Game Thoughts

[jtstang]

Doh said in an interview he would like to play man 90% of the time if he could but we don't have the players to do so.

See that 90% goal is about right, but I just don't get we don't have the personnel. Defense is more about technique than pure athleticism, and frankly if we don't have the athleticism to play man, what the hell are we recruiting? Frankly all it requires is a guy who won't trip over his own feet as he shuffles. The fundamentals of the man defense can and should be taught, if for no other reason than in those few situations that you go to a zone, the techniques are applicable to a guy in your area. A wise old coach once told me some nights you can't buy a bucket, but you can play great defense every night.

EastStang, I agree with you about running a full or half court trap when appropriate, but that is a different animal from the half court game that I'm talking about.

[ponydawg]

Defense is more about technique than pure athleticism,

I dunno, I think that is just something you tell a bunch of slow high school white boys.....at least that is what my high school coach told this slow white boy.

[mr. pony]

All this technique, strategy, brainwork....

How 'bout we just put the ball in the hole when we get the chance from close range and make 80% of our free throws? Our record is 8-5, 1-0 CUSA if we do that.

[therack]

JT, your thoughts about the man-to-man defense reminds me a lot of my former coach... And you are correct, that we should be playing man-to-man most of the time. I actually said that after Colorado game. However, the only way I see that coach chose to play that much zone is lack of defensive players on our team that would be able to stop Jackson and Cullpeper... I just don't see anybody on our team being able to keep up with Jackson at this point... And while zone does allow them to shoot uncontested 3's, it also somewhat prevents them from taking over the game... We lost the game not because the zone defense but because of poor interior play by our big men... we got outrebounded, they beat us to lose balls and we had no inside presence whatsoever... That allowed UTEP to really press our guards...

[jtstang]

Sorry Rack, the zone did not accomplish either of those goals. Nobody "stops" Jackson, you figure out a way to win despite him. And the zone actually allowed Culpepper to go off, exacerbating the problem with him. You of all people know that running the man, keeping your triangles, and helping your teammates, could have changed that game in the last five minutes.

Look, everybody knows that this is just my opinion and that no team runs man pressure 100% of the time. But Doherty knows that good team run it 90% of the time. And he should have run it exclusively in the last 10 minutes vs. UTEP. I hope he runs more man as we go, I saw signs that this team can handle it the few times he did against UTEP.

But I agree about the lack of inside play. I'm afraid that we're going to have to find a way to win despite more of that.