Quote from: ScotsFan on November 25, 2009, 08:08:08 PM

Quote from: goscots on November 25, 2009, 04:23:54 PM
I realize you are trying to make a larger point but in my opinion the best player on the Scots last year was Marty Bidwell. For certain he did not have the shooting skill than Ian has but what Marty did have was heart and leadership. Even though he is the only starter who was lost to graduation it is a big hole to fill. Brandon Johnson, being the only player left from the Final Four team, needs to fill that role.

From a talent-wise perspective, Franks was the best player.  But, as you pointed out goscots, Marty's leadership is what set him apart from the rest of the team.  And that leadership is  proving harder to replace than I originally thought it would be.  I was hoping that Brandon would be able to fill that leadership role and he very well might do that as the season progresses but so far, I think that lack of a true leader is one of the things that is hurting this team.

I believe this team is really struggling without Marty this year. Three things that the scots are struggling with this year 1. Leadership 2. Taking care of the ball 3. Getting key defensive stops.

1. I heard Coach Moore last year refer to Marty as one of the best captains and leaders he has ever coached. So far without him the team doesn't seem to be playing as hard nor with as much passion and heart as they did last year.

2. Wooster doesn't have a player with a positive assist to turnover ratio this year, nor do they have a player averaging more than 3 assists a game. Bidwell led the NCAC in assists last year and was in the top five in assist to turnover ratio.

3. In all 3 Wooster losses, key defensive stops have been a factor. Besides the thumping against UST, in both the Albion and JCU games, Wooster has not been able to get a stop in the closing minutes of the game (allowing JCU to score almost everytime they got the ball in the last three minutes, and the same with Albion in the final minutes). These are the kind of moments Marty was able to help come up with a big stop.

To be honest, I thought that losing Marty would not be a factor at all with the addition of Brandon Johnson and the other returning players having another year under their belt but it appears to have been a larger loss than everyone expected.

On the bright side, last year's team started out 2-3 as well, so their is plenty of time for the guys to turn it around and play like they are capable of. But in order to do so, I trully believe that roles need to be established and a player (or multiple players) need to start addressing the issues mentioned above.


EDITED to fix the quote formatting; I think/hope I got it right!