X's & O's - Discuss our Team's Problems

[CornBiscuit]

I know many discuss the showing up and effort aspects, but our gameplan could be better. Here is what I see.

1. Our team isn't intelligent when it comes to basketball. Our big men need the ball - early and often. They get frustrated when they don't get it. Plus, we need to be taking more free throws. If you look at tapes of the games it is amazing how well our post men post up on the defenders only to see our guards reverse the ball without giving it inside.

2. We settle for to many jump shots. nm

3. Why don't we at least push the ball into a secondary break? Our guards walk the ball up, let the opposing crowd and team get into the game/possession. Not only do we not get any easy/quick looks, but we are playing with a 20 second shot clock.

4. Our team doesn't look to drive unless it is late in the game. Steele was able to drive at the end of the barn game, so we know he can still do it. It just seems that we go out of our way to not create open shots. The only open shots are JD's 18 ft. jumpers.

 

[Limestone Alumni]

IMO the number one problem is our defense intensity. Our soft half court man defense needs a kick start to put it mildly.

In the games we have lost……..we give up 80 to 90 points a game and in the UGA game last week I think they had 50 at the half.

We have no half court trap or full court press in times of need. When we got down last night…….we stayed in the soft man with no intensity and AU drilled us and there was nothing.

Lebo can coach and he has the intensity………

 

[Tide&True]

Lebo can coach and he has the intensity………

That's what bothers me about CMG...the guys play too soft on D. Auburn was just coming down the floor and running through our D like a sieve.

 

[hightide5]

I now many discuss the showing up and effort aspects, but our gameplan could be better. Here is what I see.

1. Our team isn't intelligent when it comes to basketball. Our big men need the ball - early and often. They get frustrated when they don't get it. Plus, we need to be taking more free throws. If you look at tapes of the games it is amazing how well our post men post up on the defenders only to see our guards reverse the ball without giving it inside.

2. We settle for to many jump shots. nm

3. Why don't we at least push the ball into a secondary break? Our guards walk the ball up, let the opposing crowd and team get into the game/possession. Not only do we not get any easy/quick looks, but we are playing with a 20 second shot clock.

4. Our team doesn't look to drive unless it is late in the game. Steele was able to drive at the end of the barn game, so we know he can still do it. It just seems that we go out of our way to not create open shots. The only open shots are JD's 18 ft. jumpers.

1. I completely agree with you that our team is not smart. Sometimes though getting it to the bigs with somebody in your face is hard. Also, I think that Jermareo is not a smart player. One time during the barn game, he made a 15 footer from the left wing, but he could have walked in and dunked it. Steele has also seemed to lose his head at the pg. He can shoot the lights out but his ball handling and passing ability is not working. Example, during the barn game there was a time in the 2nd half when he attempted a wrap around behind the back dribble with a guy all over him. He and most people understand that that move does not work unless in transition.

2. I think sometimes we settle for too many jump shots. I know Riley was miserable against the barn but I like him shooting because he is a shooter. Gee settles for jumpers too much. He needs to take it to the rack 8 out of 10 times. I know he got fouled pretty bad in the barn game but he needs to attack.

3. The reason we don't push the ball is because Steele is so hobbled that he can't get up the floor fast enough. Also, Gottfried is a slow it down and run the UCLA offense type of guy. I think that if Steele continues this play we might put Torrence and Holllinger in and just run all night.

4. I think that if we ran a straight motion offense a few times a game to keep the defense on their heels then we would drive more. We could drive and dish, drive and dish and then run the UCLA at them.

 

[jthomas666]

I think they tend to rely a bit too much on emotion and not enough on discipline. That why so many teams have been able to go on runs when we're on the road--the gets fired up and the team visibly wilts.

In the Auburn game, an Aub launched a three that hit the rim and had a long bounce out towards the foul line. Our player was in a perfect position to make the rebound, but he just stood there and waited. The ball went right by him and to an Aub.

 

[Leeroy]

The C should teach Xs to guard the Os perimeter shooting. And, lighting a fire under the Xs Az for lack of hustle wouldn't hurt either.







Roll Tide

 

[BamaSteve999]

I agree with CornBiscuit

As a former low-post player (although not nearly at the level we are discussing), I can attest to the frustration of working hard, beating and banging to get a defender pinned on the block, and then watching a guard reverse the ball about the time you come open or jack up a 20-footer. Corn is right in that we need to pound the ball inside early in games to get that established, sort of like running in football. If you establish a presence on the low block, the other team has to commit more defensive help to defend, which opens up better scoring opportunities for our shooters. Also, our guards need to do a better job getting themselves to points on the floor where they have a proper angle to make the entry pass to the low block. We would also benefit from explaining to JD that he needs to be down on the low block (weight loss notwithstanding) rather than shooting 3-pointers.

Which leads to point #2: our big guys need to do a much better job of recognizing the double-teams and passing out of them. I'm not a math genius, but if two guys are guarding me that must mean three guys are guarding four on the rest of the court, and somebody has to be open.

Which leads to point #3: the other four guys have to move and make themselves available to accept a pass out of a double-team. Offensive basketball relies on proper spacing and movement more than anything else, and we don't get a lot of that out of the high-post offense as it is currently being run/executed. We would also do well to attack the rim a bit more often.

Point #4: all of this is for naught if we do not pick it up on defense. Our effort right now is pretty pathetic. Auburn should not have even been on the same court with us talentwise, and they absolutely ate our lunch on hustle and effort.

 

[BamaMoon]

Agree that the defensive intensity is not what it should be.

One thing on the O: With Davidson and Hendrix we need more involvement in the high post to low post exchange. That's actually part of the O that has almost been non-existent. When either Davidson or Hendrix receive the ball at the elbow (high post) their first look (other than the cutter - usually Gee or Riley) needs to be on the low post. Hendrix is especially good with sealing off his defender and getting great position for a short turnaround shot.

 

[BamaSteve999]

I agree totally, BamaMoon.

As I understand it, the whole purpose of the "UCLA" or high-post offense is to get the ball into the middle of the floor so that the other team must defend the entire floor, since the ball can go in any direction from there. If so, your comments are spot-on.

Hendrix also needs to become much less deferential, IMO, and demand the ball on the low block, which will help out in getting the other guys to make a conscious effort to get him the ball.

At this point, I am not sure that JD, with all he has gone through, is capable of being very effective offensively down low, although curiously his rebounding numbers are staying pretty high. He seems to be trying to impress the NBA scouts with his shooting range, which the other teams are happily obliging.

 

[Ldlane]

We just need to put the BALL in the BASKET, more than our opponents do!

 

[LTBamaFan]

Get out of that zone and play hardnosed in yor face "D". No movement without the ball, no crisp passing to get open looks. Not running the floor in transition , giving up easy baskets.

 

[nivekstan]

transition D is horrible, which is somewhat understandable since transition D starts with your point guard who is really struggling. our transition O is horrible, Steele can't push the ball and Hollinger won't, apparently. with Steele struggling, our penetration off the dribble is non existent. since we don't get any dribble drives we get no easy baskets, none, we have to work for everything.

The only reason I can think of why CG would play so much zone is that we don't have enough bodies to go man, it keeps Steele from working hard on D and getting into foul trouble because he can't move. because Hendrix is a liabilty in the 2-3 zone when he and Davidson are on the court at the same time. it's asking too much from a big man to play a corner and keep a smaller man off the board when he's that far away from the paint.

Most teams have 4 players that can handle the ball in their starting line-up, so they really don't have a true 4 man. we are getting lit up by teams who go "small," and we do make them pay on the other end because we do not pound it down low. we can't make them pay in some cases because hendrix gets into foul trouble because he can't defend on the wing when we play 2-3.

 

[Tide Rev]

Everyone is making good valid points that the team needs to work on. The one thing I would add to all this is a couple of simple fundamentals...when the ball goes up, get a body on someone and block them out and get your hands up when the ball hits the rim. Have you noticed how many boards the opposition has gotten because the ball went straight over our head or right to the opponent? When we do get our hands on a rebound, we do not secure it outside of Hendrix. JD waves it around and others cannot seem to want to stop, secure it and then look up court instead of wanting to get out and run. You have to have the ball secured in order to run the floor. Second fundamental...JD is playing small. By that I mean he is not using his height properly. He stands out and shoots the 15-18 footer when he could be going to the basket making someone really defend him. When he does go to the basket, he is not extending himself making it hard to defend him. Instead you see a big guy making point guard moves (double pumps, hesitation in the air, falling away from the rim, etc...) and he is really simple to defend. If he goes up high and big towards the basket, he will draw the foul in most cases or score. Just a couple of things I have noticed...:BigA: