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Post by coqui900 on Mar 29, 2013 12:26:42 GMT -5
Here are things that I think we can expect/I want next year:
1) A NEW FANBASE. I don't mean just a bigger fan base, even though we're certainly going to have that since people absolutely fell in love with this team and were reminded of what La Salle means. But it's going to be a completely new atmosphere in the post-Southwest Philly Floater era. We now have a new catchphrase in "All We Do Is Turn Up" that I thing sticks. I can see a lot of novelty T-Shirts (COUSIN BERN! SHERLOCK THE CAT!) and the like. It's a new era on that end, too.
2) MORE BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEOS. These no doubt take a long time to put together but I think those videos went a really long way in what happened the past two weeks in terms of the outpouring of love for the team. Friday Night Lights is my favorite television show of all-time and all of these definitely felt a lot like that. I just watched the one for the K-State win again and it's absolutely spine-tingling with how it starts with the prayer and everything is edited so perfectly. But they should look to put a few more of those together. Having stuff like that on YouTube and sent around on Twitter and Facebook is the absolute best marketing possible -- they're honest and funny and warm. It's way better than any billboard.
3) THE TEAM ITSELF. There are a lot of questions for the off-season that will be answered. Ramon's loss will be very large. But I think everyone knows what leadership is like and they completely trust G. And the taste they had of success this year will only motivate them more. They still have the best backcourt in the A-10. Steve Zack made such an improvement over the regular season. Jerrell made THE biggest leap imaginable in the tournament. We get another bruise on Jermaine Davis, a supposed defensive wiz in Khalid Lewis and a role player in Rohan Brown who was really impressive for big stretches during the run.
I kept saying on Facebook and Twitter that I don't want this to ever end.
I don't think it's going to.
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Post by theneumann64 on Mar 29, 2013 13:03:21 GMT -5
It also would not surprise me if we see some kind of big-time game on the schedule, probably on the road.
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Post by coqui900 on Mar 29, 2013 13:08:27 GMT -5
Man oh man would I like a chance at one of the new Big East schools other than Nova.
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Post by 20thandolney on Mar 29, 2013 13:37:48 GMT -5
I really hope our fan base doesn't dress like mummers
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Post by 23won on Mar 29, 2013 13:49:37 GMT -5
As the new cute girl in town, I'd imagine we could get invited to one of those Thnaksgiving/Holiday tourneys where we could play BCS teams and pad our RPI/win/game metrics to boost our resume.
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Next Year
Mar 29, 2013 14:05:26 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by olneyman on Mar 29, 2013 14:05:26 GMT -5
Already scheduled for a visit to the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas next season. Week before Thanksgiving. Maryland is also in the field
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Post by mikesmd77 on Mar 29, 2013 14:59:29 GMT -5
I hope we keep a good connection with Xavier, Butler, and the new Big East.. obviously we add Temple as a non-conf game that is against a quality opponent.. also wouldn't hurt for some A10 programs to step up.. I think UMASS will definitely be good next year, and of course VCU. St Louis should take a few steps back given all they will lose, but we shall see!
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Post by mikesmd77 on Mar 29, 2013 15:00:54 GMT -5
The Paradise Jam next year will also include Vanderbilt and Providence as top 6 conference programs..
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Post by lwc4591 on Mar 29, 2013 16:50:55 GMT -5
Amar Stukes made first team boys basketball with Jordan (Player of the Year), Vasturia, Austin and Newton. Like this young man a ton with his smooth game.
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Post by durenduren on Mar 29, 2013 18:20:59 GMT -5
The improvements made in Jerrell and Steve this season should allow G more flexibility in approaches going forward. I don't think we'll abandon the 4 guard look entirely, given that we still have an incredible amount of speed, but I expect to see two bigs on the court more often, if for short periods. Could be a great asset to change the flow of the game, wear down the other teams bigs, etc... Should be fun.
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Post by lwc4591 on Mar 29, 2013 19:44:34 GMT -5
Next season how good we are will depend on how much Zack improves and how solid can Davis be.
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expbrady03
Utility Bench Player
Back from the grave
Posts: 158
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Post by expbrady03 on Mar 30, 2013 8:03:10 GMT -5
Steve needs to put on a few lbs (something I'm an expert in so if you need help Doc, gimme a ring)
Personally I'm expecting we add at least one game vs a high major program. We know that we are already headed to Miami for the second part of our 2-1 deal, maybe we can add a trip stop in Gainesville while we are down there. I'd also be up for a game with UNC/NC State/Duke. We need to take advantage of the fact that we've got a team of guys who can potentially play with the big boys and raise our profile a bit. If nothing else, showing recruits that we will be playing big time programs should give us a bump.
I'd like to see the L-Train stick around. How cool would it be to see him at every game, hell maybe we can add him to the coaching staff.
Finally, I'd like to see a small fire start in the "spirit office" over on City Line Ave. A front page image of the charred remains of a cheap hawk costume would look nice on my wall.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2013 10:11:15 GMT -5
The Paradise Jam next year will also include Vanderbilt and Providence as top 6 conference programs.. Here's the full field: La Salle, Maryland, Providence, Vanderbilt, Northern Iowa, Loyola Marymount, Marist, Morgan State. www.paradisejam.com/More than likely, La Salle will be the Paradise Jam #1 seed (they usually seed by the previous year's RPI) and will play two of the three BCS schools as long as they win the first two games. Then you have four more BCS games (at Miami, at Villanova, at Penn State, and Temple at Gola) on the OOC schedule. I think at most there will be one more BCS school added to the schedule. Siena and Hartford also come to Gola. As of a month or two ago, there were still 4 games left to schedule.
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Post by 20thandolney on Mar 30, 2013 10:17:01 GMT -5
Is Temple considered a BCS team?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2013 10:39:02 GMT -5
Is Temple considered a BCS team? I think so. As of July 1st, they'll be a full member in the Big East/America 12 conference, which even with all the changes, would be considered a BCS conference because of the football schools that are members. The New Big East though will not be a BCS conference any longer.
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Post by talkinbball on Mar 30, 2013 12:37:14 GMT -5
That Paradise Jam field isn't that impressive. Hope we add a game or two against power teams from power conferences.
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Post by jellybean on Mar 30, 2013 13:08:47 GMT -5
That Paradise Jam field isn't that impressive. Hope we add a game or two against power teams from power conferences. Really? Do you know anything about Maryland, Providence, Vanderbilt and Northern Iowa? Maryland next year will be one of the top three ACC teams in pre-season if they don't lose the foreign kid to the NBA. He is rumored to be Lottery pick. Providence loses one player from middle of the pack BE. Vanderbilt doesn't lose a player. Basically FR and SOPH's this year. Should be one of the top SEC teams. Northern Iowa loses a couple of players but you need to respect the program. They did beat Wichita State, Creighton and St. Mary's CA this year. If anything this might be one of the best MTE's next year. Kjmac said we might be #1 seed. He might be correct but I think Maryland will get that nod if everyone comes back. A little "bad luck" for us. If we are indeed are #1 or 2 we get a sub-220 team in first round then possibly two Top 50 opponents. If we were #4 or 5, we could have three Top 50-60 teams.
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Post by coachd on Mar 30, 2013 13:25:44 GMT -5
We also add Khalif Lewis and Davis next season. Look forward to adding a top notch Juco as well as a shooting guard this spring.
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Post by talkinbball on Mar 30, 2013 13:27:07 GMT -5
Name four teams that are not annually in the NCAA Tournament: Maryland, Providence, Vanderbilt and Northern Iowa.
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Next Year
Mar 30, 2013 13:31:54 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by explorerman on Mar 30, 2013 13:31:54 GMT -5
A high scoring juco would be nice especially if they can shoot but transfer is probably the way this is going this late in the game..
I have been on record I am very concerned with this team's abilities to score.. We are losing our best offensive threat in a motion/iso based offense..
I actually believe our defense will be better.. More size and depth in the front court and we add Lewis who is a fantastic defender
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Post by jellybean on Mar 30, 2013 13:41:57 GMT -5
Name four teams that are not annually in the NCAA Tournament: Maryland, Providence, Vanderbilt and Northern Iowa. Could say that about us too but we are talking about NEXT year.
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Post by belfieldhappyhour on Mar 30, 2013 13:47:37 GMT -5
Name four teams that are not annually in the NCAA Tournament: Maryland, Providence, Vanderbilt and Northern Iowa. Talkin seems like all four have been to the dance a lot more frequently (recently) than La Salle, so they might say same thing about us Marlyand NCAA Tournament appearances 1958, 1973, 1975, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988*, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010 Providence NCAA Tournament appearances 1964, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2004 Vandy NCAA Tournament appearances 1965, 1974, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 Northern Iowa NCAA Tournament appearances 1990, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010
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Post by jellybean on Mar 30, 2013 14:02:10 GMT -5
A high scoring juco would be nice especially if they can shoot but transfer is probably the way this is going this late in the game.. I have been on record I am very concerned with this team's abilities to score.. We are losing our best offensive threat in a motion/iso based offense.. I actually believe our defense will be better.. More size and depth in the front court and we add Lewis who is a fantastic defender Juco's are rare. They have to have transferable credits and a major that we offer. I don't have a concern about our ability to score. We scored LESS this year than last season. Take a look at points/product per minute when you compare Garland to Galloway. Some believe (staff) that Garland will replace Galloway's numbers. He will just do it differently. He won't take as many 3pt attempts but he makes more FG's and get to the foul line more. If Tyrone can improve his shooting percentages from the field, 3pt and FT, he could average close to 20pts a game in this system. Remember this is not me saying that. (forgot to add that Garland will have less assists but a lot less turnovers per game than Ramon. Better than one less TO's per game.) The experience and maturity will see others step up. Zack and Wright should get us 20 pts a night combined. I am more concerned about their rebounding. I would like to see them combine for 16 boards a night. Davis is still a project. Again from what I'm told, the staff would be delighted if Jermaine gave us Steve Zack FR production ( 1.5pts 2.5 rebs in 9.5 mins). Key to me is Sam Mills. Sam has to regain his shooting touch (he did seem better towards tail end of season). I think he is a career 41% shooter from 3. We will need him to do that or better. He could be our most important 3pt shooter next year. Sam needs to shake off his Jr year slump where he dropped from 10.5 to 8pts a game. We need him at 11.5 next year. Hard to believe that Duren will be a bigger scorer but with Lewis you never know. Lewis is more of a point guard so Tyreke could spend a little time on the wing where he can knock down shots. Lewis will play tremendous defense too. I would expect him to give us 6-7 pts a night. Defense has to be better. Kenpom had us ranked as #98 in defensive efficiency. That isn't Sweet 16 level. The reason was we got pounded inside with the small lineup. Hopefully, with all healthy and some depth that will improve. We still need to create points off turnovers. I would like to see us take 3pts a game off pts allowed (against a tougher SOS).
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Post by talkinbball on Mar 30, 2013 14:21:58 GMT -5
My point was these are not exactly the household names from the annual Top 25 teams or even from their own conferences. It had nothing to do with our tournament history. My point was that, while we are in this "run", let's schedule somebody who would fall into that category from a major conference. Not to mention the fact that we will not even be playing all of these teams in this tournament.
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Post by mikesmd77 on Mar 30, 2013 14:44:49 GMT -5
We'll spend at least some time in the top 25 next year. I'm quite confident of that. Early tilt with Nova could really jumpstart our season... man I can't wait.
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Post by jellybean on Mar 30, 2013 14:46:18 GMT -5
First, I don't know how much you know about CBB scheduling. We have had long discussions on this and the old board about how difficult it is to schedule. It is easier to recruit than get big names to play you even if they don't want to return the game. Try getting an opportunity to schedule three of the four teams I mentioned in this tournament. Yes, everyone would love to have Duke on their schedule. Easier said than done.
This is a wonderful opportunity for La Salle. We get very good teams on a neutral court. As I mentioned before our "bad luck" of being pretty good will pit us against a sub-200 team in the first round. We most likely will get TWO Top 50 programs on neutral courts as opposed to playing them at their place. THAT'S HUGE.
Okay that's it for me. I don't know what else there is to say. I hope you get it. They may not be sexy names to you talkinball but they are very good teams next year and will really help our tournament resume.
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Post by mikesmd77 on Mar 30, 2013 14:54:14 GMT -5
My wish for next year.. is to sell them throwback jerseys... they are beautiful, and I want one.. and hell, make them the standard home jersey again!
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Post by SICguy84 on Mar 30, 2013 15:50:18 GMT -5
OK, forgive me for asking this here but it’s not worth starting a new thread. I was told second hand that on Friday’s WIP morning show, Angelo Cataldi said something to the effect that the Explorers let the city of Philadelphia down by not winning Thursday night. Maybe someone heard it? I stopped listening to his show months ago because I think he’s a carpet bagging idiot.
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Post by theneumann64 on Mar 30, 2013 17:30:02 GMT -5
WIP, and Cataldi in particular, are an insult to talk radio, not to mention anyone with a High School Diploma. Forgive my previously diagnosed "pompous New Yorkerism" but my friends and I spend hours complaining about WFAN, but anytime I have to listen to WIP, I'm so thankful for the FAN. Almost everyone on WIP is essentially a personification of everything negative about Philly sports fans. I think they lead the charge on all the things that gives fans here a sometime unfair wrap.
Cataldi, and all the crap about chicken-wing eating contests, hot girls, and all the other "guy talk" is just so ridiculous in a town with 4 pro sports team, and 6 NCAA Division one basketball teams. I love Howard Stern, but all these guys trying to be Stern, especially on a sports talk station, is the worst form of hackery.
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Post by theneumann64 on Mar 30, 2013 17:31:58 GMT -5
And I know Cataldi is a Boston guy by birth (and a Yankees fan). I'm not indicting all Philadelphia fans, I'm talking about how the horse's asses on that station embody and encourage the lowest type of Philly fan.
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