xucub
11-06-2017, 04:30 PM
After a rough stretch of games last February, the Musketeers rose to the occasion and exceeded the expectations of most in March. A few key pieces from that run have moved on; a much-anticipated group of freshmen wait in the wings. What does Team 96 have to do to match the expectations that most have for this coming season?
1. Value every possession: It sounds so easy, yet proves to be so difficult. During our bad stretch, too many possessions were characterized by one player bringing the ball up the floor and chucking it to the rim without any other ball movement or by the ball being passed around pointlessly by a group of guys looking for someone else - anyone else - to lead. In the tournament, cuts became intentional; passes became pregnant; everyone found somebody in a better position to shoot or with a better angle to the basket. Even Trevon Bluett discovered that he could get a better shot if he involved his teammates, and they rewarded him in kind. In short, every possession began to count.
2. Serviceable Sean: After 2.75 seasons of mostly uninspired and unnoteworthy play, Sean O’Mara went to work during the tournaments. His inside presence prevented teams from cheating out away from the basket. He had to be guarded. Sean does not need to average 15 points and 12 rebounds to be effective – 8 points and 8 rebounds in 18 minutes of play can give this guy the chance to be a factor. He will never be The man, but he can be a difference maker.
3. Rebound, Rebound, Rebound: Perhaps this should be a subset of “Value Every Possession,” but it only makes sense that the better we rebound the ball, the more possessions we get. (Now you know why Huggins puts such a premium on rebounding and why Cronin’s teams crash the offensive boards.) We rebounded well during the season; we rebounded exceptionally well in the tournament.
4. New Kids on the Block: Just like Rashid Gaston and Malcolm Bernard, our freshmen group will need to be able to provide (collectively) some solid minutes in which they contribute (not necessarily score) and provide a different look to opposing defenses. They do not have to be the Fab Five (3) but they will need to be the type of players whom defenders cannot totally ignore, thus taking pressure off the guards.
5. Let Trevon be Tournament Trevon: Trevon was a different player during the tournament last year. He stopped looking for his own shot first and got his teammates involved in the offense. When defenses had to focus on four other guys who might score, it allowed Trevon to drift out on the perimeter, alone and unnoticed. His teammates did not forget him, however, and the extra space allowed him to become an assassin.
None of this is necessarily easy. Conference and non-conference play never simulates the “lose one and go home” mindset that exists in the tournament. A poised and disciplined approach is better represented by Jay Wright teams than those of recent Chris Mack vintage. The familiarity of league opponents makes it harder to sneak up on another team. But the presence of the aove factors led to a deep tournament run last year. There is no reason to believe they could not do so again.
1. Value every possession: It sounds so easy, yet proves to be so difficult. During our bad stretch, too many possessions were characterized by one player bringing the ball up the floor and chucking it to the rim without any other ball movement or by the ball being passed around pointlessly by a group of guys looking for someone else - anyone else - to lead. In the tournament, cuts became intentional; passes became pregnant; everyone found somebody in a better position to shoot or with a better angle to the basket. Even Trevon Bluett discovered that he could get a better shot if he involved his teammates, and they rewarded him in kind. In short, every possession began to count.
2. Serviceable Sean: After 2.75 seasons of mostly uninspired and unnoteworthy play, Sean O’Mara went to work during the tournaments. His inside presence prevented teams from cheating out away from the basket. He had to be guarded. Sean does not need to average 15 points and 12 rebounds to be effective – 8 points and 8 rebounds in 18 minutes of play can give this guy the chance to be a factor. He will never be The man, but he can be a difference maker.
3. Rebound, Rebound, Rebound: Perhaps this should be a subset of “Value Every Possession,” but it only makes sense that the better we rebound the ball, the more possessions we get. (Now you know why Huggins puts such a premium on rebounding and why Cronin’s teams crash the offensive boards.) We rebounded well during the season; we rebounded exceptionally well in the tournament.
4. New Kids on the Block: Just like Rashid Gaston and Malcolm Bernard, our freshmen group will need to be able to provide (collectively) some solid minutes in which they contribute (not necessarily score) and provide a different look to opposing defenses. They do not have to be the Fab Five (3) but they will need to be the type of players whom defenders cannot totally ignore, thus taking pressure off the guards.
5. Let Trevon be Tournament Trevon: Trevon was a different player during the tournament last year. He stopped looking for his own shot first and got his teammates involved in the offense. When defenses had to focus on four other guys who might score, it allowed Trevon to drift out on the perimeter, alone and unnoticed. His teammates did not forget him, however, and the extra space allowed him to become an assassin.
None of this is necessarily easy. Conference and non-conference play never simulates the “lose one and go home” mindset that exists in the tournament. A poised and disciplined approach is better represented by Jay Wright teams than those of recent Chris Mack vintage. The familiarity of league opponents makes it harder to sneak up on another team. But the presence of the aove factors led to a deep tournament run last year. There is no reason to believe they could not do so again.