#130 R.P.I. Chattanooga @ #119 R.P.I.
Virginia Tech:
Virginia Tech men’s basketball squad returns to their own floor in need of a VicTory or four with four seemingly winnable O.O.C. (out of conference) home dates post L’ing to Duke up next.
The Hokies now entertaining a pre-Holiday and pre-Finals guest by way of Southern Conference fame in the Chattanooga Moc’s. The Moc’s check-in at a so-so looking 6 up and 4 down on the year thus far. Chattanooga has basically beaten those who they were supposed to beat and likewise been beaten by those forecast to beat them (F.s.u.-East and no.17 Tennessee among ’em). The Moc’s are a mid-range to lowercase Southern Conference springtime 2020 pick by most mags. They have a couple of ballers and some decent small-conference size down-low. Nevertheless, you want the low-down on who will win and by how much on Wednesday night down in a frosty New River Valley? Read on, to find… out!
Chattanooga Head Coach: : age=41, 27–46 (.338) overall and at Chattanooga. Has a rep’ for:
$2500,000.oo (with $50k in incentives)
A native of Findlay, Oh., Paris.edu earned a bachelor’s degree in business economics from Wooster in 1996 and a master’s degree in recreation and sports management from Larry BirdU or Indiana State in 2000.
As a baller, Paris played college basketball at The College of Wooster, Ohio, where he was captain for his junior and senior seasons while also being a two-time backcourt All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection.
After beginning his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater during the 1997-98 season, Paris moved on to assistant coaching stints at DePauw and IUP before landing on Keith Dambrot’s staff at Akron where he stayed for five seasons. Paris then joined Bo Ryan’s staff at Wisconsin in 2010 and was a part of two Sweet 16 squads and the Badgers’ Final Four and national championship game appearances during the 2013–14 and 2014-15 seasons. When Ryan stepped down, Paris was elevated to associate head coach under Greg Gard when Gard was given the job on a permanent basis.
On April 4, 2017, Paris was introduced as the 20th head coach in Chattanooga history, replacing Matt McCall who left to become the head coach at Massachusetts.
Peep Paris he was inducted into Kaleidoscope Magazine’s Forty-Forty Club. This is a list consisting of Cleveland’s top 40 African-Americans age 40 and under who have made a difference in the community. Good on dat.
Peep Paris is also one of the exceptionally few unwed and unfathered D-1 big whistles in America.
Coach God, bless!
Chattanooga at a glance:
- 67th most 3-point attempts.
- 1o6th most turnovers forced.
- 117th in 3-point FG% allowed.
- (everything else basically C— to C+++ overall).
- 340th in bpg!
- 1 casualty listed (St.Catherine.edu bless!)
Mocs Returning Starters=3
Chattanooga Strengths:
- G/F ‘tweener, and 6′7″, 215 lb. Matt Ryan -no, not *that* Matt Ryan- tho’ this Matt Ryan leads the Moc’s at 15 ppg. And this Matt Ryan has already left: Iona (Prep), Notre Dame and now Vanderbilt behind as a stunning 3-way transferring/transcription kid who has (somehow) managed to juggle that many .edu requirements into a bachelor’s diploma in Economics already. This Mister Ryan was not listed (for Chattanooga) in any of my preseason wraps. So, whatever he is getting the Moc’s this season could almost be considered to be bonus points of some sort(s). In addition to all of that… Ryan is only getting 39% of his shots from the floor to drop and only 32% of his shots from long to tickle the twine. Nonetheless, he won 2015 Mr. Basketball honors in New York way back when which gives you a glimpse of how highly thought of he was coming outta high school where he also pocked an AA championship ring for good measure. The (one-year-old book that I kept from last year) the book here says that Ryan is supposed to be a sharpshooting S/F sniper from the outside. Matt does haul in 4 rpg and he has doubled his scoring average from Vandy’, so there is that. He is a career 39% 3-point shooter and a career 85% guy from the charity-stripe; so, there is that too. Although this is a tough kid to peg, as I’m split between saying he could be doing more or saying he’s an NC2A roofer who is right at his colligate, ceiling.
- David Jean-Baptiste (kool name), is a 6′1″, 191 lb. lead-G who fields something between a ZZ Top and James Harden chin-slinky crossover look. Seriously, far-out looking swagg lives here in 🂡’s (spades). Being on the Dean’s List and Athletics Director’s Honor Roll at Chat.edu does not suck, and neither does a pretty productive and silver medal in scoring at 13.3 ppg. D.J-B could shoot a little better, as 42% overall and 33% from downtown are merely okay in modern-era backcourt centric terms. As this r-Jr. season baller strikes one as a physically winning and physically tough kid upon breaking tape. Three Florida AAAAA championship bling’s does not hurt; and I suppose neither does being: The Vice-President of Miami Norland Academy of Hospitality and Tourism Magnet program. I’ve never seen that in a bio’ before… so I figure that has to help when booking traveling (see the sporting pun) fares and so forth when the Moc’s take to the road. Anywho… Baptiste was only a ** (2-star) recruit outta high school and his scholastic numbers were kinda modest by most standards. So, trying to sneak up on fifteen points per game is getting a lot outta Coach God’s gift’s… would that we all could.
- Rod Johnson is your de facto leading rebounder (6.2 rpg) at 6′7″, 2oo lb. as a med.-r-Jr. year S/F who is having to hold down the fort until Kenic returns (see: below). Rod is a Highland Community College transfer baller with a history of numerous outright physical dents. So leading anyone in much of anything on a truly bad ankle-sprain is pretty impressive (may St.Phillip bless). Consequently, 7.7 ppg with 2.3 apg on 39% overall is none too shabby here.
- Fiery Ramon Vila is a 6’8″, 246 lb., hirsute (chest=brillo pad) looking Spaniard from Barcelona. He is also your third-leading scorer (9.2 ppg) and your second-leading rebounder (4.8 rpg). This Vila is an Arizona State transfer and a r-Jr. who had more of a skillful big rep’ over in Spain that he has willed into more of a worker-bee/dirty-work kinda tag here in the States. Vila nets you a team-pacing 58% of his shots even if his overall range is limited to ~15′.
Chattanooga Weaknesses:
- This Mocs’ team may be about a game give/take ahead of its early-season expected pace— however, there is just not a metric ton of scoring that lives here.
- There are however a lotta Transfer Portal guys (3) who used to live here; including last year’s top-2 scorers; as the next time this will past-tense be a good sign will be the, first.
- Third leading scorer: (one #13, Stefan Kenic) has only balled out in three games thus far. The big-man transfer from Cleveland State University by way of Belgrade, Serbia KK Smederevo is a P/F-C, 6′9″, 233 lb., four who although physically big is a pretty lean big who looks like he could add a steak or two or a protein shake or three. Stef’ has all kinda F.I.B.A./Euro bronze and silver medals to his credit, so his international resume is not lacking 1ι or one iota. And his now said to be returning 8.5 ppg on 55% overall and a very lucrative 50% from downtown will be most welcome indeed.
- Back-up Two-G, (Malachi Smith) is done for the duration with Wright State sit-out transferring rules and regs. Done as well would be his 6′4″, 200 lb., second-year Wing game of Horizon League All-Freshman honors last year. As Chattanooga could prolly use his ineligible 9 ppg, his 91% FT-shooting, his 36% beyond the arc and his 2018 Illinois 4A State Championship ring.
Mocs Bench: (depth=2’ish)
Maurice Commander is about as close to Master and Commander as the Moc’s pine-squad gets. As this is a pretty short bench most nites. Maurice is a lean looking 6′, 167 lb. sophomoric Pt.G. as this Commander got a pretty fair to middling amount of publication attention from my preseason wraps. Maurice is also an All-SoCon Honor Roll member for hoops. Maurice enjoyed a lotta windy-city ChiTown municipal hooping honors and he finds his way to an even 6 ppg on 37% overall and he has a tag for buzzer-beaters when needed. NTTAWWT. And oh ‘yes’ he leads the Mocs in dimes dropped with 2.9 apg in relief.
JuCo transfer (from somewhere called: Otero Junior College) and 6′4″, 200 lb. 4.6 ppg, Jonathan Scott is your substitute sniper with starting shooting skillz. 45% when dialing long-distance says so. Jon’ did win a 2013 4A State Championship out in Colorado and now the apparent age of his pictures suddenly makes a whole helluva a lot more, sense. Both of his older bro’s played college ball (Colorado and Idaho) and one still runs hoops in Japan. So, there appear to be a few roundballs sprouting from the Scott family tree. Jon’s JuCo team did make the NJCAA DI Men’s Basketball Championship game and he did average nearly 12 ppg in doing so. Accordingly, some experience and matriculation would appear to be in hand, here.
Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:
Number of Mocs who could strike @Tech=2'ish.
the takeaway:
The takeaway here is… I really thought Duke woulda been taken with taking us to the rack fulltime in the paint last time out.
Shows just how much the old (traditional) One or Pt.Guard in me modern era G.State Smillie style of play I now knows.
Chattanooga is a 20% team Away and the Hokies are an 80% host @Home.
Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame is calling for not much of anything head-to-head. Although fellow A.c.c.’er Florida State did smoke Chattanooga by 46-points right at the start of the 2019-2020 regular season.
The annualized year-to-date vitals say that… VeeTee is up +7% in shooting percentage margin (pretty evenly O vs. D split), VeeTee is up +9% in 3-point percentage margin (nearly all on the Hokies O), and yet Chatty is up +2 on the glass in rebounding margin.
***
The most recent 5-game metrics say that… Chatty is up +5% in shooting percentage margin (almost all defensive; due to the Mocs constricting D and the Hokies loosening D); on a very tepid looking swing-vote… VeeTee is now up +1% in 3-point percentage margin (pretty equally split between the Hokies shooting the 3 very well | and not defensing the same; whereas the Mocs are locking down the outside), and yet Chatty is up +4 caroms in rebounding margin.
Chattanooga is up 3% at the charity stripe for the year.
And up 9% on 15′ set-shots of late.
- Nolley struggled against Duke, scoring just seven points while committing nine turnovers.
- My ‘almost boy’ Wabissa Bede has been on of late; as he began Tuesday second in the A.c.c. and tied for ninth nationally in assists per game at 7.0.
- Bede also scored a season-high 12-points against Duke and has reached double-figures scoring in three of his past four games.
- Virginia Tech redshirt freshman G Tyrece Radford scored a career-high 12-points Friday night, shooting 6-for-7 from the field and adding seven rebounds.
- (so hopefully there are a few emerging learning-curve systemic M.Young effects just starting to show-out here; hopefully)
The call…
Recall someone opining that they felt like such a massive schematic retooling might make for a good Alabama State upsetting pick (or two) early on in the hurrying Hokies inaugural 2019 Mike Young campaign.
Well, it is now or never as the next three teams we face all court negative marks overall and frankly Chattanooga would be rightfully favored to sweep all three.
This plus final-exam doldrums coming up and after a very uneven looking Maui circuit you just have to sporting mixed-metaphor wonder out loud if this early-season springy enough O&M quarter-horse is due to… ‘bounce’?
The Hokies on a three-game L’ing streak for the first time since February 2016… and something just feels ‘off’ here to me. Like we are too in love with the 3-point sword and seem content to try to off people by out-shooting them from range. And that leaves us in a Biblical basketball predicament… because he who lives by the 3-point sword shall perish by the same.
Eye say this… because with virtually zero post-up game; long-range shooting is critical for our Hokies. As of right now, four players with a minimum of 30 attempts from 3-point range are shooting 40 percent or better— led by Jr. S/F P.J. Horne (51.5%) and redshirt freshman G/f Landers Nolley II (49.1%).
As we will only go as far as their long-rang shooting can carry us.
–oOo–
On the other hand, the Moc’s have taken 3 of their most recent 4 contests; primarily due to better overall team defense. Whereas -as you can plainly O&M recent penta-game-trends I.D. above- we have loosed our defensive grip more than a little bit of late.
This leaves me wondering out-loud -and we all know just how dangerous that can be- this leaves me wondering if we are due to come out ‘flat’ after an all-in effort vs. mightly Duke?
And therefore, could we be dancing a skirty looking Chattanooga
chitty-chitty bang-bang, late?
👃
(78% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=64, Chattanooga=61
“LETS GO!”
“Hokies!”
bourbonstreet**
Yikes too close for comfort street, but yeah SoCon ain’t a joke like MEAC
Agry… it’s just not as slack/weak.
Bit more sophisticated/dedicated to hoops Identity.
(and thx for reading pro!)
b.street