Coach Orange
2nd String
- Joined
- May 19, 2012
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I think the follow-up question, and probably the one that should have been asked to start with, is can we turn this thing around in time to be considered a successful season? I'd love some reassurance on that.
The team has its work cut out for it in terms of making the NCAA tournament. However, plenty of opportunities remain on the schedule to bolster the resume.
The players need to tighten up the defense. That is an easier and more controllable problem to solve than the offensive woes. The guards and forwards must work harder to limit dribble penetration. They must keep ball-handlers in front of them. The guys must recognize which opposing players can shoot, and which they should invite to shoot. All five positions need to crash the boards. Defenders must, for the love of all that is holy, stop jumping into and/or running by three-point shooters; close out under control.
Offensively, the players need to move more and move the ball more. Our coaches need to recognize that this collection of players doesn't seem to possess the skills necessary for executing pick-and-roll sets 80% of the time against man-to-man defense. Create more out of sets that encourage movement of the players and the ball. However, I don't expect that we will see much of a tactical change given Coach Boeheim's track record. As such, the offense will likely be inconsistent all season.
Nonetheless, this team can make strides in the next few weeks that could payoff in the long run based on the number of chances they will get to earn impressive wins. Whether or not they can cash in is up to them.