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As for yesterday, you’re supposed to win if you can out-shoot your opponent (FG .486 to .444 overall and 3FG .313 to .273)as we did yesterday, but not so if you can’t out-rebound him (25 to 35) and sink freebies at the foul line with the consistency of that of the other team (20 for 27 vs. 28 of 30). It all came to pass at Kirby yesterday. We were out-hustled, out-played, and out-maneuvered all day. We simply had no answer for the spread offense employed. Like others had questioned, I’m not sure playing Gabe an additional 10 minutes would have been the answer. Hanlon’s well-targeted substitution patterns countered our every move. Tip of the hat to the old pro. That said, we showed tremendous grit and heart to come within two at the half after trailing by as many as nine. In the second have, down by as many as 16, we closed to within five. The one play that will stick with me for months will be the call against Mackey on his drive to the basket at the 5:05 mark. Listening to the TV call this morning (aren’t DVRs great), the announcer had it right, when he said “Count it and one!” MM’s bucket and the foul shot that may have followed, were Lafayette whistled for a blocking foul, could have cut the lead to two. Were it a no call (play-on), the lead would have been three with momentum fully on our side. Instead MM was whistled for the foul and we never got closer than five. I’m sure Reed won’t soon – if ever – forget the play. Hey, we lost and deservingly so. We were not the better team yesterday.
Will I be back next year………a season without CJ, Gabe, Holden, and, most likely, BJ? You bet I will.