'16-'17 Team Defense

[Mongo]

Watching the NCAAT and daydreaming about next season, I wanted to talk about what excites me most for next season... DEFENSE!!!

We were a very good, not great defensive team this season, but we were a great defensive team the year before.

This past season we were seriously challenged and still had one of the best defensive teams in the A10. If you break down this team you should be amazed how good we were. Our backcourt was overworked every game to say the least. Jarvis, Terrell and Four were pushing 40 mpg, it's hard to play top notch defense when your legs are getting tired. I read from some on this board that Terrell had regressed this season, and he was suppose to be TJ's defensive replacement. When EC went down, JT became more of an offensive minded player, which he really became much better as the season progressed. That effort had to take away from his defense because of his drive the lane style. More than that, Four was a major defensive liability which on many plays took other players out of their positions to help. It not only opened other players, but added to the fatigue factor. JG is a very good/great defensive guard, but see above and +1. Kuran developed into a good defensive player before our eyes, he got better and better as the season went on, all credit to our Coaches. The biggest X factor is Hassan. 1st half of the season, he had to take on too much defensively which constantly put him in foul trouble, especially in the first half of the game. Our defense completely changed with him on the bench. Second half of the season, Kuran got much better which helped Hassan, but from Old Dominion on, we had a shell of Hassan. Seeing how we changed so much as a team when he was on the bench, it's amazing how we held up as a team after he got hurt.

On to next year. We are DEEP and we are GOOD. We don't have Four playing 35mins a game, though I loved when he got hot shooting, there goes a major liability. We have the players to distribute minutes to keep fresh legs. We have enough offensive players to allow our defensive guys to do their thing. I loved what Akele showed the last few games, he can play and defend! Stanford is highly regarded as a defensive player and he's tall. CT showed that he can defend, and he's tall. Our incoming bigs are all regarded as very good defensive players.

Last point, Dan Hurley can flat out coach defense!! Say what you will about the offense, I saw glimpses of good offensive schemes this season, but he can absolutely get these guys to defend. We can be a Virginia type regarded defensive team next season. We have the depth to not worry about fouling as much or major fatigue, and we have some guys that can play with no major defensive holes to speak of.

I think we will be a top 5 defensive unit in the nation next year.. It's going to be fun!!

[TruePoint]

The only part of next season that I'm not excited about is the wait.

[Mongo]

The only part of next season that I'm not excited about is the wait.

Agreed, It's going to be brutal....

[adam914]

Watching the NCAAT and daydreaming about next season, I wanted to talk about what excites me most for next season... DEFENSE!!!

We were a very good, not great defensive team this season, but we were a great defensive team the year before.

This past season we were seriously challenged and still had one of the best defensive teams in the A10. If you break down this team you should be amazed how good we were. Our backcourt was overworked every game to say the least. Jarvis, Terrell and Four were pushing 40 mpg, it's hard to play top notch defense when your legs are getting tired. I read from some on this board that Terrell had regressed this season, and he was suppose to be TJ's defensive replacement. When EC went down, JT became more of an offensive minded player, which he really became much better as the season progressed. That effort had to take away from his defense because of his drive the lane style. More than that, Four was a major defensive liability which on many plays took other players out of their positions to help. It not only opened other players, but added to the fatigue factor. JG is a very good/great defensive guard, but see above and +1. Kuran developed into a good defensive player before our eyes, he got better and better as the season went on, all credit to our Coaches. The biggest X factor is Hassan. 1st half of the season, he had to take on too much defensively which constantly put him in foul trouble, especially in the first half of the game. Our defense completely changed with him on the bench. Second half of the season, Kuran got much better which helped Hassan, but from Old Dominion on, we had a shell of Hassan. Seeing how we changed so much as a team when he was on the bench, it's amazing how we held up as a team after he got hurt.

On to next year. We are DEEP and we are GOOD. We don't have Four playing 35mins a game, though I loved when he got hot shooting, there goes a major liability. We have the players to distribute minutes to keep fresh legs. We have enough offensive players to allow our defensive guys to do their thing. I loved what Akele showed the last few games, he can play and defend! Stanford is highly regarded as a defensive player and he's tall. CT showed that he can defend, and he's tall. Our incoming bigs are all regarded as very good defensive players.

Last point, Dan Hurley can flat out coach defense!! Say what you will about the offense, I saw glimpses of good offensive schemes this season, but he can absolutely get these guys to defend. We can be a Virginia type regarded defensive team next season. We have the depth to not worry about fouling as much or major fatigue, and we have some guys that can play with no major defensive holes to speak of.

I think we will be a top 5 defensive unit in the nation next year.. It's going to be fun!!

Some good points here, and I agree that there really isn't any reason why we can't be a top defensive team again like last year. Just replacing Four and having a healthy Hassan alone should be a huge improvement.

[eli#10]

Right on TP.

[rambone 78]

Whether we are a great defensive team might depend on what we do offensively.

We play more uptempo with our added depth, do we give up something on defense?

If we want to be a NCAA tourney team, the offensive efficiency has to improve.

[PeterRamTime]

I think we have to start playing that pressure style defense that Dan's been saying we'll have. Full court/half court in your face for 40 minutes.
Force turnovers for easy baskets, push the ball up the court and attack after a rebound. Gotta use our D to get easier baskets next year. We had flashes of good half court offense this year, but as well all know as long as Hurleys been here we've had some uuuuuggglllyy O. So, hopefully we turn up the heat on Defense and become the good ol running Rams on offense.
If we do that we should out work and our athletic most of the teams we play next year and just that should amount to a lot of wins. Of course on top of all that, I think about last year and some times this year, where we would have these 7-10 point leads and we just would never go for the kill shot and we'd let teams back in the game. Need our offense to make the plays we need to put people away. Need to start finishing games better in crunch time as well.
Definitely not worried about the defense. We are going to give them HELL

[PlayMikeMotenMore]

Whether we are a great defensive team might depend on what we do offensively.

We play more uptempo with our added depth, do we give up something on defense?

If we want to be a NCAA tourney team, the offensive efficiency has to improve.

Agree 100%...offensive efficiency must improve. Turnovers to offense? Yes.

However, I don't think you'll see this team run after rebounds or run after taking it out of bounds. From what I see, Dan (like a lot of coaches) is too much of a control freak to allow the freedom to run. He's a point guard and thus he likes to run an "offense" each time down...although sometimes I don't recognize what the offense is. Many (not all) teams that like to run can be a little loose defensively at times. (see UNC, Washington, Iowa, USC, BYU).

I think Dan envisions his team in the hard-nose style of Virginia, Butler, and Pitt. Those teams are hardly known for their running but wearing down opponents with their defense instead. I don't believe that Dan really believes that his team is a running team.

[sf2010]

However, I don't think you'll see this team run after rebounds or run after taking it out of bounds. From what I see, Dan (like a lot of coaches) is too much of a control freak to allow the freedom to run. He's a point guard and thus he likes to run an "offense" each time down... although sometimes I don't recognize what the offense is. Many (not all) teams that like to run can be a little loose defensively at times. (see UNC, Washington, Iowa, USC, BYU).

I think Dan envisions his team in the hard-nose style of Virginia, Butler, and Pitt. Those teams are hardly known for their running but wearing down opponents with their defense instead. I don't believe that Dan really believes that his team is a running team.

I really don't understand this line of thinking. "Dan was a PG so he has to call every play...Dan was a PG so he hates big men...Dan was a PG so he wants them to dribble through the press and never try to pass because PGs are invincible..." I think it is more likely that, being a former PG himself, he appreciated a high degree of freedom on the court, and nothing I have heard him say or seen him do in games indicates to me that he denies Jarvis or others this type of freedom in decision making. Did we play slowly this year? Absolutely, but I strongly disagree that this is because DH is too much of a "control freak" who has to call every single play. You saw how completely spent our team was by the end of games and certainly by the end of the season due to injury and depth issues, and that's even with playing very slow on offense to save their legs for as long as possible. And when a team is in the half-court offense, as we were the vast majority of the time, ALL coaches will call a play, or an offensive set with a variety of options. Try playing half-court offense where the team doesn't move in cohesion and see how that looks and how effective it is.

I don't think Dan was lying to everybody when he said before the season began that we would be a much more up-tempo transition-oriented team. Personnel situations made him change his plan. I wouldn't call that being a control freak. I would call that being adaptable and doing what he thought was best to give his team the best chance to win games.

[PlayMikeMotenMore]

We will have to agree to disagree.

1) I believe Dan to be a control freak coach...by his play calling, mannerisms, and tenseness. (That's not the same as intensity.)
2) If you watch basketball, then you should know that NOT ALL coaches will call a play. Wisconsin runs a swing offense...it's free flowing. They don't have to look to the bench or coach for a play. Kansas doesn't run plays every single time down. Coach K doesn't bark out play calls from the bench. In fact, he sits very quietly on offense. Of course, Bob Knight at Indiana was famous for running a motion offense which has zero plays. It's simply an offense based on screening and movement, with the players reading and reacting to how each screen and player is defended.
3) There are some coaches that do run plays, Izzo and Crean call tons of plays (also known as sets). And I would label those coaches as control freaks as well, for the record.
4) Moving in cohesion is not the same as running a play. I've played in random pick up games with a good group of random guys...we've been cohesive on offense but clearly we were not running plays.

[RhowdyRam02]

Agree 100%...offensive efficiency must improve. Turnovers to offense? Yes.

Actually our offensive efficiency was good. We just played so slow that we weren't scoring as much as our efficiency would have dictated.

[sf2010]

We will have to agree to disagree.

1) I believe Dan to be a control freak coach...by his play calling, mannerisms, and tenseness. (That's not the same as intensity.) [If those things make him a control freak, then I wouldn't say that being a control freak is a bad thing
2) If you watch basketball, then you should know that NOT ALL coaches will call a play. Wisconsin runs a swing offense...it's free flowing. They don't have to look to the bench or coach for a play. Kansas doesn't run plays every single time down. Coach K doesn't bark out play calls from the bench. In fact, he sits very quietly on offense. Of course, Bob Knight at Indiana was famous for running a motion offense which has zero plays. It's simply an offense based on screening and movement, with the players reading and reacting to how each screen and player is defended. [Obviously Hurley does not call plays 100% of the time down the court. You mention some coaches being more quiet and reserved - I would say that is more indicative of communication style and not whether or not they are "control freaks." You think Bobby Knight and Coach K aren't control freaks? I guarantee you there is nothing that goes in with their programs that is of their control. It's just a matter of how that control is communicated. For Hurley, more frequently than those coaches you mentioned he communicates directly with the players on the court. With the other coaches you mentioned, you can bet your ass that the players know what sets they are supposed to run, and if they don't they will find themselves on the bench. Just a different way of expressing control. And I would suggest that Hurley's style is actually less "controlling" because it can be adjusted more moment-by-moment.
3) There are some coaches that do run plays, Izzo and Crean call tons of plays (also known as sets). And I would label those coaches as control freaks as well, for the record. [And MSU had arguably the best offense in the country this year. Indiana not far behind. Why again is calling tons of plays/sets a bad thing???
4) Moving in cohesion is not the same as running a play. I've played in random pick up games with a good group of random guys...we've been cohesive on offense but clearly we were not running plays. [Another one of my favorites - drawing on coaching CYO basketball or playing in pickups games as examples of what strategies should be implemented in DI college basketball. I bet running random backdoor cuts, pick-and-rolls, and give-and-go's that require no communication is a bit easier on the playground than it is against DI competition.

[bigappleram]

Great article in today's NY Post about Dick and Tony Bennett. Dick got so much grief because his team "played ugly" and defensive basketball, and Tony has carried that torch with his style.
Really interesting stuff like Dick doesnt watch any of the UVA games because he cant stand to...says the criticism his style got had something to do with him leaving the game.

[PeterRamTime]

Great article in today's NY Post about Dick and Tony Bennett. Dick got so much grief because his team "played ugly" and defensive basketball, and Tony has carried that torch with his style.
Really interesting stuff like Dick doesnt watch any of the UVA games because he cant stand to...says the criticism his style got had something to do with him leaving the game.

I'll have to check that out, although I would not say that Virginia plays all that ugly. They are as efficient and as flawless as anyone on the offensive end (as well as defensively of course ) on the college level.
Tony Bennett is an incredible coach.

[PlayMikeMotenMore]

Great article in today's NY Post about Dick and Tony Bennett. Dick got so much grief because his team "played ugly" and defensive basketball, and Tony has carried that torch with his style.
Really interesting stuff like Dick doesnt watch any of the UVA games because he cant stand to...says the criticism his style got had something to do with him leaving the game.

I'll have to check that out, although I would not say that Virginia plays all that ugly. They are as efficient and as flawless as anyone on the offensive end (as well as defensively of course ) on the college level.
Tony Bennett is an incredible coach.

The UVA teams are far more athletic and able to create offensively than the Wisconsin teams under Bennett. UVA can and occasionally will get out and run. UW almost never did that.

Wisconsin = put you in a choke hold
UVA = put you in in a choke hold and then take your money and wallet too

[bigappleram]

Agree with you both that UVA has a more efficient and pretty offensive game than those old Wisconsin teams. But its all relative, given how offensive the game is now versus then its still a contrast to the more pro offense styles most teams employ.

[Rhody72]

Isn't the off-season great? Fans that haven't been to the NCAAs in 17 years can't wait for next season. Sounds like a bunch of old Red Sox fans to me. How will our hearts be broken next time? Will DH learn to coach offensive basketball? Will players commit to becoming better foul shot shooters in the off-season? Will we find a legitimate center or will be a team of combos? Will Jarvis allow next season to be EC's team? Some players will be unhappy with their minutes next season.

[rambone 78]

72, you make some points, but I think I have officially passed the Negative Nancy baton to you.

Enjoy!

[Mongo]

Isn't the off-season great? Fans that haven't been to the NCAAs in 17 years can't wait for next season. Sounds like a bunch of old Red Sox fans to me. How will our hearts be broken next time? Will DH learn to coach offensive basketball? Will players commit to becoming better foul shot shooters in the off-season? Will we find a legitimate center or will be a team of combos? Will Jarvis allow next season to be EC's team? Some players will be unhappy with their minutes next season.

It's a lot more fun to be excited about next season vs. expecting the worst. I guess I'm an optimistic person in general. Rhody72 has definitely taking the over the negative nancy role Rambone..

[Rhody74]

Isn't the off-season great? Fans that haven't been to the NCAAs in 17 years can't wait for next season. Sounds like a bunch of old Red Sox fans to me. How will our hearts be broken next time? Will DH learn to coach offensive basketball? Will players commit to becoming better foul shot shooters in the off-season? Will we find a legitimate center or will be a team of combos? Will Jarvis allow next season to be EC's team? Some players will be unhappy with their minutes next season.

And they all could get run over by a bus in October. Geez, let's expect the worst.