Is this the year we press more?

[Sgt Cuse]

Could this be the year we use the press as a staple, not just after we are behind?

Consider these potential factors:
7'2"PC - made for a force at the back of a press
Tons of fouls to give at center, a foul prone position when employing the press
Great success last year in the tourney, may be time to use regularly
Excellent talent and depth, gives JB a chance to put more players in
Baits teams to accelerate the pace of the game
The shortened 30 second clock makes it difficult for teams that don't want to take the bait
Helps JB with the problem of having 7'2"PC and TR on the floor together - normally that will be an offensive problem

On the down side, JB is usually reluctant to do this. And again this year, even though we have good talent there does appear to be a significant gap after the top 7-8 players.

Does anyone think we will use the press more this year? Certainly this is a lot more likely than M2M. I would love to see it.

 

[br801]

Could this be the year we use the press as a staple, not just after we are behind?

Consider these potential factors:
7'2"PC - made for a force at the back of a press
Tons of fouls to give at center, a foul prone position when employing the press
Great success last year in the tourney, may be time to use regularly
Excellent talent and depth, gives JB a chance to put more players in
Baits teams to accelerate the pace of the game
The shortened 30 second clock makes it difficult for teams that don't want to take the bait
Helps JB with the problem of having 7'2"PC and TR on the floor together - normally that will be an offensive problem

On the down side, JB is usually reluctant to do this. And again this year, even though we have good talent there does appear to be a significant gap after the top 7-8 players.

Does anyone think we will use the press more this year? Certainly this is a lot more likely than M2M. I would love to see it.

I do think we will see JB employ the press proactively at times next season, although I don't expect to see him do it regularly.

Now that he has a roster with more depth and flexibility, I'd expect to see him occasionally use it to put away an inferior team, or to shift momentum against a stronger opponent. However, I'd also expect to see him call it off quickly if it's not producing the desired effect on the game.

 

[dasher]

Could this be the year we use the press as a staple, not just after we are behind?

Consider these potential factors:
7'2"PC - made for a force at the back of a press
Tons of fouls to give at center, a foul prone position when employing the press
Great success last year in the tourney, may be time to use regularly
Excellent talent and depth, gives JB a chance to put more players in
Baits teams to accelerate the pace of the game
The shortened 30 second clock makes it difficult for teams that don't want to take the bait
Helps JB with the problem of having 7'2"PC and TR on the floor together - normally that will be an offensive problem

On the down side, JB is usually reluctant to do this. And again this year, even though we have good talent there does appear to be a significant gap after the top 7-8 players.

Does anyone think we will use the press more this year? Certainly this is a lot more likely than M2M. I would love to see it.

I think we will early in the season. But when we play teams like Duke, UNC, I think jb goes back to only pressing when we are behind.

 

[Jack Hall]

After the results against UVa, etc in the ncaa tourney, with very little bench depth, if he doesnt press more this year, he never will imo...

 

[Sgt Cuse]

I do think we will see JB employ the press proactively at times next season, although I don't expect to see him do it regularly.

Now that he has a roster with more depth and flexibility, I'd expect to see him occasionally use it to put away an inferior team, or to shift momentum against a stronger opponent. However, I'd also expect to see him call it off quickly if it's not producing the desired effect on the game.

I'm hoping to see it more than that. I think this coming year the first wave of substitutions that include 7'2"PC will be made for pressing.

Lineups that include PC along with FH or TR seem like they might be offensively challenged. Not only their offensive ineptitude but it could cause the lane to be clogged and seriously limit the effectiveness of Battle and Gillon.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

I think we will early in the season. But when we play teams like Duke, UNC, I think jb goes back to only pressing when we are behind.

What about VA?

 

[Sgt Cuse]

After the results against UVa, etc in the ncaa tourney, with very little bench depth, if he doesnt press more this year, he never will imo...

Unfortunately (IMO), his never employing it is a distinct possibility. He didn't do it much the year MCW was the 4th guard, and I think we had Fab then too.

But this year JB saw the damage done with the press last year. And there is the shortened time clock. And we will have the fouls to give. Even playing 8, with their versatility, JB could find ways to sub and keep them all fresh.

 

[br801]

Unfortunately (IMO), his never employing it is a distinct possibility. He didn't do it much the year MCW was the 4th guard, and I think we had Fab then too.

But this year JB saw the damage done with the press last year. And there is the shortened time clock. And we will have the fouls to give. Even playing 8, with their versatility, JB could find ways to sub and keep them all fresh.

I think there's a reasonable chance he'll do it. He's not the inflexible dinosaur that some want to paint him as. If you look at the totality of his career, you'll see teams that played very different styles offensively and defensively, so obviously he has been open to change at various points along the way. If he believes something can improve his chances of winning, he sure as hell won't rule it out.

 

[stuckinbig11]

I hope we see a press only occasionally and as a surprise. Lay-up drills should be restricted to warm-ups.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

I hope we see a press only occasionally and as a surprise. Lay-up drills should be restricted to warm-ups.

The plan would be to have the press anchored by an aggressive 7'2"PC. Not quite a lay-up drill. Almost the opposite, take it in if you dare but if you miss we will be running in an unsettled situation the other way.

I hope to see the press regularly, and even in the first half. It would help JB see what the coaching philosophy is on the other side, do they dare try testing 7'2" when they break the press or do they hold up.

 

[Digable5]

Obviously we did well with the press in the tournament last year but I'm not sure it is in our best interest to run regularly this upcoming season.

First of all we have a short bench. I know we normally only play 7-8 players but that can happen because the zone helps reserve energy for the starters. If we play more press will that tire them out? If they get tired or into foul trouble who are you turning to? Last year we still had Oboko and Joseph in an emergency. This season we would have to turn to walk-ons.

Second, don't teams have a lot of success against Syracuse by getting down the court before the zone has a chance to set up? Why make it easier for them?

Lastly, do we have the experience to be as effective? Having Chukwu guard the basket is a big advantage but losing crafty veterans like Gbinje and Cooney and replacing them with Battle and Howard might lose a little of the ability.

I like the excitement of the press and think Syracuse has the length and athletes to do it well, but I think with some of the issues I brought up above it might be better to use it sparingly and strategically. If the opponent has a shaky backcourt or just to keep them on their toes would be how Inwould handle it.

 

[SBU72]

The answer to any and all questions that start with "will this be the year we see {what ever hasn't happened much in th epast}?" will be NO. To paraphrase the saying, he is what he is. After all these years and with only a couple of years left, JB is not about to change much if at all. He'll play zone. Occasional press (not every game). Offense will be based on ball screens and drives to the basket. 3 pt shots more or less but nothing extreme. 8 man rotation during the conference schedule. This will be an inexerienced team, at best in terms with playing with each other. At worse, inexerienced and young (1 freshman, Battle, 3 sophomores, Howard, Lyden, Chukwu and 1 senior, Roberson) starting. JB is not about to step out of his comfort zone. Would I like to see some different things, more pressure, longer bench, more structured plays? Maybe a little m2m full court pressure then fall back into a zone to shorten the clock? A resounding yes but I don't think it will happen.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

First of all we have a short bench. I know we normally only play 7-8 players but that can happen because the zone helps reserve energy for the starters. If we play more press will that tire them out? If they get tired or into foul trouble who are you turning to? Last year we still had Oboko and Joseph in an emergency. This season we would have to turn to walk-ons.

Second, don't teams have a lot of success against Syracuse by getting down the court before the zone has a chance to set up? Why make it easier for them?

Lastly, do we have the experience to be as effective? Having Chukwu guard the basket is a big advantage but losing crafty veterans like Gbinje and Cooney and replacing them with Battle and Howard might lose a little of the ability.

I like the excitement of the press and think Syracuse has the length and athletes to do it well, but I think with some of the issues I brought up above it might be better to use it sparingly and strategically. If the opponent has a shaky backcourt or just to keep them on their toes would be how Inwould handle it.

1. Shorter bench than last year??? And you list Chino and KJ2 as examples? IMO, Chino would be behind TT on the depth chart, and TT is our 4th center this year. I'm with Jake when he mentioned in another thread that with AW3, this years team 1-10 will be talentwise comparable to those of the 80s.

2. The reason to employ this tactic would be because it speeds up the game. It makes use of the athleticism of Battle, Gillon, and FH while employing the strength of PC, his rim defending. It also would help showcase another advantage we will usually have and that is depth at center.

3. Experience? If we get AW3, we will have 3 5th year players and one fourth year senior. Only one frosh as compared to the 2 last year.

If I were JB I would be employing the press every game. Start in the first half and see what the opposition does. I don't think many teams would want to run with us. And if they don't, they lose precious time just getting the ball up the court.

 

[SBU72]

1. Shorter bench than last year??? And you list Chino and KJ2 as examples? IMO, Chino would be behind TT on the depth chart, and TT is our 4th center this year. I'm with Jake when he mentioned in another thread that with AW3, this years team 1-10 will be talentwise comparable to those of the 80s.

2. The reason to employ this tactic would be because it speeds up the game. It makes use of the athleticism of Battle, Gillon, and FH while employing the strength of PC, his rim defending. It also would help showcase another advantage we will usually have and that is depth at center.

3. Experience? If we get AW3, we will have 3 5th year players and one fourth year senior. Only one frosh as compared to the 2 last year.

If I were JB I would be employing the press every game. Start in the first half and see what the opposition does. I don't think many teams would want to run with us. And if they don't, they lose precious time just getting the ball up the court.

When you usually think of a team with 3 5th year players, you think of a team that has practiced and played with each other for years. It would be easy for each (plus the senior) tto anticipate each move another makes at both ends of the court. This will not be the case for SU. 2 of the possible 5th years, will be new to the team and only really having a few weeks of structured practice to get to really know each other. While it probably preferrable to having 4 freshmen play, its not like everything, coaching included will be 2nd nature to them.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

When you usually think of a team with 3 5th year players, you think of a team that has practiced and played with each other for years. It would be easy for each (plus the senior) tto anticipate each move another makes at both ends of the court. This will not be the case for SU. 2 of the possible 5th years, will be new to the team and only really having a few weeks of structured practice to get to really know each other. While it probably preferrable to having 4 freshmen play, its not like everything, coaching included will be 2nd nature to them.

True, but they've played a lot of basketball, and at a high level. I think they will have high level BB IQs but won't have the game experience together yet.

One way to help garner that team experience is have them pressing all season long.

 

[Dave85]

Could this be the year we use the press as a staple, not just after we are behind?

Consider these potential factors:
7'2"PC - made for a force at the back of a press
Tons of fouls to give at center, a foul prone position when employing the press
Great success last year in the tourney, may be time to use regularly
Excellent talent and depth, gives JB a chance to put more players in
Baits teams to accelerate the pace of the game
The shortened 30 second clock makes it difficult for teams that don't want to take the bait
Helps JB with the problem of having 7'2"PC and TR on the floor together - normally that will be an offensive problem

On the down side, JB is usually reluctant to do this. And again this year, even though we have good talent there does appear to be a significant gap after the top 7-8 players.

Does anyone think we will use the press more this year? Certainly this is a lot more likely than M2M. I would love to see it.

M2M is just pressing on both sides of the court.

 

[Digable5]

1. Shorter bench than last year??? And you list Chino and KJ2 as examples? IMO, Chino would be behind TT on the depth chart, and TT is our 4th center this year. I'm with Jake when he mentioned in another thread that with AW3, this years team 1-10 will be talentwise comparable to those of the 80s.

2. The reason to employ this tactic would be because it speeds up the game. It makes use of the athleticism of Battle, Gillon, and FH while employing the strength of PC, his rim defending. It also would help showcase another advantage we will usually have and that is depth at center.

3. Experience? If we get AW3, we will have 3 5th year players and one fourth year senior. Only one frosh as compared to the 2 last year.

If I were JB I would be employing the press every game. Start in the first half and see what the opposition does. I don't think many teams would want to run with us. And if they don't, they lose precious time just getting the ball up the court.

1. Yes TT is more talented than Oboko but he will be a part of your 7-8 player rotation. It is a short bench because you will only have 2-3 scholarship level players not in the starting lineup. If we had all of our scholarships filled than our bench would be 7-8 players deep. Normally those deep bench guys wouldn't see the court under Boeheim but they would see more action if you ran the press all year long.

2. As I said in my earlier post, is speeding up the game really to our advantage? The zone is not effective when it doesn't have time to set up. So instead of teams having to beat us with threes as the shot clock runs down, they can break the press and take open jumpers. Besides, what C depth? From our two centers only Chukwu would be effective as a rim protector. Sure Lydon did well but he is then out of position. Thompson might be able to do it, but I don't expect him to be nearly as good or intimidating as Chukwu is expected to be.

3. This team does not have experience with each other and isn't necesarily experienced in general either. Chukwu was on the team but has not played a game with them yet. Gillon and White (if he even signs) have no experience with other Orange players and how much press or zone do they know already? Coleman is a 5th year senior but how many minutes has he really played? Freshmen Moyer, Battle and Thompson will have significant roles and the rest are sophomores. Leaving Roberson as the only player with real experience on the court and with Boeheim.

If you were Boeheim you would run this team into the ground. There is no Energizer bunny (Cooney) that can play 40 minutes a night at that speed. There are no quality replacements when your team runs out of steam or inevitably into foul trouble. This isn't even considering an increased potential for an injury shortening your bench even further.

Look, I'm not against using the press even a few times per game but we are not built to employ it regularly.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

1. Yes TT is more talented than Oboko but he will be a part of your 7-8 player rotation. It is a short bench because you will only have 2-3 scholarship level players not in the starting lineup. If we had all of our scholarships filled than our bench would be 7-8 players deep. Normally those deep bench guys wouldn't see the court under Boeheim but they would see more action if you ran the press all year long.

2. As I said in my earlier post, is speeding up the game really to our advantage? The zone is not effective when it doesn't have time to set up. So instead of teams having to beat us with threes as the shot clock runs down, they can break the press and take open jumpers. Besides, what C depth? From our two centers only Chukwu would be effective as a rim protector. Sure Lydon did well but he is then out of position. Thompson might be able to do it, but I don't expect him to be nearly as good or intimidating as Chukwu is expected to be.

3. This team does not have experience with each other and isn't necesarily experienced in general either. Chukwu was on the team but has not played a game with them yet. Gillon and White (if he even signs) have no experience with other Orange players and how much press or zone do they know already? Coleman is a 5th year senior but how many minutes has he really played? Freshmen Moyer, Battle and Thompson will have significant roles and the rest are sophomores. Leaving Roberson as the only player with real experience on the court and with Boeheim.

If you were Boeheim you would run this team into the ground. There is no Energizer bunny (Cooney) that can play 40 minutes a night at that speed. There are no quality replacements when your team runs out of steam or inevitably into foul trouble. This isn't even considering an increased potential for an injury shortening your bench even further.

Look, I'm not against using the press even a few times per game but we are not built to employ it regularly.

This team is a lot deeper than last years. Incredibly versatile too.

Speeding up the game helps use the athletic abilities of Battle/Gillon/and FH on the offensive end. Not to mention Lydon and TR are also very athletic. And obviously the strength of 7'2"PC's game is his defense.

This team has experience. Your bizarre weave to try and conclude TR is the only one with real experience is an incredible stretch. DC2 5th yr senior w JB. 7'2"PC full yr practicing, and y0u forgot Lydon and FH. The two additional 5th yr seniors have high bball IQs. This is a team that would quickly learn the press as JB envisions it. I think better than last years and that was very effective.

Run the team into the ground? This team looks incredibly athletic. And JB would have the luxury of substituting players with regularity, even while going just 8 deep, 3 guards, 3 forwards, and 2-3 centers. This year managing fouls for JB will be a walk in the park.

I hope JB does it. In my mind, the composition of the team is tailor made for it. It is a deep, experienced team, with center depth, and very athletic.