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- Thread starter zebnatto
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Whatever it takes, but, Pikiell and Young are man defense coaches. Of course, good coaches play to the strength of their lineup. And.. ..if Coach K starts to play zone at Duke after 30 years of playing man to man, anything is possible.
It is harder to rebound playing zone defense so I don't see RU making a big change here. The greater length will help on defense period, in zone or man.
Keep in mind that Syracuse usually has more than adequate athletes and offensive talent.
I think the staff wants to use the length to expand the man-to-man defense. They are generally not zone coaches. I actually think we are going to see some extended pressure that we simply could not play before because of lack of depth at guard. We have so much more length and athleticism than has been the case, the coaching staff now has the option to play a lot of different ways.
Which to me is the interesting part for next season. People predict playing time numbers etc, but we do not know what the staff has in store for this team. With the added depth and many interchangeable parts the staff could easily extend the defense and play a running trapping style. This would lead to a lot of substitutions to keep guys fresh. Looking forward to this upcoming season. The only position I worry about is the point guard spot, where we only have 2 that can play it and I rather have Geo off the ball more. If we could land a serviceable grad point it would be great, IMHO.
More length, yes, athleticism no. We are shaping up to be more of an average B1G team athletically for the foreseeable future. Which is fine as long as you excel in other areas.
If you'd prefer, I can use the term flexibility instead of athleticism. RU has a bunch of guys that can play different styles, can defend multiple positions and will be able to play on or off the ball. We have not had those types of players in a long time.
Absolutely. The guys with Corey Sanders/Freeman athleticism that are also consistent, high iq, tall, great shooters, solid defenders, etc go to other schools (and get drafted early). So the hope is we are getting long, versatile, skilled, smart players with decent enough athleticism to excel (as a group).
Agree, jumping Ability alone does not do it but it is certainly a factor, along with the other things you mention...position, instincts, timing, fight...a little shove to the back, a little holding. However there are many times where the higher jumper gets to the ball, especially on tipped balls that keep the ball alive on the boards.
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No kidding...never thought of that. (Insert roll eye imogi). My comment assumed the other needed skills. I also get small and fast.
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