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Post by LumsdnA10Academc98 on Jan 7, 2009 22:37:30 GMT -5
I'll take a win however I can get one, but there won't be many more if we don't straighten out our press break. A huge issue all game against the lowly Rams, our failure to break a press almost cost us the game down the stretch.
First of all, why was Hall the ball handler of choice down the stretch? Second, where were our guards flashing to the ball when the Rams trapped - an issue all game? It doesn't matter if John Stockton is bringing the ball up. If his teammates are 30 and 40 feet downcourt and not coming to help, Stockton is only so good.
Third, why did our ball handlers, most often Hall and Eleby, favor the sidelines? Rule No. 1 is keep the ball in the middle of the floor, but if no help is on the way, our guards have no other choice, especially when roughly our fifth best ball handler (Hall) was bringing the ball up.
I know he was borderline awful all night, but where was Blackburn down the stretch, when we couldn't get the ball over halfcourt and getting a shot off was out of the question. Bottom line is that we didn't have one of our best ball handlers in down the stretch, and our team looked lost against an average press, both worrisome signs going forward.
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Post by hamrucker on Jan 7, 2009 23:26:53 GMT -5
I know he was borderline awful all night No borderline about it, he was absolutely awful tonight. Six turnover to one assist and zero points is why Ray found himself on the bench. Maybe when he realizes this is a team concept and not a one on one league, he'll see himself getting more PT down the stretch. He may also want to brush up on what they consider a "carry" because he gets whistled for it about twice a game. Ray has a lot to learn mentally to become a solid A-10 pg.
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Post by tomangelone on Jan 7, 2009 23:30:40 GMT -5
I imagine Schmidt was sending a message to Raymond tonight. If one thinks about it, it really is unbelievable the way this kid makes mental errors throughout the course of a basketball game. Sure, he's been solid as a whole this season, but at some point Schmidt needs to really impress upon him that he is our POINT GUARD and not a show-stopping scorer. Blackburn needs to understand when and when not to push the ball in a banzai manner.
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Post by Hoops83 on Jan 7, 2009 23:35:41 GMT -5
Coach's first line at the reception was asking if anyone knew how to break a press. Blackburn and Eleby dribble first and never look to pass when the Rams were pressing. Any close game this will be an issue and I could see another Canisus-like loss or two.
Blackburn fell at one point and spent some time on the ground - he was off all night.
This team is a true point guard away from really having a complete turn around year.
But a win is a win - and the Bona faithful were out in the Bronx in strong numbers on a rainy/cold Wednesday night!!!
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Post by West End Stench on Jan 8, 2009 0:10:06 GMT -5
Watching The Bonnies struggle against the press and solve the traps was really difficult to watch, and we're lucky that Fordham didn't pressure us as hard in the first half.
That first pass on the inbound went straight to the corner every time, where two defenders would then come over and trap the corner, forcing us to make a dangerous and lofty pass back to the middle. It was also frustrating to see the Ram's set up a press after their own missed shots; this is where I thought we really could have used Blackburn since he has absolutely no hesitation in getting the ball up the court.
Breaking a press takes smart players and plenty of practice reps. It seemed like we were unprepared tonight in that aspect and I'm sure it will be an emphasis for the team leading up to Saturday's game.
P.s. - When are we going to get all of our guys on the same page? Yes, we're winning games with balanced scoring, our 5 starters scored in double digits tonight and we have 4 averaging over 11 per game. It just seems like we could be one of the deadliest teams in the A-10 if we can keep Grease out of the coach's dog house, Nicholson/Hall out of foul trouble, Matthews out of a slump, Blackburn healthy and under control, etc.
With Blackburn simply being his average self tonight we probably would have rolled on Fordham, Thomas's 9 and 6 per contest and inside presence would have helped us put away Bucksmell earlier.
Very pleased with the results, but lets get it together on Saturday and rip through this A-10 schedule.
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Post by thebonafan08 on Jan 8, 2009 1:00:27 GMT -5
Coach's first line at the reception was asking if anyone knew how to break a press. ! Hey hoops83, did Schmidt say anything else about the game or in general, and about how much of Rose Hill were bona fans?
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Post by triple302 on Jan 8, 2009 7:54:42 GMT -5
Our inability to break an end of game press is becoming a very disturbing trend. I wish we could just get through one game without them giving me a heart attack toward the end. If we don't turn this around and find someone who can steady the team when the other guys are coming at you with everything they have, how are we going to fair against real defensive teams like Xavier and Dayton. Every team is going to press us hard now. We need a true pg. I think Blackburn could definitely be the guy, if we could just pull him back from thinking he has to go full speed all of the time at the basket. It is terrifying watching both him and Eleby run with the ball at full speed.
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Post by LumsdnA10Academc98 on Jan 8, 2009 12:43:55 GMT -5
this is where I thought we really could have used Blackburn since he has absolutely no hesitation in getting the ball up the court. Breaking a press takes smart players and plenty of practice reps. It seemed like we were unprepared tonight in that aspect Bingo and bingo. If your best shooter is 0-8, are you going to have him on the bench when you need him most, say, down three in the closing seconds? I don't care how bad Blackburn was for 35 minutes. He's our best ball handler. Why wasn't he in the game when we're in the process of giving the game away in the final five minutes? As WestEnd did, I outlined over three paragraphs the numerous ways, in addition to not having our best ball handler in the game, in which our team was totally unprepared to attack any press. This isn't the first time, nor will it be the last. People on here can make all the posts praising Schmidt. But like Hoops83 said, don't be surprised by another Canisius-esque meltdown, as the same old problems - foul woes, free-throw shooting and press breaking, all things that can be improved if not corrected - continue to haunt this team night after night. When it comes to breaking a press, last night our team was again miserably unprepared. We're lucky it didn't cost us a winnable A-10 game.
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Post by fjs64 on Jan 8, 2009 12:49:52 GMT -5
Do you think that Ray should have played with the concussion?
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Post by LumsdnA10Academc98 on Jan 8, 2009 12:52:11 GMT -5
I know he was borderline awful all night No borderline about it, he was absolutely awful tonight. Gee, sorry. And I read the box score. I saw the six turnovers. To me, that still doesn't justify not having him in the game and instead having your 6-5 forward bring up the ball. What's the alternative to Blackburn, again? Maybe we can send Eleby out there for 40 minutes, if he can stay out of foul trouble. Should we instead watch Eleby fail to convert a few more 3-on-1 fast breaks. Heck, he did it three times in the first half, he has no jump shot, is a bad free throw shooter, is slow-footed on defense and is just as bad with carries (and in his case also travelling) as Blackburn, if not any point guard in years. What's the alternative to Blackburn again?
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Post by LumsdnA10Academc98 on Jan 8, 2009 12:58:23 GMT -5
Do you think that Ray should have played with the concussion? Blackburn playing sick as a dog worked pretty well a week prior. Why not give it a go? I'm kidding, of course. A concussion is news to me. Having only had the chance to skim over other threads, I heard nothing of a concussed Blackburn. If that's the case, that explains that. However, Blackburn or not, we were still lost in terms of the strategy of attacking a press.
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Post by hamrucker on Jan 8, 2009 13:12:16 GMT -5
Well, first off, Eleby had 13 points and 6 rebounds last night. He also wasn't concussed. So yes, give me Eleby over Blackburn last night.
Sure, Malcom has a ways to go on his game and he certainly had his struggles last night. However, he brought some positives like getting into the paint and attacking the basket, when he NEEDED to. Now here is the difference between the two point guards right now. Blackburn is in attack mode when he doesn't need to be. Right now, in my opinion, Eleby understands situations more than Blackburn and that is why he needed to be in the game last night in crunch time.
Now don't get me wrong, Ray brings a lot of positives things to the table. But let's not get ahead of ourselves acting like he is a Marques Green caliber press breaker. Remember Canisius? Ray didn't fare too well down the stretch mentally or physically against some sub-par pressure. He totally crumbled against the press and basically cost us that game with stupid decisions (see: foul 82 feet from hoop, cross court pass to unexpecting teammate).
As far as the press goes, I've always believed the way to break a press is through passing the ball and not having a guard dribble the length of the floor. We need to flash some "big" guys (Grease or Hall) to the middle of the floor and have someone like Matthews trailing either PG as an insurance policy. Hall should not be handling the ball deep in the backcourt. And like Lumbsdn said, keep the ball out of the d**n corners.
Fact of the matter is, BOTH point guards need to pick it up. A combined 11 turnovers is inexcusable. But as far as last night, I have no problem playing Eleby down the stretch, healthy Blackburn or not.
EDIT TO ADD: This PG debate doesn't need to be made into a "QB Controversy." Both have their pros and cons and as they've both shown, can perform well on the court together at the same time.
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