Captains - Ty / Brooks / Matt
- Thread starter BosCat
- Start date
My 13 year old son has absurdly hairy legs. I do not.
Therefore the joke: “must’ve gotten your hairy legs from your mother.”
I think it might just be hairy legs, like their mothers.
I am so excited to see Berry this season. He took a gigantic leap last season, despite being third banana. If he can maintain the shooting gains from last season, watch out.
I just hope this is a good three-point-shooting team, because the offense is so much more dangerous when it is. Losing Boo and Langford as outside threats is really going to hurt, but if Berry (and Barnhizer, and Martinelli) are even better than last year, and Leach is as advertised, this could still be a very good team from long range there.
Not to mention Hunger "taking a leap" (see other thread). He's not a great three-point shooter, but that he can even take (and occasionally, make) them at all only makes it that much more difficult to defend NU.
I said before the season that I thought Audige's departure might allow Berry to get out of his shadow and assert himself.
That may not have been the biggest reason - Barnhizer, Langborg and Buie took the pressure off Berry and got him more open looks - but Audige's departure AND Roper's injury and subsequent departure gave Berry a much better opportunity to step up.
Its possible Berry will slip this year as teams defend him more intensely on the perimeter. Will be a challenge for Collins and co to modify/rework the offense if Leach can't get into the lane.
Ty's success seems like it will be at least partly driven by the success of the rest of the team. I know, that's obvious and kinda dumb, but I don't see him being able to take over a game. Oppo defenses will smoother him if we don't have at least two other genuine threats on the court to open things up.
A big chunk of last year was so amazing because Boo, Ty, and Ryan were all dangerous from the three, and Brooks, Boo, and Nick could kill in close, meanwhile you had to keep Matt out of the paint.
This year feels like we still have a lot of that inner threat, so the question is who will be there spacing the arc with Ty? Because if he is the only consistent threat from three, I think his percentage will drop back down to sad town.
A big chunk of last year was so amazing because Boo, Ty, and Ryan were all dangerous from the three, and Brooks, Boo, and Nick could kill in close, meanwhile you had to keep Matt out of the paint.
This year feels like we still have a lot of that inner threat, so the question is who will be there spacing the arc with Ty? Because if he is the only consistent threat from three, I think his percentage will drop back down to sad town.
I think you are going to have to work the offense inside out. No more high screens for Boo to work off and get vertical with his deadly speed. Still, Ty will have to work to get his open looks. I think the key that unlocks it is Leach. He doesn't need to be able to create shots, just hit his open looks.
I think that early, teams will leave the others to shut down Ty from the 3. If Mart hits the open 3 consistently, if BB continues to be a 3 threat and someone steps up outside - then opponents will have to change away from shutting down Ty.
I think Ty’s stats will improve over the season.
This is where I think Matt developing his post game beyond the "Nicholbombs" will be important. Still want him to get ally-oop opportunities whenever possible, of course, but it would really help the team if he has at least a couple of effective post moves that the defense has to respect. That would open up the kickout passes to Ty and others for more open attempts from deep.
Nicholson spent most of his time on offense setting ball screens for Buie for the 2022-23 season.
That carried over to 2023-24, but teams adjusted and we didn't do it as much in the 2nd half of the year... and then Nicholson got injured.
The Nicholbombs were mostly when a defender fell asleep and Matt could roll off the screen for a lob.
My hope is that Martinelli and Barnhizer are so effective from 10 feet in (posting up) that they'll draw the opposing big and just flip the ball up toward, but not above, the rim for Nicholson to grab and dunk.
This next piece is only for those who can think outside the box...
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I want to remind everybody that there is a hole in the rules that gives a distinct advantage to the offensive player in these situations... The defender is not allowed to touch the ball if it is on its downward flight toward the basket. That is goaltending and the refs always call it. However, the offensive players ARE allowed to touch the ball, even if it is in downward flight, as long as it hasn't entered the cylinder. If anybody should exploit such a loophole it is Northwestern. Put Nicholson near the basket. Shoot the ball from way out. Defenders focus on rebounding position. Nicholson jumps, intercepts the ball as it approaches the cylinder and dunks. Legal play. Impossible to defend. Just sayin. Here's how it works...