BleedGopher
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per Souhan:
Pitino has frequently downplayed coaching adaptations when asked about the improvement of his defense. This week, speaking before he took the Gophers to Washington for the Big Ten tournament, he began answering that question with “No, not really.”
Then he said this: “We’ve played less zone. That would maybe be the only X’s and O’s switch that we did. But it did help to have Reggie back there. He makes up for mistakes. Shot-blockers do that.
“Philosophically, we didn’t change a whole lot. We’ve always been pretty committed to it. We don’t press as much, and that’s because we don’t have a lot of depth in our backcourt. So maybe just changing from pressing and zone to a lot of half-court man.”
When Pitino’s defenses struggled the past couple of seasons, wise heads around the Big Ten would say, “He’s never going to win until his teams can play good half-court man defense.” Traps and presses look good during summer workouts and when surprising nonconference opponents. In the Big Ten, you need to be able to line up against good players and shut them down.
Lynch’s arrival made the paint an unfriendly place, Coffey’s arrival made the three-point line less welcoming, and suddenly Pitino arrived as a Big Ten coach.
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-defense-goes-to-great-lengths-to-improve/415833484/
Go Gophers!!
Pitino has frequently downplayed coaching adaptations when asked about the improvement of his defense. This week, speaking before he took the Gophers to Washington for the Big Ten tournament, he began answering that question with “No, not really.”
Then he said this: “We’ve played less zone. That would maybe be the only X’s and O’s switch that we did. But it did help to have Reggie back there. He makes up for mistakes. Shot-blockers do that.
“Philosophically, we didn’t change a whole lot. We’ve always been pretty committed to it. We don’t press as much, and that’s because we don’t have a lot of depth in our backcourt. So maybe just changing from pressing and zone to a lot of half-court man.”
When Pitino’s defenses struggled the past couple of seasons, wise heads around the Big Ten would say, “He’s never going to win until his teams can play good half-court man defense.” Traps and presses look good during summer workouts and when surprising nonconference opponents. In the Big Ten, you need to be able to line up against good players and shut them down.
Lynch’s arrival made the paint an unfriendly place, Coffey’s arrival made the three-point line less welcoming, and suddenly Pitino arrived as a Big Ten coach.
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-defense-goes-to-great-lengths-to-improve/415833484/
Go Gophers!!