Cooney...a thought.

[Jake]

This opinion was suggested to me by someone I respect and the more I think about it the more I think it might be true:

Cooney needs to stay out of the weight room. Kid is too jacked, His shot, seems hard and mechanical and it appears the more muscle he puts on, the less consistent he's become.

I don't know the physiological aspect of it, but it would seem to me that the constant breaking down and regeneration of muscle tissue would be be counterproductive in honing a skill that's based on muscle memory and precision.

The pure fan in me also is struggling to come up with great shooters who were workout beasts.

On the other hand: Reggie Miller, Larry Bird, Rautins, Gmac (notorious for being allergic to weights), Kevin Durant (mocked in pre-draft workout for lack of strength), JJ Redick...etc. I can up with an unending list of skinny dudes who can flat out stroke it.

 

[skurey]

Didn't Igor say this?

 

[Cheriehoop]

Could very well be true about the weight/strength issue. Funny with GMac as a coach and his avoidance of weights and Trevor's attraction to them - maybe GMac wished after the beatings he took that he wished he'd been stronger.

I don't know if I'm correct but despite being able to dunk easily, I haven't seen much elevation in his shot. He's getting blocked now and I don't now if he's slowed down his mechanics trying to aim shots, but he's seems to be leaning back not getting his legs into his shot.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

This opinion was suggested to me by someone I respect and the more I think about it the more I think it might be true:

Cooney needs to stay out of the weight room. Kid is too jacked, His shot, seems hard and mechanical and it appears the more muscle he puts on, the less consistent he's become.

I don't know the physiological aspect of it, but it would seem to me that the constant breaking down and regeneration of muscle tissue would be be counterproductive in honing a skill that's based on muscle memory and precision.

The pure fan in me also is struggling to come up with great shooters who were workout beasts.

On the other hand: Reggie Miller, Larry Bird, Rautins, Gmac (notorious for being allergic to weights), Kevin Durant (mocked in pre-draft workout for lack of strength), JJ Redick...etc. I can up with an unending list of skinny dudes who can flat out stroke it.

Many a player has been ruined with this misconception that they need to pound the weights as much as possible. It just doesn't suit some players games. I remember Donyell Marshall was a fluid athlete coming out of college, then the gurus told him to gain weight and what not..he got more muscular, as well as fatter, and sucked.

Trevor should save the weights for his legs..thats fine. but lay off the hard core upper body stuff.

 

[CaptainJ]

Didn't Igor say this?

Rumor has it that it was BRNCUSEFVRCUSE. He could be correct this time.

 

[Obie9]

This opinion was suggested to me by someone I respect and the more I think about it the more I think it might be true:

Cooney needs to stay out of the weight room. Kid is too jacked, His shot, seems hard and mechanical and it appears the more muscle he puts on, the less consistent he's become.

I don't know the physiological aspect of it, but it would seem to me that the constant breaking down and regeneration of muscle tissue would be be counterproductive in honing a skill that's based on muscle memory and precision.

The pure fan in me also is struggling to come up with great shooters who were workout beasts.

On the other hand: Reggie Miller, Larry Bird, Rautins, Gmac (notorious for being allergic to weights), Kevin Durant (mocked in pre-draft workout for lack of strength), JJ Redick...etc. I can up with an unending list of skinny dudes who can flat out stroke it.

I believe this is a plausible explanation....but not for Trevor. I have had the opportunity to work with several high school and a few college athletes. Weight training is an important aspect in all sports, but you have to train correctly, with emphasis on sport specific activities. While big biceps and pectoralis muscles may help with impressing the co-eds, building these muscles will do little for your shooting touch. Many experts in the field say that lifting weights has no affect on a players outside shot, but rarely qualify their comments or support them with any quality research. Unfortunately, there is very little research that I know of that addresses the subject.

I believe that excessive strength training will alter a shooters touch. I stress...this is my opinion. However, I see this more frequently at a high school or junior college level where the players are not putting an adequate amount of time on the court honing their shooting touch. Shooting a basketball from beyond the arc is a skill that requires hundreds of hours a season to develop. Division one players, such as Trevor, are in the gym practicing their shots several hours a day and the extra strength he has developed in the weight room will only help his game and will unlikely hinder his outside shot. High school and junior college players often do not put the hours into fine tuning their shooting touch and the increase in muscle mass will often effect their muscle memory and ability to accurately hit the outside shot. Hope this provides a little explanation.

 

[Orange Barrel]

Why then is he able to shoot about 83% in shoot around and practice? His shot looked perfect before the game Friday.

 

[HarrisonJBounel]

Perhaps he suffers from the athletic equivalent of "stage fright". I'm certainly not on Trevor's equivalent level, but I'm an amateur musician, good enough to work with some pros in some settings. I've seen players and singers kick butt in practice when they are loose, but come performance time, they tense up. They come in at the wrong time, they forget words, they don't perform with heart and soul, they perform like they don't want to make a mistake - big difference from practice.

 

[jsshap]

This opinion was suggested to me by someone I respect and the more I think about it the more I think it might be true:

Cooney needs to stay out of the weight room. Kid is too jacked, His shot, seems hard and mechanical and it appears the more muscle he puts on, the less consistent he's become.

I don't know the physiological aspect of it, but it would seem to me that the constant breaking down and regeneration of muscle tissue would be be counterproductive in honing a skill that's based on muscle memory and precision.

The pure fan in me also is struggling to come up with great shooters who were workout beasts.

On the other hand: Reggie Miller, Larry Bird, Rautins, Gmac (notorious for being allergic to weights), Kevin Durant (mocked in pre-draft workout for lack of strength), JJ Redick...etc. I can up with an unending list of skinny dudes who can flat out stroke it.

That's interesting and very logical. The Microwave is the best I can come up with in terms of shooters (maybe not pure) who were workout beasts.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Perhaps he suffers from the athletic equivalent of "stage fright". I'm certainly not on Trevor's equivalent level, but I'm an amateur musician, good enough to work with some pros in some settings. I've seen players and singers kick butt in practice when they are loose, but come performance time, they tense up. They come in at the wrong time, they forget words, they don't perform with heart and soul, they perform like they don't want to make a mistake - big difference from practice.

During games, he becomes "painfully awkward" Trevor Cooney?

 

[AZOrange]

The tiger woods theory...might be something there although with cooney some of it is mental

 

[SoBeCuse]

Not sure but he sure doesn't get many good looks these days or since like February of last season. I often don't buy Boeheim's "he's getting good shots" spiel. There is probably a record low going on for Syracuse nationally or historically in terms of driving, penetrating, and kicking out for a 3 currently or since last February. It like doesn't happen anymore...sigh. Guards or forwards. That method and transition 3s are the best way probably to get the clean looks.

 

[ImperialOrange]

He just needs to rise and fire.

I haven't been privvy to his pregame warm ups but I bet he's going straight up and down with a clean follow through vs in game where he's often falling back or to the side. He leaves shots on the front iron or side iron as result. He needs to figure out how to shoot in a game like there aren't any defenders around. Curious if this would be helped by allowing players to follow their shots vs being so hyper sensitive to rotating back on defense? Seems like instead of finishing his shot he lands in ways that get him back to half court.

 

[AlaskaSU]

There seems to be no concensus on this topic. Most players lift, but not all, including the likes of Michael Jordan. Ever since I stopped playing basketball I've been lifting weights. I'm in the group that thinks that lifting might be part of his problem, but the alleged fact that he regularly hits for a high percentage in practice means that there is a mental aspect. I once coached a softball team with a roster of bodybuilders. Some could literally knock the stuffing out of the ball and others hit with no power or hardly hit. Go figure?

One theory I've heard is that GMac is messing around with Cooney's shot to the extreme. Perhaps that will yield future benefits but with the new blood coming in it is more important that we get adequate production this year. We need more scoring now.

 

[NYCorange]

I can see the point about Cooney being too big, but I really don't agree. Take Rautins for example-- he put on as much muscle as any syracuse player in recent memory--wasn't he something like 150 pounds when he came in? He left at like 190-200 if not bigger. Cooney is bigger, sure, but he hasn't put on nearly as much weight compared to Rautins. I think the simple truth is that Cooney is a (basketball) head case who lacks confidence. Think about Dayton last year--he air balled one if not 2 open threes. And against michigan he essentially panicked and drive into the lane for a wild layup when down by 3. Rautins on the other hand lived for the big moment-- the big threes against Uconn in 6 OTs and his big shots against all of our rivals. There's still time for cooney to turn it around and get his mojo--rautins was ten times better his 5th yr senior season than any other--but it'd be nice if it was soon.

 

[kcsu]

Three things.

1: Lay off the upper body. It will screw up a shooter.

2: You cant coach a pure shooter to shoot. Elbow in Elbow out. Wave the ball goodbye is all BS. A shooter is a shooter period you either have it or you dont. Now if you are not a pure shooter yes it can help. But pure doesnt need help.

3: Mental. Who knows it is really up to him. The light might come on it may not.

Hope he gets it together as we really need him

 

[orangefog]

The tiger woods theory...might be something there although with cooney some of it is mental

Definitely part mental. You can see him pull the string on his shot when he is struggling.

 

[RF2044]

This opinion was suggested to me by someone I respect and the more I think about it the more I think it might be true:

Cooney needs to stay out of the weight room. Kid is too jacked, His shot, seems hard and mechanical and it appears the more muscle he puts on, the less consistent he's become.

I don't know the physiological aspect of it, but it would seem to me that the constant breaking down and regeneration of muscle tissue would be be counterproductive in honing a skill that's based on muscle memory and precision.

The pure fan in me also is struggling to come up with great shooters who were workout beasts.

On the other hand: Reggie Miller, Larry Bird, Rautins, Gmac (notorious for being allergic to weights), Kevin Durant (mocked in pre-draft workout for lack of strength), JJ Redick...etc. I can up with an unending list of skinny dudes who can flat out stroke it.

Mike Waters talked about this in the chat room. Good theory, but he didn't put much stock in it. It sounds like the players have regimented work out routines that are specifically designed for them, and their adherence to the program is tracked closely. Mike's take was that if the staff [or the trainers] in any way felt that Cooney was lifting too much and that it was affecting his shot, that the workout routine would be adjusted quickly.

Very logical, but it sounds like that might not be the case. At least from MW's perspective.

 

[DoctorBombay]

The only muscle he needs to exercise is the one between his ears. This is a mental issue, IMO. He just doesn't "look" like the same player, and I don't mean that in a physical sense.

 

[CU44SE]

Personally, I think he needs a sports psychologist, I think a lot of it is nerves. I don't disagree that weight lifting could also be a problem though. Has anyone here tried to shoot basketballs a day or 2 after lifting? Cant hit the broad side of a barn, or maybe I'm just a bad shooter . But I really think a sports physiologist would do a lot of good; relax him a little.

 

[Cowtown]

Two things:

1.) I was always taught to stay away from weights during the season because it ruins your shot. I've seen it happen with others. And I always told my players the same thing.

2.) If you try to be mechanically perfect with your stroke, you end up "thinking about your shot" while you're shooting. A lot of us have been through that, and it's "hell in a very small place." There are certainly a few basic fundamentals (BEEF, etc) but mostly it's a "feel" thing, and in the few games I've seen, TC looks to be shooting like he has no feel for it.

 

[urban96]

Personally, I think he needs a sports psychologist, I think a lot of it is nerves. I don't disagree that weight lifting could also be a problem though. Has anyone here tried to shoot basketballs a day or 2 after lifting? Cant hit the broad side of a barn, or maybe I'm just a bad shooter . But I really think a sports physiologist would do a lot of good; relax him a little.

Does this team have one? I know the coaches in a way act as a psychologist but thats not their main focus. Seems like bringing one in couldnt hurt...

 

[OttoMets]

Not sure but he sure doesn't get many good looks these days or since like February of last season. I often don't buy Boeheim's "he's getting good shots" spiel. There is probably a record low going on for Syracuse or nationally in terms of driving, penetrating, and kicking out for a 3 currently or since last February. It like doesn't happen anymore...sigh. That method and transition 3s are the best way probably to get the clean looks.

It's startling to see how many open shots other teams generate. Syracuse's offense is sclerotic.

 

[Brooky03]

I'm not buying the argument that weightlifting is screwing up Trevor's shot or that it will screw up any shooter's jumpshot.

We're not talking about muscle to the point that his flexibility is compromised; he's strong but he's not exactly a hulking dude with muscle on top of muscle. Triche loved the weight room and he proved to be a capable outside shooter.

 

[two3zone]

I'm not buying the argument that weightlifting is screwing up Trevor's shot or that it will screw up any shooter's jumpshot. We're not talking about muscle to the point that his flexibility is compromised; he's strong but he's not exactly a hulking dude with muscle on top of muscle. Triche loved the weight room and he proved to be a capable outside shooter.

And statistically Cooney is a better 3 point shooter than Triche.