nice drives (which usually result in a charge) but numbers don't lie right? Stop hating on Cunningham. He's maybe the ONLY player on the team playing above what everyone would of said his talent level was at the beginning of the season.

Are you really trying to compare Sword and Cunningham based on turnovers? Cunningham doesn't commit turnovers cause all he does is take spot up 3's and swing the ball whenever he touches it. Sword has had to play point this year and has to be more of a playmaker which is why he has such a high amount of turnovers. I think Tyson has been an excellent contributor this year, but there is a reason why those numbers look like that..

 

[Faustdog]

He needs more arch on his shot. He rushes his release because he is never set...

Those things plus his elbow flaring out half way to West Point on every shot.

 

[DAWG61]

Ball don't lie and numbers don't lie either. I'm not going so far as to say Cunningham is a better player but if you were to take away the names and just look at the numbers you'd be hard pressed to convince an outsider looking in that player A (Sword) is a better player than player B (Cunningham).

You are right in saying Sword should and does have more turnovers a game then Cunningham because he's asked to possess the ball much longer than Cunningham BUT Sword should be destroying Cunningham in the assist category and he doesn't. Sword gets 1.9 assists a game and Cunningham gets 1.3. You can even go a step further and say that Sword should be a much better defender right? Sword gets 1.5 steals a game and Cunningham gets .6. Ok well Sword is a much better rebounder then right? Sword gets 2.8 rebounds a game and Cunningham gets 2.2. What about fouls a game? Sword has 81 total over 27 games so exactly 3 a game. Cunningham has 35 over 27 games so 1.29 a game. They both have played in every game and Sword only averages 4 more minutes a game.

Sword is asked to drive to the basket and try to score way more than Cunningham right? This is completely true BUT that means Sword is next to the basket when he misses and should have **** tons more offensive rebounds than Cunningham right? Nope, amazingly Sword only has 19 offensive rebounds for the ENTIRE SEASON and Cunningham has 24.

Sword gets to the free throw line way more but does that actually help MSU or hurt MSU? He's attempted 118 free throws and only made 66 of them (56%). Cunningham has made 8 of 10. Cunningham has also made more 3's (16) than Sword (10) despite shooting seventeen less (55 to 38).

What would happen if Cunningham shot 3's instead of Sword's 240 fg attempts for the year? At 42% Cunningham would make 101 of those or an extra 11.2 points a game for MSU. What if Cunningham shot Sword's 118 free throws? At 80% Cunningham would of made 94 of them or an extra 3.49 points a game for MSU. Keep in mind many of those are 1 and 1's so let's just round up an extra 1 point for 4.49 points a game increase. 11.2 + 4.49 = an extra 15.69 points a game MSU would average if Cunningham shot all of Swords shots AND you're not even adding in how much points Sword COSTS for fouling almost 3 times as much as Cunningham does. Alright so let's add an extra 2 points for all the fouls Sword has over Cunningham.

That equals out to be 17.69 points a game difference in value between Sword and Cunningham. How many more games would MSU have won this year with an extra 17.69 points? The answer is 9 more wins. Giving us a record of 16-11.

Edit to add I forgot to subtract Sword's 9.8 points a game. 17.69-9.8 = 7.89 points or 4 more wins (6 if you include the two 8 point losses). 11-16 or 13-14 record.

I realize this is some shady math but it's atleast interesting to consider. The point of all this is don't be so quick to say Cunningham is terrible and Sword is the next great player to play for State. Statistically that's not true. I'll go so far as to say Rick Ray playing Cunningham almost as much as Sword is one of the best decisions he's made all year.

 

[skb124]

Man you and Will James are quickly battling to see who can be the absolute dumbest poster on this board. DS can you check to make sure they are not the same person with multiple names?

ETA: Actually, you win that one pretty handily. Although I disagree with Will James on things and he is a persistent annoyance, he does actually bring some knowledge to the table sometimes.

 

[DAWG61]

Maybe I wouldn't be so annoying if I hadn't warned everyone a year and a half ago we had a major problem at the PG position only to get blasted about it. Maybe I wouldn't be so annoying if I hadn't warned everyone to just name Phil Cunningham the interim head coach till Stricklin made the RIGHT hire only to get blasted for it. Maybe I feel like I'm alone on an island watching my proud basketball program go to the depths of hell and it seems like everyone else has their heads in the sand about it. A lot of posters on here will talk for years about Chris Wilson's ****** defense or for 8 years about how a certain coach should be fired (I wanted him gone too) but I start speaking up against Ray and once again I'm getting blasted for it. 17 you. Wake the 17 up. I'm NOT OK with the state the basketball program is at.

 

[skb124]

No one is ok with the state of the basketball program. The thing is, many of us realize why we are in this situation and know that it is not Ray's fault. Its just unfair to place the blame on him for what's going on this year. Now if he puts out a similar squad next year with the same results, then the bashing will be understandable in my opinion. Just not right now with the hand that he was dealt.

And with PG play, we had a very talented yet very erratic (Gary Ervin-ish) freshman pg last year that transferred out as well as our senior pg graduating. It was obvious we were going to have a new PG this year. Ray signed two of them. Is it really his fault the supposed better one tore his ACL?

And about Cunningham, I would have been ok with promoting him, but I personally felt that we needed to go a complete different way from Stansbury.

Trust me, you are not the only one who is not happy with what's going on. I don't think you will find anyone who is pleased with the situation we are in, but to destroy Ray's coaching status before he has had a real chance to coach an actual team is unfair.

 

[NewTweederEndzoneDance]

You'd be a lot less annoying if you actually knew what the hell you are talking about. Comparing Ray walking into an absolute shittastic situation created by his predecessor to Wilson taking over as a DC on a team with a head coach that has already spent 4 years cleaning up the mess left by his own predecessor is asinine at best, and more like downright 17ing stupid.

No one is thrilled about losing, but you have absolutely no idea if Ray was the right hire or not. Neither do I, and neither does anyone else. So give it a rest already. Take a xanax and drink a glass of scotch or 12. Relax and enjoy the rest of the world for a bit, and lets revisit all this next season.

 

[patdog]

You knew about the injuries a year and a half ago? You could make a killing in the sports handicapping business with those prognostication skills. And, oh yeah, your Phil Cunningham suggestion is still about the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

 

[mstateglfr]

Ball don't lie and numbers don't lie either

Numbers lie all the time. Its the entire reason why advanced metrics were both created and have been embraced- basic stats mislead and often times dont event tell any story when there is one to be told.

 

[DAWG61]

Thanks for the suggestion on the scotch. I might try that before the next basketball game ha!

You're missing my point about Wilson. I'm NOT comparing Ray vs Wilson. I'm pointing out that on this board there are subjects that are put up with ad nauseam. Wilson was one of them this year. Ole Miss recruiting is another BUT mention anything negative or want to have discussion about how pitiful we've been in basketball and the masses come in groves to defend a man NONE of us knew anything about a year ago.

I am well aware of the depth issues but that doesn't excuse the fact that you or anyone else can't name me ONE basketball skill or category that Ray's team ranks in the TOP 200 in the country. Just give me one category. One man, just one 17ing category. Does Ray's team shoot well, pass well, defend well, score a lot, rebound well etc? Something ANYTHING to show me he knows how to coach basketball. He has ZERO head coaching experience before this year. His team is brutally bad in EVERYTHING. His team is ranked 328th in points, 324th in field goal pct, and 340th in assists. 340th!!! Guess how many teams are in these rankings?

 

[Brad Stevens.sixpack]

GET IT THROUGH YOUR SKULL. Rational people realize this team cannot be held to the same standard as every other basketball team, which is why if this is happening a year from now, I will welcome the bashing.


Wilson had a first, second, third string of players to work with on the defensive side of the ball. Ole Miss had a full allotment of scholarships to hand out in recruiting. While not an indictment on character, we are playing a man on a former band scholarship and another that didn't start in high school.

We aren't defending Ray. We have common sense enough to see true comparisons can't be made until next year. Please admit you learned something after all these people repeating ourselves to you.

 

[DAWG61]

Brad Stevens, I am NOT COMPARING Ray to Wilson or Ole Miss. I am pointing out that some subjects (pick whatever you like) are allowed to be discussed till everyone's blue in the face BUT this subject about Rick Ray is off limits.

I get that Ray can't get a fair evaluation till he has a full roster BUT the warning signs are all around this guy right now and I just want a little recognition from others that they can see them too.

Remember NONE of us knew anything about this guy less than a year ago. I'm not so quick to trust a man with zero experience that has the team playing at historically bad levels. It'd be one thing if Ray was 7-20 and had us being competitive. I could accept that. BUT Ray doesn't have us even at a competitive level. He has MSU as the WORST Power6 basketball team in the last 30 years. Name one team worse. I can't think of one. That's the level of shititude that I can no longer accept.

Rick Ray can literally do no wrong with a lot of you right now. At what point would you say something this year? Would we have to lose by 80 points? Would his team have to score less than 15 points in a game? Just let me know what is the level of ****** basketball that you can no longer stand and you'd have to start raising red flags over? Mine was becoming the worst team EVER.