Not so sure. I think it's always who can score and not be a total liability on defense. We'll see.
Cerino’s latest take - good stuff!
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Not so sure. I think it's always who can score and not be a total liability on defense. We'll see.
Young playing PG minutes will hopefully lead to a fresher Geo. It makes sense for Young at PG IMO especially on the defensive end where he can matchup better with the lightning quick PGs
You may be onto something with Caleb in that lineup. I still think Kwasi starts but an overlooked tidbit from this Carino article is his statement at the end that McConnell is “one of the best players in practice” and “As a 6 ft 7 guard is a threat to score anywhere on the floor and covers a lot of ground defensively...”
Everyone is going to get big minutes because everyone is going to have to play high intensity defense in pike’s more 3/4 court (and at times full court) press defense. That is how pike will utilize this depth by playing everyone and keeping everyone fresh. You can argue that one of 6 people can lead the team in scoring any night...maybe kwasi, young, Mac, geo, Mathis, Harper.
young and mulcahy will bring the ball up more as the “point guards” of this offense but you can have Harper, geo or Mathis do it too. The depth and versatility in this lineup is so intriguing. One thing you will not see is geo being the main point guard. He’ll go back to his correct position as a 2
young and mulcahy will bring the ball up more as the “point guards” of this offense but you can have Harper, geo or Mathis do it too. The depth and versatility in this lineup is so intriguing. One thing you will not see is geo being the main point guard. He’ll go back to his correct position as a 2
We were discussing this yesterday. We'll see. A press is for disciplined defenders. Teams that aren't strong on a press will get wrecked.
I will also take the under on pressing.
Illinois runs a 3/4 to full court press. It is a principal of Underwood's system and something they work on a ton. And even still, their defense stunk last year. So to think Rutgers is just going to pick it up is foolish.
Illinois runs a 3/4 to full court press. It is a principal of Underwood's system and something they work on a ton. And even still, their defense stunk last year. So to think Rutgers is just going to pick it up is foolish.
Totally agree with you regarding how difficult it is to just “become” a pressing team. Illinois, Pitinos’s Louisville teams, Nolan Richardson’s old Arkansas teams, etc. make this part of their DNA and you can’t just pick it up. I think Pike’s teams will use this as a change of pace, in which case, it can be very effective.
I’m not so sure Illinois defense stunk. You can’t just go by the numbers. A pressing team forces the other team to play at a faster pace. Therefore, quicker shots on both ends, often more points on both ends, and often more high percentage layups as well. It’s really more about controlling pace, making you opponent uncomfortable and dictating tempo.
Rutgers does not have the athletes for a full court press like CVS does with her 55 press. A defender on the ball, then trap, and trap again.
A MBB press would be 3/4 to eat clock...maybe get a steal off an errand pass.
I think we only have 1 pure shot blocker on this team and that guy we cant see in foul trouble.
With that being said in today's game when you break a press you spot up for an open 3 first. The Boston Celtics fast break went out of style 10+ years ago
With that being said in today's game when you break a press you spot up for an open 3 first. The Boston Celtics fast break went out of style 10+ years ago
Illinois defense accomplished what it was supposed to: It led the conference in turnovers created. More than a fifth of all possessions ended with a turnover.
The problem was, they inevitably fouled a ton. They had the worst opponent free throw rate in the conference (that's number of trips to the line, not percentage shot at the line). And if you broke the press, it often turned into a very easy basket. They were 13th/14 in the conference in 2-point field goal percentage.
That's how Underwood always plays though. The difference is, at Stephen F. Austin he could create a turnover on 25% of possessions against Southland Conference teams. It's a different story in the Big Ten where guys can better take care of the ball. The 25% to 21% difference is meaningful, especially combined with the fact that at SFA his teams were better able to get back and regroup if they were beaten. Again, against better athletes (even *with* better athletes themselves) this is much harder to do.
Given that our coaching staff has essentially no experience teaching a press, I doubt it would look even as good as Illinois' does, which is to say: mediocre at best.
You have to score at the basket to press, so the defense can be set up to do it. I am not a fan of a pressing style over an extended part of the season. It leads to fouling and placing teams at the line quicker.
The strength of the team with a potential press is just to shave an extra 5 to 7 seconds off the shot clock and make teams take a shot quicker than their offensive sets are designed to.
I can see a press working with a player like Mulcahy in the game, since he and McConnell have long arms and can perhaps deflect a pass here or there. It also limits his individual exposure on defense.
Many good rosters are not going to actually run any offense on a lot of possessions...instead they're just going to figure out who the weakest defender is, and attack that player off the bounce.....that's where help defense and communication skills are going to be developed and important.
As much as people believe we will miss Eugene defensively, I tend to think there were a lot of scenarios where someone got beat and Eugene was there around the basket to flop or take a potential charge. That doesn't make him a good defender on the ball or in the post etc.
It comes down to whether the team does what Mathis bought into doing and that's taking on opponents best scorers at times. Can Young be a nuisance and be another plus guy outside to keep guards from getting into the defense and creating gaps for layups or spacing for 3s. I think when RU starts scoring more points, everything becomes easier on defense.
Playing defense is much harder when you don't make shots on the other end.
The strength of the team with a potential press is just to shave an extra 5 to 7 seconds off the shot clock and make teams take a shot quicker than their offensive sets are designed to.
I can see a press working with a player like Mulcahy in the game, since he and McConnell have long arms and can perhaps deflect a pass here or there. It also limits his individual exposure on defense.
Many good rosters are not going to actually run any offense on a lot of possessions...instead they're just going to figure out who the weakest defender is, and attack that player off the bounce.....that's where help defense and communication skills are going to be developed and important.
As much as people believe we will miss Eugene defensively, I tend to think there were a lot of scenarios where someone got beat and Eugene was there around the basket to flop or take a potential charge. That doesn't make him a good defender on the ball or in the post etc.
It comes down to whether the team does what Mathis bought into doing and that's taking on opponents best scorers at times. Can Young be a nuisance and be another plus guy outside to keep guards from getting into the defense and creating gaps for layups or spacing for 3s. I think when RU starts scoring more points, everything becomes easier on defense.
Playing defense is much harder when you don't make shots on the other end.
I know it's because it's so totally obvious, but the fact that nobody has mentioned "Cerino" in the title is totally messing with my OCD.
You may continue...
You may continue...
Eugene not a good defender of the ball....CORRECT
Eugene not a very effective team defensive player....INCORRECT
Eugene willing to give up his body not a factor on how the other 4 play D....INCORRECT
Eugene not a very effective team defensive player....INCORRECT
Eugene willing to give up his body not a factor on how the other 4 play D....INCORRECT
I think more of a soft press, as well. If you can take 4-6 seconds off the shot clock without giving anything up, go for it.
It made him a good help defender, which is something a lot of our other players struggled with. When the on-ball defender got beat, Omoruyi denied the direct path to the basket - and more often than taking a charge or flopping on a shot attempt, he forced the penetrating player to pull up or pass off the ball. He offered a pressure release valve on our perimeter defenders - they didn't have to be perfect, because they'd have help if they fell for a head or ball fake.
Last year, Carter didn't do that. He was often not positioned where he needed to be to both cover his man and provide help defense. Too often he got caught up in traffic, or was a step or two away from being able to break up a play. I really hope that he worked a lot on that since last year. I don't know what Yeboah brings in terms of awareness and help defense, but I hope as a 5th year senior he's got a little cagey vet in him.
If that's the case, the numbers and stats would bear that out....for every charge taken, there's a foul called and a players going to the FT line or a non-call and basket being scored because the player landed on the deck. It's an overall review vs the charge being taken as the only thing focused on vs the entire body of defense.
I know there's a "see it so it must be true" but in general, the defense starts at the perimeter of the floor OR is means that the team isn't fast enough to get back on defense and teams are getting transition 2's or 3's.
RU should be better on defense because they're going to likely be better on offense....the more points you score, lessens the pressure on the team to be perfect on defense....the more points you can score and avoid turnovers and get to the FT (even if you don't make the FT), allows you to set your defense.
I would not compare RU to Iowa, because Iowa is a very efficient offensive team but they're also a team that gets to the FT line, shoots well from 3 and isn't overly athletic on defense. They're a roster that RU is closer to in the standings than many want to believe and one of the teams we will need to match up with in a lot of areas.
I favor a trapping soft press that herds the ball-handler or recipient of a pass to the sideline where they can be trapped by our long guards.
I think that first statement is also a "see it so it must be true". When Omoruyi stepped up, more often than not the penetrating player would give up the ball - when he didn't, then there's a question of charge/block/no call. You don't just lose the charges and get back the blocks/no calls... you also lose the aborted penetration attempts, which don't show up in the stat line.
A charge ends the possession and gives a foul to the other team.
A block results in a rebound situation where the possession could stay alive
Neither a block or charge results in a layup opportunity.
A block results in a rebound situation where the possession could stay alive
Neither a block or charge results in a layup opportunity.
Also add when a shot blocker attempts a block and is unsuccessful the blockers man is usually weak side and doesn’t have a body on him.
Underwood has said he will adjust to his talent. With 7-0, 285 Kofi Cockburn (they’ve taken 15 pounds off him since he arrived) and 6-9, 240 Giorgi on the front line, Illinois is likely to back off the pressure some. In fact, you may see more zone. Big front line to rebound and post up but also get the ball out to Ayo, Frazier and Feliz to run the break.
Depth will also be a key with Griffin, Jones, Williams, Bosnan-Verdunk, Nichols and Hamlin expected to play minutes.
Ayo is now considered the top NBA prospect in the league according to last report I read. Some sites have him in the lottery. If he plays to that level, Illinois will be tough.
As I’ve said, I think Rutgers is very underrated by the prognosticators. You have guys that can play.
Yeah, a good 3/4 court press will make the O more passive. Lots of times it leaves only time to run one set.
And I like throwing in a 1-3-1 3/4 court press occasionally if we have the personnel. This one creates a lot of indecision with offenses that don’t face it enough.
I think the length and depth of our roster at the 1 - 3 spots lends itself to some trapping in the corners, and playing the passing lanes. On a side note, I know that many assume that Geo will be the most important guy on the team this season, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Yeboah taking over that role. Don't underestimate his experience, skill set, and versatility.
i thought it was a running joke about how the RU "best player in practice" in the preseason (or in transsfer year) never really became the best player
That and the annual, monumental off-season improvements of x, y and z players that start taking effect about two weeks after the previous season ends and just grow and grow as the off season proceeds.
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