Key for this teams success!

[Shermthegeneral]

So, now that everyone is zoning this team, kris, dion and scoop need to attack the rim and make things happen! If you noticed, everyone sat back and chucked up 3's the whole 1st half, kris and scoop finally started taking it to the hole and the floor opened up for them.

 

[hoopsupstate]

Absolutely correct. Good shots mean we have players in position to offensive rebound. I can't believe this team still hasn't figured this out at the start of games.

 

[SoBeCuse]

It takes too long for them to get going and figure this out. There is some merit to that Gottlieb/Dykes/Greenberg segment on ESPN and ESPN.com. Should've been penetration and lob city to Rak all game. Those guys said that other Big East coaches said that when we're guarded well then we just settle for jumpers...bingo. We're looking like a bunch of freshmen in a pre-season exhibition segment of the schedule. What the hell goes on at practice?

 

[RF2044]

So, now that everyone is zoning this team, kris, dion and scoop need to attack the rim and make things happen! If you noticed, everyone sat back and chucked up 3's the whole 1st half, kris and scoop finally started taking it to the hole and the floor opened up for them.

So let's take it further: now that everyone is zoning us, we need to take a page out of the teams that attack the zone well [Pitt, Louisville, etc.] and get a guy in the lane up top, in the soft spot of the zone behind the backcourt. Would love to see Southerland there, CJ [even though he hasn't played well lately], even Brandon [instead of spotting up--he's been off from three]. In short, get guys behind the zone who can make plays--turn and shoot, lobs, quick passes inside if the defense adjusts and comes up, etc.

Instead, we make all of the classic mistakes against the zone. We dribble too much, we swing it around the perimeter for too long, etc. letting the shot clock burn until we settle for a jumper or finally seek to penetrate late.

Frustrating, because we see how ineffectual the former approach is against us. Wish we'd attack it better. If we did, teams wouldn't zone us--and we certainly have the right personnel.

 

[billsin01]

I agree and I also think it's even more important for this team b/c we simply aren't consistent enough even when we're getting open looks. I posted this in another thread, but it's disheartening to see just how many open looks they missed today. And while Scoop gets a bunch of garbage, Waiters took 9 shots and 5 were from 3? Ummm, Dion, GO TO THE BASKET!

 

[OttoMets]

I agree and I also think it's even more important for this team b/c we simply aren't consistent enough even when we're getting open looks. I posted this in another thread, but it's disheartening to see just how many open looks they missed today. And while Scoop gets a bunch of garbage, Waiters took 9 shots and 5 were from 3? Ummm, Dion, GO TO THE BASKET!

This is truly a remarkable thing - Dion took a three in a half-court situation and hit the top of the backboard. Good god. He should have to watch tape of this for two hours while the team practices tomorrow.

Dion, you're not a good jumpshooter. You hit seven threes in a game last week. That was really cool, but it may never happen again. It's not your strength, especially against a team with high school size.

It is funny (not in the "haha" sense) that other Big East coaches are aware that SU's easy to zone because our players give up and take bad threes. I have no idea why our coaches (and players) won't take note of this and adjust accordingly.