Originally posted by timo0402:
I like Tony Bennett but i don't want him at Duke, just not a fan of his style of play. nothing wrong with it if you like that style, it's just not for me. He gets a ton of success out of it though, so i'm not knocking it, it's just too slow of a pace.
I wholeheartedly agree here. I respect the heck out of him and how disciplined his players are and how effectively they run his system, but I don't enjoy the product (and I'm a high school basketball coach). I grew up in watching the early 90's and beyond ACC, with the likes of Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, Tim Duncan, Antwan Jamison, Randolph Childress, JJ Redick, Jason Williams, Joe Smith, Vince Carter, Stephon Marbury, Chris Paul, and too many other to even mention. 54-48 ballgames is not the ACC I know or prefer. I'm not saying no defense obviously, but let's put the ball in the basket a little bit too.
On a side note, I think ultimately that is what hurt Bennett and the Wahoos. They are conservative to a fault when on offense. They often pass up shots to burn more shot clock, and their desire to play slow sometimes removes their aggressiveness. They have guys like Brogden, Anderson, Perrantes, and Gill who can create and make plays, but they all disappear for stretches due to the nature of the way they play. You almost never see Anderson rip a defensive board and immediately and aggressively change ends like Justise, and they are the same kind of elite athlete. They always err of the side of caution/conservatism. I think Bennett needs to loosen the reins offensively. Sorry, I know that's not really what the thread is about.