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Message: [QUOTE="Coach Orange, post: 986524, member: 2260"] Coach Don Meyer says that, "If you want to win in November, run plays, run patterns. If you want to win in March, run motion." His rationale is that plays/patterned offenses work well early because all five guys "know" where to go and what to do; in other words, the patterns build cohesion into the offense. However, he points out that players also don't develop as well throughout the season in terms of "how to play the game" because they just carry out their prescribed movements. As set-play/patterned-offense teams get deeper into their schedules, opponents can scout the patterns and devise strategies for taking those movements away or forcing the ball out of the best players' hands. Syracuse runs an NBA-styled set-play offense. As such, it often looks better early in the season as other teams are still trying to gel offensively and defensively. The team's infamously "easy" early season schedules increase the beneficial effects that set plays provide. However, as the season progresses, other teams continue improving on both ends of the floor. They start using various strategies to disrupt the set plays--ball pressure, face guarding, overplays, sagging defenses, playing zone, playing off of a weak post player, etc. To counter these strategies, set plays need to have multiple reads built into them. For example, what should Cooney do if his defender is overplaying? What if his defender attempts to cheat a screen knowing where Cooney should end up in the pattern? What should Cooney do if Christmas's defender hedges to help on a screen? Will Christmas and Cooney read the situation the same way? In addition, set plays need to have multiple options. If the defense takes away the first read (for example, Fair catching the ball on the perimeter after coming off of a single-double down screen sequence), the offense should be able to go to a second (for example, a UCLA back screen for Ennis), third (for example, a ball screen for Fair), or fourth option (for example, a stagger screen for Cooney). Watch good NBA offenses--they often work through several options before isolating a scorer towards the end of the shot clock. However, to use these counters (reads and options), players have to learn them and practice them repeatedly in the hopes that they all remember and can execute their responsibilities in carrying them out. This takes time and patience. As a result, some years we counter these strategies better than others depending on how effectively the players develop their technical and tactical skills. The lack of player movement and ball movement suggests that our players aren't developing quickly enough this season. Of course, this is compounded by the fact that we are not a strong shooting squad this season, and our best "scorer" is really best suited as a second or third option. [/QUOTE]

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