When does Greentree basketball begin this year? End-ish of June?
It will be interesting to see the tone of the games this year?
It will be interesting to see the tone of the games this year?
Greentree summer basketball
- Thread starter IamHeisenberg
- Start date
I dont want to hear one thing about how performance in this league transfers to the regular season...it doesnt...never has...treat it like it is...a training venue thats it.
Usually, we have to wait until the first game for the first post like this. A new record!
If a player dominates from start to finish in the league it's usually a decent sign they'll have a good season. Otherwise, there's not much predictive value. But really, it just gives us some basketball to talk about over the summer. Take player performances with a grain of salt and enjoy having something to talk about during a dead period.
It's hoops.....summer fix. Reruns of Mike & Molly don't get me amped. When do the lots open??
Right. Which is why I don't get why certain posters get so angsty when people talk about Greentree.
You always have to take into account the self-loathing component so characteristic of the Yinzer Nation mentality.
It's basically pick-up basketball played with college level players. The NCAA definitely dumbed it down by limiting the number of players from one school allowed to play on one team. That meant that more teams were needed to accommodate the full rosters of Pitt and Duuesne with the new 2 players per team limit. Last year ended up pretty chaotic at times, with some individuals simply playing as a team of one, hoisting up virtually every shot.
The periods had been lengthened beyond college length, to allow more playing time for everyone who made the effort to show up, but that backfired when WVU pulled out after the first week, because it left every team short-handed. Many teams played entire, longer games with no substitutes. Quality of play suffered.
But, it's basketball. More or less. As NTOP says, it beats Summer TV. Nobody really thought Uchebo was gonna get 25 rebounds per game in ACC action, but he did put up excellent rebounding rates in advanced statistics when he was able to play.
And, it's a chance to sit and shoot the breeze with other Pitt fans, while watching some Pitt kids shoot hoops.
It used to translate more than it currently does. In years past, incoming players did not count towards the 2 per team limit. So, there would be 3-4 Pitt players per team going up against 3-4 WVU players, 3-4 Duq players, etc. The games were very competitive and scoring was relatively low. 60's to 80's. Possessions were valued. However, last year when the NCAA changed the rule to 2 per team regardless of whether its an incoming player or not, the level of play dropped dramatically. WVU and YSU pulling out also helped to diminish the level of play. So, last year it was just streetball. Fast-paced streetball with lots of possessions which accounted for Uchebo's record-breaking rebound numbers.
I think the league can tell you who CAN'T play but makes some players appear better than they actually are. Examples: I was a big JJM and JJ fan from what they did at Green Tree but that play didnt translate to a structured college system. When watching guys like Wright, Zeigler, Epps, Birch, etc, I was never very impressed. The first time I saw Gibbs though, I knew he was going to be a really good player. I was very impressed with him. Without ever seeing them play, I think I probably penciled in Woodall as Fields's backup PG that year but when I saw them at GT, it was easy to see Gibbs was ready and Tray wasnt.
I agree with all of this SMF.
The only thing I would add about Uchebo last summer was that yes, lots of possessions did add to his record breaking-breaking numbers. But he still had nearly twice as many rebounds as the next best player.
However, we should also note that Joe's strong play in the summer DID carry over into the fall. Don't forget that he did start early in the season, and from what I was told, Joe was playing pretty well in October. But I also understand the pain and mobility issues continued and actually got worse.
By the way, I believe that the Youngstown State guys are going to be back this year. But not the Hoopies.
I think this 2-player limit, which increases the # of teams, hurts quality. With all the no-shows, I'll have to bring my shoes, just in case. Air Mikans.
I've always hoped they could find a way for the Akron and Kent State players to attend. Also St. Francis, IUP and Cal U. Akron and Kent are very good mid-major programs. SFU, IUP, and Cal would add some quality. I believe all programs are within the distance requirements but understand travel would be a major problem.
Very true. Shooting translates (though getting off your shot doesn't always) to any level as does rebounding (with Uchebo being the exception).
What I remember most is that Gary McGhee looked like a different player the summer before his junior year, and it proved out during the season. Also remember that TJ McConnell looked like he belonged, and that also proved to be true.
Uchebo showed he could rebound he just wasn't healthy enough to withstand the rigors of college bb.
Just for fun, Uchebo's defensive rebounding percentage was just a tick better than Frank Kaminsky's was and his offensive rebounding percentage was more than twice what Kaninsky's was.
Anyone who thinks Uchebo's problem was rebounding and not health just wasn't paying attention.
Anyone who thinks Uchebo's problem was rebounding and not health just wasn't paying attention.
