I think if you watched fh PC you'll see he was embarrassed and fed up. So I think he'll do whatever it takes to resolve this because he is embarrassed. I'm hopeful that he'll make drastic changes now.I don't think I said they can be harder to coach, because some are definitely leaving one place for another because they don't like what they are hearing. What is really surprising to me is the complete lack of acumen with some, or maybe they are just easily baited into really bad decisions? So let me ask a few things I think these guys should be understanding, and I'll include some of how I feel about things I think we are missing. I'd love to hear any and all opinions on where you think our guys are missing the boat, and what we can and should be concentrating on.
-Our defense has been horrible and our offense sloppy. What's traits do you see with the easiest guys to cover?
I'll give a few answers from what I look for. 1. Guys that don't move. 2 Guys who move to the same spots. 3. Guys who always have to dribble to get their shooting rhythm. 4. Guys who can't or won't pass out of pressure. 5. Guys who make the game personal. 6. Guys who think inside players are only there to rebound.
All the smart guys I played with understood these 6 things. I really wonder how many of our guys do. Few things are easier than covering a spectator. It's almost as easy to cover someone who never surprises you where they are. If a guy has to dribble, even if he's a good ball handler, he gives me time to help off side, and still get back to get in front of him. If I know you don't see the court well, or you lack trust in getting the ball to someone else, all I have to do is play you and the basket, and I can crowd you and know you will likely make a mistake, because even if you do pass, it's a last ditch effort and that's hard to execute. I love a guy who thinks any effort to stop him is an attack on his manhood. They are so predictable, and their aggressiveness will push them into making mistakes, or not see the help I've got coming. You can want to beat your guy, but you want to beat him in multiple ways, and using your teammates means you double the pleasure when you beat them. The last once is about my being able to cheat off my guy and not worry they will dish to him when I help. Most of the time they won't make the pass, but even when they do, inside guys who aren't used to it usually bobble the ball or short arm the shot.
-What traits do you find with the guys you think are hardest to cover?
1. Guys who never stop moving. 2. Guys who don't let me make contact with them. 3. Catch and shooters. 4. Quick passers who then go to the basket. 5. Players who are always looking for gaps in the defense. 6. Guys who position themselves for passers to find them. 7. Guys who know where they are in relationship to the basket at all times.
I hate 'Energizer Bunnies', those irritating idiots who move for no apparent reason, because the second I don't pay attention to one of those moves, they are cutting backdoor on me for an easy layup. If I can touch you, I know where you are, how you are leaning, and which direction you are likely to go. No touch, no idea, that's harder to cover. Catch and shoot means my time to recover from helping off side is much shorter, and I better account for that. That also means I'm far less likely to be helping, which also means better opportunity for someone to drive or post up. If a guy passes early in his drive I now have to play both the guy I was originally defending, but also the guy he dished to, so one or the other is likely going to have a mismatch. No bueno. There are guys who are always looking where the defense isn't, be it zone or man, and they bug the crap out of you, because you know they will be calling for the ball. There are also guys who fully understand their teammates, how they like to penetrate, and position themselves to be a kickout or dish off. These guys are fewer than you might think. Most have a pretty good understanding, but most get a little lost if they are bouncing around through picks and backcuts.
We are up to our eyeballs in guys who I think are athletic enough to play in the B1G. What we aren't seeming to have are guys who are actually students of the game. I think most feel Wilhelm is a pretty saavy guy, but I actually think Andre has a pretty good instinct for the game as well. What holds him back is he's just played so little over the years, but he's seeming to understand the game quite well in spite of that. Walker does 2 things really well: plays really good help defense on the perimeter and has nice moves in the lane if he gets his guy on his hip. Bryce, well, he's just a different animal from a talent standpoint, but he's so clouded by what Verge does I see his game looking worse by the day. Kobe wants to be a leader, but he's also being a little pouty and occasionally selfish with his shooting, and I think a lot of that is triggered by Verge. Frankly, I don't know what Fred will do, but he's not some Nancy Boy who is going to sit around and let a team embarrass him when they have this much talent. The last couple of years we were really lean. This year even he thought we had the tools, so I'm of the belief he's going to make some changes in the next week or so. We might look a little different after New Years.
I'd start Kobe over verge and limit verge playing time. When verge does go in, if he's detrimental then keep his minutes at 10 a game or less. If he learns something, maybe u can increase minutes. Lack of playing time will open his eyes like coaching can't. Keep him out until he changes or forever if he doesn't
