LJ is a good player and I hate seeing him go.

But our inability to defend or go to the hole put us in a situation we had to make 40%-45% of our 3 point shots to win. Almost impossible to consistently win like that.

Langston Love and Dale Bonner were better at both defense and getting to the basket and worse at 3 pointers but I will take the trade off. Plus with Miro Little and Walter and Bridges there will be a fight for playing time at the 2-3 position.

I am not pretending it is not a loss. But wonder how hard Drew fought this.

And this deserved a new thread on its on? Can this be just merged with the already long thread on Cryer?

He is a good player. I wish he wasn't leaving.

Cryer is not just a 3 point shooter. He is a scoring machine at all 3 levels. His weaknesses are he is objectively a very poor defender and has limited playmaking skills.

Chamberman said:

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And this deserved a new thread on its on? Can this be just merged with the already long thread on Cryer?

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This new thread is more relevant than your post. I'm not talking about NBA.

Crawfoso1973 said:

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Cryer is not just a 3 point shooter. He is a scoring machine at all 3 levels. His weaknesses are he is objectively a very poor defender and has limited playmaking skills.

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I didn't see level 1 and 2. Can crush a three pointer though. No doubt.

vanillabryce said:

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Cryer was much more than a three point shooter, his mid range pull up was nice. I thought he was a poor passer and poor ball handler, compared to our standard of guards.

I don't have mixed emotions. I wanted him to stay because he stretches the floor and if we make additions we can hide his weaknesses

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There was no hiding cryer. Against good teams it was tough to get multiple stops with him on the floor. His defense was as bad as it gets at the D1 level. Get him in a screen and role and it was pretty much an automatic bucket, he was hunted by teams that knew what they were doing

This is an insanely uninformed post. FFS. Bonner over Cryer? Cryer is one of the most reliable shooters in BU history. Also, Little isn't starting at PG next year.

Art_E_Guinn said:

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This is an insanely uninformed post. FFS. Bonner over Cryer? Cryer is one of the most reliable shooters in BU history. Also, Little isn't starting at PG next year.

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Chicks dig the long ball, and basketball fans love offense. But our defensive struggles this past season can be traced directly to LJ Cryer and Keyonte George's complete inability to stay in front of their man on the ball and keep up with their man off of it.

As much as I'll miss watching LJ Cryer score the basketball, I'm excited to see a longer, more defense-minded player in that wing spot next season.

Compounded by our complete lack of true rim protection. One of the worst defenses we've ever seen.

That said Im torn unless they get a rock solid scoring guard with size to fill out that spot. If they pull that off, I would probably agree. Losing that much scoring is something I'll have to see on the court first since there isn't any way the defense will be as bad it was this year.

Quinton said:

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Compounded by our complete lack of true rim protection. One of the worst defenses we've ever seen.

That said Im torn unless they get a rock solid scoring guard with size to fill out that spot. If they pull that off, I would probably agree. Losing that much scoring is something I'll have to see on the court first since there isn't any way the defense will be as bad it was this year.

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It's hard to blame the posts for a lack of rim protection when the scheme has them switching onto guards on the perimeter or helping off their man to stop the drive.

There aren't many opportunities for weak side blocks when you're in a defensive stance guarding the ball.

And I'm excited to see Love get a chance to be a 25-minute guy. It's time for him to have that opportunity.

If Love is fully recovered he will have no trouble getting 25 minutes IMO. His defense was almost as bad as Cryer due to limited mobility. It usually takes until the 2nd year after an ACL before guys are fully recovered both physically and mentally. Plus he will have a full offseason to work on his game vs. rehab an injury.

Not blaming just stating what it was. We had two competent defenders and one average one on the entire team. The terrible perimeter defense was definitely the driver, I agree. Still need a guy with size that can actually make teams feel them when attacking the lane.

Quinton said:

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Not blaming just stating what it was. We had two competent defenders and one average one on the entire team. The terrible perimeter defense was definitely the driver, I agree. Still need a guy with size that can actually make teams feel them when attacking the lane.

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I agree with you there. I would love a Freddie Gillespie clone, if we could find one.

Crawfoso1973 said:

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Cryer is not just a 3 point shooter. He is a scoring machine at all 3 levels. His weaknesses are he is objectively a very poor defender and has limited playmaking skills.

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When he wanted to play and wasnt "injured"

The injuries were frustrating for fans and for Cryer himself. It wasn't a matter of "wanting to play."

Looking very thin next year with Cryer leaving, one and done, and seniors moving on.

BearFan33 said:

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Mitch Henessey said:

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We sure love to trash players the second they're no longer useful to us.

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It's sad really

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And yet, there are two separate forums on this site that have spent years (literally) pining for coaches who have clearly expressed they want nothing to do with us.

Shakesbear said:

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Looking very thin next year with Cryer leaving, one and done, and seniors moving on.

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We have like six scholarships available. Our roster is about half-built currently. This team will look completely different in a month or two. Patience is a virtue.

Mitch Henessey said:

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We sure love to trash players the second they're no longer useful to us.

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I have only seen a couple of guys here trash Cryer. Questioning his character or want-to is bull***** There's nothing whatsoever wrong with taking a sober inventory of his strengths and weaknesses, however.

Being a fan doesn't require that one lose all sense of objectivity when judging the team they root for. And given that most of the criticisms of Cryer's game were made while he was still a member of our team or "useful to us" in your words, I don't think it accurate to play the sour grapes card here.

Mitch Henessey said:

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We sure love to trash players the second they're no longer useful to us.

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Wishing someone was better at key elements of the game is not trashing him. Besides he decided to leave us.

Just a hunch but I'm betting Drew lands a stud guard who can fill up the box score and defend at a decent level

bear2be2 said:

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Mitch Henessey said:

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We sure love to trash players the second they're no longer useful to us.

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I have only seen a couple of guys here trash Cryer. Questioning his character or want-to is bull***** There's nothing whatsoever wrong with taking a sober inventory of his strengths and weaknesses, however.

Being a fan doesn't require that one lose all sense of objectivity when judging the team they root for. And given that most of the criticisms of Cryer's game were made while he was still a member of our team or "useful to us" in your words, I don't think it accurate to play the sour grapes card here.

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I wasn't referring to your comments and am not sure why you perceived that I was.

Questioning if his injuries were legit and his "want to" yeah, that is trashing the player and his character.

Him pursiuing NIL $, that is understandable. These athletes are on a clock to chase $. He is not NBA caliber so can't blame him for getting what $ he can, when he can.

Crawfoso1973 said:

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Questioning if his injuries were legit and his "want to" yeah, that is trashing the player and his character.

Him pursiuing NIL $, that is understandable. These athletes are on a clock to chase $. He is not NBA caliber so can't blame him for getting what $ he can, when he can.

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Yeah no reason for that at all. Injuries are always most frustrating for the player experiencing them. No reason to think anything like that.

On why, that is a logical thing in this era. It makes sense especially if you can be comfortable at your next stop. If value is there it makes a lot of sense to realize some of it.

Now I don't understand some of the potential landing spots with that level of defense though so will be interesting if it is Hou or K State. Many of the posters here know ball so they could help us understand that part. I guess with that level of scoring punch they would be willing to take the defensive hit / cover for the perimeter. Hopefully he ends up in the SEC at A&M or LSU so we don't have to face him and get Grimes/Walter to lock him down.

In general he was a great shooter and a liability at every other aspect of the game. I can understand his inability to pass, which is a born gift. But why the poor ball handling?

Drew has an opening for 2 transfers and no one should be speculating on a starting lineup until we see who winds up here.

If a player,any player,is not happy in his present location it is better for the program and for him to move on.