Right now the majority of the game has the ball in the hands of players who don’t know how to initiate the offense. Assuming we’re calling plays on every possession. Idk what the philosophy is but there’s nothing purposeful. It looks like we’re simply spreading the floor to create a driving lane, but nobody drives them? Guys get the ball on the elbow and get stuck with the shot clock winding down.
Don't over think it - Defense has been good
- Thread starter trimlesmike
- Start date
Link to this?Holloway has always been a good defensive coach but he hasn't really shined on offense.
While yes it’s one reason for hope 3 games in, unfortunately it doesn’t matter right now bc the offense is so bad. You can’t lose 49-48 and 57-56 to mid majors after you struggle to beat another 57-53. Can’t have it. It’s not a one-off.
I can’t help but wonder how much of Sha’s time is spent on offense as it appears that defense gets his attention the most.
I posted this yesterday in another thread but it didn't really get any response, but KenPom has our defensive rating at 95.5, which is good for 27th in the country, ahead of teams like Rutgers, Kentucky, Creighton. The work that Sha has done to get 10 guys who never played together working as a cohesive, effective defensive unit has paid off so far. The problem is that we haven't done the same on the offensive side.
Sha is an outlier to how college basketball has evolved. It helps him in many ways as often opponents aren't prepared for playing his style. Slowing pace, very physical, attacking the paint, crashing the offensive boards is his offensive strategy. But it limits his offensive potential and can be a very grinding existence for his players.Holloway has always been a good defensive coach but he hasn't really shined on offense.
The best coaches evolve. And to not embrace spacing, fast ball movement, pushing pace at times and shooting more 3s is a questionable strategy.
It can also depend on what type of talent you have. Other than last season, Sha hasn't had a lot of offensive talent to work with. Hurley was a defensive-minded coach who has become an offensive juggernaut the last few years. But how much of that was able to improve by the type of talent he began to bring in when returning to the BE?
While Sha’s strength is on the defense he does have 4 assistant coaches who have long resumes of being involved in coaching college basketball. Whether any of them are capable of being the lead in developing our offensive capabilities is an unknown it is one avenue that should be considered.
Although their defenses are different, Sha reminds me of Hurley in his first few years at Connecticut. Both made a disruptive defense the cornerstone of their programs. After Danny got bounced in the first round of the NCAA's two years in a row, he recognized that defense alone won't allow postseason success. Enter Luke Murray, who really upgraded our offense. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's all Murray and not Hurley, but he was the catalyst for Danny developing into a great offensive coach.
Plus Danny has detailed publicly how he came to the point of realization that it had to be more of an offensive focus, which people can appreciate.
No doubt, and I'm sure Murray and Hurley's evolution as a coach has been a big part of this, but Uconn also "upped" the talent level from his first few teams at Uconn. At least on the offensive side. That goes to recruiting and player development, and identifying kids who fit what they want to do who might not even be the biggest blue chip recruit in the world (though they get some of those too).
this isnt hockey where you win a game 1-0. if youre not consistently getting FGs you're going to lose. and a lot of good defense can lead to turnovers which only matter if you can run a successful break. which we cant.
