With 5.5 secs left, what was JB thinking?

[Dave85]

Rather than have Cooney throw the ball in from out-of-bounds to Christmas shouldn't it have been the other way around? If Cooney is fouled beyond the arc he shoots 3 free throws. Christmas being fouled just scores 2. Am I over thinking this or did JB make a coaching mistake?

 

[Deano]

I dunno about that. I think they had the right play. Cooney was going to come around and Rak would have set a pick. Then hopefully Cooney had an open look and hits the three.

 

[Orangeman]

Rather than have Cooney throw the ball in from out-of-bounds to Christmas shouldn't it have been the other way around? If Cooney is fouled beyond the arc he shoots 3 free throws. Christmas being fouled just scores 2. Am I over thinking this or did JB make a coaching mistake?

He wasn't thinking

We talked about this on the chat…the announcer out-smarted the coaching staff.

Need fresh thinking (no, not a new coach)

 

[CusefanATL]

I dunno about that. I think they had the right play. Cooney was going to come around and Rak would have set a pick. Then hopefully Cooney had an open look and hits the three.

are you serious? Please go look in the other thread. I will sway you in a heart beat.

 

[CusefanATL]

Rather than have Cooney throw the ball in from out-of-bounds to Christmas shouldn't it have been the other way around? If Cooney is fouled beyond the arc he shoots 3 free throws. Christmas being fouled just scores 2. Am I over thinking this or did JB make a coaching mistake?

This was the biggest boneheaded coaching decision that I can ever recall from JB.

There is a whole other thread to this.

And there was only 4.4 seconds left - which makes the decision even dumber.

 

[Libero2]

It's the same inbounds play we run 5-10 times a game. I'm assuming JB figured that since Miami chose not to foul the first time, they weren't going to foul the second time. They might not have fouled if Cooney got the rock, but the second it went to a big who wasn't about to fire a shot, the smart play is to foul.

In truth that play probably should have been run with G and Cooney there since we needed 3 to stay alive.

 

[Toga]

He wasn't thinking

We talked about this on the chat…the announcer out-smarted the coaching staff.

Need fresh thinking (no, not a new coach)

The woman knew her strategy. I know this because at the end of the game each time right before she would describe strategy, I had said the exact same thing(s).

 

[iommi]

I might get flamed for typing this, but JB has never been a great X's and O's coach and he's gotten even worse in recent years. How often does he design a great play in crunch time on his wipe board that actually stands out as a winning play?

And it's inexcuseable that we have two out of bounds plays.

With a team this offensively challenged, why not run some set alley oops? We need as many easy points as we can get. And we run way too much ISO offense, especially considering we lack ISO players.

 

[CusefanATL]

I might get flamed for typing this, but JB has never been a great X's and O's coach and he's gotten even worse in recent years. How often does he design a great play in crunch time on his wipe board that actually stands out as a winning play?

And it's inexcuseable that we have two out of bounds plays.

With a team this offensively challenged, why not run some set alley oops? We need as many easy points as we can get. And we run way too much ISO offense, especially considering we lack ISO players.

There was a while a few years ago (when we had AO)... and Bobby Knight said it a few times... that he was the best coach out of a TO. It was like an automatic 2.

I still can not believe that play call.

 

[rrlbees]

I would have run something for G to take a 3.

 

[CusefanATL]

I would have run something for G to take a 3.

G, Cooney or even Patterson.

Even running Chino off of a screen to catch and shoot would have given us a chance and would have been smarter.

 

[kuethstheman]

The ball was too far under the basket for the usual play. Maybe JB didn't realize that. Even if he didnt, fouling Rak was the obvious response. That play was doomed.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

I might get flamed for typing this, but JB has never been a great X's and O's coach and he's gotten even worse in recent years. How often does he design a great play in crunch time on his wipe board that actually stands out as a winning play?

And it's inexcuseable that we have two out of bounds plays.

With a team this offensively challenged, why not run some set alley oops? We need as many easy points as we can get. And we run way too much ISO offense, especially considering we lack ISO players.

As usual iommi, you are overextending. Yes, this play didn't make sense to me either. However, take any stats in terms of close games and look at JB's record, it is outstanding. Games decided under 10 points - great, Overtime games - phenomenal. I don't know what other metric to go by.

 

[cuseguy]

I might get flamed for typing this, but JB has never been a great X's and O's coach and he's gotten even worse in recent years. How often does he design a great play in crunch time on his wipe board that actually stands out as a winning play? And it's inexcuseable that we have two out of bounds plays. With a team this offensively challenged, why not run some set alley oops? We need as many easy points as we can get. And we run way too much ISO offense, especially considering we lack ISO players.

My favorite post of the year.

You get it.

It's not popular.

Not sexy.

Not gonna get you a dinner date with Julie a Boeheim.

But you hit it out of the park.

 

[Dave85]

I might get flamed for typing this, but JB has never been a great X's and O's coach and he's gotten even worse in recent years. How often does he design a great play in crunch time on his wipe board that actually stands out as a winning play?

And it's inexcuseable that we have two out of bounds plays.

With a team this offensively challenged, why not run some set alley oops? We need as many easy points as we can get. And we run way too much ISO offense, especially considering we lack ISO players.

I don't really agree with your X's and O's coach comment. I think JB just gives one or two options with players coming off screens. It's not that complicated but just hard to execute.

I think in today's game it was kind of a no brainer to foul anyone inside the arc with only a few seconds left. I think coach just made a bad decision. It's not that big of deal or something to generalize on.

I think JB has been pretty good with end of game situations. I know there are lots of times when I would have called timeout but he didn't. And then with just a few seconds left having the timeout at the very end was the difference in winning the game. I sware sometimes I think JB has ice in veins. He's pretty good. Just not today.

 

[orangehomer]

it was a dumb play. people hate to criticize JB but it was bad. unfortunately, he is being outcoached with some regularity in the ACC. it is where we are at.

 

[jgeorge322]

That was a dumb call by jb. No denying it.

 

[jekelish]

You have to realize that Miami is going to foul immediately when it's a three point game. You're not going to have time to give and go from Rak to Cooney. I like that play in 99% of situations, but this was the 1%.

 

[bryanradams]

You have to realize that Miami is going to foul immediately when it's a three point game. You're not going to have time to give and go from Rak to Cooney. I like that play in 99% of situations, but this was the 1%.

I was wondering why that play call as well, but in the middle of the night I started to think as an opponent. It hit me that I was going to foul whoever got the ball when it came inbounds (or foul Silent G before the inbounds). And then I thought that if JB knew that, he decided that a give and go would give him his best two options in this situation (approx 5 secs left, inbound under the basket): If Miami is not quick enough to foul Rak, then Cooney gets a 3 attempt or they foul Rak and put the most dependable free throw shooter on the line.
If there is no way Miami is going to let a three point shot go up, then it's best to get your best clutch free shooter the ball and hope he makes two.

 

[Halfmooncuse]

And no body had the cajonies to ask at press conference what the play was designed to do. JB is so demeaning at press conferences reporters are intimidated.

 

[Cuse Action]

I dunno about that. I think they had the right play. Cooney was going to come around and Rak would have set a pick. Then hopefully Cooney had an open look and hits the three.

Obviously they didn't have the right play.

 

[Jasoncuse]

JB is insane if he didn't think Rak was going to be fouled there

 

[Consigliere]

You have to realize that Miami is going to foul immediately when it's a three point game. You're not going to have time to give and go from Rak to Cooney. I like that play in 99% of situations, but this was the 1%.

Agreed. Turned to the guy next to me and called the play with Cooney inbounding and said I'd be shocked if Miami doesn't foul the inbounds recipient before he gets the shot off. That being said, I donlt think the chances for a pass and pop to either Cooney or Gbinijie had a much higher chance of success.

 

[Jake]

Watch the replay. Trevor had two options. Silent g sprinted to the far corner and would have had a clean look at a three...but...that would have been very difficult pass to make along the baseline.

Option two was the quick pass back inbounds that has probably been our most effective play to get an open three this year.

The easier pass was to Rak for the quick pass back for three. Trevor made a judgment on the inbounds and it didn't work.

It's not like we have a plethora of shooters to dazzle teams with in that circumstance. Defenses need to guard two players...and they'd take their chances letting anyone but Cooney get that shot.

It's not like you can wave a magic wand and get a wide open three with only one deep threat. Was it a great result, no, and there probably were other options. But I'm not going to beat up the staff for that call when it's worked so well this year.

As far as criticizing JBs x and o's. Eh. The numbers in close games pretty much ruin that line of thinking. And he's run the high cross screens for our point guards to get easy hard dive layups out of bounds for years. Flynn, mcw and ennis ruined teams with that all the time.

Selective criticism when something doesn't work.

The fact that we didn't get run out if the building yesterday despite getting down 10 twice was more impressive coaching to me.

 

[Phillymoose]

All effective means of attack rely on some element of surprise. IF - that was his plan (to surprise Miami by in-bounding under the basket for a kick-out), and it failed to work - then so be it...I can live with a plan that fails. (Setting aside the wisdom of that plan.) If that was not in his head, then there is no excuse for that play.

We'll never know the truth.