Online Now 838

Rockne's Roundtable

The place for Irish fans to engage in hardcore discussion about Notre Dame athletics

On this Board 346
Record: 7576 (1/16/2013)

Online now 843
Record: 6507 (2/14/2012)

Boards ▾

Rockne's Roundtable

The place for Irish fans to engage in hardcore discussion about Notre Dame athletics

Under the Dome

Talk with Irish fans from around the globe about college football's most storied program

Off Topic

The spot for anything on your mind outside of Notre Dame athletics

Irish Ticket Exchange

The place for Notre Dame fans to trade and exchange tickets

Reply

What is with Cooley ?

  • His stats are good. Many double-double's but he just doesn't seem the be the force he was last year. True, sometimes the other players are not feeding him, but last year he was an offensive rebounding demon with many put backs. This year there have beenmmore games where he has not as effective as last year. .

    Is it because the player guarding Knight shades toward Cooley ? This might be the reason why Knight is wide open so often. Is it because last year and early this year, they had Martin out at the 3 point line so there was no one to help out on Cooley ? Is it because the league may have better inside men this year ? Or do you think that Cooley is playing as well this year as last and disagree with the premise ?

    irishm

  • Cooley has not been himself lately and he needs to step up. Not sure if its his health or something else but we need him to be more productive.

    First time POTW for 4/18/2011-4/24/2011.

    edd1066

  • He certainly doesn't seem to be the force he was last year, and I have a couple of reasons.
    1) Just not getting good touches in good position in the paint. Don't know if that's the game plan.
    2) I do think the wear and tear of a long season basically being our only rebounding option, has taken some toll on him.
    3) After starting for most of 3 years now, I do think there is a "book" on how to play him, and tall athletic centers can take him out of his game.
    Just a couple of thoughts.
    .

    Scottfan34

  • edd1066 said...

    Cooley has not been himself lately and he needs to step up. Not sure if its his health or something else but we need him to be more productive.

    I thought the same thing. Ever since getting the flu, he hasn't been back to form. The Pitt game was the best game he's played all year, but in the 2nd half last night he was getting beat for rebounds, which is very uncharacteristic.

    I guess in one way it could be a positive because this team is forced to find other scoring options. A team that once relied soley on JG and JC for points can now go to TK, PC, EA and even CB and GS.

    This team seems to have a lot more depth than ND teams of the last few years. Going 8-deep, especially with rotating in 2 new bigs is very helpful. It's a whole different world than the 7-man rotation from last year.

    IrishfromA2

  • It has not been a great stretch - at this point I would take getting him (and others) healthy over going all out trying to make a run in the Big East tournament and dropping our first round game in the NCAA again.

    mbryan06

  • No dout Cooley has not been himself. But often teams are double teaming when he gets the ball. However he still manages to get a majority of his point off of put backs. I think Tom Knight has really stepped up. I think Cooley will show up vs Marquette and destroy the Big Gardner

    Ndirish2

  • NDIrish2,

    After really not being able to play at Marquette, I anticipate a strong performance from Cooley and the entire team tonight. This is the last go-round in the Garden and I think there is a determination to go out with guns blazing, just like the women did.

    Lou Somogyi

  • Cooley has taken a pounding all year....many times the fouls go uncalled. I think it is starting to takes its' toll. He was also sick and may have returned too soon. Trying to play at your peak all season after battling an illness, trying to get school work done and having taken a physical beating for 4 and a half months is not easy on the body.

    nysully

  • nysully,

    Good points. I don't think there is a full appreciation sometimes of just how physical it gets down there, and the Big East refs often do swallow their whistles (once upon a time they allowed six fouls per player in the league, but felt that was a disadvantage once the NCAA Tournament started) Pat Garrity used to get mauled ridiculously, and Troy Murphy tailed off badly at the end of his junior year after taking quite a beating over the year (he may have been thinking about the NBA contract, too). Harangody's wide frame was maybe a little stronger, but it does get brutal down there.

    Fortunately, the presence of Knight, Sherman and Auguste has been able to take some of the load off him.

    Lou Somogyi

  • It will be interesting to see how the game is refereed tonight.The last time ND played Marquette, in order to get position, their centers gave our centers a forearm shiver or just shoved our centers back in order to get position to post up. The refs did not call these fouls which were flagrant even for Big East refereeing. Our centers are going to have to step up tonight because the Marquette centers killed us last time.

    irishm

  • This post is for members of BlueandGold only. Join now! 30-Day Free Trial

    vin4irish

  • My guess is that the flu took a lot out of him and then he tried coming back too soon, which slowed his recovery. I forget which game it was when he first came back after being sick (Marquette on March 2?), but on TV he looked totally wiped out and should not have been there. He still looks like he doesn't have all his strength and energy back.

    Some of the flu strains going around this winter have been unusually nasty. I know a few people who missed several days of work this year because of the flu, and they are the type of people who hardly ever take a sick day.

    Even after getting your energy back, it can still take awhile to get back in a groove. Jack definitely did not have his shooting touch against Rutgers last night, just 1 for 6. I'll bet things will click again for him soon, hopefully tonight.

    "The pilgrims follow by the sacred waters/...And there's a magic in the sound of their name/Here come the Irish of Notre Dame"

    sacredwaters

  • Quite a few have made a comparison of Cooley to Harnagody. They were right. Luke could not perform in Madison Square Garden [nor in many "big" games], and neither can Jack.

    Irishwise

  • Cooley has looked slow and lethargic the last few times I've watched him. When he doesn't have the ball, he looks in slow motion setting picks and then stands there.. on defense, players drive around him like he has cement in his shoes. I'd be surprised if he looks any different tonite.

    3 time POTW

    Bobirish21

Notre Dame
247Sports
Features
Resources
Connect

247Sports In partnership with CBS Sports