First, Middle Tennessee State is an experienced team with some nice pieces.. Dont know how much of a run they have,in this tournament, but they are a pretty decent team from what is a so so conference...Congratulations as they were the better team today..
Akeem's loss probably hurt us more than we realize, in regards to on court communication as well as abilities... Guys knew they were going to have to play a lot of minutes and we were tentative, as a result...Reggie has to determine when he should block shots.. "Every time" is not the right answer.. Silly fouls changes the complexion of our team though the rest of our guys need to take responsibility also, whether he is on or off the floor.
In regards to personnel...
-Hurt is clearly not ready for this level... He needs a redshirt year, big time, and I would try to convince him it would be good for next year.
-I will argue that Sharp was more ready than either Hurt or Gilbert.. Sharp did not have to see the floor because of Akeem this year. I think Sharp was an under utilized asset this year.
-Fitzgerald will help if he can regain some of what he did as a freshman.. He is a long wing that can extend a defense.
-Jordan and Eric need to continue to work on their game to increase what they can do offensively. All players do but those 2 more than anyone as they will be part of the main rotation.
- Amir, Dupree, and Nate all need to learn to use their opposite hands much better, both on the dribble and the shot. ALL THOSE GUYS NEED TO BE DILIGENT TO GET STRONGER.. When Washington and Harris get to campus, they MUST do the same... There are more shots you can add to your arsenal if you have the physical strength to accompany the skill.
As far as post game interviews, I would put no stock in what Pitino says right after the loss.. If you have ever been in front of a crowd to speak or whatever, you get a 'speakers high' after the event..Everything is a bit surreal right afterwards and you get on 'automatic pilot' to get through the current moments. Same with coaching as he is being dragged by everyone immediately to either congratulate him on the season, console him on the game, or constantly remind him of the mistakes the team made by everyone asking the same questions in interviews. He will give much better answers when he can think about the game.. Asking him stuff when he is frustrated is not the right time to decipher stuff as fans though it is good for the emotion of the moment to interview at the time.. Players interviews allow some perspective and a lot of insight on emotion but again, I would not put a lot of stock in it until the guys get a chance to gather their thoughts.
As far as Middle Tennessee State's defense....We run a high screen/roll offense.. That requires a screener, a ball handler, and wings on both sides.. And a big down low.... In motion offenses, you are looking for a cutter, all the time. In our offense, when a team changes zones or defenses, we have to move our players to different locations. Motion offense you dont worry as much about that. Your looks AS A PASSER are different and have a little different set of decisions that dont have to change as much against a zone... In our offense, we have to figure out the timing and location of when and where guys get to take our shots.. That is why you talk about where the shots come from and who takes them..We like to drive and kick out, which is fine but you still have to get the defense to move so those passes open up.. We did not always do that well. What happens is you pass around then look inside or on the wing and those passes are either being defended or the player is not there to take the shot.. Then you get late in the shot clock and have to manufacture something to get the ball to the rim...That is where PATIENCE comes in. Gotta get our guys in places to score and maybe some guys have to realize they arent going to get shots against certain defenses.. Jordan may have to realize that he is not going to get shots in a zone like that, at times... If he learns a 10-12 footer, that seems to work against just about any defense if you can catch and shoot.. Otherwise, you have to concentrate to get those misses, which is what he tried to do. We have some work to do before next season but guys could really help their cause by working hard in the off season, both on their games and strength.
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Akeem's loss probably hurt us more than we realize, in regards to on court communication as well as abilities... Guys knew they were going to have to play a lot of minutes and we were tentative, as a result...Reggie has to determine when he should block shots.. "Every time" is not the right answer.. Silly fouls changes the complexion of our team though the rest of our guys need to take responsibility also, whether he is on or off the floor.
In regards to personnel...
-Hurt is clearly not ready for this level... He needs a redshirt year, big time, and I would try to convince him it would be good for next year.
-I will argue that Sharp was more ready than either Hurt or Gilbert.. Sharp did not have to see the floor because of Akeem this year. I think Sharp was an under utilized asset this year.
-Fitzgerald will help if he can regain some of what he did as a freshman.. He is a long wing that can extend a defense.
-Jordan and Eric need to continue to work on their game to increase what they can do offensively. All players do but those 2 more than anyone as they will be part of the main rotation.
- Amir, Dupree, and Nate all need to learn to use their opposite hands much better, both on the dribble and the shot. ALL THOSE GUYS NEED TO BE DILIGENT TO GET STRONGER.. When Washington and Harris get to campus, they MUST do the same... There are more shots you can add to your arsenal if you have the physical strength to accompany the skill.
As far as post game interviews, I would put no stock in what Pitino says right after the loss.. If you have ever been in front of a crowd to speak or whatever, you get a 'speakers high' after the event..Everything is a bit surreal right afterwards and you get on 'automatic pilot' to get through the current moments. Same with coaching as he is being dragged by everyone immediately to either congratulate him on the season, console him on the game, or constantly remind him of the mistakes the team made by everyone asking the same questions in interviews. He will give much better answers when he can think about the game.. Asking him stuff when he is frustrated is not the right time to decipher stuff as fans though it is good for the emotion of the moment to interview at the time.. Players interviews allow some perspective and a lot of insight on emotion but again, I would not put a lot of stock in it until the guys get a chance to gather their thoughts.
As far as Middle Tennessee State's defense....We run a high screen/roll offense.. That requires a screener, a ball handler, and wings on both sides.. And a big down low.... In motion offenses, you are looking for a cutter, all the time. In our offense, when a team changes zones or defenses, we have to move our players to different locations. Motion offense you dont worry as much about that. Your looks AS A PASSER are different and have a little different set of decisions that dont have to change as much against a zone... In our offense, we have to figure out the timing and location of when and where guys get to take our shots.. That is why you talk about where the shots come from and who takes them..We like to drive and kick out, which is fine but you still have to get the defense to move so those passes open up.. We did not always do that well. What happens is you pass around then look inside or on the wing and those passes are either being defended or the player is not there to take the shot.. Then you get late in the shot clock and have to manufacture something to get the ball to the rim...That is where PATIENCE comes in. Gotta get our guys in places to score and maybe some guys have to realize they arent going to get shots against certain defenses.. Jordan may have to realize that he is not going to get shots in a zone like that, at times... If he learns a 10-12 footer, that seems to work against just about any defense if you can catch and shoot.. Otherwise, you have to concentrate to get those misses, which is what he tried to do. We have some work to do before next season but guys could really help their cause by working hard in the off season, both on their games and strength.
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