Game 3: Hampton

 

In the preseason after doing the research on all the teams ECU would face, Hampton was one of the ones I was least concerned about putting up a fight. After another slow start and big deficit for ECU, this is the  closest to losing the team has come. ECU was still down big in the middle of the 2nd half  before mounting their comeback. Eleven players played tonight and the minutes were more spread out than the previous 2 games, with only one player just over 30 minutes. The lineups Schwartz played seemed to make sense at the times he played them, but he's searching for anything that will work.

Tabbs finally flashed some good offense. There was more to be more hopeful about. I think the defense and/or minutes restrictions will limit him. The defense overall again I thought looked really suspect most of the game. Some of the dunk show Hampton was putting on in the first half was when Debaut was in the game which can't happen. If Debaut is going to play, his defense is why he is playing to stop those layups and dunks.  On several of them he was no where near the basket with the other teams center dunking.

 

LaCount turned into a pumpkin tonight for the first time.  When he tried to go into the paint it was like he hit a brick wall. You can see how teams can stop him but again he was deployed to save the game when ECU got down big but this time Hampton was ready.  If LaCount is good enough to go to when you really need the hail mary rescue I still think he's good enough to start and attack more in a flow. Obviously they believe there is something there to play him in the most crucial dire moments.

 

Leverage that upside more early. If he's struggling like he did tonight or giving up the farm on defense pull the plug then. If he's having his way like he did in the first two games and plays 30+ minutes instead of 18 like he's playing you may never get down. I still think this team needs that scoring upside on the court to start of the game.

 

The guys certainly play hard on for Schwartz, they just make most of their mistakes on defense which you hope is correctable at some point as they get more cohesive. It's a young team, I don't like that phrase because no team has to be this young, they choose that but I do believe it is why.

 

With only 20 games played in his career coming into the season David Kasanganay was still one of our most experienced older players. I expected more of him last year I just assumed the new staff would owe him less and go with their own guys. I probably should have expected more simply because he was one of the few with successful D1 experience. It makes sense he is helping. He was a 45% three point shooter in high school and has never done anything to discredit in the limited time he's  played. 

Kasanganay  was +22 in 15 minutes and a big part of the comeback and why ECU won.  He's probably one of the best mixes of shooting and defense 2 way players on the team. It was nice to see Diboundje stoking threes. I was skeptical of the shooting after finding he hit only 20% the last year he played real minutes. At least after a game like that teams will have to respect him. Playing mostly PF, that will help give everyone else space. 

 

I do like the small lineups and willingness to size down to even 5 wings. This staff is adaptable. While I don't think this is a very good team  I do think Schwartz is getting the most out of the talent he has.   He seems to understand what is happening, and no ECU coach has gone as small as he did late last night. I'm actually more excited about aspect of what he is doing longterm even if I'm still skeptical on how he's choosing to target high school talent  almost exclusively and hoping to keep them longterm. We'll see if that works in time 

 

Just adding three quality transfers and I don't think this season would have been a throw away one  the way he is coaching them up. Even just the transfers from the teams we've played so far had Schwartz got Nesbitt  from last night who was a starter on an Saint Louis NIT team, the D2 transfer leading Presbyterian, and McCreary that all lit ECU up it's a team I could believe this team could be a top 100 one. Either way after watching All ACC and probably All Big East players together lose and knowing ECU was squandering elite talent it's at least refreshing to believe the coach is getting the most out of the talent he has for once. Hopefully Schwartz will eventually will find a Gardner or Newton of his own and then you can actually see a path to really doing something.