Overall Lohner has been a big disappointment, certainly not a NBA potential that some were projecting. Watch the games and learn. Barcello was getting open looks the beginning of the season, he is as good as player as BYU has had in years, but teams have figured out that the key to BYU is Barcello and that’s who they focus on-it isn’t a mystery. Yes-too much standing around. Pope preaches suffocating defense-is that what you see? I see teams getting wide open 3’s and drilling them. Very seldom do I see anyone playing for BYU getting wide open 3’s except George and Lohner. Heck I’d let Lohner shoot any three. What’s his percentage? Probably less than 10%. I love Lohner-but he has a real confidence issue right now. Pope will take the blame for the players and rightfully so, but I like Few’s response when quizzed by a reporter about his 7’1” first NBA lotto pick. “He does really well when he puts himself in a position to be successful, but when he doesn’t, well you can see what happens. Some of the greatest coaches in basketball history have had off seasons, when their players didn’t execute the way they were taught. I can go back over every game except the Gonzaga losses and point out plays where turnovers or missed free throws have cost BYU the game. A coach isn’t a great coach in everyone’s eyes for 2.5 years and then all of a sudden in 4 games becomes mediocre. I lay this on the players and I’ll bet to the man they put the onus on themselves. Much more responsible that goofy, know it all fans
That is on the players themselves. Coaches can only give instructions and teach. Hopper should know this. Executing and Effort are on the players. Pope is still a great coach, that hasn’t changed. This is on the players, even though Pope will take the heat for them, they need to step up and start playing with more effort and execution.
I agree that Foos was great last night, and Lucas was key. Foos, however has not been great the previous 4 games and I would expect that from a freshman with the long season. I saw the lineup change as trying to get more quickness and defense. Didn’t work so great in the first half, but when a team shoots 70% it’s pretty tough. Fortunately it didn’t carry over. No matter how you want to cast it, BYU is undersized and whereas every game they played the first half of the season they were killing teams in rebounding, now they are consistently getting out boarded. The big key to their slump
I agree one hundred percent. Even Barcello has made ball handling errors that have cost big time, but in his defense he has been harassed for 40 minutes every game
The problem here is our Bigs.
Foos is a true fr.
we had to bench Lohner in favor of George
We simply do not have enough size to keep players like Scott and Pepe out of the key. Scott would just back Foos down and go to his left…after Foos kept swatting him about 4 straight times… Pepe, I LOVE that guys hair!!!
Had the game won but some inexplainable reason, he had Barcello on him and instead of posting, leaked out to the 3. we got the stop, Brain fart.
But because these two guys could score at will, 44 points between them… BYU has to cheat and double, leaving their guards open. And that in a nutshell is why BYU is in this funk.
It kinda boils down to one guy.
Hate to hang it on Lohner but he IS a phenom at rebounding and is very good at muscling bigs down low but can’t score to save his life so Pope has very little to work with here.
I believe he is in such a funk that his rebounding and defense has suffered. However these guys are being asked to guard players with significant height advantages-not a good prospect
very good point and I can’t argue except:
Coaching in tight games boils down to a few plays, often at the end of the game.
That SCU game where we let Williams drive the entire length of the court…twice…is on the coaches. Either Pope orders Williams to be doubled and someone messed up their assignment twice or Pope screwed up and let a much smaller Lucas try to guard Williams, who outweighs Lucas by 50 lbs and 5 inches, their best player.
As for BYU losing 4 stright games, Its a little of both. WE are small and young in the middle so ANYBODY can score inside on BYU, if they continue to eat us alive inside, we have to cheat and leave guards open. YOu all saw it front and center last night.
Barcello stepped up and was 1-2 and almost lost the game. Lohner played well on defense and made some great passes to open shooters.
I can’t recall whether a timeout was called prior to Johnson missing the ft and doubling the grief by stepping over the line and stopping the clock. Yes, if there was a timeout called-it was a terribly bad defensive error. Too bad he stepped over the line because the clock starts on the miss and SCU probably never gets time to make the shot with .7 seconds left
Last night one of literally the worst D1 teams scored something like 48 points in the paint against BYU. Wowee.
That game really broke BYU’s back. Great example of how important the mental part of sports can be. Since then? Lost to maybe worst team in America, blown out twice in a row, and needed OT to beat another of the worst D1 teams.
Funny how even bad teams can always have a chance of beating good teams. Was it one of the worst teams in D1 led USC most of the game and pulled it out at the end. Some losses you just can’t get back. Moral of the story-play every game hard