VanDelaySports.com > MAC Basketball > Toledo basketball update

Inconsistency Hurts the Rockets

But the conference portion of schedule should ease things up

The morning of November 29 the Rockets stood at 2-2 overall with a chance to land some impressive victories over quality opponents such as Drexel, Vanderbilt, and the Kansas Jayhawks in the upcoming week.

Four weeks later and the Midnight Blue and Gold have dropped five of the past seven including losses to the teams named above.

Consistency has plagued Toledo recently and throughout Stan Joplin’s tenure. When the Rockets go on winning spurts—and it does happen often—they have the potential to stay with anyone in the country. But when things go sour, the fans start to question and things look to be on the brink of disaster.

Expectations for this season have been high and rightfully so. With last year’s push to the conference title game, Rocket fans expected a carryover into next season. However, given Toledo’s brutal out-of-conference schedule (most of it on the road) it comes to little surprise that 11 games into the season the team stands at 4-7. Facing six or seven potential tournament qualifiers to go along with a top 10 team on the road is hardly an easy task. Yet, the midnight blue and gold had held its own up until the Sun Bowl tournament last weekend where the basketball did everything but go into the net. Unable to pull out a victory in some close contests prior to their only home stint, Toledo simply has not found its niche offensively nor for that matter on the opposite end either. While the Rockets have built a reputation as an aggressive defensive team that forces turnovers, statistically they rank in the middle or near the bottom of the conference in about every rebounding, field goal percentage, three point percentage, steals, turnovers, etc… category. That’s not to say that these numbers are indicative of what type of season Toledo will have, but they do speak to the weaknesses of the team.

Heading into the season, everyone knew that Stan Joplin would have to find ways to get some rebounds from his guards. With a 6-6 center and a 6-4 power forward/wing player/fourth guard in the frontcourt, the team’s success hinged on its ability to get its guards more involved on the boards. So far, they have done a decent job. But it must improve if they want a shot at post-season play. Now, many want to see Shane Ross and/or Jerrah Young be given more minutes to add more size to the court. But neither has been very impressive so far and Ross looks to be a year away before he can develop into a reliable presence down low for Stan Joplin.

Second, this team has to shoot more consistently and become a viable threat from behind the arc. Eleven games into this season and the Rockets are an ice cold 33% from three-point land. When only one member of your squad (Jonathan Amos) is shooting above 40%, it’s not looking good at all. The strength of this team on the offensive end must be its outside shooting if they look to compete come March. With only Tino Valencia as a liable threat inside, the combination of Kashif Payne, Keonta Howell, Tyrone Kent, Amos, and Justin Ingram must show more consistency in their shooting. None has been a go-to type player for an entire season while at Toledo but all, especially Howell and Ingram, have the ability to score often and at will.

Third, the Rockets must take care of business in the West division, which is overall very weak. With exception to road games at Buffalo, Kent State, and Ohio, Toledo’s conference slate looks to be fair and relatively winnable. Home games against Akron and Miami will be intriguing match ups to go along with those annoying Bowling Green Falcons. Anything short of a 10-6 run will be a disappointment. Although the state of a basketball season can change in an instant, the Rockets should get into a groove come conference play and may pose as a serious contender for the MAC crown come early March.

Up next for the Rockets is Oakland, a team that has faced Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Arkansas, Marquette, and #1 ranked UCLA. Hence, the 6-8 record is a bit remarkable given their tough non-conference schedule where the Grizzlies have beaten UW-Milwaukee, Duquesne, and Eastern Michigan. Seniors Vova Severovas and Shawn Hopes have been staples in the frontcourt while sophomore Erik Kangas is a reliable threat from behind the arc. The Saturday tip-off with Toledo will be Oakland’s first home game since December 2 and it will certainly serve as a tough test for the Midnight Blue and Gold.

By Mike Sopher, Toledo Sports Beat Writer for VanDelaySports.com

published 12.28.2006

MAC basketball by VanDelay Sports