Food for thought during the doldrums: Mase, Justin Burrell and Rob Thomas...

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out on the court at the same time in a Big East game. I know that the possibility depends upon the recovery of two out of the three and that you'd have to think twice before doing this against teams with dominant centers...but...if I were playing SJU and those three were waiting out on the court for me, I certainly wouldn't be thinking "cupcake time," would you?

Tha Kid

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I think we're more likely to defend inside well and rebound with those 3 than TJ in there in place of one of them.
"I drink and I know things"

if mase and rob thomas are 100% then that is a good frontcourt, BUT i would be very careful in your expectations of those 2, especially rob thomas.  if people expect him to come in and dominate right away i think theyll be setting themselves up for disappointment.  remember that those 2, (especially thomas), is coming off of being hurt and neither have really gotten full run yet this year.  

i dont really expect too much out of either one for a good part of the year, and anything that they give SJU will be pleasantly surprising IMO
"When excuses become your reason for losing then it is time to find the nearest mirror." -Mike Dunlap

i mean if we can even get by hawaii without mase and thomas gets some minutes there..i think by the time conference play comes around having mase thomas and burrell will be huge that is once burrell and thomas stay outta foul trouble..with geno and wright at the guards the offense actually might have a little flow to it

kjd01067

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if mase and rob thomas are 100% then that is a good frontcourt, BUT i would be very careful in your expectations of those 2, especially rob thomas.  if people expect him to come in and dominate right away i think theyll be setting themselves up for disappointment.  remember that those 2, (especially thomas), is coming off of being hurt and neither have really gotten full run yet this year.  

i dont really expect too much out of either one for a good part of the year, and anything that they give SJU will be pleasantly surprising IMO

You have to be kidding me not expecting anything out of Mase !  The kid has an ankle sprain, he didnt blow out everything in his knee.  If  Mase doesnt give us a good Big East season it will be a big letdown/dissapointment.  All i have to say is Mase better be ready for the conference schedule because tight now the coaches are babying him.  The lineup of the three of them at full strength could be scary and I for one and praying we will see it against Cuse in the opener.

oldred10

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if mase and rob thomas are 100% then that is a good frontcourt, BUT i would be very careful in your expectations of those 2, especially rob thomas.  if people expect him to come in and dominate right away i think theyll be setting themselves up for disappointment.  remember that those 2, (especially thomas), is coming off of being hurt and neither have really gotten full run yet this year.  

i dont really expect too much out of either one for a good part of the year, and anything that they give SJU will be pleasantly surprising IMO

You have to be kidding me not expecting anything out of Mase!!  The kid has an ankle sprain, he didnt blow out everything in his knee.  If  Mase doesnt give us a good Big East season it will be a big letdown/dissapointment.  All i have to say is Mase better be ready for the conference schedule because tight now the coaches are babying him.  The lineup of the three of them at full strength could be scary and I for one and praying we will see it against Cuse in the opener.

Exactly kjd... "johnnyfan"(lol) is way off base as usual.. :D .. btw - Pretty sure most fans are NOT "expecting" Thomas to come right in & dominate like he did in h.s. I think most "rational" fans are expecting him to provide some scoring "punch" off the bench & for the staff to "baby" him the first month coming off the injury... On the other hand, i think most fans are expecting Mase to contribute in a BIG way & be the leading scorer on the team once he shakes the rust off from the injury. Saying u "don't expect much" out of Mase this year is just plain nice personic.. ::) .. The bottom line is we are going be a MUCH better basketball team when we get those two back & Norm finally settles on a 8/9 man rotation going into conference play..  8) .. Peace!
« Last Edit: December 14, 2007, 12:12:41 PM by oldred10 »


"If u LOVE us that's GREAT... if u HATE us that's GREAT too... if ur in the middle... get the F*CK out!!" - Paul Stanley, KISS

im not saying not to expect much for all of the season. im just saying that itll likely take him a few games to get back into the flow of the game and gettin in sync with his teammates.  i really dint expect much from rob thomas during the season and anything that he provides is extra IMO.
"When excuses become your reason for losing then it is time to find the nearest mirror." -Mike Dunlap

To even grab four or five wins in the BE, Mason is going to have to be putting up at least 15-20 every night.  This is possible if he can step up and be the leader of this team.

I dont except anything from RT this year either, anything is a bonus. 

I am interested to see where the offense is going to come from to compete in the BE. 


Stool

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out on the court at the same time in a Big East game. I know that the possibility depends upon the recovery of two out of the three and that you'd have to think twice before doing this against teams with dominant centers...but...if I were playing SJU and those three were waiting out on the court for me, I certainly wouldn't be thinking "cupcake time," would you?

Is anyone else concerned that, in year 4, we must depend on
Anthony Mason Jr. ( a nice player, but severely limited, and a borderline starter for a top 25 team)
Justin Burrell (a raw freshman with an attitude problem), and
Rob Thomas (hasn't played organized ball in over two years/academic issues and is coming off a major knee injury)
to be dominant in the Big East just to escape the "cupcake" title????

Didnt think so...keep drinking the kool-aid.

kjd01067

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out on the court at the same time in a Big East game. I know that the possibility depends upon the recovery of two out of the three and that you'd have to think twice before doing this against teams with dominant centers...but...if I were playing SJU and those three were waiting out on the court for me, I certainly wouldn't be thinking "cupcake time," would you?

Is anyone else concerned that, in year 4, we must depend on
Anthony Mason Jr. ( a nice player, but severely limited, and a borderline starter for a top 25 team)
Justin Burrell (a raw freshman with an attitude problem), and
Rob Thomas (hasn't played organized ball in over two years/academic issues and is coming off a major knee injury)
to be dominant in the Big East just to escape the "cupcake" title????

Didnt think so...keep drinking the kool-aid.

Can't say that I dont agree about Burrell and Thomas but I think Mase is a sure fire starter at most if not all top 25 teams.  I know some people say Mase isnt a star and he never will be, but I think as a junior now everyone will see the progress this kid has made and how lucky we are to have him.  Plus I believe with other great players around Mase I think he becomes an even better player.

oldred10

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Roberts on Thomas' return to practice :

"It could be a big deal in that he gives us a lot more versatility. It's amazing, just in practice the last two days, having five big guys makes you feel good because now you got the chance for guys to get rest. It makes things more flexible. It has upped the competition in practice."


Burrell on Thomas :

"The thing I like about Rob, from what I've seen, is that he shoots the ball well and he has great court awareness. He can see a play before it happens. He passes the ball well, he's ferocious in the paint and he plays defense."


Thomas on his return & how rusty he might be :

"It feels good. I haven't been on the ball circuit for about two years. I feel good being out there on the court with my team and coaches... The doctor told me when I was in the recovery room that certain people's bodies heal faster from the surgery and by the grace of God, God helped my body quicker than normal... I'm working out the kinks right now. I've been playing well in practice for the two days I've been here. I just have to get back in game shape. I'll probably need a good week to get used to the intensity that they do in the practice."


http://redstormsports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/121407aab.html
« Last Edit: December 15, 2007, 09:18:52 AM by oldred10 »


"If u LOVE us that's GREAT... if u HATE us that's GREAT too... if ur in the middle... get the F*CK out!!" - Paul Stanley, KISS

Man do we need to step in and contribute right away.  Lofty expectations, I'll admit, but wouldn't that be a pleasant surprise?

Man do we need to step in and contribute right away.  Lofty expectations, I'll admit, but wouldn't that be a pleasant surprise?

We dont need him to be a savior but we need him to take away Evans mins.  He has to be better then Sean right now or we'll be in serious trouble.  Anything after that is all gravy to me as I didnt expect him doing much b4 the year started.  Now on the other hand we NEED mase to come back and start dropping buckets ASAP.  Before the year I heard how great he was going to be, now i need to see it bc the youngins are feeling down and he can bring em right up!!

kob24

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out on the court at the same time in a Big East game. I know that the possibility depends upon the recovery of two out of the three and that you'd have to think twice before doing this against teams with dominant centers...but...if I were playing SJU and those three were waiting out on the court for me, I certainly wouldn't be thinking "cupcake time," would you?

Is anyone else concerned that, in year 4, we must depend on
Anthony Mason Jr. ( a nice player, but severely limited, and a borderline starter for a top 25 team)
Justin Burrell (a raw freshman with an attitude problem), and
Rob Thomas (hasn't played organized ball in over two years/academic issues and is coming off a major knee injury)
to be dominant in the Big East just to escape the "cupcake" title????

Didnt think so...keep drinking the kool-aid.

whats wrong with his attitude? please explain

Stool

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out on the court at the same time in a Big East game. I know that the possibility depends upon the recovery of two out of the three and that you'd have to think twice before doing this against teams with dominant centers...but...if I were playing SJU and those three were waiting out on the court for me, I certainly wouldn't be thinking "cupcake time," would you?

Is anyone else concerned that, in year 4, we must depend on
Anthony Mason Jr. ( a nice player, but severely limited, and a borderline starter for a top 25 team)
Justin Burrell (a raw freshman with an attitude problem), and
Rob Thomas (hasn't played organized ball in over two years/academic issues and is coming off a major knee injury)
to be dominant in the Big East just to escape the "cupcake" title????

Didnt think so...keep drinking the kool-aid.

whats wrong with his attitude? please explain

He got T'd up yesterday for staring down the ref. If you need more examples, Ill be happy to provide them, but you shouldnt.

Justin is fine. He definitely has a lot of personality for sure but I like him a lot. There was one rebound he got yesterday where he almost lost it because he got the board so high that on his way down the rim nicked the ball catching him a bit surprised.
Follow Johnny Jungle on Twitter at @Johnny_Jungle

remember, burrell has only been playing basketball for a few years, so he doesnt quite have the emotional maturity or experience yet because he hasnt been playing for that long.  that is why geno and norm really need to calm him down.  hes not a bad guy at all he just needs more guidance.
"When excuses become your reason for losing then it is time to find the nearest mirror." -Mike Dunlap

kob24

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out on the court at the same time in a Big East game. I know that the possibility depends upon the recovery of two out of the three and that you'd have to think twice before doing this against teams with dominant centers...but...if I were playing SJU and those three were waiting out on the court for me, I certainly wouldn't be thinking "cupcake time," would you?

Is anyone else concerned that, in year 4, we must depend on
Anthony Mason Jr. ( a nice player, but severely limited, and a borderline starter for a top 25 team)
Justin Burrell (a raw freshman with an attitude problem), and
Rob Thomas (hasn't played organized ball in over two years/academic issues and is coming off a major knee injury)
to be dominant in the Big East just to escape the "cupcake" title????

Didnt think so...keep drinking the kool-aid.

whats wrong with his attitude? please explain

He got T'd up yesterday for staring down the ref. If you need more examples, Ill be happy to provide them, but you shouldnt.

so him clapping it up for his team and helping the niagra players up off the floor also constitue as a bad attitude right? i mean u saw the game so u had to see that also. or did u see him get smashed and was aggrivated and looked at the ref? that couldnt have been the only thing u saw sir was it?

great point kob24 this is something I forgot about myself but he did do this
Follow Johnny Jungle on Twitter at @Johnny_Jungle

out on the court at the same time in a Big East game. I know that the possibility depends upon the recovery of two out of the three and that you'd have to think twice before doing this against teams with dominant centers...but...if I were playing SJU and those three were waiting out on the court for me, I certainly wouldn't be thinking "cupcake time," would you?

Is anyone else concerned that, in year 4, we must depend on
Anthony Mason Jr. ( a nice player, but severely limited, and a borderline starter for a top 25 team)
Justin Burrell (a raw freshman with an attitude problem), and
Rob Thomas (hasn't played organized ball in over two years/academic issues and is coming off a major knee injury)
to be dominant in the Big East just to escape the "cupcake" title????

Didnt think so...keep drinking the kool-aid.

whats wrong with his attitude? please explain

He got T'd up yesterday for staring down the ref. If you need more examples, Ill be happy to provide them, but you shouldnt.

so him clapping it up for his team and helping the niagra players up off the floor also constitue as a bad attitude right? i mean u saw the game so u had to see that also. or did u see him get smashed and was aggrivated and looked at the ref? that couldnt have been the only thing u saw sir was it?

Thats cute what he did for the niagara players.  If you noticed he made some gestures throughout the game, I am sure that wasnt the first thing the ref noticed.  I much rather him not get t'd up, and let niagara worry about themselves.  however i dont think it's a problem.  There are alot of other things that need to be fixed first.