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Message: [QUOTE="OrangeXtreme, post: 1220836, member: 41"] [B][URL='http://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/index.ssf/2014/12/st_johns_coach_steve_lavin_said_red_storm_defense_was_inspired_by_honey_buns_nin.html']St. John's coach Steve Lavin said Red Storm defense vs. Syracuse was inspired by ninjas, Robin Hood[/URL] (PS: Carlson)[/B] [B] [/B] [I]Lavin said the Red Storm essentially worried about just three players on the Orange offense — Christmas, McCullough and [URL='http://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/index.ssf/2014/11/syracuse_basketball_2014-15_roster_trevor_cooney.html#0']Trevor Cooney[/URL]. There were moments in the game when Christmas had two or three players pinching down on him when he didn't have the ball, simply because Syracuse swung the ball to his side of the floor and looked for an entry pass. That effort that helped limit the Orange's most efficient offensive player to just eight shots. Chris McCullough, as the clear No. 2 option for Syracuse, will get similar treatment the rest of the year. And while Cooney hasn't lived up to his performance from last year, his reputation and his status as the best shooter of a bad bunch forced Lavin to defend him and provided Syracuse some floor spacing. The Red Storm's effort on Cooney limited Syracuse's best 3-point shooter to just four attempts, while teammate Ron Patterson launched seven and Kaleb Joseph took five. "Our basic gameplan was to tag Cooney over the course of the game," Lavin said. "Basically chase him off the 3-point line. Even in transition we want to run on top of him instead of alongside him or just try to get back. And when he comes off a screen we want to make sure we're a caboose. We want to be right on his hips and chasing him off that 3-point line. If he curls into the lane and doesn't get any catch-and-shoot opportunities that's better for our purposes. Chase him into the mid-range, chase him into our size. He's a game-changer if he starts tickling the twine, torching the nets."[/I] [/QUOTE]

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