This goes without saying, but there needs to be a complete overhaul in offensive philosophy starting today. Obviously having Dylan and Ace will help tremendously and they will be able to create shots on their own and for others just by them being potential lottery players. But, we can't just expect two freshman to bail us out time after time because our offense sucks and our players don't have offensive IQ and an offensive identity to fall back on.
I think it was Snagg that posted what UConn runs and it is crazy the amount of off ball movement and lack of the ball sticking they have in their offense. Now that is an extreme example and we don't have to do exactly that but it has to be somewhere inbetween that and what we currently do (middle pick and roll) and stand around off the ball. We need way more off ball movement to occupy the weak side and give our handlers other options besides having to create off the high pick and roll. Having more shooters will obviously help as well but you have to make the defense move and then attack closeouts or hopefully get a defensive mistake because they have to guard multiple actions off the ball. I don't really understand year after year that we don't consistently run action that is repeatable and flows.
For example, the Daily Targum writer had a great point in his tweet after the game which I've been saying for at least a year. We set up to run something (high horns or zoom action; both action, we do try to start to run some things once in awhile) and then the other teams take away the initial read (duh, this is college basketball where they know what you are going to do and scout you). Then, we have no counter action to flow into and the possessions then end up in iso or a predictable middle or high ball screen. The kids either have no IQ or there is no offensive coach or teacher getting these kids to understand what to do or flow into when teams take away your first or second read. At the high school level we teach this so I find it hard to believe at the D1 college level they can't get the kids to flow into other actions or counters where the ball doesn't stick and we stand around. This also isnt exclusive to this year etiher, we just didn't have better players to bail us out. Something has got to give in the offseason and pike and the assistants need to look at themselves and self scout. If we were playing defense on our offense, how easy would it to be for us to guard and why. Then, figure out what offenses are hard to guard and why, and how we can mesh it with our personnel next year. Other coaches and teams are able to do this, why not us?
I think it was Snagg that posted what UConn runs and it is crazy the amount of off ball movement and lack of the ball sticking they have in their offense. Now that is an extreme example and we don't have to do exactly that but it has to be somewhere inbetween that and what we currently do (middle pick and roll) and stand around off the ball. We need way more off ball movement to occupy the weak side and give our handlers other options besides having to create off the high pick and roll. Having more shooters will obviously help as well but you have to make the defense move and then attack closeouts or hopefully get a defensive mistake because they have to guard multiple actions off the ball. I don't really understand year after year that we don't consistently run action that is repeatable and flows.
For example, the Daily Targum writer had a great point in his tweet after the game which I've been saying for at least a year. We set up to run something (high horns or zoom action; both action, we do try to start to run some things once in awhile) and then the other teams take away the initial read (duh, this is college basketball where they know what you are going to do and scout you). Then, we have no counter action to flow into and the possessions then end up in iso or a predictable middle or high ball screen. The kids either have no IQ or there is no offensive coach or teacher getting these kids to understand what to do or flow into when teams take away your first or second read. At the high school level we teach this so I find it hard to believe at the D1 college level they can't get the kids to flow into other actions or counters where the ball doesn't stick and we stand around. This also isnt exclusive to this year etiher, we just didn't have better players to bail us out. Something has got to give in the offseason and pike and the assistants need to look at themselves and self scout. If we were playing defense on our offense, how easy would it to be for us to guard and why. Then, figure out what offenses are hard to guard and why, and how we can mesh it with our personnel next year. Other coaches and teams are able to do this, why not us?
