Offense Unlocked, Conference Unleashed

This week on The Juniata Men’s Basketball Show, Tom, Biz, and Coach Curley break down a rollercoaster week: a frustrating road night at Westminster followed by an offensive fireworks display against Alfred State where the Eagles piled up 97 points, shot 52% from deep, and had the bench mob partying like it was March.

Coach talks about what clicked, what still needs tuning (hint: free throws), and why this group’s response in practice might be the best sign of all.

Then it’s time to stare down the start of Landmark Conference play:
Susquehanna and their rotating squad of 6'8" towers on Wednesday, followed by undefeated Drew, who scores like they’re auditioning for the ABA.
 
Plus: game balls, stat-stuffing shoutouts, and why the next four games will tell us exactly who this young team is becoming.
 
Conference play starts now. Let’s go 1–0.

Transcript

SPEAKER_06 0:00

I'm Tom Frank. I'm Biz. I'm the head coach Greg Curley. And this is your Junietta Men's Basketball Show. Welcome, listeners. I'm Tom Frank. I'm joined each and every week by Drew Beskid, aka Biz, and your head basketball coach, Greg Curley, as we talk all things. Junietta Men's College Basketball. Alright, guys, I gotta start with a quick story. Fire with. This literally just happened a few moments ago. We're shooting another podcast here on the home of the Junietta men's basketball show, American Studios. It's called Our Love Hate Relationship with Comic Culture.

SPEAKER_04 0:36

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 0:36

Guy walks by, jumps onto the podcast, and it was none other than Colin Kaepernick. What? Colin Kaepernick. Wow, great. Totally random. Totally random. Joined the show, talked a little bit about his uh his love of comics as a child.

SPEAKER_04 0:54

Really? Phenomenal. What's his uh view on Division III basketball? Didn't get into that. We should have, but we didn't get into it. How crazy is that though? That is crazy. You know what? It doesn't surprise me. Doesn't surprise you.

SPEAKER_06 1:08

He had the big crazy hair. He was lovely, dude. Very lovely guy. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:14

That's nice, man.

SPEAKER_06 1:15

That'll help.

SPEAKER_04 1:16

So he was going with the full the full fro version of the thing.

SPEAKER_08 1:19

Yeah, the full fro.

SPEAKER_06 1:20

All right. Yeah, the full fro going. Which the timing of it couldn't have been better because we have a question in our mailbag today that is almost like I had planned this. It's from Melanie Kay. Melanie Kay. Fellas, if you could have any guest on the show this season, who would it be? That's a tough question.

SPEAKER_04 1:43

Like any guest or any guest.

SPEAKER_08 1:45

That's all she said.

SPEAKER_04 1:46

She just said any guest. I mean, for me, it'd have to be Snoop. Snoop. I would love to have Snoop. He's totally into sports, man.

SPEAKER_06 1:59

Alright, I got somebody on that one. I I interviewed a guy this week on another podcast. His name is Nucci. You need to look this guy up. He does these front porch uh concerts that have become very, very big. Okay. And recently he had Snoop on. And Snoop was on his porch and and and it was phenomenal. It's all over YouTube. You gotta go check it out.

SPEAKER_04 2:22

Can we get this dude for uh alumni weekend? Do a porch concert in Georgia?

SPEAKER_06 2:28

We could do it at the just pick a random house. We could do it off Curly's porch. That'd be perfect. Actually it would be, yeah. Yeah. Could you imagine that? Yeah. All right.

SPEAKER_08 2:37

All right, who do you got, Curly?

SPEAKER_03 2:39

This is a tough question. I mean, I don't know. Like, it's kind of like the uh is it the dead or alive thing? Like, so like they have to be alive.

SPEAKER_06 2:48

We gotta be alive.

SPEAKER_03 2:49

Because I was gonna say John wouldn't, right? I'd love him to be on it, right? Well, he he's dead. So I'd probably say Coach Kay, Mike Sheshewski, probably just off the top of the head.

SPEAKER_04 2:58

All right. Well, host host Thomas, what do you got there, kid?

SPEAKER_06 3:03

I was gonna go maybe with Charles Barkley.

SPEAKER_04 3:06

That was my second choice. Because he'd be kind of wild.

SPEAKER_06 3:08

What's the other guy? Who's the well I'm blanking on his name? Who's the other guy that no, no, no, no. The head host of that show.

SPEAKER_04 3:15

Oh, Ernie Johnson.

SPEAKER_06 3:16

I wouldn't mind Ernie Johnson on the show.

SPEAKER_04 3:18

You know, speaking of podcasts, their podcast in the Steam Room is really good.

SPEAKER_06 3:22

I haven't listened to it. Is it really good?

SPEAKER_04 3:24

It's pretty good.

SPEAKER_06 3:26

Have you watched them on what are they on now? NBC or ABC? Oh, ESPN, that's right.

SPEAKER_08 3:32

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 3:33

But it's the NBA on NBC, but they're on ESPN.

SPEAKER_04 3:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 3:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 3:37

I haven't watched them yet. Yeah, because ESPN got inside the NBA. Yeah. Is it any good? Oh, it's funny. I mean, it's the same show.

SPEAKER_06 3:45

Is it exactly the same?

unknown 3:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 3:46

Same guy, same show. Yeah. Alright. Hey, we got a bonus question. You guys ready for a bonus question? Yes. This is a good one too. From Dylan R, coach. Once you hit 90 points on Saturday, was there any discussion from anyone to specifically go for a hundred?

SPEAKER_03 4:05

Ooh. Uh no, but for the first time in my career, you know what rang in the back of my head is my son Caden um just loves that stuff. Like if he sees somebody scores a lot of, you know, he wants to know that if I tell him somebody won something or whatever happened, he wants to know the score every time, right? So uh he was just asking me like two weeks ago, like, do you guys ever score a hundred points? What happens on the scoreboard if you get the triple digits because there's only two digits?

SPEAKER_06 4:31

Um digits on the Juniata scoreboard?

SPEAKER_03 4:34

I guess are most scoreboards like that? Uh a lot of them. I most might have three now. I I I he was asking that. It was a great question. Yeah, it is a good question. I just said, well, it just cycles back and you go zero, one, zero, two. And uh so I uh I it was going through my mind, it would be cool if we could do it. But uh I you know I you just I don't worry about that. The wind's what matters, playing well and getting those opportunities. But yeah, it was the first time probably ever really considered it. And you look from you know, Cade's eyes, it's pretty cool. I remember those days. You guys remember that rec hall, right? If they scored a hundred.

SPEAKER_04 5:07

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:08

Didn't you get something on the back of the ticket, you got like a Big Mac or something back? Had to be something, yeah.

SPEAKER_08 5:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:13

Domino's now there was discussion.

SPEAKER_06 5:16

There was discussion on Flow Sports with whoever the commentators were that the co I didn't understand what they were saying. They said the coach of Juniata, which is you, buys ice cream for everyone if they had a hundred.

SPEAKER_08 5:30

What was he talking about?

SPEAKER_06 5:31

I don't know what he was talking about.

SPEAKER_03 5:33

That had to be a propaganda. I think the podcast host of this show might have been making that up, but I I think uh No, no, no, I heard that on flow speed.

SPEAKER_06 5:43

Yeah, they actually said that.

SPEAKER_03 5:45

Well, maybe, maybe that is a new new thing, so we'll have to try it. We'll have to try it sometime, try to get to 100, and we'll meet everybody at the meadows. How about that? Everybody gets ice cream on the coach at the meadows. As long as we get a W. As long as we get a W. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:56

Well, if you don't get to score a hundred and don't get a W, man, that would be the biggest shocker.

SPEAKER_03 6:03

Well, I mean, there was an overtime game. I think Moravian just won a game in overtime like 118 to 116. So they're so one of the teams lost. I guess it could happen. There's a lot of a lot of points going around in the league right now. A lot of a lot of wins, too.

SPEAKER_06 6:16

So lot of wins, a lot of points. I've noticed that too. Well, here, let's get let me give a recap here of the week, and then we'll dive in. We had a split decision on the road at home this week. Tuesday night in New Wilmington felt like one of those games where you're constantly knocking on the door, but the bouncer just kept shaking his head. Westminster opened hot. Junior had a punch back, but every time the Eagles got within striking distance, the Titans found another gear. Ty put on a put on a good good performance. He had 18 points, eight rebounds, a couple assists, two steals, a block. Uh the man was like a Swiss Army knife and sneaker. Eight of ten on the free throw line, Tom. Eight of ten. I'm proud of him. Uh Hurley kept the Eagles in it with a barrage of threes, stacking up 17 points on the night. Junior had a claude back from an early 16-7 hole with a Fury of Buckets. Hurley from deep twice. Jonah inside, Little Jr. Who's Little Jr.? Oh, Will's Littles. Will Little? Reading your own notes wrong. No, the article said little junior. I can't remember.

SPEAKER_03 7:16

Littles Jr.

SPEAKER_06 7:17

Little Little Jr. That's what we're gonna call him from now on. Little Jr. dialing up from the arc. The Eagles trimmed it to 29-27 late in the half, but Westminster just enough shots to take a 36-31 lead to break. Second half, same story. Juni I got it down a couple times. Westminster interior just kept kept giving it to you. 40-20 points in the uh in the paint advantage was a difference maker, even though Juniad's bench outscored the Titans 32-10. Effort was there. Finishing touches were the missing ingredient.

SPEAKER_03 7:48

Yeah, I mean, you can't, I mean, we got off the bat. You know, we're out we're down 14 to 3 to start the game. Um, I wasn't happy with how we came out and executed on the offensive end. Um just really just some not very efficient possessions or very well run. Uh give it real credit to our bench. Our bench came in, um, played really well, pulled us close. Um then it was kind of back and forth the rest of the way. I think we had it to five uh with the ball uh with about two and a half minutes left, uh, and came down and unfortunately turned it over, which was a theme of that night, too. Um I think we just had too many costly turnovers and too many big moments. Um and then, yeah, you gotta give them credit. Um it's what we talked about. You know, they had two seniors, the two big guys inside, uh, but the weir kid really gave us problems uh and we didn't execute what we hoped to. Um and so, you know, they're their veteran guys, I thought came through. I think they had five seniors. Uh well the the the Division II transfer is a graduate student and four seniors in the lineup. And uh I thought they got off to a better start than us, home opener, us first time on the road. Uh and you know, you're digging a hole. Uh we too all too familiar based on where we've been here recently. You're digging a hole the whole time, it's really hard to come back, particularly on the road. I always say you get you spot a team 10 points when you're on the road, and so you know, you're down basically 24 to 3 in that game and you gotta come all the way back. Uh but I will say this, we showed uh and we talked about it afterwards, we were happy with how hard we consistently played. Uh I thought our bench was unbelievable in terms of not just the guys coming in and giving us a lift, but just the energy, the attitude of the guys, the fight. Uh so there's a lot of stuff there, but you can't get out scored 40 to 20 in the paint. Um and and and we didn't shoot the ball well at the free throw line again. Uh that's plagued us here through three games. So, you know, we have to be more consistent in those areas, and then the timely turnovers uh hurt us in that game as well. Untimely turnovers, I guess you'd call them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 9:46

Tough game, but then let's fast forward to Saturday. Oh. Oh, the Eagles offense was operating like you found the cheat codes somewhere. Junior had it. You hit Alfred State with an 8-0 start, and then the and then just the floodgates opened. Joe Bruce led the scoring parade with 25, doing whatever he wanted on the court. Noah Bailey fueled the bench mob with 13. Hurley chipped in 12. Uh Bigler added 10. And then this is this is for you, Biz, because I think he was screaming this at you. Malcolm Griffith, he said, Don't forget me on Monday or Sunday night when you're talking. Six points, 10 boards, three assists, three steals, and two blocks. Lived up to your uh stat line guy from last week. He's built 47-27 halftime lead and just kept pouring it on. You went you you won the second half, 50 to 38, dominated in the paint, 36-18, absolutely roasted the net from outside. 13 made threes for f at 52%. So, in short, Tuesday was a grind, Saturday was a party. Yeah, it was. That was amazing. Is that the most points a team any have have has any of your teams ever scored more points than that?

SPEAKER_03 10:56

Yeah, we've scored 100. Uh as although although I'll say uh uh we had some alums in the in the building for that one. So Evan Eisenhart was there, uh Macy Hardy was there.

SPEAKER_06 11:06

He was loving that game.

SPEAKER_03 11:07

Tyler Laptina was there, and then some some uh guys who played with Coach Hager, so Chris Jazz Iota and Brent Furco were there. But Evan Eisenhart's quote was like, well, we preferred we preferred to win like 60 to 58 and grind them out. And I said, Well, you guys got some championships to go with that, so whatever the formula is to win championships, I I I don't care. So that was that was funny. But yeah, I mean we hey and Tommy hit you know we uh you shoot 52% from three, you're probably in pretty good shape in most games this day and age. Um unfortunately, we shot a higher percentage from three than we did the foul line. Uh yeah, I noticed that. Wait a minute.

SPEAKER_04 11:40

Wait a minute, 10% um 50%.

SPEAKER_03 11:43

I don't think that's ever happened in our my career. Let's put it that way.

SPEAKER_04 11:46

What would you rather do? Would you rather go higher percentage from the foul line or the three-point line? Oh, the three-point line. Right. Uh well, I'd like to go uh if you only had to choose one.

SPEAKER_03 11:57

Huh? If you only had to choose one though. Well, I'd choose whatever gets us through the win, whatever adds up to the win.

SPEAKER_04 12:04

But Coach Speak, baby. Uh, it's not Coach Speak, that's what I would choose.

SPEAKER_06 12:08

I'll take the threes. I'll take the threes. If I'm shooting 20 free throws and 20 three pointers, I'm taking the higher percentage on the on the uh but uh yeah, I mean we we've gotta uh keep working on that.

SPEAKER_03 12:26

Um like I said, I think our guys that get there the most are have been shooting uh for the free throw line. Well, some of that was late, you know, the game, guys first time there, probably in their career. That's a little shit, you know, that can be a lot sometimes, so you gotta get there a few times. Um but yeah, I mean I I thought particularly uh you know, Joe really got us out to a great start. Um, you know, he was feeling it. Uh and when he is certainly showed what he's capable of. He had 22 in the first half. That that's unbelievable.

SPEAKER_07 12:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:54

Um, and so uh and I thought honestly, we we probably the best uh blend of offense and defense we've had here in a long time uh for you know since our championship runs. So um that was really good to see. Um I thought we really established ourselves on the defensive end and and uh I I thought, you know, I I thought overall we played really hard. I thought we got contributions from a lot of guys. I thought a rotation uh really did well. I thought the bench kept up the same energy they did the last game. Um and so yeah, it was a good step, it was a good game. Um, I I don't know. Um as we go forward here, obviously the the competition steps up considerably. Uh but in terms of going into league play, um and I I thought what I told the guys after the game what I was happy with was there was a lot of growth from the Westminster game to this game. And playing that game, uh there's a choice, and we came back and probably had the best practice we've had in a couple years also on Thursday as a response to Westminster loss. And uh that's those are key indicators you're looking for as a coach. And I think the guys were weren't happy with their performance in that game and how they came out. And you give them credit, there's one of two directions to go, but uh they really had two good days of practice, and uh, you know, that's uh uh there's no uh you know it it's no mystery in why a good performance followed.

SPEAKER_06 14:16

I mean, Biz, just to follow up on that, they shot 52.8% from the field, 52% from three, and 50% from the free throw line. We gotta work on this, coach.

SPEAKER_04 14:29

It'll come. Well, like you said, you know, you you empty the bench, guys shooting free throws late in the game. I mean I guess. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:39

You gotta make them. Whoever it is, you gotta go. How was the crowd?

SPEAKER_06 14:43

What was the environment like? You had so you did have a lot of a lamen. That's that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_03 14:47

Yeah, it was cool. It was unexpected to see a couple of those guys, so that was fun. Um that's uh again, I mean it says more about them than anything else in uh their experience. It's pretty cool. Uh but it was okay. I mean, it so there's a football going on game going on at the exact same time. There's a swim meet going on at the same time. Um our women's team who shout out to them won their 44th straight conference championship night. Um they went to five sets. They went to five minutes.

SPEAKER_06 15:15

Scranton did they try good job, Scranton. You took them to five sets, but they won their 44th in a row. Dude, that's ridiculous. It's ridiculous. I can't see it.

SPEAKER_03 15:26

It's the greatest record in NCAA history. It is.

SPEAKER_06 15:28

It's unbelievable. I just I I I just don't understand the rest of the landmark conference. Like, come on. It wasn't always a landmark either. Boy, that's true. How many? It's probably at least 20 of those years are the landmark.

SPEAKER_03 15:40

Uh, I think we're in 17 or 18 years. I think they've only lost one conference match in in the entire 44 years. So uh now you you put that right. I mean, it's it's it's unbelievable. It's uh the best of the best uh records ever, and they got pushed again, and you know, they lost so many off three straight national championships. And so th those those uh uh student athletes are going through for the first time, but I think to be tested like this probably good before the NCAA turn. I haven't had a chance to talk to Coach Pavlick, but I'm sure she'll probably secretly like the fact they got pushed in that setting in that situation and responded in five. So uh yeah, it was a good day on campus. So wait, did the football team win? Uh on unfortunately senior day football team I think lost, I think was 24-16. Our swim team uh had a tri meet and it was their senior day, and they're very, very good right now. They they swept the and they whipped up on uh I think it was Moravian and Chatham. So uh uh they're really doing a nice job. I respect a lot of them in uh championships. So but so th there was a lot that took away. But honestly, it started. You know, we had uh a couple um uh a couple recruits there, and I talked to one I just you know that it's sort of filled. It sort of filled up uh late in the second half, it started to to to fill in. So sometimes um when you're playing well like that, sometimes you get some carryover, people filter in and stick around.

SPEAKER_06 17:07

Buzz. Buzz was going around campus that you're gonna hit a hundred. We got the buzz.

SPEAKER_04 17:11

Well, hey, he hit ninety-seven, which gets us a glass of bourbon. Glass of bourbon at ninety-seven, yeah. That's right.

SPEAKER_06 17:17

I I really I meant to look up earlier today and I didn't. The the the the most points ever scored in your era. Do you remember the game?

SPEAKER_03 17:25

Uh I I mean well, we we actually we beat Westminster at Westminster and scored over a hundred points. They were playing the uh they were playing the Grinnell style at that point. So they were scoring averaging like 110 points a game.

SPEAKER_08 17:39

But it's the Grinnell style.

SPEAKER_03 17:41

So Grinnell, um, they they play uh really you would love it. All they do is shoot threes. They try to shoot in under 12 seconds every possession. They press the entire game. Oh, yeah, I remember that. And they they they sub like a hockey line. So they play 15 guys and they rotate them through. What?

SPEAKER_00 17:56

This is surreal.

SPEAKER_03 17:57

Yeah, it's exactly and and uh they've had a lot of success with it. It's it's one of those things, like again, um, it's never kind of caught on at the highest levels, even at our levels. So you get to a certain level of talent and it doesn't hold up. Because you're just gonna be able to do that. I would love to watch one of those games though. Once you start multiplying possessions and the team against you has uh more talent at every spot, it it doesn't it doesn't actually add up that way all the time. But they've been very successful in their league. Um and so at that time, this was when Coach Hager played. He reminded me, those guys reminded me. So so uh Brent Furkel and Jazziota reminded me that we we went out there and played, and they I think they were undefeated at the time, and we beat them. Um one of our guys had 35 career high and was literally at the back of the press just getting layups. It was just layup, a layup drill. Um and so I think we scored maybe 108 points or 100, I don't know.

SPEAKER_06 18:52

It was um but that's just one game, and I know we've been uh close or above uh can you please schedule a team that runs this offense uh next year? I I would love to see that. I have no desire.

SPEAKER_03 19:11

Yeah. Well, I mean, I mean, the the Gannon plays a different style or or Nova Southeast in Division II. If you've West Liberty plays a style where they press the entire team, score a ton of points. Um uh and so it it's more common than you think right now. Um Pitt Bradford was successful doing something like that. No, they're not as extreme as Grinnell. Um, there's more to it and probably uh probably a little more substance in my mind. Um, but uh yeah, so I mean it this is it's the cool part of our level. I think there's so many different styles of play.

SPEAKER_07 19:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:44

And so over the years, probably honestly seeing all of them. If you say, have you played that? Yeah. Have you played this? Yes. Um, I think you should invent a style. Did you do you no one does what we do really? So uh we're probably in our own lane right now. Offensively for the most part. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 20:02

Is there a more extreme um styles of play in division two or division three than than anywhere else you think?

SPEAKER_03 20:10

Yeah. I I think far part of it is we have 420 schools. Uh so there's just gonna be more diversity and more variance, right? And then uh part of it is just that there's uh I I've said the the the width and the the breadth of uh talent at our level is much greater than it is at the higher levels. Um and so um I think that just creates that opportunity. And then in some ways, like a lot of these jobs and a lot of the places, it's you can be experimental, you can try stuff. You know, you get to the highest levels sometimes where there's so much scrutiny, it's very, very hard to be creative and try things because if it doesn't work, um you're you're at such risk right away that it stifles a lot of times their creativity. And I think a lot of the most creative stuff probably comes out of the lower levels um where guys um have to, you know, necessity is the mother of invention. And then you also have the latitude uh and ability to try things um in different circumstances. Now that's shifted. I think that's also specific to where you are in your career or your job or the expectation of the program. Um, you know, a lot of these, you go someplace, they've not had any success, you try something you know, off the wall and it sticks or or it doesn't. So um it depends. But yeah, I I would say our levels, it's um you're finding different ways to do it. Um but like I mean, if you have you know, if you're if you watch BYU UConn last night, if you're AJ uh a bouncer or whatever, you're not doing that stuff. You're giving him the ball a hundred times because he's the top player in the country. Right. Um when you don't have those guys, um you you have to find you know different ways. I mean, you even think about how VCU won a lot with their pressure, or um, you know, you get on the years and at one point UNLV, you know, played the amoeba zone that Was completely different. I mean, there's been uh uh the Arkansas 40 minutes of hell press the entire game. Um, there's there's probably more of those than you think, but um it's also hard. Some of those like if you're gonna press the entire game, you have to be able to get 10 athletes that can do it consistently and score. Um, and so like it's all h how you you you put it together. So I d I don't I think that creates that or some other styles. I mean, you're seeing the the pro proliferation of three-point shooting. I mean, Kentucky right now, that's all they you know all they have. And actually, coming under a little criticism for the amount of money they're spending right now. I know a lot of the critics right now don't think they're as good talent-wise as they should be. Um but still fun style to watch. I mean, I don't really get into that stuff, but I was just listening to the podcast here talking about that. That's why it that's comes to mind. But yeah, and we'll be right back.

SPEAKER_01 22:52

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SPEAKER_06 23:44

We have uh our scouting report presented by Snapdragon Apples, Monster Crunch Legendary Flavor. Find Snapdragon at your local grocery store, the official apple of the Juniana Men's Basketball Show. You're right, Biz. We get our first bite at Landmark Conference Play. You're a pro. I am a pro, I know. Uh we have the uh Susquehanna Riverhawks Wednesday at 7 o'clock. They enter landmark play at 2-1, looking uh pretty pleased with themselves. They open with a road win, 6759 win at Delaware Valley, then turn Memorial Hall into an arcade shootout and a 96-60 thumping of King's College. Their only blemish a 72-63 loss to York in the championship of their home tournament. Susquehanna is averaging 75 points a game, and they're uh they have a 6'8 center, Billy Anderson. Do we remember him from last year?

SPEAKER_03 24:35

Yeah, he was uh first team all league, and they have multiple 6'8 centers, so they're right now rotating probably six guys through the post. Um they'll be they feed them. They feed him, they feed all of them early and often. Uh they're uh yeah, they're a handful for sure. They're very talented. They've they have a lot of young guards that can really shoot surrounding uh, like I said, they'll rotate six big guys that are all in the 6'8 range um in every bit of that, and not not like being pulled 6'8s, but like legit. Um Billy. Um Billy uh was probably got votes for player of the year last year, pretty close. Um he's back, Brandon Lavitt inside is a phenomenal rebounder. All those guys are seniors, they've been through that. Uh Audrick, I believe, Washington, um, if I got his last name, but all those guys um Don't worry, I met that last name's right and left. Yeah, you're fine. Um those guys are all seniors and they've rotated through. Um it's uh yeah. And that's where now it gets challenging, just the the difference in experience and uh uh where we're gonna have to go. Uh in some ways, Westminster was good prep for that. I I certainly think Susquehanna is is probably another level up, so uh we're gonna have to how do you deal with them?

SPEAKER_06 25:50

How do you how who how do you not let them dominate you in the paint? You do a little hack, hack a knit hack and who has to step up to guard these guys? I mean, do they ever go with the both six to eight guys at once or do they rotate them in?

SPEAKER_03 26:02

They rotate six of them, so they have two of them on the floor at all times. Oh, they have six wait a minute.

SPEAKER_06 26:08

They have six six, eight guys.

SPEAKER_03 26:10

Essentially three units where they rotate two guys uh at a time and they just keep rolling them through. Um so yeah, I mean, uh yeah, welcome to um the oldest. I I saw something that Division III is the oldest it's ever been right now. Welcome to the world we live in right now. Um and so our transition from you know where we were Saturday is terrific, but um with what we're gonna see in the next four games, um I'm not sure they're as big as a couple uh as Catholic is. So um How could they not be? They have six, six eight guys? Yeah, well Catholic. If I were them from what I saw, Catholic is starting to I mean they're they're their smallest, they have one guard at six foot, everybody else is six five or up on the starting lineup, so it's collective size. And then they have uh six nine transfer from Lafayette, who's in his grad year, played four years at Lafayette. Like this is Catholic. Yeah, that's Catholic. That I'm just naming just in in kind of a preliminary look, and then you realize you guys remember how big Scranton was last year. So yeah, this is this is uh landmark uh 25-26 edition. And uh uh yeah, I really good coaches, uh exceptional talent in the league. Um so we're gonna have our hands full, and we you know, we're still uh exceptionally young and have a lot to go see. But um the answer to defending the post is uh, you know, number one, the best thing you do is try to keep it out of there. If it gets in there, you have a hard time. So you try to keep it out of there. Uh there's ways to do that, but uh and then you gotta control the game on the offensive end and you can't turn it over and you gotta give them one shot. Uh you know, the the rhyme and reason for winning doesn't usually change a lot, it's just because it's harder to do the better the other opponent is.

SPEAKER_06 27:46

So do you do you change your lineup at all to deal with uh two six eight guys in there at once? Or do you just you do your thing and you just have to decide?

SPEAKER_03 27:57

I mean, it it it depends. I mean, we're still trying to figure out ourselves a little bit in our lineup. Um, you know, we started uh Jaden Bilger and Malcolm together. Uh now Malcolm is not 6'8, but he's a big guy. So maybe 6'5. Yeah, and and Jaden's 6'8. So I mean we've got 6'8, 6'5. Yeah. Um and 6'5, 240. I mean, nothing. He's a big guy. And we have some depth in there. I mean, we rotate um at least uh, you know, four guys through there, which is more than a lot of times in some teams. Um so uh, you know, Dickinson who we scrimmaged was this big. Um so uh and we we held our own. Um the challenge there, I think the guards we're playing with with Susquehanna are probably a little bit better. So you add that with you know perimeter scoring with what they have. Um and I thought uh I think the Susquehanna guys are just more experienced. So all those bigs have also played together. Uh three, four of them have played together for for four years. Um and so they got a couple new guys. So and then um uh you know, going there to their place and and uh you know with their expectation, it's certainly a big challenge. Um so we're gonna have to have two great days of practice and go see what we're made of.

SPEAKER_06 29:11

And then it doesn't get any easier. You got Saturday, you have the 3-0 Drew come strolling in. They've basically been playing shoot shootouts like they're auditioning for the ABA. They have 9370 versus Centery. I never even know where that is.

SPEAKER_03 29:27

New Jersey.

SPEAKER_06 29:28

That's a New Jersey school. And then 8278 versus TCNJ, and then 9592 versus Rowan. They're scoring points. Yeah, they're giving up points. Now they'll play at Scranton on Wednesday, so that could sharpen them up or maybe drain them a little bit before they come into uh junior attack. Um they're averaging about 90 points per game, and they have a junior guard, Andre DeLos Reyes, who dropped 32 against Rowan. So that that guy can score. He's got a little swagger to him, too. Giving up points at giving up points too, though, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:00

Yeah, I think he's a new. Uh I haven't had a chance to see him. He's new. I think he's a junior college transfer or transfer. So again, challenge of the experience. Uh, but you know, they they still have Dylan Musle and and a lot of those guys back from their group last year. Uh yeah, they haven't lost the league game. Yeah. They didn't lose the year league game all last year. So um, and they're they'll uh pick up full court man-to-man. They're they're an elite defensive team. I mean elite and uh exceptionally athletic, size, toughness. Um, you know, uh Ryan Van Zelst, who's a new coach, um uh was an assistant in the league at Scranton, then he was the head coach Caprini before they shut out. He's an exceptionally good coach, really good defensive mind and coach. So wait a minute, they they have a new coach from last year? Yes, yeah. Uh their coach left. He took a job at Ithaca, at the at Ithaca. And uh so uh but they there's no drop there. Um they've got an experience head coach. Is Ithaca Division I? No. No, they're Division III, but they're that's a that's a high profile, like that's a really good Division III job. Our level's no different than Division I. Um, there's better a lot better jobs than others. But do you think Ithaca's a better job than Drew? Yeah, probably, yeah. Um, again, it's coming off an undefeated landmark season. Like people are looking, I mean, the the ladder climbers and stuff are looking for sustainability and and you don't know behind the scenes stuff. And um, if you've been to Ithaca too, like quality of life instead of living one of the challenges of Drew in those places, you're living right outside New York City. Cost of living for a Division III coach and family is not uh Yeah, I guess I could see it. Very, very, very difficult. Uh you go to some other places and and uh it becomes uh a quality of life issue concerned. So who knows what's you never know, and and um, you know, different opportunity to be one of the best jobs in a league consistently. Um that's what most people um you know search and look for, and I would say Ithaca is generally that across the board in all sports. Um so I I think that's what happened. But um the Coach Van Zellst is a exceptionally experienced, very good coach, had a lot of success with his own. Um it's sort of no fault of his own. Cabrini just shut down. And uh so um um he's back.

SPEAKER_06 32:18

Right. That was one of those division three schools that shut down. Yeah, yeah. Wasn't that the one that made all their didn't they get acquired by Villanova or am I thinking of somebody else?

SPEAKER_03 32:27

Uh I I can't remember if that's them or Rosemont has one more year and they're Villanova. I they're all right next to each other, so maybe all three.

SPEAKER_06 32:34

I think that I think that all those students ended up having to go to Villanova and reapply. And some of them didn't get into Villanova. Imagine going to school, you get in, you think you're going somewhere, they shut down, you have to reapply to get into the school that acquired you, and you don't get in.

SPEAKER_02 32:49

Well, anyway, they're a job world kid. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:55

They're gonna pick us up, they'll pick us up full court. Um, and they're they're just they play exceptionally hard and uh, you know, are exceptionally good defensively. They can score because they get up and down, really good in transition, got some guys who can score. So and that'll be the first time we've seen that kind of style this year. Uh we have young guards and and a young group. Um so yeah. Uh I mean the next uh the stretch here. I mean, honestly, the the entire league, um, nothing changes for us. If you really look at it and evaluate where we are roster wise and experience wise, I mean we have an uphill climb pretty much most games. Um, but what I can say is we've made a lot of progress. You can see the improvement, you can see the direction we're heading.

SPEAKER_02 33:37

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 33:37

And we just need to uh, you know, stay together and stay confident and use every opportunity we have to continue to improve and um realize eventually um you know we become a veteran team and and a lot of these people will be replacing others. And so uh what better opportunity, you know, I I would expect after these four games that we're gonna be a much improved basketball team. Uh you know, as long as we get the most out of it and stay together. We got two wins right now.

SPEAKER_04 34:01

Two wins.

SPEAKER_06 34:02

Two wins. That's that's it's we're we're already we're already ahead of where we're at.

SPEAKER_03 34:07

Well, that yeah, but uh we uh we we have uh much, much different and higher standards in our program. So I I totally understand.

SPEAKER_05 34:16

But I'm but listening to wins. You got two tough you're building. Sure. You're building, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:22

Well, we can't get past the where we are and and the challenge and the steps you have to take to get where we're from. I I completely agree, so I would not diminish that in any way. Um but um you know our our goal here is to get back to being in the upper half of the league and be competing for championships. Um and we get to go find that out uh against four teams that probably right now on paper are gonna be teams that are competing for championships. Um so to see where we are and what where uh how we stack up and what we do, um it it as a coach, you know, it always feels too early, right? You wish you had more time, could do this and that, and the other thing. But um I think if you look long term for the season, um it's a lot of information in a short period of time from the best teams, and that gives you a real chance to grow and get better and capitalize hopefully off the improvement we've already demonstrated this season.

SPEAKER_06 35:12

Now, I do have a fun fact. I I usually insult Susquehanna, but I'm not going to right now. I do like the fact that Susquehanna, I was looking at their schedule ahead, they head to to Puerto Rico after or in in in mid-December, and they play the University of Chicago and John Hopkins. That's an interesting tournament. Yeah, but teams are they both Division III?

unknown 35:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 35:36

Oh, are they? I thought the University of Chicago was not for some reason.

SPEAKER_03 35:39

No, they're they're a UAA team. So University of Chicago, Emory, uh Washington, St. Louis, Carnegie Mellon. Okay, uh, Case Western, those teams. Um and then Hopkins is a centennial team with uh McDaniel, but uh Swarthmore and um Muhlenberg and Haverford and those guys. So but the exceptionally good basketball programs, um that that's those are two big time games. Uh but yeah, the the holiday tournaments here, Thanksgiving and Christmas, similar to Florida, Vegas, Puerto Rico, uh you could go to Hawaii, different places.

SPEAKER_06 36:12

Yeah, maybe get us signed up for Puerto Rico. Where are we going, man? Yeah, I've been. I mean, it couldn't get any better. Hey, before I forget, we've got to give a shout out to your brother. Kevin Curley had a big uh former guest of the show. Uh what was it, 200? 200th win? Is that right?

SPEAKER_03 36:29

Yeah, he got his he picked up his 200th win in a very big win. They beat Ramapo won 21 games last year.

SPEAKER_07 36:34

Yeah, all right, guys.

SPEAKER_03 36:36

In NJ school. Um they started off to know, I think they lost today in the championship of the whatever the Maryland Challenge or whatever it's called. I think they lost to Hood. Uh and I think it was a fairly close game. Uh, but the Ramapo win on Friday, yeah, 200 wins and uh all at McDaniel, so that's that's pretty cool. I didn't even know he was up for it, so that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_06 36:57

Now remind people how many wins you have again.

SPEAKER_03 37:01

Uh I have I have over 300.

SPEAKER_06 37:03

So I just wanted to make sure Big Brother that uh little brother still has him by about a hundred.

SPEAKER_04 37:08

Daniel Lane, Kev. Yes, Daniel Lane.

SPEAKER_06 37:11

Daniel Lane.

SPEAKER_04 37:12

We'll send this clip to him.

SPEAKER_06 37:14

Yes. Yeah. Oh, good for you, Kev.

SPEAKER_04 37:17

Bravo.

SPEAKER_06 37:17

Yeah, bravo, bravo. But all in all, we we had a good week. We got a tough week coming up. Yeah. Biz, uh you gotta who are you giving the game ball to this week?

SPEAKER_04 37:26

Ooh, I have uh a minor prop here. Oh we got two game balls to divvy out. Yeah. So um game ball number one for the Westminster game, albeit a loss, goes to the aforementioned Ty Kozak. Ty game for Ty. 18 and 8. He didn't fill the whole stat sheet, but he was uh He had a good game, man. He he fought hard. 8 of 10 free throws, Tom. Just for you, buddy. I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_06 37:57

I would have given him to that just for that that stat line. That's his first game ball, right? Yeah, we're gonna have a lot of first game balls.

SPEAKER_04 38:05

We had Noah and we had uh Noah had his for the whole one. Malcolm, you guys gave it to Malcolm. Malcolm, we gave Malcolm.

SPEAKER_06 38:13

Malcolm had the other one, yes.

SPEAKER_04 38:16

Now it's a you know, Malcolm, a game two, man, the oh gosh, there's so much good stuff. I mean, look, Malcolm, you you had the effort, kid.

SPEAKER_06 38:23

And he and he I mean, he put you you you asked for a stat line, he gave you a stat line.

SPEAKER_04 38:28

I mean, he did give me the stat line, but man, I I don't know. I don't think I can go away from Joe Bruce on that one. No, you gotta give it to Joe Bruce. What was he, six and nine from three himself? So this is a pumpkin, but it's a game. So we have four games. Greg still hasn't sent me the Junetta basketball that I need for. Yeah, yeah. We need to have one so that we can uh show it.

SPEAKER_06 38:50

So we have we've had three game balls. We've had four game balls, three uh games, and we have one apiece for Malcolm, Noah, Ty, and Joe. Yeah. Well done, boys. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 39:05

Malcolm has an honorable mention for that game, though. I mean Yeah, there's no honorable mentions.

SPEAKER_06 39:09

This is not giving trophies for participation here. Oh no, not in this podcast. You win and everybody else lost. That's right. That's what we're teaching here at Junietta. All right. There's winners and there's losers.

SPEAKER_04 39:22

Oh, geez. Yeah. Better does does the coach approve this message? I'm not so sure. All right, coach, what else?

SPEAKER_06 39:30

What else you got for us? Coach, talk to us. What else you got for us here on this uh beautiful Sunday evening before a big week?

SPEAKER_04 39:41

Uh here, I got a question for you. Does uh now that football season's over, man, can you go like find like a tight end or a defensive end to come in and uh take care of those six nine?

SPEAKER_06 39:51

Do you have any football players that ever play basketball?

SPEAKER_03 39:54

Um we have uh over the years. Jamel Foster was the last one to do it. Uh it's it's it's exceptionally difficult. Obviously, uh they just ended their season Saturday. So you think about they would have missed 35 practices and two scriptures and two games. Um it takes an exceptional um some exceptional luck to be honest, to be healthy coming out of a football season if you play a lot. And uh takes probably an exceptional athlete in both sports. I mean, you have to be the you know, top, top level guy uh to be able to do it. So it it's really the way um Division III uh schedules have expanded. It's really more uh you have more opportunity in the offseason, the way offseason training has developed. It's the two two sport days um You really can't do it at any level.

SPEAKER_06 40:40

Like division you couldn't do it at Division I anymore, could you? I mean, basketball season's already way started, and we still have a long way to go in division one.

SPEAKER_03 40:49

I think it goes back to how talented you are. If you're just so talented, you can come back, you can turn around and come play, and you're just gonna make an impact. Um there's there are a few of those guys.

SPEAKER_06 40:58

Um, but they're not playing until January, right?

SPEAKER_04 41:00

I mean, they couldn't possibly, yeah.

unknown 41:02

Right.

SPEAKER_04 41:03

They got Mayor Julius Peppers, man, at NC. He was one. Yeah, but that's years ago, yes.

SPEAKER_03 41:08

Yeah, I mean, I think it was probably probably pretty comparable in those days, but you gotta be, but he's in the hall of fame. I mean, he's he's just an elite player and like athlete. And if you're yeah, I mean, if you were like if Gronkowski wanted to do both, and I I I think he was a pretty good basketball, like a guy like that, 6'8 tight end or something that you yeah, I I would agree, or some exceptional defensive back that's in crazy athlete. Um, but it's very, very hard. I mean, it's even hard, like we had some uh guys that did some uh basketball, baseball, but then you miss almost all base, you know, the the whole preseason and training for baseball and now fall baseball. So those days are it's a lot harder to do. Um and so we honestly try not to be in that market too often and and really have moved away from it because it it doesn't make sense. One of the sports becomes a secondary sport, and unless you're so exceptional um that it works out, you're probably even with other guys, it will work all year, and so it never works out, right? And so it's like do you want to be average at two things? It probably takes away from your primary sport. How do you establish yourself as a leader in that if you're not there for spring football, if you're not doing those kind of things? So it's it's uh it's it and a lot of times it becomes about the individual involved in instead of the two teams, and it needs to be about the teams, and and when it's not, it it gets pretty difficult.

SPEAKER_06 42:26

But okay, so let's say though some guy, the tight end, six nine, two eighty, muscular, comes rolling over and says, Hey coach, I'll go in there and bang some guys up for you a couple minutes a game. Do you need me? Five, ten minutes a game, coach. Yeah, I'm six nine, I'm two eighty, I'm built like a horse, and I know how to pound somebody.

SPEAKER_03 42:49

Well, like I said again, it goes like there's exceptions for everything in life based on talent, right?

SPEAKER_06 42:53

I mean, you know, you might not have that guy on the team.

SPEAKER_04 42:57

Well, I mean, he'd be in the NFL. Yeah, he's he's uh he's starting tight end for the Steelers.

SPEAKER_06 43:04

All right, all right. Fair enough, fair enough.

SPEAKER_03 43:06

But I mean, the answer that there's exceptions to everything life based on talent, you guys know that talent uh opens doors sometimes that other aren't otherwise open. So we would never close the door on that or never not consider. But um do I like what we have now and what we can do inside? Yeah, I think we just have to go execute and play. I think the experience for our younger guys, again, our guys inside are all sophomores are younger. Um so to go play against these guys, if you remember uh Coach Hager brought it up the other day, Billy Anderson and and Audrick and uh Omeka, uh their other interior guys. If you remember a couple years ago when Chase played those guys in the playoffs, it was three or four of those six, eight guys against Chase, you know. Yeah. Um but Chase was the senior at that time, and now you see how those guys develop from those experiences. So um it's just keeping that in mind. And uh, you know, but along the lines, too, we have to find success and traction and and win some games. So it can't just all be that. Uh but um you know, that's comp you know the competitors in us have to come out. We gotta go execute and see where we are. That's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_06 44:09

Big week. I'm ready. Big week, Susquehanna, and your namesake, Drew. Let's see what happens.

SPEAKER_04 44:16

Oh, if they're anything like me on a golf course, Curly shouldn't have a problem.

SPEAKER_06 44:21

All right, people. You gotta make sure you send in your questions. We actually send in the questions. We answer anything.

SPEAKER_04 44:27

Anything you throw at us, we answer. We will have Snoop on the show. Come on. Snoop, we're gonna have Charles Barkley.

SPEAKER_06 44:35

We're gonna have Well, hey, if there's anybody that we could get out of that, it would be Barkley because of he's our best, he's our best chance. We'll see. I would say this.

SPEAKER_03 44:42

You two will answer anything.

SPEAKER_06 44:43

I may not.

SPEAKER_03 44:44

You two will answer any question.

SPEAKER_06 44:45

I may not. Yeah, there's nothing off limits here. It's a little while. Yeah. But yes, please do send us your thoughts. Follow the show on Instagram at Giatta Basketball Show. Subscribe to Giniatta Vend Basketball Show on Apple, Spotify, wherever you listen to the podcast. And until next time, I'm Tom Frank.

SPEAKER_03 45:01

I'm Benny. I'm the head coach Greg Crow.

SPEAKER_04 45:09

I want to beat Sister Hannah. I want to beat him. Just like your new coach, Tom Wanna.

SPEAKER_06 45:14

Hey, I like that hire.