I haven't watched the game yet, thanks to work. I have it recorded and will break it down, probably this weekend. For those of you who are upset, mad, disappointed, etc, give it time. Look on the bright side, this inexperienced, shorthanded, and undersized GRIZ team played with Stanford for 30 of 40 minutes, even slightly ahead of Stanford for 25 minutes. Unfortunately, this GRIZ team struggled for 10 minutes. Credit to Stanford for capitalizing during that stretch. Folks, that is exactly why coaches of all sports, at all levels, caution their fans regarding young and inexperienced teams. This is the 1st of what will likely be many rollercoaster rides for 2 to 3 months. Travis is too good of a coach, and Pridgett is too good of a player for this team to struggle all season. The young guys finally got a taste of true Div 1 basketball. It will only get better from there for them. As for the returning players, keep in mind, they too are all in transition. They can only do so much. Right now, I am sure, they are feeling the pressure of new roles (especially in leadership). Pridgett really is the only player ready for that leadership. Manuel and Falls are new to it. Anderson is way too raw and young to lead.
Yes, the returnees struggled as a whole. However, Pridgett's overall play has to be encouraging. He flirted with a triple double against a Power 5 team!!!! Granted, I am sure he hates the turnovers. It is a just a matter of DeCuire pointing out to him where he should have looked to score, instead of looking to distribute. He has the skill set to be a distributor, but is inexperienced in being the facilitator of the offense. He's going to make some questionable, even terrible decisions, as he grows more comfortable in this role. I highly doubt, he will have that many turnovers in any game this season. I'm not worried about Sayeed.
Manuel is too good of a shooter and scorer to struggle for very long. I am sure, he will have a few more games where he struggles, but his better games will be more frequent than his struggles. He also is pretty level headed. That will benefit him and his team, as the season progresses. Again, not someone that I am worried about.
Anderson- give me a break. He is a true sophomore with a big transition still ahead. It is common for under classmen big men to struggle a year or 2, before finding their consistency.
Falls is an intense competitor. He is returning from injury. That injury kept him from working on his offensive game for quite some time. I think, he has been back practicing for less than 2 weeks. Most players cannot just turn on a switch, just like that. Like the other returnees, he is transitioning to new personnel. His injury put him even further behind in that transition. Timmy will likely be the 1st to admit, he played horrible. Unfortunately, due to other factors, outside of his control, he may have been forced back to action a little too soon. I know, he will bounce back, just not sure when. I won't be surprised to see him struggle for a few weeks.
Finally, our 4 Freshmen (including Egun) will only get better as they gain experience. Against Stanford, Carter Hollinger shined brightest. That shine will rotate from Freshmen to Freshmen, as will the struggles. When all 4 are playing consistent, this team will do damage, and become very good. Realistically, it's going to take this team 2 to 3 months to find the kind of consistency we GRIZ fans have become accustomed to. Overall, no need to panic, or be too negative. With time, this team will do just fine.
