Who shot 7-33 last night, the players or the coaches?
If you only have 8 plays, with predictable and illogical sets, defenses can make shots more difficult. If your point guard is responsible for doing nothing more than bringing the ball up to the edge of the 3pt line (and not an inch further!), and does not penetrate or create opportunities for more motion and better shots, percentages and efficiencies decrease. If your O philosophy is to decline fast breaks and to play with a minimum of possessions, you likely have low energy, and don’t get much of the positive psyche that comes from running, converting break dunks... ‘showtime.’ Remember how ‘electric’ we were in the Georgetown comeback? As another poster said, “Momentum is a thing.”
Then, yeah, let’s talk about 7-33. The players shoot the ball. But it’s ridic to assert that what they do on the court on game day isn’t a product of what they do/learn/repeat in practice. That they shot well in a previous game should clue us in to their capability, but if they aren’t set up for success against the next opponent, it’s all moot. Do we know that we were prepared for Tech’s unique zone shifts? Too often it looks like we barely have any clue what the opponent is going to do, because jB didn’t do his homework, and like me in high school, tries to cover by doing it at halftime/midday study hall. He’s a lazier coach. And when you have a staff full of Alum Yes Men, who’s going to push or question him? They’re all, just like we are, wondering which of them is going to be his successor. I doubt they want to stir any ire.
Then you ignore that a coach should install structure. If you don’t like brissett shooting too many 3s, he should be set up to do different things. If you have players who had certain skills in hs, but don’t exploit them now, how is it the kid’s fault? Sidibe, for example, had a nice midrange/paint jumper. That went away. Marek is now a pretty good set shooter. We see to recognize that only randomly/accidentally.
Our lineup is still an experiment. Even into the acc season. That’s ridic. Hughes is our second best player, and an experienced kid, yet sometimes he’s treated like a freshman, and sometimes like a senior. Put your best team on the court and either teach them what you expect before the game or deal with their mistakes and let them learn on the floor. Buddy had no right to be in the game the last two games—not at those stages. Hasn’t earned it with production. Gotta believe that kind of latent favoritism isn’t doing chemistry any favors. That affects morale, psyche, and then shooting.
