Of course we should be out-rebounding opponents wiht these bigs! that's not an indication we are a better rebounding team.
so far this year we are 36.9 boards vs. 37 for our opponents. that's not even close to being acceptable with this height we have
quickness and putting frggn BODIES ON GUYS is what wins boards. we would have out-boarded UVU by 7 or 8 if Mr's Tsahonis (the biggest culprit), Murray, George, Hunter and our bigs would actually start concentrating on rebounding. it can be a crutch with a bigger line-up to 'leave it' to the bigs.
last year, with a bunch of smurfs, we OUTREBOUNDED our opponents!! Why? because guys like Cobb & Slater especially were not swivel-head defensively players, when the ball went up they IMMEDIATELY went to teh ball and found a body to block out.
our rebounding is NOT GOOD, especially on the perimeter. Height does not equate to skill
the dissapointment is the staff had a week to get after these guys. it's been 6 weeks, and a guy like Tsahonis needs to have his butt put down when he just stares and stands and watches after a shot.
all these wing guys if they work on it will get 1 more board a game, not only that they'll help our bigs get 1 more board a game. this team should be brut force rebounding teams with +5 or +10 margin, and then even with the other development issues, we might beat a team like UVU
yesterday CDM say Murray, which was good, he's been driving into traffic.
I don't think Murray misses Slater so much as he misses our spacing on offense when we had Slater and were forced to spread out. Hopefully he learns.
I realize it's new guys, just really expected Murray to make better decisions, and CDM to find ways to integrate A. Traore's skills better, but in the half court our spacing by and large is not good. and the rebounding and rotations on defense aren't good. This team will go 10-10, maybe 12-8, but 16-4 is a fantasy with the lack of progress over 6 weeks, and especially when you have a full week of practice and don't improve one bit.
Team has too much talent to not have guys not learning how to perform basic/simple basketball plays.
FWIW, I think the rebounding situation has been greatly cleaned up. We outrebounded UVU 43-40, and we beat them on the offensive boards 18-12. Rebounding was not the problem. We really missed Jadon for this game, our defense is not as good without him.
Some things I see, Murray really misses Slater. With Colin on the floor, defenses could not key on Murray as much. Now, he doesn't look like the same player he did last year and I think it is because every team sees him as the one they have to focus the defense on.
I think Tome Hunter is going to be really good over the next three years. His quickness and court vision is excellent. As he figures out how to score consistently at this level, he will be dynamic.
Lassina Traore is also potentially the best big in a long time. He is a major upgrade over anyone we had last year. Stroud and Polynice are not as developed; but, are also promising interior players, as they develop we should be really strong inside for the next three years (assuming everyone stays).
Contrary to several of the last games, UVU was a team that was happy to play at our pace. Without Jones, the press was leading to open shots and they made them. Further, their big in the middle caused us a tome of problems, I think they blocked 14 of our shots. Fortunately, there is noone like him in the BW.
If all we did was guard the three and block out on the defensive boards it would make a world of difference.
I know Jones is out.
this wasn't as bad an outcome as the program as had.
I know ultimately we have to press and set a tempo, one can see a couple of spurts where it all clicked.
Just with an entire week of practice, and come lacking improvement (that I can see) in the way team members do little things, and the overemphasis on the press.
I'd rather we limit the press, knowing it can make it harder to win.
The team MUST learn to play disciplined half court offense and defense, and it just looks stale, like rec league ball.
last year's team really wasn't any better at this stage. However, the top of the Big West with Irvine, SB, and Riverside WILL be better, so at some point improvment has to come.
Hunter, I'd expect some of those plays into traffic that were ill-advised. Tsahonis, like feast or famine, can tolerate a few bone-head plays on offense, but the swivel-head routine where he never finds a guy to block out, and gets beat too much on defense has to change. For a 4th year guy, it's just unacceptable - at this stage I'm guess I'm assuming he can't be coached to do certain 'little things', those bad habits are why he bounced.
Not sure how to integrate A. Traore more into getting him isolated for offense, the touches he gets and the spacing require him to try to go 1 on 1 in traffic, it's as if the staff has basically told him to go hustle and find the ball, and get your own points, any 10-15' shot that thought he might work on over the summer either it's not mature enough and/or he is told not to take that shot nor - why do we post him top of the key solely?
biggest dissapointment is Murray is struggling big-time to make his teammates better, I get he has to be the guy to get a shot off, but way to much time in isolation. Frankly, he is nowehere near to being an effective pro he wants to be. I thought he might surpase Bibbs as a player, but so far I can't see any improvmeent in his defense, offense, and especially decision-making. He's started to hit 3s, that's good, but like Tsahonis, those two guys need to get crucified by the staff and start accepting to make little plays and be glue guys, cause they ain't turning the heads of any scouts. Passing strong, better defense, REBOUNDfrom the perimeter, and frgging (especially Murray) stop trying to force into traffic.
UVU wasn't bad, they are mediocre, they just beat us as did MSU by being better basketball players. space pass, kick out, and don't get beat. sheesh
at least Rotegaard played his best game, and for 2 games now anohter 3 threat. just a huge disapointment that we have another solid shooting 3 game/start, but don't do the other things to win a game.
Stop pressing, force these guys vs. Sac State to play half-court, pass, and develop some good habits.
Rec league team, that's all I see.
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