Bonton killed us today
- Thread starter TTyacke1
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The Cougs played tough. IB just couldn't get it going today. Happens. Rapp and Rodman had real good games. Losing Jackson really hurt. They ate Chatfield alive the few minutes he was in. Big problem, injuries. Hard to tell when Jackson will be back. Noah also tweaked his ankle. Hopefully it won't become a problem once he cools down.
I can't remember the exact words, maybe Save can, but Kelvin said something along the lines that you know they're bad and not going to give you any calls so you just have to live with it.
I think that Kelvin quote is pretty valid. At least we were able to stay away from Ts today. The offensive call on Efe late where he was trying to establish position was f-ing ridiculous. Second half OSU was in Bonus+ and only had 3 fouls. The refs seem to decide to go 6-on-5.
We still had a shot. If we could have just got one of those under 1 minute buckets to go from Noah/Bonton and they finally start calling fouls on OSU we have a shot. My guess is the whistles wouldn't have come though.
We still had a shot. If we could have just got one of those under 1 minute buckets to go from Noah/Bonton and they finally start calling fouls on OSU we have a shot. My guess is the whistles wouldn't have come though.
So, he is still the best player on the team. Overall, they are much better with him on the floor. Every player has an off night, and he still played hard.
I actually think Noah is the best player on the team but I agree that most of the time Bonton is our best offensive player. Tonight he wasn't. Part of the problem is that when he is having a bad night (as all shooters sometimes do) he doesn't just try to be a facilitator--instead he continues to force stuff. If he would penetrate and then look to create a shot for someone else it would help mitigate the bad shooting nights. As others noted the refs were horrible. The offensive foul on Noah with about 5 minutes to go really hurt. I don't see how you can get an offensive foul call when you are jumping sideways away from the defensive player.
Not so sure I agree. I think we play better as a team and more people are involved when he is not on the floor. That being said when he is hot he is great.
I don’t get P12 couldn’t watch. Was it as bad of a screw job as the stats indicated? Good Lord that’s some foul discrepancy. Kinda glad I didn’t watch.
In the last minute of the game Noah Williams goes up for a shot, there is midair contact no whistle. OSU drives to the lane Abogidi makes the same degree of contact and the refs call foul and review for a flagrant. Summed up the night.
That’s just crazy. He didn’t have his best game shooting but he only really forced 3 shots and had 8 assists.
Thank you, well said. Some people are just in hate mode. He certainly didn’t play to his potential, but we are definitely a better team with him.
Said no coach to any shooter/scorer ever... If you are a shooter or scorer then you shoot and score... He had a ruff shooting night.. I have watched every single game except for 2. The team may be better for a few minutes here or there when he is out, but consistently especially during pac12 play we go on long, long scoring droughts to the point where he has to be rushed back.. There are so many examples of players with his type of game.. It seems silly to me that people continually say we are better off without him?! The reason we struggle in some of these games is because we need another PG/ playmaker. Are you suggesting we should have more Taylor Rapp (because he had a good game), more Bomba. Who exactly should get these minutes created by benching Bonton.. You prove just how flawed your reasoning is by saying that we would be better off if he would get others open and get them shots. Could that be because they can’t do it themselves? Good sound coaching. Let’s take one of the only 2 playmakers and sound ball handlers we have (other being Noah) and bench him..
Good analysis. Rapp and Rodman had strong games last night but I think a lot of us believe our best chance to beat a hot team (OSU) would be with Bonton on the court. He's capable of taking over a game and did just that two nights earlier. It can be frustrating when his shot is off, but he still had those 8 assists and OSU still had to key on him throughout the game.
What I find frustrating are posters who only show up to criticize Bonton for a bad game but are never heard from after the overwhelmingly more frequent good games that Bonton has had this year.
Glad Cougar
I usually don't complain about officiating, bad calls generally go both ways IMO, but not in this game. You'd have thought Tinkle and the Beavs were the second coming of the Wooden led Bruins, with the reverence the officials afford them. You jump 3 feet backwards at the three point line to draw contact, that is an offensive foul, you are clearly the one the instigating contact in a non-shooting related action.
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I saw Coach Smiths post game interview on Twitter. He doesn’t strike me as a guy who says much about the refs. He was diplomatic but you could tell he was pretty pissed.
Wonder how long it will take the conference to get the officiating sorted out with new leadership. It really sours the product. Somebody else mentioned this but you turn on any old SEC game and you don’t see the refs completely disrupting the flow and being the center of attention. Ever since I can remember it’s been the rule not the exception for the Pac12. Average east coast Joe will never want to watch a Pac 12 game until this changes.
I didn't get to see the game on TV (listened to the audio broadcast), but someone who did watch said OSU was adept at throwing their head back and flailing their arms at the slightest bit of contact last night. Really did a good job selling the fouls. I hate that kind of stuff and players should not be rewarded for Academy Award performances. The new call on flopping is a step in the right direction but officials need to improve their ability to recognize contact that truly qualifies as a foul and ignore the exaggeration that seems to be taught nowadays by some coaches.
Also, mild mannered Craig Ehlo– who rarely comments on officiating– said if last night's officials go back and look at the video of the game, they'll be ashamed at some of the calls that were made. He makes a good point, but I think he's wrong. They won't be ashamed and neither will conference officials. That's the real problem right there.
Glad Cougar
Also, mild mannered Craig Ehlo– who rarely comments on officiating– said if last night's officials go back and look at the video of the game, they'll be ashamed at some of the calls that were made. He makes a good point, but I think he's wrong. They won't be ashamed and neither will conference officials. That's the real problem right there.
Glad Cougar
It seems to me that just because we are WSU and this likely applies to OSU as well, that we get the weakest crew of refs at our games
I think this is absurd. Most of what you say isn't in response at all to what I said. I never said anything about benching Bonton or giving away his playing time. I did say that when he is having a bad shooting night he shouldn't force things and look to create for other players. Anybody who has ever played the game knows that if he gets into the flow and doesn't try to force things then bad shooting days can turn around. This is actually what color announcers mean when they say "let the game come to you". Forcing shots only makes things worse.
Seriously? So, you don't think the Coach Smith knows what he is doing? There is a reason that Bonton leads the team in minutes. He has been one of the most efficient players in the entire conference. This is the same type of reasoning that was used when Klay Thompson was in Crimson and Gray and many people were saying that the Cougars were going to be better off when he was gone and not hogging the ball. Yeah, we all know how that went.
We loose a close competitive game and the answer is start a thread to bash a player who has given so much to WSU basketball? PATHETIC!!!!
did you prefer when we were winning 2 conference games a year and we weren’t competitive at all?
did you prefer when we were winning 2 conference games a year and we weren’t competitive at all?
If we had half as many fouls called against OSU as were called against WSU...instead of only 1/3...then we win the game. That, for me, was the most important single statistic. If we had a real conference, that reviewed ref's performance, stats like that would stick out like a sore thumb. As it is, I doubt anybody at the PAC office even notices.
Absolutely agree. Bonton gives us the fans and the team his all. Was a little concerned in early season, but he is playing too many minutes and gets tired. Had an off day.
So you are comparing Bonton to an NBA all star??? When Bonton plays well within the offense and doesnt feel the need to create for himself all the time, he is our best offensive player. When he presses, turns the ball over and throws up bad shots repeatedly he becomes a detriment. Pretty simple. As a Coug I love Bonton, but he can be super hard to watch at times.
Yes I am. The reasoning is sound because people like you complaining is similar. You didn't answer my question, do you believe that Coach Smith knows what he is doing? Because he does not share your view. Bonton plays hard. He plays both sides of court. He had 8 assists against OSU. If he were a detriment, he would not have played as much as he did.
He also is clearly the best player on this entire roster at this time. He probably is playing a few too many minutes but its out of necessity. The complaints are always there. He defends, he rebounds, in this game he had highlight assists. Yes he had a bit of a bad day shooting.
Good points 1990.
Yes, I am estatic with Smith and staff. I love the development I see with the young players and where this program is headed. Do I disagree with things they do sometimes? Yes. Do I know better than the coaches? Absolutely not. What I do know is what I can see. I never questioned his effort or desire, it is his decision making and pressing to get himself shots with wild drives to the hoop that can be frustrating at times. My statement was not a blanket statement on the season, but I believe we would have been better Saturday at least getting the ball out of his hands. Also, I
Bonton had a shooting stretch that was ridiculous. I was working so I couldn't put my full attention on the game but was continually going back to see what happened.
Suddenly we looked like a good shooting team between Bonton, Williams in limited time, Rodman, Kunc, Bamba, and Rapp. If we can keep getting close to that kind of production we can finish off this year on a run.
Suddenly we looked like a good shooting team between Bonton, Williams in limited time, Rodman, Kunc, Bamba, and Rapp. If we can keep getting close to that kind of production we can finish off this year on a run.
Only downside I saw in this game was a bit of a panic in the last 4-5 minutes. Defense was solid. Maybe the subject of this string should be "Bonton killed them tonight."
Until we properly executed the press breaker with Rodman's lay in at the finish, we appeared to be absolutely clueless re: what to do against a full court press. Rapp twice in a row threw the ball away in a panic, but it was not just Rapp. We need to get that fixed now. Any competing coach, having watched the circus, will be putting a press on us. If the other team is deep in back court guys, they might press the whole game.
We hit some crazy shots last night. Kunc's first three clanked on the rim high into the air and nothing but net. Bonton was making contested shots all night but the ball that went in after hitting the top of the backboard was nuts. Bamba swished an out of rhythm 3 late. We didn't miss many open looks either. Best shooting night we've had in a long time.
If UCLA had put the press on any earlier we would have probably been toast. That's on Cronin for waiting so long. I don't remember if they pressed us. but USC's long arms and rangy athleticism really bothered us when they were on defense. That was a big part of the reason they blew us out.
Anybody in the know?
I don't want to start a new thread.....but does anyone know how UCLA, USC, and UW (or all the P12 teams) travel between Seattle and Pullman? Is it chartered air or chartered bus?
I don't want to start a new thread.....but does anyone know how UCLA, USC, and UW (or all the P12 teams) travel between Seattle and Pullman? Is it chartered air or chartered bus?
Some years ago, I was on a Horizon flight from Pullman to Seattle with the UCLA team. I assume, but don't know for sure, if that's the norm.
