FSU coach Steve Cleveland
The Georgia Sports Blog spent a little time Monday talking with Gary Estwick of the Fresno Bee. He's one of the beat writers covering the Fresno State program. Estwick gave us a quick scouting report on Fresno State.
Paul Westerdawg (PWD): So, tell me about this FSU squad.
Gary Estwick (GE): These are two very similar teams. However, FSU is more of what Georgia was last year in some respects. They love to shoot the three pointer, and they've got one or two guys that can create off the dribble. However, they probably don't have the inside presence to make a big tournament run.
(PWD Note: As a point of comparison. Georgia has jacked up 651 three pointers this year. FSU has launched a staggering 841 treys! With UGA's weak three point defense, this could be an issue for the good guys.)
PWD: Yep. That sounds like Georgia without Takais Brown.
GE: FSU's achilles heel is their inability to to stop someone who gets the ball deep on the low block. They can't do anything about it because they simply don't have the bodies. They struggle with legit post players. Hector Hernandez is listed as their 5 [center]. But he's really more of a 4 that loves to shoot the three.
(PWD Note: Hernandez has attempted roughly the same number of 3s as Georgia's Levi Stukes.)
PWD: Tell me more about the players.
GE: Dominic McGuire (Forward) is a transfer from Cal. At various points this season, he has played all five positions. He's the guy that gets the ball on the block or at the top of the key on the last possession with the game on the line. Earlier in the season he was trying to play a fancier game. They've simplified his game since then. McGuire is a pure athlete who can out jump everyone, shows great speed and is a tremendous shot blocker. He is also pretty strong to his left.
The problem with the FSU players is that they may score 25 points one game and 3 the next. Inconsistency has been a real issue.
(PWD Note: That sounds like us. All of FSU's starters average more than 30 minutes a game, and their backup point guard is out with a broken wrist. In other words, if one of them is cold, they can't exactly bench him.)
PWD: What are some signature moments from this year?
GE: FSU only won one conference road game last year. It was starting to look like more of the same this year. On Feb. 3rd, they finally won their first road game against Idaho, one of the worst teams in basketball. After that game, they still ended up getting blown out by Nevada at home. But their next road game was a victory at La. Tech followed by two impressive victories at New Mexico State and Utah State. They ended NMSU's 17 game home winning streak and Utah State's 15 game home winning streak. Suddenly, they learned how to win close games on the road.
(Note: He gave me some good info on Quinton Hosley, but frankly I butcher the quotes so bad that I didn't run with it. Hosley averages 14.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.)
We'd like to thank Gary for his time. The game should certainly be interesting.
See Also:
-- Fresno State Basketball Stats - ESPN.com
-- What can Brown do for You - Fresno Bee
-- Fresno State Coverage - Fresno Bee
-- Fresno State Schedule/Results -- Official Site
-- Special Guests Announced for Wednesday - DawgsOnline (MUST READ COMEDY)
PWD
1 comments:
I really think rebounding and having Takais and Sundiata play well can get us a W tomorrow with a little help from the supporting cast.
And they may shoot a lot of 3s, but they don't hit a lot. I'm not scared of their offense, but their D now that's another story. They are solid defensively, and could give us fits trying to score with anyone other than takais. I think he'll see lots of double teams too, so hopefully he's gotten better in dealing with them.
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