Assists per game... yikes

[Spock344]

In our last 6 games, we are averaging 9.0 apg... The WORST assist team in college hoops (Bing #352) is avg 9.4 apg.

Even more astounding... in ONLY 4 (of our 25) games have we had >13 assists. There's over 140 teams who avg 14+ apg.

This is just a street-ball team. Poor coaching all around. No sets, no game plan. Embarrassing to see regression from last year.

This is not a tournament team come March. We've luckily feasted on 4 gimme games with BC n Pitt. We've beaten an overrated and average OSU team, and a short-handed Duke team that would've drilled us, had Jones not gotten injured. Everyone is high on SU making the tourny cuz we haven't played the tough part of the schedule. smh...
Minus those 2 games and we are underwhelming af.
WF will be our only chance for another win... maybe... maybe Clemson, too.

 

[CuseCrew08]

The difference in ball movement between us and NCST last night was staggering.

 

[Vorony]

Why was our ball movement so good against Duke? I seem to recall that game and the games immediately afterward as having some of the best movement we’ve seen in awhile. Hence why we won a few games. And now we’re back to slow, ISO ball with 4 other statues out on the court.

 

[orangemass]

Amazed they are still drawing huge crowds at the dome to watch this terrible style of basketball...

 

[Eric15]

Assists per game is without question, the statistic that I value the most. A team with high-level passing skills can overcome talent deficiencies in other areas.

 

[Millhouse]

In our last 6 games, we are averaging 9.0 apg... The WORST assist team in college hoops (Bing #352) is avg 9.4 apg.

Even more astounding... in ONLY 4 (of our 25) games have we had >13 assists. There's over 140 teams who avg 14+ apg.

This is just a street-ball team. Poor coaching all around. No sets, no game plan. Embarrassing to see regression from last year.

This is not a tournament team come March. We've luckily feasted on 4 gimme games with BC n Pitt. We've beaten an overrated and average OSU team, and a short-handed Duke team that would've drilled us, had Jones not gotten injured. Everyone is high on SU making the tourny cuz we haven't played the tough part of the schedule. smh...
Minus those 2 games and we are underwhelming af.
WF will be our only chance for another win... maybe... maybe Clemson, too.

we recruit big combo guards (aka guys who aren't point guards) for zone assist prevention

 

[raf4488]

Talent is not the problem with this team, lack of quality ballhandling is. This team struggles because Frank Howard is a combo guard being asked to play the point. FH is a good ACC-level guard, but it's crazy this staff has asked him to be the primary ballhandler - that's not what he's best at.

I really hope the past 4-5 years will result in a reevaluation of recruiting and roster composition by this staff, but I'm not going to count on the 73 year old to change. Remember when Tremont Waters decommitted from Georgetown and we weren't interested? This would be the team we expected to see before the season with a player like Waters running the point.

 

[orangemass]

Maybe Howard Washington can right this ship...

 

[Newhouser]

Why was our ball movement so good against Duke? I seem to recall that game and the games immediately afterward as having some of the best movement we’ve seen in awhile. Hence why we won a few games. And now we’re back to slow, ISO ball with 4 other statues out on the court.

Duke couldn't pressure the dribbler once Jones went out. the blueprint to beat us is out there and it's not complicated.

 

[Ghost]

If you were to put together a highlight reel of moderately decent/clever passing this year on YouTube you'd likely have 4 clips of Marek hitting people on back door cuts, two lobs that connected, and...that's it.

After that you cue up the Benny Hill theme song and throw up some clips of Frank bouncing balls behind his back to the other team and an assortment of bad lobs by everyone!

 

[OrangeDW]

If you were to put together a highlight reel of moderately decent/clever passing this year on YouTube you'd likely have 4 clips of Marek hitting people on back door cuts, two lobs that connected, and...that's it.

After that you cue up the Benny Hill theme song and throw up some clips of Frank bouncing balls behind his back to the other team and an assortment of bad lobs by everyone!

Yup. It’s incredible how bad of a passing team we are. It’s gradually gotten worse, but I think this is the low point.

I think of the NC Team where really, everyone except McNeil was at least a decent passer for their position and role. It’s a huge factor in our offensive decline. Why can’t our kids pass?

 

[Cheriehoop]

Basic passing and ball handling are such under rated skills.

 

[NateW]

Basic passing and ball handling are such under rated skills.

And catching cleanly

 

[cuseattle]

Have to compliment NC State on their ball movement. Some of the touch passes were brilliant.

 

[Ghost]

And catching cleanly

This shouldn't be funny - but it is. I remember when we were all losing our minds because we had a young Rak, Watkins, or whomever was our "young" center that season, that couldn't catch the ball clean. It seems like now our guards can't even catch it clean at about the same rate.

 

[nnyorange]

The 1988-89 team averaged over 20 assists per game over 38 games. Sherman Douglas had 22 assists in ONE game that year. This team needs a pass first point guard - a distributor. All of JB’s best teams have had one

 

[OrangeDW]

The 1988-89 team averaged over 20 assists per game over 38 games. Sherman Douglas had 22 assists in ONE game that year. This team needs a pass first point guard - a distributor. All of JB’s best teams have had one

And the big men - Owens and Coleman - both would be the best passers on any of our recent teams.

Just a different world of basketball, in terms of style of play, and the quality of players in the college game. We’d never see senior Douglas, junior Coleman, and hell...we’d never get Owens here in the first place now.

 

[NineOneSeven]

If you were to put together a highlight reel of moderately decent/clever passing this year on YouTube you'd likely have 4 clips of Marek hitting people on back door cuts, two lobs that connected, and...that's it.

After that you cue up the Benny Hill theme song and throw up some clips of Frank bouncing balls behind his back to the other team and an assortment of bad lobs by everyone!

And oshae to sidibe last game

 

[RF2044]

The 1988-89 team averaged over 20 assists per game over 38 games. Sherman Douglas had 22 assists in ONE game that year. This team needs a pass first point guard - a distributor. All of JB’s best teams have had one

Amen. I get that our "template" / archetype is to recruit for the zone, but the one position we should NEVER sacrifice skill for length / raw athleticism / size is point guard.

A truly skilled lead guard is the straw that stirs the drink, and what this team lacks.

 

[tbonezone]

The 1988-89 team averaged over 20 assists per game over 38 games. Sherman Douglas had 22 assists in ONE game that year. This team needs a pass first point guard - a distributor. All of JB’s best teams have had one

never gets old !

 

[MadNY3]

In our last 6 games, we are averaging 9.0 apg... The WORST assist team in college hoops (Bing #352) is avg 9.4 apg.

Even more astounding... in ONLY 4 (of our 25) games have we had >13 assists. There's over 140 teams who avg 14+ apg.

This is just a street-ball team. Poor coaching all around. No sets, no game plan. Embarrassing to see regression from last year.

This is not a tournament team come March. We've luckily feasted on 4 gimme games with BC n Pitt. We've beaten an overrated and average OSU team, and a short-handed Duke team that would've drilled us, had Jones not gotten injured. Everyone is high on SU making the tourny cuz we haven't played the tough part of the schedule. smh...
Minus those 2 games and we are underwhelming af.
WF will be our only chance for another win... maybe... maybe Clemson, too.

As you may have actually done the research, where have we fared over the past 10 years?

 

[CardiacCuse]

Why was our ball movement so good against Duke? I seem to recall that game and the games immediately afterward as having some of the best movement we’ve seen in awhile. Hence why we won a few games. And now we’re back to slow, ISO ball with 4 other statues out on the court.

I really thought that would be a turning point - i thought they "got it" - but inexplicably they have just gone back to the standard hero ball - seemingly not learning anything from game to game...

JB's fallback is always "we just didn't make shots" - and i hate to sound too harsh - but good passing leads to good shots - bad/nonexistant passing/ball movement leads to oshae stepbacks with his foot on the line...

 

[Toga]

Five or six games ago I saw them make a sweet little interior pass. I miss that incident.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Yup. It’s incredible how bad of a passing team we are. It’s gradually gotten worse, but I think this is the low point.

I think of the NC Team where really, everyone except McNeil was at least a decent passer for their position and role. It’s a huge factor in our offensive decline. Why can’t our kids pass?

Part of it is I don't think we work hard enough or run crisp enough action to free guys up to be in good position with the ball.

I'm not an expert on this, but to my eye we take lazy angles setting screens. We often pass into a reset. When the player gets the ball their back is to the basket and they're moving away from the basket. From there they face up and just start over.

It's not putting guys in position to be dangerous. It happens a lot. Maybe it's because I watch a lot more NBA now, but when I see our offense it's rare we look fundamentally sound.

 

[Toga]

Part of it is I don't think we work hard enough or run crisp enough action to free guys up to be in good position with the ball.

I'm not an expert on this, but to my eye we take lazy angles setting screens. We often pass into a reset. When the player gets the ball their back is to the basket and they're moving away from the basket. From there they face up and just start over.

It's not putting guys in position to be dangerous. It happens a lot. Maybe it's because I watch a lot more NBA now, but when I see our offense it's rare we look fundamentally sound.

Not unlike pre Dino when our favorite play was to throw a lateral pass to the sideline to a stationary WR with no one out there to block for him. Over and over.