More random thoughts from a cluttered mind...

So I went to see the WVU game in person, watched the Kentucky game, and then sat thru the Texas game and this is what I learned.

Not a lot.

Actually when you think about it this is really a case of a few things happening. We were led to believe, based on past performance and comments by the coaching staff, that the transfers we had sitting out last year (Moore and both Lawsons) were going to be impressive. We were led to believe, based upon past performance and recruiting rankings, that Grimes was a stud and would step in with impact play from the get go (and MSU game seemed to support that). We were led to believe that Dok and DeSousa along with Lawson and McCormack would provide so much depth down low that we would see the big man play of Self's dreams come to fruition.

But what actually happened. Dok got injured; DeSousa got benched by the NCAA and the FBI; Grimes sublime summer vanished and he has struggled mightily ever since; and Moore, McCormack and KJ have been phantoms.

We pull the redshirt of a kid thought to be a project and he turns in to a star. Who knew?

Garrett is playing well of late, but heaven help us if we have to rely on his scoring. (I still cringe when he lines up for a three - even if it is uncontested).

D Lawson is the only one of the preseason hype that has lived up to it. Though I admit to absolutely fearing when he gets the ball in the back court and starts dribbling, because I know he isn't going to stop until he has cork screwed his way to a turn over or an ill advised shot. He is a stud other than that.

The truth is that this team has talent. Talent that most other schools would love to have, but far below what we are used to. We are a bit spoiled here. Not trying o negate the pain of watching some of these games, (Vick trying to be the hero and taking ill advised shots early in the shot clock, poor movement without the ball, Dotson driving with no purpose to the rim only to be stuffed because he can't get it off his football grip or make a pass, or our inability to block out at times, our lack of hustle at other times, etc.)

This is a mediocre team at this point. I still believe there is a lot of talent, but they are, to use Self's term, soft. Garret, Dotson, and Agbaji are exceptions. Lawson is the man, but he plays soft to a degree. Soft may be a bad choice. He is more of a finesse player.

Our passing is atrocious. Specially Vick's. That guy never gets the ball to a person in a manner that will allow them to go straight up for a shot. The receiver is always reaching or jumping for his passes. Dotson drives to the rim, but can't finish as well as guards of the past have (he will learn, he's a freshman) and the manner in which he drives with the ball makes it very difficult for him to pass once he has started that drive.

I thought our spacing would be better on offense with Dok out as he tended to clog up the middle, but what it did instead was to create movement without purpose, ineffective or non-existent screens, and general malaise. None of that is what we are used to from Self coached teams.

I am left with the opinion that we are a good team, but not a very good or great team and that is what we are used to. We are more inconsistent in our execution than I have ever seen before. Hardly any back door cuts and lobs for easy baskets out of the half court set. I mentioned a while back that we had a problem generating assists and that has become more and more apparent - partially due to not hitting the shot when we have it, but also because everything is one on one. Terrible team ball.

The conference championship is rapidly approaching dream status. A deep run in the NCAAs is Cinderella thinking.

Can we turn it around? maybe, but I really haven't seen the team look at it like anything is serious. A comment here or there, but no pride in themselves at this point. If this were a few years ago, heck even under Roy, there would have been someone calling for a team meeting or at least getting on a player for dogging it. Just not here with this team.

Sigh. It hurts to watch because we expected more and have been given more in the past.