Team Evaluations from Coaches

[Masterofreality]

I know a lot of people on this board think that Seth Davis is a twit, but I happen to think he's a pretty damn good writer. Below is a very interesting and insightful article that he wrote for Campus Rush where he anonymously interviewed Coaches from 3 conferences including the Big East about the top teams in those leagues. Good stuff, and very interesting comment about Tre Bluiett's defense.

http://www.campusrush.com/big-east-big-12-pac-12-basketball-scouting-1624137553.html

[Roach]

That's pretty harsh. It sounds to me like a disgruntled coach who's still frustrated about a loss.

[XUMIOH12]

That's pretty harsh. It sounds to me like a disgruntled coach who's still frustrated about a loss.

I dont think that was harsh at all. Especially considering its supposed to be negative and point out weaknesses.

[XUMIOH12]

I know a lot of people on this board think that Seth Davis is a twit, but I happen to think he's a pretty damn good writer. Below is a very interesting and insightful article that he wrote for Campus Rush where he anonymously interviewed Coaches from 3 conferences including the Big East about the top teams in those leagues. Good stuff, and very interesting comment about Tre Bluiett's defense.

http://www.campusrush.com/big-east-big-12-pac-12-basketball-scouting-1624137553.html

the Bluiett comment isnt that far off, he might not put pride in D, but he does put some good effort in.

[Roach]

I dont think that was harsh at all. Especially considering its supposed to be negative and point out weaknesses.

I think questioning Trevon's commitment to defense is, at best, speculative and, at worst, a cheap shot. It's no big secret that speed is not Trevon's strength, but just because he doesn't have the same defensive chops as Remy or JP doesn't mean there is a lack of effort and pride. Besides, the last time I checked, Tre is still averaging almost 7 rebounds per game. That's damn good for a guard, and not something that comes with meager effort.

[X-Men]

I know a lot of people on this board think that Seth Davis is a twit, but I happen to think he's a pretty damn good writer. Below is a very interesting and insightful article that he wrote for Campus Rush where he anonymously interviewed Coaches from 3 conferences including the Big East about the top teams in those leagues. Good stuff, and very interesting comment about Tre Bluiett's defense.

http://www.campusrush.com/big-east-big-12-pac-12-basketball-scouting-1624137553.html


I dont disagree with any of the assessment other than the comment about Tre not taking pride in his defense. I would suspect that the primary issue is the other point he made about a lack of quickness.

[Xville]

yeah im not sure about the whole "pride" thing either, but i will agree with the assessment that he is not a very good defender. He is a great player but he isn't very athletic for a high major division 1 player, this isn't news to us.

[XUMIOH12]

yeah im not sure about the whole "pride" thing either, but i will agree with the assessment that he is not a very good defender. He is a great player but he isn't very athletic for a high major division 1 player, this isn't news to us.

I dont think there is anything really surprising in here that we didnt already know. And none of it is a truly major weakness.

[Caveat]

I think questioning Trevon's commitment to defense is, at best, speculative and, at worst, a cheap shot. It's no big secret that speed is not Trevon's strength, but just because he doesn't have the same defensive chops as Remy or JP doesn't mean there is a lack of effort and pride. Besides, the last time I checked, Tre is still averaging almost 7 rebounds per game. That's damn good for a guard, and not something that comes with meager effort.

I think body language matters a bit. Tre maintains a pretty calm look on the court -- it never LOOKS like he's over-exerting himself, which may come off like he doesn't care or is bored. He's also gotten himself into foul trouble early a few times recently, so I also wonder if he isn't getting a bit more tentative on defense in order to keep himself on the floor.

[markchal]

I actually think his defense is much better this year. He's had to guard 4s a lot this year given our lineups and he's held his own pretty well there. Not worried about his effort one bit.

[xufan2434]

In my honest opinion, the whole article is supposed to not hold back and show the true evaluation without kissing anyone's ass. Based off all that, I think X had the least amount of negatives said about them. Tre has improved defensively but still needs work and it almost felt like Seth needed something else they need to improve on so threw that in there. Could have been 1 assistant who said it. If anything, Nova kinda showed Myles can be the weakness on the defensive end depending on who he's guarding

[xuwin]

I dont think there is anything really surprising in here that we didnt already know. And none of it is a truly major weakness.

Exactly. Larry Bird wasn't very athletic either. If Trevon was a poor defender he wouldn't be leading the team in minutes played.

[nuts4xu]

On the telecast the other night, Gus Johnson reported Blueitt has lost 20 pounds since this time last year. He has been much more consistent on offense this season, and I think his entire game has improved.

[XUFan09]

I really think Trevon has turned into a solid defender when he's not guarding a guy with good acceleration. He lacks the lateral quickness to adequately handle guys with a burst of speed, but otherwise, he can even be good.

The comment that he doesn't look like he takes a lot of pride in it clearly comes from a coach who doesn't know Trevon's personality. Part of the reason he "quietly" puts up 15 per game is because his expression rarely changes, and that level expression extends to the defensive end.

No doubt they do like his midrange jumpers, though.

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[X-ceptional]

yeah im not sure about the whole "pride" thing either, but i will agree with the assessment that he is not a very good defender. He is a great player but he isn't very athletic for a high major division 1 player, this isn't news to us.

Exactly. We know he's not out there as a defensive specialist. However, I think it's a low blow to say he doesn't take pride in it. His biggest shortcoming on defense is his relatively* low athleticism, but just look at how he put in the work in the weightroom between last season and this one. He is leaner/stronger/faster, and I think that demonstrates the pride he puts into his entire game, even if his natural athleticism isn't as high. I'm fine if the guy flat out says "Trevon is a sh!# defender!" I don't think it's true, but I think it's really out there to call into question whether he takes pride in defense.

*That is "relatively" compared to high-D1-level basketball players... not the 99% of the world whose athleticism is nothing compared to Tre's.



I think body language matters a bit. Tre maintains a pretty calm look on the court -- it never LOOKS like he's over-exerting himself, which may come off like he doesn't care or is bored. He's also gotten himself into foul trouble early a few times recently, so I also wonder if he isn't getting a bit more tentative on defense in order to keep himself on the floor.

I have a feeling you're spot-on with this. Tre is very even-keeled. Especially when compared to some of our more... excitable players.

[MuskieXU]

Anybody who thinks Tre doesnt "take pride" in his defense needs to watch the UC game where he completely shut down Gary Clark. At the end of the day Tre is a scorer and thats where the majority of his energy is best spent, but he has shown that he is more than capable of stepping up defensively when thats what we need him to do.

[Caveat]

In my honest opinion, the whole article is supposed to not hold back and show the true evaluation without kissing anyone's ass. Based off all that, I think X had the least amount of negatives said about them. Tre has improved defensively but still needs work and it almost felt like Seth needed something else they need to improve on so threw that in there. Could have been 1 assistant who said it. If anything, Nova kinda showed Myles can be the weakness on the defensive end depending on who he's guarding

Tre and Myles both lack a ton of lateral quickness, but that's exactly the thing the packline defense tends to compensate for -- so I don't think it's a damning thing in this defensive scheme.

Other than Remy Abel, there is no one on this team who I'd consider a top defender; Kaiser Gates is flashing elite-level defensive potential, but he's still just a freshman. For the rest, I'd classify Tre, Farr, Jalen, and Austin as average defenders. Myles, JP and Edmond are all slightly below-average. I haven't seen enough of O'Mara to really get a read on him, but I'd probably put him as about average for a low post defender. Defense, overall, is probably my #1 worry going into March.

[bobbiemcgee]

No evaluation of the meat of this team - DEPTH. Macura? Gates' defense and rebounding? Farr? How can you evaluate this team without mentioning the tremendous depth?

[XUMIOH12]

No evaluation of the meat of this team - DEPTH. Macura? Gates' defense and rebounding? Farr? How can you evaluate this team without mentioning the tremendous depth?

They were evaluating the weaknesses

[XUFan09]

Tre and Myles both lack a ton of lateral quickness, but that's exactly the thing the packline defense tends to compensate for -- so I don't think it's a damning thing in this defensive scheme.

Other than Remy Abel, there is no one on this team who I'd consider a top defender; Kaiser Gates is flashing elite-level defensive potential, but he's still just a freshman. For the rest, I'd classify Tre, Farr, Jalen, and Austin as average defenders. Myles, JP and Edmond are all slightly below-average. I haven't seen enough of O'Mara to really get a read on him, but I'd probably put him as about average for a low post defender. Defense, overall, is probably my #1 worry going into March.
I would not classify Austin as average at all. He's a good, sometimes great, defender, and one of the only knocks on him is that he sometimes overextends trying to get the steal. He gets the steal a decent amount of the time too, so maybe that's partially balanced out anyway.

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[scoscox]

Yea, this was weak, but honestly if I was scouting us I don't know what I'd say here. Uhhhh, they're really good man. Tre's defense is probably grasping at straws for a knock in what we do.

Just curious, but does anybody know of any place to look at blind resumes for teams? I doubt it, but I'd be interested to see how we compare to the rest of the top ten.

[xukeith]

He is an average defender. He uses his size as an advantage and he rebounds well.
Much better than last year.
I never think he will be an excellent defender as his entire life, he has been the all time best scorer.

[GIMMFD]

Yea, this was weak, but honestly if I was scouting us I don't know what I'd say here. Uhhhh, they're really good man. Tre's defense is probably grasping at straws for a knock in what we do.

Just curious, but does anybody know of any place to look at blind resumes for teams? I doubt it, but I'd be interested to see how we compare to the rest of the top ten.

Team A (24-4 overall, 12-3 conference):
RPI: 1
SOS: 5
Top 50 RPI: 6-3

Team B (22-5 overall, 10-5 conference):
RPI: 4
SOS: 11
Top 50 RPI: 8-4

Team C (23-5 overall, 12-3 conference):
RPI: 8
SOS: 39
Top 50 RPI: 3-4

Team D (23-5 overall, 10-5 conference):
RPI: 15
SOS: 56
Top 50 RPI: 7-4

Team E (24-4 overall, 13-2 conference):
RPI: 2
SOS: 9
Top 50 RPI: 6-4

Team F (21-6 overall, 10-5 conference):
RPI: 6
SOS: 13
Top 50 RPI: 7-3

Team G (25-3 overall, 13-3 conference):
RPI: 3
SOS: 32
Top 50 RPI: 6-1

Team H (20-7 overall, 10-4 conference):
RPI: 20
SOS: 35
Top 50 RPI: 5-6

Team I (23-5 overall, 11-4 conference):
RPI: 10
SOS: 43
Top 50 RPI: 5-3

Team J (22-6 overall, 10-5 conference):
RPI: 30
SOS: 86
Top 50 RPI: 2-5

[X-band '01]

My guesses:

A - Kansas
B - Oklahoma
C - North Carolina
D - Michigan State
E - Villanova
F - Virginia
G - Xavier
H - Iowa (should be 11-4 in conference)
I - Maryland (but are 22-5 overall for purposes of the RPI)
J - Arizona

[scoscox]

Awesome, thanks GIMMFD.
I'd go:
1. A
2. E
3. B
4. G
5. F
6. I
7. C
8. D
9. H
10. J

1 seeds:
Team A
Team B
Team E

Toss-up:
Team C
Team F
Team G

2's and lower:
Team I
Team J
Team H
Team D

[GIMMFD]

My guesses:

A - Kansas
B - Oklahoma
C - North Carolina
D - Michigan State
E - Villanova
F - Virginia
G - Xavier
H - Iowa (should be 11-4 in conference)
I - Maryland (but are 22-5 overall for purposes of the RPI)
J - Arizona

I won't answer yet just in case anybody wants to also attempt to guess, but I will let you know privately in PM if you are curious about your answers.

[smileyy]

The record against Top 50 teams is really illustrative, and what I would base a lot of seeding decisions on. Which knocks C, H and J below the rest, IMO.