GoBigGreenBasketball
Masters Student
Posts: 806
Age: 52
Reg: 05-19-16
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11-30-16 03:13 PM - Post#214449
In response to hoopla
I got fired up about this move last spring. I believe Paul was as close to a guarantee of steady, incremental progress as you can get. Then with the grand piano nearing the top of the staircase we switched out the guy carrying the load. On to the next topic.
At this point, I am hoping to avoid returning to the bottom of the abyss, which is also to say avoid fulfilling the latest projections shared by GBGB. We shouldn't be where we are and it hurts to see that our baseline has fallen so quickly. We have plummeted in Kenpom.
But it is still very early, and we will get better. We need to start playing better D and smarter, more intentional O (make life easier for Boudreaux who has to work overtime for every ounce of what he gets). Coach Mac's future is bright, and we have the pieces to be quite good, but there are a lot of young guys still learning a new system. Coach needs and deserves the time and space to operate and put it together.
Meanwhile, how about Wes Dickinson for interior D and rebounding? Do we really need scoring from that spot?
A win vs ODU seems less unlikely at this point, but it is possible and would be a great boost in confidence and outlook! Let's go, Men!
They need effective scoring from that position, heck all positions. We need to be able to take the pressure off Evan who sees the double team every game. That means we need effective shooting, which I think we have we just need more of it.
In the Longwood game our problem wasn't interior defense it was D vs the 3pt shot. The guards need to move their feet and stay in front of their guys. I think we've done a decent job taking charges or attempting to take a charge, but in all the games the bulk of the opponent scoring is coming from the guard positions.
We don't have a prolific shot blocker on the team. So rim protection isn't going to improve. We also aren't losing the battle of the boards. Even versus URI's athletes we weren't grossly outrebounded. We're losing at back court defense and turnovers. If they play more zone defense that should limit penetration and allow the front court to help on defense.
Limiting turnovers would go a long way to stem the bloodletting. There's little you can do when the opposing team's offense strips the ball in the open court and gets an uncontested layup. Sistare, G.Smith, and even Flemming have been the ones who valued the ball the most. The ball is not moving and there is a lot of unnecessary unskilled dribbling. In the games I've seen there has been next to no advancing the ball up court via pass even when there is an open man. That is hindering the space and pace component of what Coach McLaughlin stated he wanted this year.
We'll see what adjustments they make versus ODU, another very good team.
| "...no excuses - only results!†|
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