Post by pdlglm on Nov 24, 2024 23:00:25 GMT -5
TN Martin 2-4 KP #322
There are few things than will bum you out more than that first week back from an island vacation. From sand and sun and relaxation to phone calls and emails and meetings. Actually, the realization that we are no longer in paradise usually starts a little earlier and often involves Hartsfield-Jackson. I suspect that the Vols charter doesn’t have to make a stop in the ATL, but still, there ain’t gonna be no lazy river this week for Vols Hoops.
Their first opponent back should at least allow Tennessee to ease back into their work day. The University of Tennessee at Martin is not now and has never really been all that good at basketball, the Skyhawks have never made an NCAA tourney. 14 single digit win campaigns since 1997, 21 below .500 finishes in the OVC in that time frame, they play in a 4,300 seat gym that looks like a really big high school gym.
This year’s version is in the first season under a new head coach as Ryan Ridder parlayed a 3 way tie for first in the OVC last season to the top job at Mercer. The Skyhawks hired a JUCO guy, Jeremy Shulman who spent 14 years at Eastern Florida State College where he won 76% of his games. He has started his D1 career 2-4, with an impressive opening night win at KP #184 Illinois State, followed by a home non D1 win and then 4 straight losses, including an embarrassing neutral court loss to KP #336 Le Moyne by 12. They had Longwood beat on the road before giving up a 12-2 run in the final two minutes.
The Skyhawks were picked tenth out of eleven teams in the preseason OVC rankings, Blue Ribbon has them at 10th as well. They bring back zero starters and only 1 scholarship player from last season’s team and they signed only two guys out of the portal. Instead he signed 8 JUCOs including 4 guys form Eastern Florida – all in all there are guys from nine different countries. So far, against D1 teams, they are really bad at everything.
Well, that isn’t entirely fair, they have been good at offensive rebounding, which is fortunate because they have a lot of opportunities for offensive boards as they are one of the worst shooting teams in the country. I imagine the bad shooting is for real as the team FT% is 67%. You know… with nobody guarding them. Shooting 25% from three hasn’t stopped them from jacking up a bunch of them – 35th in the country at 3PA%.
UTM is led in scoring by Josue’ Grullon (6-5, 195lb Jr). The Dominican Republic product is averaging 18pts a game with 4 boards on 54.3% eFG% - by far the best among players averaging 20 minutes a game. He comes to Martin from Daytona State JUCO where he was a second team JUCO all American. Taking over 60% of his attempts from three, when he does get to the rim he is converting at 66% (8-12). Carries a 3.3 player rating on Torvik, easily a team best, for reference ZZ carries a 3.9 currently.
Another JUCU, Tarence Guinyard (6-2, 170lb Jr) is averaging 11pts and 5 boards on some gosh-awful shooting (36.7% eFG%). Has been very good at getting to the line (65% FTR), draws a lot of fouls – fouls a lot himself. I was able to find some highlights (from a couple years ago) on this guy, funky looking shot – really small. I can’t imagine him enjoying Wednesday evening across from Mashack.
Afan Trnka (6-2, 180lb Soph), from Sarajevo, followed his coach over from Eastern Florida. He leads the team in minutes per game and assists per game. Averaged 5.7pts a game last year in JUCO and has 9.7pts on 9.3 shots a game early in his D1 career. Can’t really shoot from anywhere. 39% eFG%. Doesn’t get to the line. Highlights below are from Europe, pretty good court vison, small-ish, slow-ish.
The leading rebounder, Vladimer Salaridze (6-7, 230lb Sr) is from Georgia…. Not the dawg barking, peach eating, Vidalia onion growing Georgia either. 9.3 boards, 8.2 pts a game, he has a 15%OR and a 26.9% DR%, both really strong numbers for a 6-7 guy. Carries a 7.0 on the Hammy Disruptivity Index (3.3 block%/3.7 stl%). Against D1 teams he is shooting almost as good from 3 (35.7%) as he is inside the arc (37.9%). Unusual among his team mates in that this is his 3rd season of D1 ball – he played for Shulman at Eastern Florida before two years at UC Riverside where he never averaged more than 13 minutes a game. Oh, look, more ancient highlights… here is Vlad’s roll from Eastern Florida.
Another Eastern Florida kid, Carlos Cortijo (6-0, 165Lb Soph) chips in 6.2pts and 2.8 assists on some awful shooting 37% eFG%, 0-9 from three.
The most prolific scorer among the Eastern Florida transfers is Matiza Zuzic (6-7, 195lb Jr), a Serbian who put up 12.7pts a game on over 40% shooting from three last season. Having a bit of an adjustment period to D1, going 2 for his first 20 three point attempts so far. He has scored 11pts over 5 contests against D1 squads, though he did put up 21pts on 6-12 shooting against Kentucky Christian.
So, um, this is a JUCO transfer team. I was able to find one set of game highlights; their loss at North Alabama – the highlights are from the UNA perspective but you can sort of tell. Not big, not overly athletic – gonna need to shoot the lights out to compete with D1 teams and they have not, in fact, shot the lights out.
We are going to beat the tar out of Tennessee Martin.
Ken Pom has it as a 34 pt win and a 99.9% WP%. Torvik says a 35 pt win (Torvik has the Vols at #3 in the country by the way). This should be one where it may be hard for the guys to stay focused for 40 minutes, but even so, I am not sure that they would have to be focused to beat UTM soundly. Lots of Dubar, lots of Bishop, walk on players playing the last two minutes. Steve Hamer looking for ways to make this interesting on the call.
Like to see us not turn the ball over, like to see Okpara get 10 boards, Cade Phillips 15 pts. 100pts maybe? Bunch of dunks.
GBO
There are few things than will bum you out more than that first week back from an island vacation. From sand and sun and relaxation to phone calls and emails and meetings. Actually, the realization that we are no longer in paradise usually starts a little earlier and often involves Hartsfield-Jackson. I suspect that the Vols charter doesn’t have to make a stop in the ATL, but still, there ain’t gonna be no lazy river this week for Vols Hoops.
Their first opponent back should at least allow Tennessee to ease back into their work day. The University of Tennessee at Martin is not now and has never really been all that good at basketball, the Skyhawks have never made an NCAA tourney. 14 single digit win campaigns since 1997, 21 below .500 finishes in the OVC in that time frame, they play in a 4,300 seat gym that looks like a really big high school gym.
This year’s version is in the first season under a new head coach as Ryan Ridder parlayed a 3 way tie for first in the OVC last season to the top job at Mercer. The Skyhawks hired a JUCO guy, Jeremy Shulman who spent 14 years at Eastern Florida State College where he won 76% of his games. He has started his D1 career 2-4, with an impressive opening night win at KP #184 Illinois State, followed by a home non D1 win and then 4 straight losses, including an embarrassing neutral court loss to KP #336 Le Moyne by 12. They had Longwood beat on the road before giving up a 12-2 run in the final two minutes.
The Skyhawks were picked tenth out of eleven teams in the preseason OVC rankings, Blue Ribbon has them at 10th as well. They bring back zero starters and only 1 scholarship player from last season’s team and they signed only two guys out of the portal. Instead he signed 8 JUCOs including 4 guys form Eastern Florida – all in all there are guys from nine different countries. So far, against D1 teams, they are really bad at everything.
Well, that isn’t entirely fair, they have been good at offensive rebounding, which is fortunate because they have a lot of opportunities for offensive boards as they are one of the worst shooting teams in the country. I imagine the bad shooting is for real as the team FT% is 67%. You know… with nobody guarding them. Shooting 25% from three hasn’t stopped them from jacking up a bunch of them – 35th in the country at 3PA%.
UTM is led in scoring by Josue’ Grullon (6-5, 195lb Jr). The Dominican Republic product is averaging 18pts a game with 4 boards on 54.3% eFG% - by far the best among players averaging 20 minutes a game. He comes to Martin from Daytona State JUCO where he was a second team JUCO all American. Taking over 60% of his attempts from three, when he does get to the rim he is converting at 66% (8-12). Carries a 3.3 player rating on Torvik, easily a team best, for reference ZZ carries a 3.9 currently.
Another JUCU, Tarence Guinyard (6-2, 170lb Jr) is averaging 11pts and 5 boards on some gosh-awful shooting (36.7% eFG%). Has been very good at getting to the line (65% FTR), draws a lot of fouls – fouls a lot himself. I was able to find some highlights (from a couple years ago) on this guy, funky looking shot – really small. I can’t imagine him enjoying Wednesday evening across from Mashack.
Afan Trnka (6-2, 180lb Soph), from Sarajevo, followed his coach over from Eastern Florida. He leads the team in minutes per game and assists per game. Averaged 5.7pts a game last year in JUCO and has 9.7pts on 9.3 shots a game early in his D1 career. Can’t really shoot from anywhere. 39% eFG%. Doesn’t get to the line. Highlights below are from Europe, pretty good court vison, small-ish, slow-ish.
The leading rebounder, Vladimer Salaridze (6-7, 230lb Sr) is from Georgia…. Not the dawg barking, peach eating, Vidalia onion growing Georgia either. 9.3 boards, 8.2 pts a game, he has a 15%OR and a 26.9% DR%, both really strong numbers for a 6-7 guy. Carries a 7.0 on the Hammy Disruptivity Index (3.3 block%/3.7 stl%). Against D1 teams he is shooting almost as good from 3 (35.7%) as he is inside the arc (37.9%). Unusual among his team mates in that this is his 3rd season of D1 ball – he played for Shulman at Eastern Florida before two years at UC Riverside where he never averaged more than 13 minutes a game. Oh, look, more ancient highlights… here is Vlad’s roll from Eastern Florida.
Another Eastern Florida kid, Carlos Cortijo (6-0, 165Lb Soph) chips in 6.2pts and 2.8 assists on some awful shooting 37% eFG%, 0-9 from three.
The most prolific scorer among the Eastern Florida transfers is Matiza Zuzic (6-7, 195lb Jr), a Serbian who put up 12.7pts a game on over 40% shooting from three last season. Having a bit of an adjustment period to D1, going 2 for his first 20 three point attempts so far. He has scored 11pts over 5 contests against D1 squads, though he did put up 21pts on 6-12 shooting against Kentucky Christian.
So, um, this is a JUCO transfer team. I was able to find one set of game highlights; their loss at North Alabama – the highlights are from the UNA perspective but you can sort of tell. Not big, not overly athletic – gonna need to shoot the lights out to compete with D1 teams and they have not, in fact, shot the lights out.
We are going to beat the tar out of Tennessee Martin.
Ken Pom has it as a 34 pt win and a 99.9% WP%. Torvik says a 35 pt win (Torvik has the Vols at #3 in the country by the way). This should be one where it may be hard for the guys to stay focused for 40 minutes, but even so, I am not sure that they would have to be focused to beat UTM soundly. Lots of Dubar, lots of Bishop, walk on players playing the last two minutes. Steve Hamer looking for ways to make this interesting on the call.
Like to see us not turn the ball over, like to see Okpara get 10 boards, Cade Phillips 15 pts. 100pts maybe? Bunch of dunks.
GBO
