SomeGuy
Professor
Posts: 6404
Reg: 11-22-04
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12-29-04 05:56 PM - Post#1632
A couple of years ago, it seemed like a lot of us questioned Jones strategy of essentially playing two five-man teams, with the first team getting about 25 minutes a game and the second team getting about 15. The second team was statistically worse than the first, so perhaps the criticism was well founded.
However, the year that rotation was used just happens to be the year Yale tied for the league lead in the standings and played Penn for the right to go to the NCAAs. Does anyone think Jones made a mistake in going away from that strategy the very next year, particularly with his entire team returning?
I would guess that the reason for the change was in part the statistical drop-off I mentioned and in part that Jones wanted to start Chris Leanza given that it was his senior season and that he had been a starter before he got hurt.
The question is kind of moot for this year, because I don't think the team quite has the guard depth to really do it effectively. However, would Yale fans like to see a return to the full team substitution in the future?
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Anonymous
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Re: Jones' Rotation Patterns
12-29-04 07:10 PM - Post#1633
In response to SomeGuy
Yale can't rotate teams; they lack the front court depth. If Martin gets in early foul trouble (he was out for almost the entire first half against Bucknell), or Kaplan doesn't play (he missed the Niagara game), the team flounders. With them, Yale can be very tough. See their last two games against Boston College and Charlotte, NCAA tourney teams.
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YaleEli
goober
Posts: 62
Loc: Greenwich, CT
Reg: 12-07-04
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Re: Jones' Rotation Patterns
01-01-05 11:05 PM - Post#1634
In response to
I think the rotation strategy worked well several years ago because the talent level on that 2001-2002 team was so close that there was not much of a drop-off between the first team and second team.
That being said, I think Coach Jones will need to depend on a core group of eight players to carry this team forward as the Ivy League season heats up in several weeks. When Martin plays at least 30 minutes per game and we get decent bench support, this team has proven it can compete with some big time teams from major conferences.
However, having seen Princeton, Columbia and Brown compete real hard during their non-conference schedules, it seems to me that Yale will be just as tested during the Ivy League season as it was during its first 10 games.
I don't think the rotation strategy would work well with this current crop of players.
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