Zelda Zonk
2022 Iggy Winner: ACC Tourney Record
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2011
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Some ‘Eye Test’ stuff today:
• Weird, but in the first ten+ minutes, offensively with JJ running point, there was close to no movement from anyone who didn’t have the ball. All iso-ish stuff. When Carlos came in, immediately, there was significant movement. Two or three other players actively running sets or just cutting/working for space/playmaking. That substitution also brought in Bell and Cuffe, the two guys most noticeably doing ‘Something’ other than just watching the dribbling. That motion didn’t last that long, though.
• I decided to actually count the number of ‘easy baskets’ we got vs gave up. In half point increments. Like, vaguely, if it was a wide open, uncontested shot or layup/dunk as if resulting from a completely blown defense or fast break [full point], vs just a lazy defense, poor rotation, etc. resulting in an easy attempt. We lost that contest 10.5 to 2.
• I think our defense has actually been improving these past “couple three” games, but it really is hard to know what’s been Us vs playing against very unimpressive competition. We do look less Wholesale Incompetent, and now might just be Not Good. I guess we will find out for sure Feb 5. I anticipate carnage.
• JJ had such a hitch in his ft today it looked like a convulsion. The second one looked like a hiccup. He made both. He’s playing very well on one side of the court, but still looks occasionally like the left hand is a problem. He still can’t keep his man in front of him, and it often looks like he thinks the guy he’s guarding is opposite-handed. That’s how easily guys just go around him. Weird, since he is probably our quickest player.
It really sucks that the losses amass and I have zero feeling about them. Still watch every minute, but at this point the degree of futility has become a laughing point. Always rather see a win, but if we lose, I’d almost rather see a loss that contributes to the AD’s recognition that this is an untenable situation.
I don’t watch other college basketball games anymore. Not interested because the overall quality just doesn’t impress and there aren’t ’stars‘ anymore. I did tune into Michigan at Purdue because I read Michigan runs a 7’ point guard with a high-low action with a 7’ center or somesuch, but I didn’t see that in the part of the game I watched. What I did see was an incredible college game atmosphere at Purdue. Loud. Not loud as in one dork yelling into an announcer's mic for 20 minutes. Loud, as a wall of excitement, chants, and passion. Purdue, without many real athletes, plays tough defense. The fans have a scoreboard specifically for Defense. They created a lot of turnovers and no 11 Purdue Just dominated no 21 Michigan, though they had similar records.
A bunch of sturdy dudes who all knew how to play the game. No hotdogging, no flash, no dumb celebrations. No slop. We have a lot of slop. We had one play where JJ was passing to Moore who had to tightrope the sideline and barely got the ball back to JJ… and right after that, a play where it was like volleyball/hot potato between 3 guys, fumbling The ball around. Another one where Lampkin caught a saved ball on the perimeter and seemed to accidentally dribble between his legs, while tightly defended. Then, of course, there were the countless Eddie flip ups, taps, and quick shots that barely graze the rim, and the inevitable Cuffe missed layups. We just don’t seem like we practice against ‘traffic’ at the rim.
We also don’t have the kind of athleticism that lets us explode at the rim. Where we have height, we don’t have lift, where we have lift, we don’t have the playmakers/playmaking to exploit it. If we had an offensive scheme and defense that creates opportunities, some of that athleticism disadvantage would be mitigated. But….
• Weird, but in the first ten+ minutes, offensively with JJ running point, there was close to no movement from anyone who didn’t have the ball. All iso-ish stuff. When Carlos came in, immediately, there was significant movement. Two or three other players actively running sets or just cutting/working for space/playmaking. That substitution also brought in Bell and Cuffe, the two guys most noticeably doing ‘Something’ other than just watching the dribbling. That motion didn’t last that long, though.
• I decided to actually count the number of ‘easy baskets’ we got vs gave up. In half point increments. Like, vaguely, if it was a wide open, uncontested shot or layup/dunk as if resulting from a completely blown defense or fast break [full point], vs just a lazy defense, poor rotation, etc. resulting in an easy attempt. We lost that contest 10.5 to 2.
• I think our defense has actually been improving these past “couple three” games, but it really is hard to know what’s been Us vs playing against very unimpressive competition. We do look less Wholesale Incompetent, and now might just be Not Good. I guess we will find out for sure Feb 5. I anticipate carnage.
• JJ had such a hitch in his ft today it looked like a convulsion. The second one looked like a hiccup. He made both. He’s playing very well on one side of the court, but still looks occasionally like the left hand is a problem. He still can’t keep his man in front of him, and it often looks like he thinks the guy he’s guarding is opposite-handed. That’s how easily guys just go around him. Weird, since he is probably our quickest player.
It really sucks that the losses amass and I have zero feeling about them. Still watch every minute, but at this point the degree of futility has become a laughing point. Always rather see a win, but if we lose, I’d almost rather see a loss that contributes to the AD’s recognition that this is an untenable situation.
I don’t watch other college basketball games anymore. Not interested because the overall quality just doesn’t impress and there aren’t ’stars‘ anymore. I did tune into Michigan at Purdue because I read Michigan runs a 7’ point guard with a high-low action with a 7’ center or somesuch, but I didn’t see that in the part of the game I watched. What I did see was an incredible college game atmosphere at Purdue. Loud. Not loud as in one dork yelling into an announcer's mic for 20 minutes. Loud, as a wall of excitement, chants, and passion. Purdue, without many real athletes, plays tough defense. The fans have a scoreboard specifically for Defense. They created a lot of turnovers and no 11 Purdue Just dominated no 21 Michigan, though they had similar records.
A bunch of sturdy dudes who all knew how to play the game. No hotdogging, no flash, no dumb celebrations. No slop. We have a lot of slop. We had one play where JJ was passing to Moore who had to tightrope the sideline and barely got the ball back to JJ… and right after that, a play where it was like volleyball/hot potato between 3 guys, fumbling The ball around. Another one where Lampkin caught a saved ball on the perimeter and seemed to accidentally dribble between his legs, while tightly defended. Then, of course, there were the countless Eddie flip ups, taps, and quick shots that barely graze the rim, and the inevitable Cuffe missed layups. We just don’t seem like we practice against ‘traffic’ at the rim.
We also don’t have the kind of athleticism that lets us explode at the rim. Where we have height, we don’t have lift, where we have lift, we don’t have the playmakers/playmaking to exploit it. If we had an offensive scheme and defense that creates opportunities, some of that athleticism disadvantage would be mitigated. But….
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