Ignatius Basketball

Iggy has a big one Friday night at Ed's. Then they end with 3 games that are winnable. Seeding comes out after this weekend, thinking they will be a 2 or 3 seed in the Lakewood District. I think Ed's by 15 Friday they are too strong for Iggy especially at home.
 
Eagles over the Cats by 15 on Friday night sounds right.

Cats’ last 3 games winnable, but quite challenging –
@ Erie Cathedral Prep (14-5)
Rhodes (14-3) @ Sullivan - could be game #1 of 2 over the next couple of weeks
Toledo St. John Jesuit (10-7) @ Sullivan

With voting on the brackets this weekend, think Cats more likely to get the #3 seed. Rhodes should get the #2. Brecksville or North Royalton likely to be #4 seed.

Cats still struggle offensively against athletic teams. With outside shooting being inconsistent, the Cats have seen more zone defenses lately. Defenses also continue to pack it on Raynor. Over the last 3 games, having Effertz moving off the ball (instead of being on point) and using screens, that approach seems to have helped his outside shooting rhythm as he's had eleven 3-pointers. His getting on a 3-point shooting roll will be critical for the Cats as they finish up the regular season
 
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Eagles 70-58. The differential was expected but strange game with big changes in momentum and scoring runs

Eagles up 15-11 end 1st quarter
Eagles leading 23-22 in 2nd quarter and finish with a 10-0 run to end the half up 33-22
Cats start 2nd half with 2-pointer, then Eagles go on a 15-0 run to lead 48-24
Eagles max their lead at 28 (56-28), overall outscoring the Cats 33-6 over roughly a quarter of play
Then Cats go on a 16-0 run to reduce their deficit to 12 (56-44) in the 4th quarter
Cats continue to outscore 12-6 and reduce the Eagle lead to 6 points, (62-56) with 2 minutes remaining. Cats outscore the Eagles 28-6 over roughly a quarter of play.
Eagles finish the game 8-2 during the last 2 minutes to win 70-58
 
St Ed's is/was the better team in both match ups - large advantage in coaching/strategy as well. Ignatius played a curious rotation throughout the game that hurt them. They never seemed to get in a rythm offensively and the players seemed confused at times where to go with the ball on offense. Igantius must have had a dozen or more bad turnovers. Tough to get into a rythm when you rotate 10-11 players. Contrast with Ed's who, other than some subs when they were up 28, plays a rotation of 7-8 players. This late in the season the rotation needs to be shortened and you need to play to win. Two minutes to go and Ignatius down 6 after fighting back. Again they allow Ed's to burn down the clock and close out the game with ease without playing aggressive defense or attempting lengthen the game and force Ed's to win the game at the line. Not enough scoring potential on the floor for much of the game for Igantius. Effertiz had a cold shooting night -- but needs to be on floor with Toppin and Raynor for Wildcats to have a chance to compete with teams like Ed's, Heights, etc. Quality wins are just out of reach for this team with this approach.
 
I agree with most of what you have to say except Effertz should not be playing in the first 5, he shoots way too much and his defense is below average. He shot 2/11, 2/9 from 3s, he made all 4 free throws but he can shoot you out of a game really quick. I understand he is only a sophomore and he will only get better but now is not the time. He struggles with his ball handling with ball pressure. scoring 10 points on 11 shots is not good production. Raynor scored most of his points when the game was out of reach. Toppin played by far what of his best games of the year. I like Yantac's game he plays well. Emmett Hanna is playing out of position he is not a 4 but a 3. His brother needs to shoot more 3s. Nunez was obviously sick he had no shot and bounce to his step. They will make the district final but will struggle with St. Ed's again they just don't match up with them very well.
 
Iggy split on the weekend, winning at Erie Prep and losing at home to Rhodes, once again Effertz plays well on Friday vs an average team and struggles vs a quality team like Rhodes. He was 0-10, 0-8 from 3, that is hard to over come. Once again they are playing way too many players and some don't seem comfortable going in and out every 2 to 3 minutes. Toledo St John is a young team that plays hard that should be a good game then on to the playoffs where a rematch with Rhodes awaits.
 
Disappointing season. There is talent on the team. Maybe not d1 state champion talent, but this team has underperformed. Most anyone coaching ignatius could win 14 games. What QUALITY wins (as in the ncaa) does this team have? I say none. Stomped by eds, c heights and svsm.. never really had a chance in any of those games. Losses to Ccc, rhodes and columbus team. Stomped by a good team in Fla.. and then beat 2 patsies. Have they really improved over 22 games? I do not see it. Assistant coaches appear not even to be on the bench in many games. Hey coach.. regular season matters. Sorry, not impressed with a run up the score win over collinwood. Or victories against john marshall, erie a weak vasj and benedictine team. No clear rotation after 22 games.Lots of work to be done here with this program.
 
catholic98 said:
Disappointing season. There is talent on the team. Maybe not d1 state champion talent, but this team has underperformed. Most anyone coaching ignatius could win 14 games. What QUALITY wins (as in the ncaa) does this team have? I say none. Stomped by eds, c heights and svsm.. never really had a chance in any of those games. Losses to Ccc, rhodes and columbus team. Stomped by a good team in Fla.. and then beat 2 patsies. Have they really improved over 22 games? I do not see it. Assistant coaches appear not even to be on the bench in many games. Hey coach.. regular season matters. Sorry, not impressed with a run up the score win over collinwood. Or victories against john marshall, erie a weak vasj and benedictine team. No clear rotation after 22 games.Lots of work to be done here with this program.
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I agree 100% with you, the assistants are just yes people that don't know how to coach, Cam is over his head, he plays the wrong rotations and looks clueless when the game is close. The schedule was weak this year compared to last year, they have a win over Harding and Canton Mck, other than that they have done nothing. Coach Cam has a guy crush with Effertz he continues to play him when he struggles against every good team and he only cares about scoring points. Starting five should be Toppin, Raynor, Hanna, Hanna and Yantack, with Spear, Yarian, Nunez off the bench that is it, no need to play 10 deep bc you are not that talented to play 10. This regime is not just ruining the program but ruining the school he should never have been hired for this position, follow what St. Joes Academy did and get rid of your inexperience coach and move on.
 
Bring back Becker for another run and hire or find an alum teacher to develop dover a couple years to take his place. The lack of experience of this coach is obvious. And I like the teacher- coach- alumni model for ignatius. This team is way more talented than last year’s ... toppin has not been given the opportunity to shine his senior year with line ups where he has to do too much.
 
catholic98 said:
Bring back Becker for another run and hire or find an alum teacher to develop dover a couple years to take his place. The lack of experience of this coach is obvious. And I like the teacher- coach- alumni model for ignatius. This team is way more talented than last year’s ... toppin has not been given the opportunity to shine his senior year with line ups where he has to do too much.
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Becker likely not coming back for a 3rd run. Reportedly, DeCesare '99 removed himself from the search process and Kirbus '06 was a finalist for the Ignatius HC after being an Asst under Becker ... Well, we know the outcome of that decision. Rudy is now HC at Andrews Osborne.
 
I don’t see where all the doom and gloom about the new staff is coming from. Some of the comments above are absurd (ie “ruining the school“). There have been some growing pains this year as one would expect with a 1st year head coach. But I don’t know that the overall record would look drastically different with any of the other named candidates, maybe an extra win or two on the margin with the experience of DeCesare or if Becker had remained on.

Some things have clearly improved - the team has been better defensively despite losing their main rim protector from last year, and the overall effort / intensity has been up. Some of the critiques are fair - the team has turned the ball over a lot and the overall offensive production has been disappointing. I agree with some of the comments on playing a shorter rotation and subbing less often.

The kids seem to like playing for Coach Cam and seem like they’re having fun. He has brought a lot of youthful energy and seems to be contributing to the school outside the basketball program, for example I’ve seen improved marketing of summer camp offerings, both athletic and not. It wouldn’t surprise me if we see more prospective basketball players interested in Ignatius than in recent years, with a desire to play for a young, energetic, relatable coach. Seems like there are some massive overreactions in this thread.
 
Cats had a convincing win over Brunswick, which was not that talented. I thought the defensive effort and intensity in the 1st half was the best all season.

www.ignatiuswildcats.com

Basketball Cats Sail Past Brunswick into District Semifinal

The team's six seniors played their final game in Sullivan Gym.
www.ignatiuswildcats.com www.ignatiuswildcats.com

The Cats need somebody to ‘consistently’ hit 3 pointers in order to open up the low post and the lane. The only ones on the team with potential to do that are Nunez, Griffin Hanna and Effertz. None of them have been consistent this season. Effertz has gotten on a roll in a couple of games, (Belen Jesuit, Bennie’s, Erie Prep, Brunswick), but that was versus average teams. He seems to be in a rush when playing athletic teams.

Cats will have a real challenge on Thursday vs. Rhodes as they have struggled vs. athletic teams. Rhodes should have won the 1st game by more than 10, but they let the Cats back in with the opportunity to win at the end. Rhodes also lost to an average Louisville (a team Ignatius beat by 38) and just got by Dalton (a good D4 team) and Parma Sr. Rhodes seemed very motivated in the 1st game. This re-match may be a game of who wants it more.
 
Not killing the coach. but as bellichek says, I only know what I see. The schedule was easy with only 6 to 7 tough games. And they lost all of them (maybe give them credit for McKinley win). The happiest guy in NE Ohio is flannery who will have his pick of the kids. This coach and his staff has ZERO connection to IGNATIUS, alums and the broader community. Say what you want about alums, but alums make the school go - without the alumni, no. One has a job down there. Not his fault.. but the fault of the ad who approved this hire. Check out attendance at games.. his camps and community outreach are non- existent. But with 1500 boys, they will always be competitive but I do not see a program here. Brunswick played hard but did not have the horses to compete.
 
catholic98 said:
Not killing the coach. but as bellichek says, I only know what I see. The schedule was easy with only 6 to 7 tough games. And they lost all of them (maybe give them credit for McKinley win). The happiest guy in NE Ohio is flannery who will have his pick of the kids. This coach and his staff has ZERO connection to IGNATIUS, alums and the broader community. Say what you want about alums, but alums make the school go - without the alumni, no. One has a job down there. Not his fault.. but the fault of the ad who approved this hire. Check out attendance at games.. his camps and community outreach are non- existent. But with 1500 boys, they will always be competitive but I do not see a program here. Brunswick played hard but did not have the horses to compete.
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I agree with you 100%, just because he is young doesn't mean his automatically connects with the kids. The Program took 2 steps back this year compared to most years.
 
Bad loss tonight for Iggy, they controlled the game for 3 quarters and were out coached in the 4th, Coach Cam's questionable rotations were too much to overcome. This team has underachieved this year and that goes directly on the coach and his assistants you know very little. Probably best they lost tonight because Eds would have put a 30 point beat down on them. Probably best this season is over a huge letdown.
 
Totally disagree with that assessment on Cam and the staff. Sour grapes post.

Rhodes made tough and deep shots down the stretch and their defensive pressure never let up. Raynor fouled out with 4 minutes left in the 4q which was tough for Ignatius, he is their best player. It was a ticky tack call there too given how physical the refs allowed Rhodes to play on the perimeter all game.

Ignatius wasn’t strong with the ball in the last Q and they missed some good looks both inside and out.

Great play design on the Effertz 3 to send it to OT.

Tough break with the 4 missed FT’s in the last minute of OT.

Rhodes was relentless defensively and never folded. Gritty win.
 
Sounds like you are on the coaching staff, I never said Rhodes didn't deserve to win they played hard, you mention of the Effertz 3 point play yes a nice play but you can name so many mistakes that the coaches made, why was Hubbard put into the game? He has not played an meaningful minutes since December what was he expecting him to do? why have Yarrian who is a sophomore take the ball out with 1.5 seconds left, he called a timeout with right away because he was nervous and then after the time out he threw a horrible pass. You had a senior Griffin Hanna sitting on the bench most of the game for reasons I have no idea but you couldn't have him throw the ball in? He was the QB. The missed free throws were bad but they only scored 1 point in the 4th qtr until 50 seconds left. Not to take anything away from Rhodes but this was a game Ignatius blew more than Rhodes winning. It was a meltdown.
 
catholic98 said:
Not killing the coach. but as bellichek says, I only know what I see. The schedule was easy with only 6 to 7 tough games. And they lost all of them (maybe give them credit for McKinley win). The happiest guy in NE Ohio is flannery who will have his pick of the kids. This coach and his staff has ZERO connection to IGNATIUS, alums and the broader community. Say what you want about alums, but alums make the school go - without the alumni, no. One has a job down there. Not his fault.. but the fault of the ad who approved this hire. Check out attendance at games.. his camps and community outreach are non- existent. But with 1500 boys, they will always be competitive but I do not see a program here. Brunswick played hard but did not have the horses to compete.
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Wow, lots of negativity here. First off, one of the coaches played at Ignatius (Joe Isabella).

Ignatius has some studs coming in next year. The incoming freshmen have some nice top-of-the-line talent. Definitely 1 kid, if not 2, who will significant time as freshmen. St. Ed's is getting a tad nervous, believe it or not.

As someone who sees this team play a lot, the kids love playing for Coach Cam and he's had a big impact on them. He's going to bring in some talent. Give him a couple of years. You'll "see a program" in the next couple of years.

The ending last night was difficult. But this team will be a lot better in 2020-21.
 
A lot of non coaches tearing into coaches these days. No idea of Joyce is a decent coach or not but all this coach ripping is getting old.
Unless you've sucessfully coached HS varsity or higher you shouldn't be continuously ripping coaching on yappi and twitter.
 
Unlimited Potential said:
A lot of non coaches tearing into coaches these days. No idea of Joyce is a decent coach or not but all this coach ripping is getting old.
Unless you've sucessfully coached HS varsity or higher you shouldn't be continuously ripping coaching on yappi and twitter.
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Hahaha Coach Cam has never coached at a varsity level until the last 5 months, ripping on refs and coaches have been going on for 50 years if you don't like it then don't read it.
 
Varsity level or higher. He worked for college programs for the last several years. But clearly you are more qualified to make playing time decisions. You are right, I don't have to read it, but I did. Another fan in the stands smarter than the coach. I guess we should just start hiring guys out of the stands to coach, you guys have all the answers. Go ahead an enlighten us all with your game plans to turn this program around and we will get a petition together to get you on the bench.
 
I know more basketball than 2 people for sure Cam and you. I believe more people from Ignatius alumni and parents agree with my take more than yours. We will see how Cam does in the next couple of years, you will see more football players not going out for basketball. Most of those football players didn't get a fair shake with him and Ignatius is known for the 2 sport athlete especially guys playing basketball and football. You keep being a loyal puppy and let me know how it works out in 2 years.
 
ClevelandCat1 said:
Wow, lots of negativity here. First off, one of the coaches played at Ignatius (Joe Isabella).

Ignatius has some studs coming in next year. The incoming freshmen have some nice top-of-the-line talent. Definitely 1 kid, if not 2, who will significant time as freshmen. St. Ed's is getting a tad nervous, believe it or not.

As someone who sees this team play a lot, the kids love playing for Coach Cam and he's had a big impact on them. He's going to bring in some talent. Give him a couple of years. You'll "see a program" in the next couple of years.

The ending last night was difficult. But this team will be a lot better in 2020-21.
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Ed's getting nervous is a wish. I saw the JV'S and back up varsity in their blow out wins and they are loaded. No transfers needed and kids will come from the far reaches of the county to play for Flannery. Ignatius is looking toward some lean years. That coaching hire was a mistake for all the mentions above. Better hope Flannery gets an offer he cant refuse cause there is no end to the dominance of Eds over Iggy in the foreseeable future.
 
I wanted Tony DeCesare to be hired, he was the clear cut choice. He is coaching for another district championship today, good luck to him. He removed himself due to the drawn out search process, take that up with school administration.

Ignatius chose Cam who I think will prove to be a very good coach. Cam was immersed in hoops his whole life and his time spent at Ohio U and Florida tells me blue has absolutely zero clue how a D1 college hoops program runs to call out his experience. Zero clue.

Facts are 2 kids deserved to play 28+ minutes a night on this team and that was Raynor and Toppin. Lot of role players and match-up decisions beyond that night in and night out.

blue’s football reference is very telling. Nothing wrong with being a role player and team guy, I’ll leave it at that.
 
Liberty are you out of your mind? Cam was a video guy for a college that doesn't mean he has experience being a sideline coach and jut because his family in basketball doesn't mean he knows basketball. The Becker's have 7 brothers does that mean all of them are qualified to coach high school basketball? Schools do hire people that are not qualified for high school coaching jobs (look at St. Joseph Academy ). What I am saying comes from Parents that kids that play for him this year, other high school coaches, and alumni from St. Ignatius where does your knowledge come from? The people on this forum that act like all the kids and parents are thrilled having him as a coach is a lie. Where did they get that information? Not from the kids and parents that is for sure. If you think this year was a success then you had low expectations. And I never ripped on role players or team guy. You act like just because you coach basketball no one should question you well there are plenty of people out there that know basketball who don't coach high school basketball and there are high school basketball coaches who shouldn't be coaching basketball. As for my football reference what the hell are you trying to say? Do I have an agenda because I questioned the great Cam Joyce? Give me a break if you have something to say then say it. Go watch tape and see the mistakes in coaching he made in both Eds' games, both Rhodes games, etc that is not just from me but other coaches etc If you want to say he is inexperience then fine but quit acting like he is the next Coach K.
 
Ignatius should always have better talent than the public schools. For Rhodes to beat them twice says something. By the way Parma had Rhodes beat until they missed 2 for throws. I wish Cam all the best......but for him to get the ignatius job last spring says something good or bad about the process. Bottom line is Ignatius will always have talent and win. Go judge the coach if he can develop a program at Sheffield brook side, Amherst, Wellington, etc.....with the talent Ignatius has their bottom 7 guys could win 15 games in the SWC
 
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