A lack of quickness...

Donate To GopherHole
sal

sal

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Messages
1,483
Reaction score
275
Points
83
is a painfull issue with this team. We play zone and teams reverse it a few times and get a good look at an open 3. Often times really open. We play man and quick guards (see Michigan's Morris) chew us up with penetration moves, easy dishes and layups. We get almost zero steals which also equates to almost zero easy baskets. We are able to disrupt no one. With Al on the sidelines it really exaggerates our slow footed, deliberate play. Quickness across the board is the biggest need on this team. I truly hope we have an influx of at least some quickness next year.
 

Agreed. Imagine if our offense actually used some quick ball reversal, maybe WE could exploit someone's lack of quickness...
 

sal said:
is a painfull issue with this team. We play zone and teams reverse it a few times and get a good look at an open 3. Often times really open. We play man and quick guards (see Michigan's Morris) chew us up with penetration moves, easy dishes and layups. We get almost zero steals which also equates to almost zero easy baskets. We are able to disrupt no one. With Al on the sidelines it really exaggerates our slow footed, deliberate play. Quickness across the board is the biggest need on this team. I truly hope we have an influx of at least some quickness next year.
Click to expand...

I think Williams, Armelin, Ahanmisi, and Hollins are reasonably quick.

But Hoffarber, RSIII, Iverson, Mbakwe, and Dawson are not so quick.

Half and half doesn't taste like whole milk.
 

DontHassleTheHoff said:
Agreed. Imagine if our offense actually used some quick ball reversal, maybe WE could exploit someone's lack of quickness...
Click to expand...

W-h-y- w-o-u-l-d o-u-r o-f-f-e-n-c-e d-o t-h-a-t?

Much better to hold the ball and get multiple visual references of what is happening on the court, on the bench and in the stands.
 

sal said:
is a painfull issue with this team. We play zone and teams reverse it a few times and get a good look at an open 3. Often times really open. We play man and quick guards (see Michigan's Morris) chew us up with penetration moves, easy dishes and layups. We get almost zero steals which also equates to almost zero easy baskets. We are able to disrupt no one. With Al on the sidelines it really exaggerates our slow footed, deliberate play. Quickness across the board is the biggest need on this team. I truly hope we have an influx of at least some quickness next year.
Click to expand...

We are slow with certain lineups. Unfortunately these are the lineups Tubby likes. He has gone to the big lineup as his staple now. Play the zone and entice the opponent to shoot the three. This is an offer that opponents have accepted with amazing frequency -well over 100 more than any other Big Ten team. It is tough to turn over the other team when they are happily firing away open three pointers. Turnovers occur much more often when teams attempt to drive or throw it inside.
 


jamiche said:
W-h-y- w-o-u-l-d o-u-r o-f-f-e-n-c-e d-o t-h-a-t?

Much better to hold the ball and get multiple visual references of what is happening on the court, on the bench and in the stands.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Who doesn't love watching Rodney stand on his heels staring at the post for 10 seconds?
 

DontHassleTheHoff said:
Agreed. Imagine if our offense actually used some quick ball reversal, maybe WE could exploit someone's lack of quickness...
Click to expand...

This would be great. Iverson, Sampson and Williams all like to stand there and hold the ball a while and Tubby likes to start them all together. I think they are capable of moving the ball but none of them have a lick of confidence or so it appears.
 

bga1 said:
This would be great. Iverson, Sampson and Williams all like to stand there and hold the ball a while and Tubby likes to start them all together. I think they are capable of moving the ball but none of them have a lick of confidence or so it appears.
Click to expand...

If all were healthy and still on the roster, starters might be Rodney and Trevor at F, RSIII at C, Hoffarber and Nolen at G with Hollins back-up on the wing, Iverson or Walker subbing in the post and Joseph or Armelin at G.

Nolen and Joseph are badly missed at G. More quickness. Better PG and Hoffarber natural at SG.
 

We are redundantly repeating ourselves over and over again on thread after thread.
 



There's only a lack of quickness when we go Blake, Rodney, Trevor, Colton, Ralph. Any team would look slow with a player like Colton responsible for getting out on corner 3's. Perhaps the bigger issue with this lineup is the inablity of Colton and Ralph to dominate much smaller opponents on the other end of the floor.

If Tubby wanted to, he could put a lineup of Blake, Austin, Rodney, Trevor, and Ralph on the court which would be plenty quick. He could also replace Rodney or Austin with Chip and get even quicker. I think we really only have 3 players who do not have average or better quickness for thier position in Maverick, Blake, and Colton. The lack of steals comes partly from playing zone and partly from not having a ball pressuring guard.
 


Friend Of Tubby said:
I think Williams, Armelin, Ahanmisi, and Hollins are reasonably quick.

But Hoffarber, RSIII, Iverson, Mbakwe, and Dawson are not so quick.

Half and half doesn't taste like whole milk.
Click to expand...

Mbwake is as quick as any big man I've seen this year in college basketball. The others I agree with.
 

If you're judging relative quickness by position, I'd definitely put Mbakwe on the quick list before Mav.

Friend Of Tubby said:
I think Williams, Armelin, Ahanmisi, and Hollins are reasonably quick.

But Hoffarber, RSIII, Iverson, Mbakwe, and Dawson are not so quick.

Half and half doesn't taste like whole milk.
Click to expand...
 



"Quick" never seemed to be a good description for a big man. I think this team lacks desire: desire to win in the end, desire to fight for the ball, "refuse to lose". They lack mental toughness and if you want to say it...meanness. Equate that to leadership if you want. Who shows emotion? Who inspires his teammates? I love the Hoff but have you ever seen him get mad? Emotional? Have an attitude? Show leadership? This team lacks desire more than it lacks quickness. It is what it is....
 

underground629 said:
If you're judging relative quickness by position, I'd definitely put Mbakwe on the quick list before Mav.
Click to expand...

Mbakwe get's up in the air from standing quicker than Rodney. That's why he's such a rebounding stud. Mav fast/quick? No.
 

CollegeBBallFan said:
"Quick" never seemed to be a good description for a big man. I think this team lacks desire: desire to win in the end, desire to fight for the ball, "refuse to lose". They lack mental toughness and if you want to say it...meanness. Equate that to leadership if you want. Who shows emotion? Who inspires his teammates? I love the Hoff but have you ever seen him get mad? Emotional? Have an attitude? Show leadership? This team lacks desire more than it lacks quickness. It is what it is....
Click to expand...

Two guys on this team show it- Mbakwe and Armelin. When Armelin drained a three against MSU he went down the court jumping and pumping his fist. I have rarely seen that this year.
 

This just in.... When you have no pg and are starting 4 guys over 6'6 quickness may at times be an issue.
 

Quickness and anticipation (players that have a nose for the ball, quick to the ball) has been a large issue with this team all year, prior to Al's departure, before DJ left town. It's an element that's just as important as size, possibly more so. Why did we struggle with so many teams early in the season? Why did we rarely if ever blow anybody out, turn teams over and get easy buckets? Smaller quicker teams exposed our biggest weakness. I love having big bodies and pounding our hapless foes, get them in foul trouble and let's go shoot free throws, but we proved to be one dimensional and that killed us. Al's departure only put a spotlight on our problem. Balance is always the key to success and we lacked the quickness to compliment our bigs. Hollins and Armelin will certainly help out with this in the future but they were not ready to sway the balance this season.
 

"Quick" never seemed to be a good description for a big man."

JaJuan Johnson is as quick as a cat. He's been a treat to watch this year and should be B10 POY. He can shoot some as well.
 

Y'all talk as if there was actually a solution this year - there is not. There are 8 guys - more than half are too slow for what we wish they could do and the other "half" are too inexperienced and unskilled.
But aside from that we are fine.
 


Thanks - I wish it weren't true. On the other hand, it might be worse to be Michigan State and wonder why there was this complete group of players who couldn't seem to win games. Next years additions should help.
 

Moonlight said:
Y'all talk as if there was actually a solution this year - there is not. There are 8 guys - more than half are too slow for what we wish they could do and the other "half" are too inexperienced and unskilled.
But aside from that we are fine.
Click to expand...

Agreed. One more way to look at it.

LAST YEAR: Started with 3 capable/experienced sgs. Westbrook, Hoff and Joseph.
Lost Nolen so Joseph moves to pg.......down to 2 sgs.

THIS YEAR: Started with 2 capable/experienced sgs. Hoff and Joseph.
Lost Joseph..............Down to 1 sg.
Lost Nolen so Hoff moves to pg.........down to 0 sgs and 0 pg.

Not a recipe for success.
 

Not sure if you meant to quote me or not but it sounds like you're reaffirming what I said. I agree with what you said. Mbakwe is a beast on the boards for more reasons than that, although I'm sure you were just pointing out that that's a big reason why.

98VQueens said:
Mbakwe get's up in the air from standing quicker than Rodney. That's why he's such a rebounding stud. Mav fast/quick? No.
Click to expand...
 

being a uk fan and a big fan tubby as well. I know he's stubborn. Your starting lineup is a joke with 3 centers. You have 4 decent guards, a good 3 with williams who could play the 4 in small lineup and create a huge mismatch and you could still play your zone defense but be much more active with it and create turnovers. I'd give Iverson about 5 minutes a half, that's it. Hopefully he'll do this and steal a few in the big ten tourney but tubby is stubborn so he won't.
 

notagopherfan said:
being a uk fan and a big fan tubby as well. I know he's stubborn. Your starting lineup is a joke with 3 centers. You have 4 decent guards, a good 3 with williams who could play the 4 in small lineup and create a huge mismatch and you could still play your zone defense but be much more active with it and create turnovers. I'd give Iverson about 5 minutes a half, that's it. Hopefully he'll do this and steal a few in the big ten tourney but tubby is stubborn so he won't.
Click to expand...

Only 2 C - Sampson and Iverson. Mbakwe is PF not C.

The "big lineup" dominated play at B10T in March 2010.
 


While people like the Chief like to debate the superiority of one over the other (Al and Joseph), the fact is that we could have survived the loss of one or the other and still made it to the ncaas but not both.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom