Ragin Review - S5:E31 - Dome Wasn't Built in a Day

[Hatch]

Great job, I Listened for the first time in over a year. That is partly due to the lack of basketball coverage but mainly because I now work remotely and not having a 2 1/2 hour round trip commute daily cut into my podcast time.

A couple of points, you touched on it briefly but the lack of a true point guard really hurt over the past few seasons. They tried to slot guys like Russell, Wilson, and Williams in there but it just didn’t work and kept those guys from thriving at their natural position. Greg Williams never found his place in the lineup last year until unfortunately Kobe went down in the last game. Getting Williams to starting 3 spot is what sparked the conference tournament run and that was with Thomas running the point. Fulks is certainly an upgrade and Williams has continued to flourish.

Another point I will make in regards to that average 6th place finish is that over that stretch the team was plagued by injuries. I know no one wants to hear injuries used as an excuse but the point that I am trying to make is that Oliver Houston may just be the unsung hero of the success we are seeing so far this year.

[ManAboutTown]

Great job, I Listened for the first time in over a year. That is partly due to the lack of basketball coverage but mainly because I now work remotely and not having a 2 1/2 hour round trip commute daily cut into my podcast time.

A couple of points, you touched on it briefly but the lack of a true point guard really hurt over the past few seasons. They tried to slot guys like Russell, Wilson, and Williams in there but it just didn’t work and kept those guys from thriving at their natural position. Greg Williams never found his place in the lineup last year until unfortunately Kobe went down in the last game. Getting Williams to starting 3 spot is what sparked the conference tournament run and that was with Thomas running the point. Fulks is certainly an upgrade and Williams has continued to flourish.

Another point I will make in regards to that average 6th place finish is that over that stretch the team was plagued by injuries. I know no one wants to hear injuries used as an excuse but the point that I am trying to make is that Oliver Houston may just be the unsung hero of the success we are seeing so far this year.

Appreciate you listening to the show again.

Your point about Oliver Houston is a good one. We actually had this conversation on the pod when he was hired.

As far as the PG position, Fulks has really made a difference and I've been impressed with is defensive improvement. How do we feel about MT in the backup role?

[Million$Mullet]

Appreciate you listening to the show again.

Your point about Oliver Houston is a good one. We actually had this conversation on the pod when he was hired.

As far as the PG position, Fulks has really made a difference and I've been impressed with is defensive improvement. How do we feel about MT in the backup role?

MT has done an admirable job in backup duties. I know people get in a frenzy about him making the offense go stagnant or him dribbling too much. I haven’t seen that the last few games.

For the GaSo game when he came in during our run, me and my dad looked at each other like ok let’s see how this goes. But we actually extended the lead when he got in.

I think he’s improving and the more he plays after coming off the concussion the better he will get.

People also tend to forget that MT was also a spark we needed in the conference tournament last year. He has a nice jump shot, he gets into the lane and plays decent defense. Less dribbling and crisper passes are the things I’d like to see from him but that is what our offense is. High pick and rolls, dribble drives, isolation for JB and the flex.

Overall I’m very pleased with the improvement of our guard play and the team period. The last 3 weeks of the season will be interesting for sure.

[ManAboutTown]

MT has done an admirable job in backup duties. I know people get in a frenzy about him making the offense go stagnant or him dribbling too much. I haven’t seen that the last few games.

For the GaSo game when he came in during our run, me and my dad looked at each other like ok let’s see how this goes. But we actually extended the lead when he got in.

I think he’s improving and the more he plays after coming off the concussion the better he will get.

People also tend to forget that MT was also a spark we needed in the conference tournament last year. He has a nice jump shot, he gets into the lane and plays decent defense. Less dribbling and crisper passes are the things I’d like to see from him but that is what our offense is. High pick and rolls, dribble drives, isolation for JB and the flex.

Overall I’m very pleased with the improvement of our guard play and the team period. The last 3 weeks of the season will be interesting for sure.

Thought he was outstanding in the tournament. He got lost in the shuffle because everyone was so fixated on Williams' performance but I thought MT played a big role in that run.

My only thing with him is he seems to pick up his dribble when he gets in a tight spot. I'd like to see him work through traps more often too.

[ZoomZoom]

MT is doing better. His passes for awhile from up high to down low were good for a turnover for a stretch, was over throwing. Practice, communication and coaching seems to have fixed that.

[ULvictory]

Great job, I Listened for the first time in over a year. That is partly due to the lack of basketball coverage but mainly because I now work remotely and not having a 2 1/2 hour round trip commute daily cut into my podcast time.

A couple of points, you touched on it briefly but the lack of a true point guard really hurt over the past few seasons. They tried to slot guys like Russell, Wilson, and Williams in there but it just didn’t work and kept those guys from thriving at their natural position. Greg Williams never found his place in the lineup last year until unfortunately Kobe went down in the last game. Getting Williams to starting 3 spot is what sparked the conference tournament run and that was with Thomas running the point. Fulks is certainly an upgrade and Williams has continued to flourish.

Another point I will make in regards to that average 6th place finish is that over that stretch the team was plagued by injuries. I know no one wants to hear injuries used as an excuse but the point that I am trying to make is that Oliver Houston may just be the unsung hero of the success we are seeing so far this year.

Appreciate the listen and thank you for the feedback. When it comes to injuries, I will give 2019-2020 (we finished 8th in conference that year) a pass. We could've played the water boy in the starting 5 because of the number of players being out. But in 2018-2019, even with Marquetti being out for the year, we still had the roster to finish better than 5th place in the SBC. Even last year, we still had a roster that was picked a preseason 2nd place in the league and finished 8th.

My point is that even though we had some injuries along the way, it still shouldn't have warranted an average of a 6th place finish. With that said, I like the way this team plays. Each player knows his role, and you can see the energy they feed off of each other. It's going to be an exciting next few weeks to see what they can do. I personally haven't been this excited about a basketball game like I am about the one this Thursday Night.

[cajun4life]

Great job, I Listened for the first time in over a year. That is partly due to the lack of basketball coverage but mainly because I now work remotely and not having a 2 1/2 hour round trip commute daily cut into my podcast time.

A couple of points, you touched on it briefly but the lack of a true point guard really hurt over the past few seasons. They tried to slot guys like Russell, Wilson, and Williams in there but it just didn’t work and kept those guys from thriving at their natural position. Greg Williams never found his place in the lineup last year until unfortunately Kobe went down in the last game. Getting Williams to starting 3 spot is what sparked the conference tournament run and that was with Thomas running the point. Fulks is certainly an upgrade and Williams has continued to flourish.

Another point I will make in regards to that average 6th place finish is that over that stretch the team was plagued by injuries. I know no one wants to hear injuries used as an excuse but the point that I am trying to make is that Oliver Houston may just be the unsung hero of the success we are seeing so far this year.

So Marlin gets a pass due to injuries….yet Mike D gets lambasted for a poor year, injuries are part of the game?

That’s all I’ll contribute to this thread. Good podcast guys.

[CajunEXPRESS]

Nobody should get a pass for injuries IMO. CMD has 1 season and two bowl games and hardly needs a pass. If he can’t make the team better than last season his seat will heat up fast.

Marlin on the other hand has a plethora of excuses when he fails to make the finals in the SBC. This season might be the 3rd time he’s finished in the finals, and a top four seed.

[ZoomZoom]

Ok, nobody has said it, we’ve been relatively healthy this year. That, and maturity to understand we before me spells success.

In this portal/NIL world, pulling off team first is a credit to the players and staff.

Hope that’s not a jinx.

[Cajunsmike]

Very interested to see the feedback on this one

Here is a little history for you guys. The USL Bulldogs beat Marshall in the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament in March of 1972. That was our first year in Division 1. Team was led by Bo Lamar and Roy Enron. Marshall was led by Mike D’Antoni. Cajuns lost at Marshall in a non conference game last year after having lead at half.