Saturday, February 06, 2010

Still not good enough

I am a sucker. I keep waiting for things to click and the team to put it together and make a run. In fact, that's what's so frustrating about the past few weeks. The team is playing better but still not good enough. Today's loss to Duke was just another example of where the team was too impatient, didn't play smart defense and got bogged down too often in offensive possessions.


Likes

-- Raji hitting midrange shots.
We have so little diversity in this offense and with these possessions. I hope Raji can become consistent enough to knock down those 12 footers. If he does it will open up things for others.
-- Making free throws. It is simple but it kept us in the game. If we were flexing more, we'd be getting to the line more.
-- Sanders driving to the hoop. Sanders played well. Instead of forcing things, he drove when he had space and a path to the basket. He's strong enough to get through most guys. Now if he could only improve his handle.




Dislikes

-- 3-point shooting. There is not much to say. We are terrible from outside and the misses are symbolic of the core problems on this team. We don't have enough good shooters and guys rush things.
-- Dealing with Duke's size. How many times were we going to force things inside against two or three Duke defenders? Also, we let them control the boards. Our guys were did not box out well or close on long rebounds.
-- Trapani's play. I kill Sanders, so it is only fair that I point out how inconsistent Trapani can be. He wasn't hitting his shots and didn't play particularly strong defense.
-- ESPN's scheduling. How many of you missed the first ten minutes of the game as Nova needlessly fouled Georgetown in the noon game? I did. Yet we are so dependent upon ESPN that BC nor the ACC can't say much about the disruption. The games are too stacked and there was no way we were going to see the beginning live.

5 comments:

Ralph said...

To add to your dislikes:

Southern/Dunn - 27 minutes 2 Points & 1 Rebound Combined!

Jackson- Handling the rock too much. Not just on the last play but while running the offense. The offense stalls when he runs it as he loves to dribble away until 5-10 seconds are left on the shot clock. In fact, in the second half you could hear the crowd telling Reggie to pass.

mmason said...

To beat a quality team like a Duke--or any team that knows how to win, you need a winner on your team--a Bell, a Dudley, a Rice-- a guy who knows how to win. I know that sounds overly simple, but it's true. Where's our winner this year?

All your likes and dislikes, ATL, are right on, but we'll never go anywhere with a team that lacks a winner. Look at the BC hockey team--some winners on the ice there who are learning daily how to win and gut it out and leave it all on the floor bigtime.

Today the guys played some okay defense--but they've got no real scorer who's a threat every day. It was a good performance for a team with no winners. A squad of fairly good side men against Duke's "Big Three"...Like it or not, these kids aren't contenders. They're a good supporting cast without a star...
a B movie. At times, promising, but there's always something missing. The steak is there...but no sizzle.

Deacon Drake said...

Duke is always a tough matchup. While most teams indiscriminately press BC, Coach K has a different approach. They will play token pressure, but wait for BC to start their offense and then over pursue every passing lane, knowing that it disrupts the timing. Most teams are afraid to give up a weakside shot or backdoor cut, but the flex is so deliberate without guys like Hinnant and Dudley that guys like Jackson feel the safe play is to dribble aimlessly and hope there is a breakdown.

It was close, and at home, which makes it hurt a little more.

blockparty said...

i have to agree with the big guy. reggie kills me when he plays point. i know hes better than biko, but it is so frustrating with him controlling the ball. when he takes the ball up the court, he doesnt get rid of it until about 15 seconds into the possession at the very earliest. in order to run the flex, we need to start it early in the possession and set a series of screens to get someone open. 15 seconds isnt enough time to run that set.

dunn and southern were non-existent yesterday.

rakim did play some solid d, however, getting some easy fast break points.

singler is from the ice age.

Raj said...

Not to get on the "its all your fault" reggie bandwagon, i would like to point out in addition to his excessive dribbling, Reggie is just out of control. He was called for 2 offensive fouls, and the threes or shots that he took whether they went in or not are "Rakim-esque" in that they aren't smart shots. Taking fadeaway 3's wows the crowd, but more likely than not, they aren't going in.

Reggie's excuse about not seeing the clock, makes me feel bad for him, but believe me if Duke were in the same situation, we'd all be calling the Dukies a bunch of cry babies. He knew how much time was on the clock when the ball was inbounded, and to force trapani into that shot was complete mis- management. I also dont understand why we didnt go for a shot much earlier, leaving the possibility for an offensive rebound and another shot.

We were all victims of Reggie's cockiness, the last two trips down the floor, were a perfect example of Reggie's attitude. No rush, dribbling excessively, and forced shots. We need him to become a lot more disciplined, otherwise he's not the guy i want with the ball at the end of games.

Also i was happy to see Trapani get a slap on the hand from ATL for a relatively poor game.

Rakim has shown his upside in the last three games. Hopefully next season we see it before game 19.