Payton dealing with role shifts

[NewsCopy]

UL has gone 4-4 with Payton starting at the point. The Ragin' Cajuns, who face Florida International tonight at the Cajundome, are 4-6 with junior Raymone Andrews — their starting point for one-and-a-half-seasons before this season — opening ...

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[wgwillis]

To me the team has to play for 40 minutes. Somehow they act like if they get up by 10 then they can coast in. The things most apparent are turnovers and lack of a clutch player/plan. They are confused looking (sounding) at times (coaching). We could have won that game against South Al ten different ways but we didn't! Sorry, I know we all want Marlin to be successful but we looked unprepared and out of shape (coaching). What I can not tell from a distance is are we over or under coached. One thing is for sure; we just can't out talent anyone! I don't like articles like the one above - who cares who starts - its how they play when they are in the game that concerns me!

[Turbine]

Not downshifting after crossing mid-court was a problem Thursday.

[CajunEXPRESS]

Fans not into the game. Yea Coach Marlin the fans had a hangover for sure.

The Ragin'Cajuns are not playing a game that will get the fans very excited. We play a lot of half court defense. We don't get a lot of three point hits, and we don't dunk very well, and do not create a lot of turnovers. These are the types of things that get the crowd motivated. If you do not do these things well, the crowd will be like the defense and offense, very predictibable and slow.

Marlin Ball reminds me of Floyd ball without the wins. Marty Ball reminded me of UNLV under the Shark who won a lot. In neither case are we getting enough wins, but Marty Ball could get the crowd motivated. Jesse Evans was a good mix. My only complaint about Jesse was our best players, and ususally several were never available until after the start of the spring semester.

Three count them thre post seasons under Jesse, one under Robert with mostly Evans talent, Marty two with a WIN in the NCAA, and still a work in progress under Coach Marlin. I just do not need him blaming fans for being flat because he plays a boring style of ball without the wins.

[CajunZ1]

The games are not exciting, to say the least.

Unless it's overtime, and we have 6 men on the court.

[SlappyCajun]

Marlins style of ball is not boring his mixture with these players are boring. His last year at Sam running the same offense he led the nation in assists and averaged nearly 80 ppg. Draining threes all over the court.

[Turbine]

The first half was plenty exciting.

[CajunEXPRESS]

Slappy, he needs to deliver like anyone. Right now the games are rather predictable. Not saying he cannot or won't get more exciting players and style. He took that school from nothing in basketball to being pretty good. Not enough championships but again from nothing to being pretty good, and the second best winning record in Texas during his time there is a good predictior of things to come.

Things to come in 2013, 2014 are not going to get the crowd reved up. He could still run a pressing defense, fans get excited by that, but that requires good coaching or you get burned. You can run a precise offense like Prinston, and Denver did, but you need to get the players to buy in. He has trouble getting these guys to buy into things. We here way too often by him that they are not doing the things they CAN do to win games.

No way am I saying din't go to the games or go and sit on your hands, but I am 63 and get a lot of evil looks when I get too lound, and I had better stay seated. We need a lot more excitement to get this older crowd pumped. They are more like opera "patrons" than basketball "fanNATICS". You need a performance that demands an encore to get them off their butts.

[CajunEXPRESS]

The first half was plenty exciting.

Yea we were hitting but we still played that boring half court defese, and they stayed with us.

Turbine it is not only about the offense.

[Turbine]

Fans not into the game. Yea Coach Marlin the fans had a hangover for sure.

The Ragin'Cajuns are not playing a game that will get the fans very excited. We play a lot of half court defense. We don't get a lot of three point hits, and we don't dunk very well, and do not create a lot of turnovers. These are the types of things that get the crowd motivated. If you do not do these things well, the crowd will be like the defense and offense, very predictibable and slow.

Marlin Ball reminds me of Floyd ball without the wins. Marty Ball reminded me of UNLV under the Shark who won a lot. In neither case are we getting enough wins, but Marty Ball could get the crowd motivated. Jesse Evans was a good mix. My only complaint about Jesse was our best players, and ususally several were never available until after the start of the spring semester.

Three count them thre post seasons under Jesse, one under Robert with mostly Evans talent, Marty two with a WIN in the NCAA, and still a work in progress under Coach Marlin. I just do not need him blaming fans for being flat because he plays a boring style of ball without the wins.

I'm not bothered by Marlin's crowd comments. I imagine he was set up by the reporter with his previous quote about the crowds returning.

[SlappyCajun]

The full court press has sort of gone the way of the dinosaur in college basketball. Most elite programs with the exception of Syracuse play half court man.

[Boomer]

The full court press has sort of gone the way of the dinosaur in college basketball. Most elite programs with the exception of Syracuse play half court man.

-------BUT doesn't Syracuse play 2-3 match up zone on the half court---I thought that they ran that so well!!!!! Notice we jumped into it last game!!!