Report Card 2016: Andrija Matic

Photo credit: AU Sports Information

THE NUMBERS

Minutes
MPG: 14.6
% Minutes: 35%

Offense
Points: 3.9 ppg
O-rating: 84.5
E-FG: 48.4%
Two-point shooting: 50%
3-point shooting: 30%
FT shooting: 63.9%
Turnover rate: 30.3%

Defense
Rebounding: 2.2 rpg
Defensive reb %: 11.2%
Block %: 2.4 bpg

———————–

STRENGTHS
Raise your hand if you thought that by the middle of the conference season, Matic would be Mike Brennan’s most trusted 5 man. If your hand is raised, bravo. We at the podcast certainly didn’t predict that American’s late recruit would overtake not just Paris Maragkos, but also Leon Tolksdorf (more of a 4) and the now-gone Gabe Brown in the rotation. This isn’t to say that Matic became a star — just three double-digit scoring games is a good indicator of that being far from the case.

But simply, Matic transformed from a freshman from Serbia for which the game was way too fast into the player who pulled down a tough offensive rebound at the end of the regular-season finale vs. Loyola and had the poise to go straight up and get fouled, followed by making the game-winning free throw.

While Matic was actually worse than Maragkos at taking care of the ball as indicated by an abysmal 30.3% turnover rate, the stat that likely helped him move ahead of Maragkos is usage rate. Especially as the season went on, throwing the ball into Matic wasn’t as much of a black hole as doing the same to Maragkos.

USEAGE RATE
Paris Maragkos: 30.8%
Andrija Matic: 21.9%

% AMERICAN’S SHOTS TAKEN (when on floor)
Paris Maragkos: 32.7%
Andrija Matic: 18.4%

Matic’s post moves — especially his looping running jump hooks — were slow-developing and often allowed surreptitious defenders to poke the ball loose. However, when he got shots up, he converted at a 50% clip on two-pointers.

I don’t want to turn this into a Matic vs. Maragkos comparison, but the fact is that Maragkos’ early struggles opened the door for the freshman. Matic brought a fun confidence — even a little swagger, if you can believe it — to the floor that benefited him. I won’t forget him smiling widely and almost giggling while taking a free throw late in American’s win over Navy in Annapolis. Matic is a self-assured kid, which helped his progression.

————–

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
American can finish toward the top of the Patriot League in 2016-17  with Andrija Matic as its center, but only if a couple things happen:

1) Improved ball security. Matic’s 30.3% turnover rate was higher than any Patriot League player who was on the floor for at least 40% of their team’s minutes. While his head was sometimes up and he looked to pass, Matic wasn’t good at it. A quick, smart guard got to the ball before he could finish his move.

2) Rebounding: Matic is never going to be a dynamic player on the glass. Even at 6-10 (which is generous of AU), his lack of jumping ability hurts against the Tim Kemptons of the league. What Matic can improve is positioning and using his body and rear end to create space. His 11.2% defensive rebounding percentage is worse than anyone qualified 6-6 or taller (with the exception of Loyola’s 6-foot-6 swingman Eric Laster — 10.6).

If Matic improves his jumper, too, a la Tony Wroblicky 2014, he could make great strides and become the Eagles’ go-to big in all games as opposed to more of a fill-in. Just 38.7% shooting on two-point jumpers and 30% from deep leave plenty of room for improvement.

————–

GRADE: B

————–

QUOTABLE
“He’s a good passer, he’s just doing a lot of good things out there. He’s making shots, he’s scored in the post a couple times, he’s gone after rebounds offensively and defensively. He’s doing a lot of good things. It’s not like Paris is doing poor or really bad, it’s just that Andrija is doing positive things.”- Mike Brennan on Matic after beating Holy Cross, Feb. 1.

————–

QUICK TAKE
Matic managed nearly 15 minutes a game as a freshman from a foreign country playing in a complicated system behind a junior who transferred from George Washington. Additionally, 6-5 Marko Vasic, to no one’s surprise, stole minutes at the 5. With Vasic gone, Matic clearly Mike Brennan’s favorite by season’s end at the position, no diaper-dandy freshmen bigs coming in (it will take time for Mark Gesperini to crack the rotation), Tolksdorf still more of a 4 — and who knows what role he’ll play especially if Lonnie Rivera develops — and Gabe Brown gone, there is ample opportunity for the smiling, confident Matic to take over as not just the Eagles’ best Serbian big with Vasic gone, but also their best big period. I wouldn’t say he has the highest ceiling, but he can become a very productive and consistent player in the Patriot League.

6.12.16 — Sam’s in DC, so let’s talk

With Sam in town for the weekend, the fellas hold an impromptu podcast from Jake’s couch covering a variety of topics including Sam’s basketball heroics, Crespo’s fitness, exciting future podcast plans, and of course the Eagles and the upcoming 2016-17 season.

Listen above or below or subscribe on iTunes.

Report card 2016: Paris Maragkos

THE NUMBERS

Minutes
MPG: 14.9
% Minutes: 37.0

Offense
Points: 7.1 ppg
O-rating: 90.0
E-FG: 52.5%
Two-point shooting: 49.7%
3-point shooting: 52.9%
FT shooting: 69.8%
Turnover rate: 24.4%

Defense
Rebounding: 2.3 rpg
Defensive reb %: 14.7%

———————–

STRENGTHS
Midway through American’s season-opener at Rhode Island, fellow podcaster Sam, who was on press row in Kingston, RI, texted me with a prediction: Paris Maragkos, AU’s transfer from GW, would lead the Eagles in scoring for the season. I’m not writing this to throw Sam under the bus, as he was far from the only observer, myself included, who thought Paris would be a double-digit scorer and all-around threat for the Eagles. If only his first couple games in an Eagles uniform were a sign of things to come.

Against Rhode Island when most of the team looked shell-shocked, the freshmen unable to break a furious press, Maragkos played with poise and control, finishing with 16 points. He added 12 in the next game vs. Hampton. From the season’s outset, Maragkos showed an eagerness to be the guy to get AU’s offense going early in the game. He displayed an above-average ability to create space in the paint and get good enough position to receive an entry pass and then make a move toward the basket in a matter of seconds.

While Maragkos’ play and minutes in December trended toward increasingly unpredictable, he could still be considered one of the go-to guys for the Eagles heading into the Patriot League season. In the league opener at Loyola, the Eagles rode Maragkos to the tune of 17 points. Little did we know that night in Baltimore that he’d post just four more double-digit games in the remaining 19, but the end of this Mike Brennan quote after the Eagles’ loss on Dec. 30 perhaps portends this:

“He’s been working on being able to score down there. We’re trying to get the ball down to him. I don’t know if people will leave him alone like they did today, but it’s something that he’s worked on. He’s got to get some rebounds though.”

———————–

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Simply put, Maragkos was a decent scorer but not great — shooting 49% on twos is downright bad for a big man. As the season wore on, he did show an ability to hit the top-of-the-key 3 — an important skill for the 5 man in AU’s system — going 9-17 on the season.

What sent his playing time spiraling (Maragkos averaged just 12.4mpg in conference play including eight games in single digits) was a combination of three things (in order of what he struggled most with):

Rebounding
Passing
Defense

People might point to the defense first, but Maragkos actually showed signs of being able to decently defend especially in the post. He did an admirable job against Tim Kempton, including outplaying him and rendering the Lehigh big useless and in foul trouble in the teams’ first meeting. He wasn’t terrible against Nana Foulland either. Maragkos is slow laterally, and this cost him plenty in the foul column where he rarely got the benefit of the doubt on block-charge calls (especially compared to the quicker Marko Vasic).

Maragkos’ 5.8 fouls per 40 minutes would have ranked him second in the Patriot League behind only BU’s Nick Havener if Maragkos qualified (he didn’t play 40% of available minutes).

But as Brennan alluded to, rebounding was a bigger issue. The 6-9 Maragkos simply failed at the thing the undersized Eagles really needed, grabbing just 1.8 a game in conference play (tied for sixth on the team). Here’s Maragkos compared with other bigs in the league:

Defensive rebounding %
Tim Kempton, 27.4
Kevin Ferguson, 22.2
Nana Foulland, 19.4
Will Kelly, 17.1
Franz Rassman, 16.7
Paris Maragkos, 14.7

That list doesn’t include all the wings and guards that outrebounded Maragkos, too, including several on his team. It was easy to see that one of the biggest issues that plagued AU during its horrendous 10-game losing streak and 2-16 start was rebounding, and when things started to turn around, Vasic and Andrija Matic were seeing more court time and grabbing more boards.

Finally, as the season wore on, it became clearer that passing into Maragkos was throwing the ball into a dark hole. Sometimes he’d finish the running jump hooks that were his offensive staple all year, but what rarely occurred was a well-executed pass. When Maragkos was on the floor, he took 32.7% of the Eagles’ shots. That would rank him 26th … in the nation! That’s really poor for a player whose 2-point shooting percentage would have ranked him 29th in the Patriot League among eligible players.

It’s made worse by the fact that what happened to the offense when he received entry passes is the antithesis of what Mike Brennan is trying to do in the Princeton offense. The ball stopped moving, the team losing its flow. Maragkos’ assist to turnover rate (19.5 to 24.4) is also not flattering.

If Maragkos is going to see the floor consistently in 2016-17, rebounding and passing need to be priorities.

———————–

GRADE: D+

———————–

QUOTABLE
“Paris has continued to work hard and improve. Tonight he got the opportunity to show what he does every day. It’s good for him to give us something.”

— Mike Brennan, Feb. 3, after Maragkos’ best all-around game of the season vs. Bucknell (11 pts, 3 reb, 2 steals, 2 assists)

———————–

QUICK TAKE
It was disappointing to see the early potential Maragkos showed dissipate into him hardly being a rotation player during AU’s best stretch of basketball, but no one on the roster had such clear weaknesses that opponents exposed. With that said, the opportunity is there for Maragkos to have a strong senior season and so is the potential (take that Bucknell game, for instance). While Matic seemingly has the inside track at the starting center position, it’s far from decided.

*Note: If recent transfer Matt Cimino is eligible in 2016-17 (still pending), Maragkos will have a much steeper hill to climb for consistent playing time.

If Maragkos can become  a much better finisher around the rim, learn how to pass out of the Princeton sets, and make rebounding his mission this summer, he could be a solid 15-20 mpg role player who even avarages double-digit points as a senior.

3.16.16 — Sam Healy, Internet sensation

The fellas convene on March Madness Eve to discuss Sam’s viral “Thirteen Shining Moments” video that made him an Internet Sensation in a day, while also watching Holy Cross represent the league with an NCAA Tournament win. And, of course, they sprinkle in some talk about the Eagles’ progression to a successful season and the program’s bright future.

Listen above or below or subscribe on iTunes.

2.28.16 — David Aldridge and Patriot League Tourney talk

The fellas dissect AU’s amazing turnaround from 0-6 in the league to 9-9 and tied for fourth place and are joined by hall of fame journalist and Eagles super fan David Aldridge to discuss the Eagles’ progression and their Patriot League Tournament hopes.

Listen above or below or subscribe on iTunes.

0-13:00 — AU’s turnaround from 0-6 to 9-9 in league play

13:12-20:30 — Crespo on Senior Day and AU’s nailbiting win over Loyola

20:34-44:30 — David Aldridge

44:30-55:00 — American at BU, breaking it down

55:00 — Closing thoughts

Quotes: Mike Brennan and players talk win over Navy

Mike Brennan and players Jesse Reed and Jalen Rhea spoke to the media after American’s 72-65 win over Navy, the Eagles’ third consecutive victory to boost their record to 10-18, 8-9 in the Patriot League.

MIKE BRENNAN

On the 17-0 run in the second half
“I think we were just being more aggressive going to the basket in the second half and then Jesse made a couple shots that are just — step-back 3 with a guy all over him, it’s like he makes that and they drew up something against our zone where they got an open look and they just didn’t go in. Sometimes you just gotta be lucky where you make some shots and they miss some shots. That could be the difference. But our guys were just a little more aggressive in the second half.”

On switching to the 2-3 zone
“They were going inside and everyone’s about to foul out trying to guard the guy (Will Kelly). We haven’t played zone in a while so we tried it for a possession, looked OK, they called the timeout — they got that wide-open shot. They got open shots, they just missed against the zone. So that’s why it worked.”

Even a month ago is team capable of this kind of comeback?
“Yeah I told them that. That’s a heck of a thing to be down 14 and to be at this point of the season and to muster up the energy to fight back. I don’t think — a month ago we didn’t have the confidence to get something like that or just the experience. So it’s a big growth step for all of us.”

On late offense
“We were just trying to get stuff going to the basket, post-ups — we were posting up a few different guys, post up Jesse, post up Marko, post up Delante and then we got some drives too. It wasn’t just launching threes. With Jesse and Delante, pick and choose, and Charlie got a couple big drives too. And Jalen at the end of the drives sometimes we had to kick it out and we were able to make some shots off that stuff.”

On Delante’s fourth foul and him needing to realize value to team
“Yeah, absolutely. You’d rather give up the two, have Delante out there, but that’s another thing that he has to learn, get used to, he’s trying to defend, he’s trying to make a play on the ball. That’s something that a veteran — a veteran would be able to make that play and make that determination.”

On the back and forth, unpredictable nature of the Patriot League
“Yeah, I mean every team’s equal. Every team plays really hard, they run their stuff, they’re well-coached at this point in the season, everyone knows what the other team’s gonna do. So it’s just a matter of just toughness. They were driving by us and they were finishing a lot of their drives and we weren’t — I think we stopped their drives with the zone a little bit so that helped us a lot but at this point in the season it’s just make shots, get rebounds, play harder each possession, stuff that coaches say all the time.”

On what’s been the biggest key in winning 8 of 11
“Obviously Delante and Jesse are scoring points but I think everybody’s contributing on a given night. I mean we don’t know — we need something from everybody, Andrija got two big rebounds in the last few minutes there, Jalen comes in and makes some big 3s, and Charlie just gives you what he gives you every night. So you just need everybody to be ready at any given time.”

On Jesse’s progression this season and finding the balance of looking for his offense vs. creating for others
“I give Jesse a ton of credit. He’s been so consistent throughout the year and it was tough early on when I’m telling him, ‘Pass the ball, pass the ball,’ because he’s wired to score and he feels like, ‘I can score.’ But he’s gotten much better as a passer, and that’s allowed these other guys to contribute and help him. So I think for him, for his game to sort of expand the way it has this year, it’s just a testament to him and what he does on a daily basis in practice. It’s hard to change your game but still have the scoring. He’s done that.”

On Delante shooting 70% at the rim, getting to the free-throw line frequently and showing poise like on the game-winning possession vs. Holy Cross
“He’s got a good feel for the game, good knack for when to drive, he’s usually pretty much under control when he drives. (If) he gets cut off, he doesn’t sort of — he’s got a counter. But he’s just a good player and I thought he was — teams are playing us a little harder (on perimeter), so it’s a little difficult to maybe pick and choose your spots. I think he was trying to drive a few times when he shouldn’t have but him and Jesse have found a good balance. We need them to score, we need them to be aggressive, we need them trying stuff — so if they have a few turnovers here and there trying to do stuff, you’ve got to live with that because those are the guys who’ve gotta make plays.”

More on the Patriot League and AU having a legitimate chance in the Patriot League tournament
“Everybody can beat everybody, we’ve known that. So we’re just trying not to be the one to get beat. I mean, that’s about it.”

———-

Is team capable of this kind of comeback even a month ago?
JESSE
“I mean I think we’ve grown a lot on the court and off the court. Our chemistry’s been great. We’re starting to learn how to play for each other and fight for each other, dig in a little more. It just comes with experience. I don’t know if a month ago we’d be able to pull that off; I don’t know if yesterday we’d be able to pull that off. But today we dug deep and we found a way.”

JALEN
“I think it’s a just a matter of playing together and everything coming together. We practice it every day and just waiting for that time for the pieces to fall together.”

On holding Navy without a basket for 6 minutes down the stretch
JALEN
“Just communicating and being there. When somebody gets beat, trying to help our teammates out and once they put a shot up, just rebounding and boxing out and making sure that we got the ball back and we’re ready to go down and get a good shot on offense.”

On holding Will Kelly (22 points) without a point the last nine minutes
JESSE
“That’s tough to do. I don’t know how to explain that one.”

On going to the 2-3 zone. What did coach say about going to the zone?
JESSE
“I mean, he didn’t really say why — he just said, ‘Run 2’ and we just stuck with it. At first he said, ‘Run 2 for one possession,’ and once we got a stop he was like, ‘All right, stay in it.’ Yeah, my guess was (to) try to neutralize them down low, we were getting beat up pretty bad down low and we couldn’t really guard their post that well. So kind of packing it in a little bit and making it a little harder for them to catch the ball or get good position I think really helped us a lot.”

Jesse, are you thinking about fact that games are winding down your senior season?
“Nah, I’m staying in the moment. I’m just trying to enjoy each day as it comes. I’ll think about it being my senior year after I’m done, but right now we got games to play, we got practices to go through. I’m just trying to enjoy ’em as they come each and every day.”

How important was getting dribble penetration late in the game?
JESSE
“Yeah, our offense works great whenever we’re working inside-out instead of just hanging around the perimeter. A lot of us were making good drives and finding guys wide open for shots. Jalen was able to come in and give us a spark — really knock down some big shots to help us get back in it. Just working inside-out really helps us a lot instead of just staying on the perimeter.”

On being a game from finishing .500 in the league after starting 0-6
JALEN
“It just comes back to coach Brennan telling us he’s not going to judge us by wins and losses. It’s just a matter of if we’re getting better every day and I think the games down the stretch attest to that, that we just do what we practice, we’re trying to win games and it’s working out for us.”

On how good Jalen is shooting from the corners. What is it about those spots?
JALEN
“I think it’s just in our offense where I happen to end up and drives come and the defense collapses and Jesse and Charlie and Delante and everybody are able to find me somehow in the corner and I just happen to be right there in the corner. I’m gonna keep shooting them, I know they’ll keep finding me. I don’t know what it is about the corner, but I’m going to try to stay close to the corner.”

Jesse on if at all playing his final games as a senior is in back of mind and playing like it
JESSE
“I mean it’s hard not to think about but I just focus on hanging with these guys every day. I know the days are numbered so I’m really just trying to make the most of it. I’m not really thinking about, ‘This is my last game here, this is my last game there.’ It’s more of just enjoying each and every day as they come and if unfortunately it does come to an end, I’ll worry about that when the times comes. But until then I’m just gonna enjoy having fun with my brothers.”

On feeling confident beating anyone in the league with tournament just around the corner
JALEN
“Yeah I think the Patriot League, it’s pretty much just whoever’s night it is, it’s pretty even. If it happens to be our night, I think we can make a run. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

2.22.16 — Andre Ingram and Delante’s game-winner

The fellas break down Delante’s heroic game-winner vs. Holy Cross and dissect Patriot League Tournament scenarios before being joined by Eagles all-time great and 3-point shooting contest record-holder Andre Ingram to discuss his professional career and his four years at AU laying the foundation for the Eagles’ back to back Patriot League championships.

0-10:00 — Delante’s game-winner, AU’s Patriot League Tournament seeding possibilities

10-34:00 — Andre Ingram

39-47:45 — Patriot League talk. Can Bucknell hold on?

47:45: Closing thoughts (high school hoops and who Kobe’s Tweeting about).

Listen above or below or subscribe on iTunes.

Links
American article and video links of Ingram winning 3-point contest
Recap of 2007 heartbreaking Patriot League semifinal

Quotes: Mike Brennan and players talk win over Lafayette

American head coach Mike Brennan and players Marko Vasic and Charlie Jones spoke to the media after the Eagles’ 60-59 win over Lafayette that snapped a three-game losing streak and improved AU to 8-18, 6-9 in the Patriot League. 

MIKE BRENNAN
On the winning possession
“I don’t even know if we drew it up for Charlie, to be honest with you. We come out, we try to draw up what we think will work but a lot of times teams play you differently and we don’t run plays a ton anyway. So you just rely on your guys just making reads and trusting in their decision-making and that’s what happened on that play. But Charlie just does so many other (things). Obviously the 3 was big, but he does a million other things to make you win the game. I thought Jesse was huge at the end there, too. I mean Jesse’s getting baskets to the rim and he’s rebounding — 15 and nine, that’s a heck of a job for Jesse to be able to do that.”

On Charlie making winning plays late in games (going back to LaSalle game last year)
“Yeah well he’s confident and he knows that I trust him. He knows that I know he’s doing all he can to win so whether it’s a right decision, wrong decision, good shot, bad shot, I know that he’s always thinking, ‘I gotta do what we need on this possession.’ And now that he’s, he’s a junior now so he’s had a lot of minutes under his belt, he’s getting more comfortable making some decisions like that down the stretch.”

Would you like Charlie to take more shots (2-3 vs. Lafayette)?
“Nah, not really — 2-3, that’s pretty good, I’ll take 2-3. I think he’s making the right decisions shooting when he should shoot.”

On Marko’s big four points to end regulation
“Again it happened last year where he was at center at the end the last however many games. He’s just comfortable at that spot and he knows what he’s doing, all the experience. He’s got good instincts for the game and he can maneuver himself against the bigger guys guarding him.”

How have you felt the upperclassmen have performed ?
“You saw Charlie tonight doing what he did, Marko doing what he did, and Jesse’s been consistent the whole year. They’ve been terrific. Obviosuly the team, in a year like this, everyone can pack it in a long time ago and they’ve done the exact opposite. And that’s why we’re battling it out and you’re coming away with a win just on one or two plays because what you’re doing in practice.”

How did you feel the team moved the ball/executed offensively in the first half?
“Well every team plays you differently and they were switching and doing some things that were sort of getting us back on our heels. But 25-24 — these days I’ll take 24. But I think they did a good of just being more aggressive and adjusting in the second half and not letting just switching stymie them.”

On making a concerted effort to get the ball inside to Jesse in the second half
“We don’t have much of a post presence from anybody down there so we don’t get a lot of easy baskets, we don’t get a ton of transition or anything inside. So that’s one way we can and Jesse has a mismatch so he made some — those are some big-time shots, lefty hooks were not easy, they weren’t layups, so it’s a testament to his work ethic and what he does every day in practice getting ready.”

On Delante continuing to attack the rim and be aggressive despite rough shooting night
“Yeah absolutely, he’s not gonna stop, he’s not gonna get gun shy. He’s sort of wired to score and he thinks the next one’s going in kind of thing. And he needs that mentality and we need for him to have that mentality.”

———

CHARLIE AND MARKO

Charlie on making big plays the last couple minutes
“I actually screwed up a couple times beforehand so I was just glad I was able to make some plays there at the end. I kind of put us in a bad spot a few times overhelping, trying to be a little too ambitious on defense, so I’ve got to get better at that. Everyone made plays at the end, we did a good job as a team coming together getting stops and rebounding and just made some big plays.”

Marko on whether the team came out a little tight being the favorite in a game for the first time in several games
“I don’t think we actually thought about the record necessarily or anything like that. I just thought, I thought we had some good open shots the first half, they just didn’t fall in, and coach told us at the half to keep running our offense and keep getting those open shots and we got them in the second half and we made some of them. I don’t think we necessarily thought about the record and that we’re favorites and stuff like that. I just think the shots didn’t fall in the first half.”

How often do you guys still think about the Patriot League title game last year? How much does it motivate you?

Charlie
“They’re two different teams this year. I mean last year they’ll always have that championship, there’s really nothing we can do about it. It will kind of always sting when you think back about it, but lamenting over it’s not really gonna do anything now. So we just gotta keep getting better as a team and hopefully work our way back there sometime soon.”

Marko
“Again the same thing — I don’t think anyone thinks during the game about the fact that this game means more or less than any other game, it’s just focusing on details, we do what we’re supposed to do. Of course losing that games sucks, but I don’t think anyone thinks about it anymore.”

How do you guys deal with last season’s tight 6-man rotation vs. this year’s more constant subbing and unpredictability in terms of minutes?

Marko
“I think it’s actually good that more players are playing now, bringing their own strengths and having other players rest more. Our freshman class is very good this year and they’re getting the opportunity to play a lot and that’s always good for us the more players play for us.”

Charlie
“Yeah, definitely, everyone can help us win in their own way. Some guys might not play a lot one night but we know that we’re gonna need them the next night to come out on the court and step up and help us win, just gotta be ready.”

Charlie, describe the last play, the inbound. Were you the first option?
“The play was really just to try to get a good shot. I was going backdoor from the beginning and luckily I was able to make a pretty hard cut and Delante saw me late and he made a great pass to get me the ball. But in that situation we knew we had one second on the shot clock, need something quick, so the plan was for me to go backdoor or Jesse coming off a screen to get a shot up.”

Charlie on having the propensity to take and make big shots late in games even if he hasn’t shot much until the final moments
“All of the shots regardless of when I take them are the same — I missed a free throw in the first half that if I would’ve made, we wouldn’t have had to go to overtime. So I don’t really view any one play or any one shot in any particular moment as being more important than the others. All of them have equal weight in the end contributing to the scoreboard, so I’m just always ready trying to find a way to make a play when need be.”

Marko on his approach and mindset at the end of regulation scoring the last four points and whether he thought of the Bucknell game last year (when he missed two late free throws with AU down 1) when he went to the line and sank the two with 21 seconds left
“I didn’t really think about it at that moment, but now I think about it (that you mentioned it). But yeah it was just, we were just running our offense and Lafayette was playing us hard. So the first move I made, no one was open and I thought I could take my guy one on one and I made a move, spun and scored the first time. When I got fouled, I really wasn’t trying to think about the moment of the game, I was just focusing on making the free throws so I wasn’t putting that extra pressure on me, I guess, I was just focusing on making those two shots. Luckily, they got in unlike Bucknell.”

2.15.16 — Playing the top dogs and looking ahead

The fellas break down the differences between AU’s winning and losing streaks, assess where the Eagles will finish in the Patriot League, get a Holy Cross report from Crusaders fan Sam’s Dad, and more.

Listen above or below or subscribe on iTunes.

Quotes: Mike Brennan talks loss to Army

Head coach Mike Brennan spoke to the media after American’s 65-59 loss to Army, which dropped the Eagles to 7-17, 5-8 in the Patriot League.

BRENNAN
On the team’s comeback from 15 down to within 61-59
“All year we’ve gotten to these moments where you get hit in the mouth and the team goes on a run and we’re done. Today it happened and we battled back. They went on a run but we still battled back again so that’s progress in my mind and despite Army’s league record (5-8), they’re one of the better teams in the league, they’ve been together, they know what they’re doing so they’re a really really good team. So to put yourself in a position to be there at the end, us not playing well — not making shots — and still fighting and being there in the end, I feel good about our guys and where we are. Despite our record, I like the team and I like what they’re doing on a daily basis.”

What was the difference in how AU played vs. Army this time vs the first time?
“More aggressively offensively, we got better looks. It sounds funny we only scored 15 points in the first half, but we were way more aggressive and we were getting open looks, we were just missing. So that’s just part of the process and then they get confident, they see that they’re gonna get open looks, so the second half they’re a little more confident and obviously Delante scoring playing the way he does is a big help.”

On the decision to foul in the last 3 minutes with Army in the bonus
“Well, I gotta get better too. It’s my first time with the team in close games at the end. We only had one timeout left. When we got it to I think it was maybe 7 with 2 minutes, it was right over 2 minutes, I didn’t want them to foul but I couldn’t get the message out there. We put them on the line, they made one of two. … I wish I had more timeouts. I wish the NCAA didn’t change the rule and take away the timeouts because we need them.”

On Delante showing poise and making right decisions down the stretch
“We recruited him for a reason. We knew he was gonna be good, and he’s been doing that every game. He’s been getting to the rim, scoring, shooting, scoring every kind of way. Obviously at the end of games it’s different, you’re going to the hole, the other team’s not trying to foul you so it’s a little different. But still to have a guy to be able to do it and be successful and he’s a freshman, and to be able to score layup, floater, behind a guy, it’s hard to do. He works every day. He works his tail off every day in practice. He’s gotten better at literally everything. We’ve just got to keep throwing stuff at him, keep working at it.”

On Army’s points in the paint advantage
“Ferguson, he’s a guy that has gotten a lot better over the years. He’s really worked and I give him a lot of credit — he’s one of the better centers in the league. We didn’t do a great job of making him work for position, but to be honest at the end of the day I’m more worried about the 3s because they get hot and they got up 19 or however many 3s they got up. They usually shoot a better percentage so we’re trying to take away 3s — it’s hard to take away multiple things. But we’ve got to work on our post defense obviously.”

Is Ferguson someone you can point to when talking to young big guys about where they can get to in terms of a big who’s really progressed from year to year?
“Well he gives me hope. They haven’t seen him, it’s hard for them to visualize that. For me it’s like, I like where our freshmen are. I think Andrija — I think those 3s are gonna go in. He’s going to be able to score with his back to the basket, he’s gonna be able to do things. Hopefully we can get him to do it a little quicker.”

On the past 4 opponents; Patriot League’s top teams starting to flex muscle and respond to ‘Patriot League being down’?
“I don’t think it’s down, I think everyone is good — there’s a bunch of good teams. So there’s not two or three really good teams and everyone else, usually everyone else is down and they beat up on the team that are down. There’s no down teams. There’s no bad teams. Everyone’s good, so everyone’s beating up each other. But we just got to stay positive with our guys. They’re competing, they’re in the game, they’re right there, it’s just part of the process getting over the hump — learning how important stuff in the first half is, how it affects the game. It’s a four-point game with however much time is left, a minute — there’s a lot of things you can do to change that. We got to continue to work on that.”

On team’s depth and different guys getting minutes
“Obviously we’re just looking for consistency, consistent effort and Andrija’s been getting better, I like what he gives us. Lonnie didn’t play a minute tonight but that’s — that has nothing to do with how much he’s gonna play on Wednesday, it’s what does he does in the next two days because I like some of the things that he gave us in the BU game. Maybe I should have tried him tonight, who knows? But I like all four of our freshmen, and I like our whole group. The upperclassmen have stuck with it. There’s a reason these guys are sticking with it and continuing — practices it’s hard, it’s difficult but they’re still, it shows their effort that they’re getting better.”