Sow, Grow....Wait Another Season On the Farm Team

 

The analogy comparing the transfer portal to a bustling supermarket teeming with easily accessible talent frequented by numerous programs, even the poor, always contrasts sharply with ECU's Amish approach. Opting to cultivate talent internally, akin to nurturing seeds over multiple seasons. It's not just that it's antiquated, it never made logical sense with free transfer and the portal. 

Within the initial five minutes of last night's game, it became evident to me that ECU faced a greater than 50% probability of losing. Hence, I chose not to comment immediately, allowing everyone the necessary time to process the unfolding events. Surprisingly, few individuals cited Johnson's absence as an excuse. Instead, his absence seemed to add a more somber tone to the circumstances. The combined stellar performances of Felton and Ausar, amassing 57 points and 17 rebounds, only serve to underscore the prevailing issues within the roster that I had previously anticipated.

Felton may end up being better than I expected, which makes this offseason worse unfortunately and what could have been. Good players likely aren't going to stick around for this level of play around them with a free transfers to use. The other part of why this "plan" growing with in never made sense. If you find these good high school players and farm them up and they are still very likely to leave your farm team when they can. There should have always ben an urgency knowing players can leave anytime and and to try to capitalize on them while you have them. If Felton is going to play even 50% of what he has the last 2 games then with BJ and Ausar the time was now. You can't be sure they all return.

 

 A Few Game Thoughts

Molonga got his first action of the year, and I understand why he's not been in the rotation. He seemed lost with multiple mistakes like moving screens, offensive goaltending, blown by etc.  The typical freshman big at ECU. That said I think he should still be in there over Pinedo. There is at least upside he catches on at some point and will make a talent play. This is not a choice ECU should have to make as the 3rd big. There is always sickness and minor injuries that players at every school, and that's how thin your depth is in the post.

I thought the fact at one point ECU was so desperate for any kind of three point threat that they put in a freshman walk on "shooter" says a lot.  This was the most obvious weakness coming off last season and 315th outside shooting and 270th offense.  Meanwhile Upstate has a proven grad transfer shooter going 4-7 from three.  Some will continue to blame NIL though.

 

Ausar is like Gardner with his ball handling and foul drawing abilities, but gives it away at the FT line unlike Gardner. That's a problem when you can't give it to a guy without the other team fouling him in key spots in the game and likely to get away with 1 for 2 from the line. Gardner made you pay at the line and the bigger aspect missing is he created some space for himself and others with his mid range game.Teams will eventually dare Ausar to shot even 12 footers if he can't make anything but a layup or foul him if he gets to the rim.

Pettiford....1-7 from the floor, 0-1 from three, 1-2 from the line for 3 points in 31 minutes .  The 4 assist to 1 turnover was fine but you can't play a PG like this in 2023 and have a good offense.The defense isn't there either. Maybe you could get away with it vs Upstate with Felton banking in 3's and going 5-7 from there, but a point guard like that needs shooters all around him to pass the ball too to have success. This archetype non shooting PG is much less valuable on this team with no shooters.

 

What you would hope for him to be is Brock Young as a sophomore where he was near the top of the NCAA in assist in the best case. Even Young would take a few threes that year and made enough to keep teams honest at nearly one a game. The bigger difference is he had Hinnant, Legan, Abrams and Sherrod around him. That was a great shooting team that was 15th in the nation in threes's made a game and 35th in percentage. That's the team construction around him needed if you are going to have any success with that kind of PG IMO. Not the 315th shooting team. Everyone shoots now at a level that is higher than 15 years ago too.

So there it is, another year wasted in likely hood and it took less than 10 days for everyone to realize it.