Watching the Finals and spotted an old nemesis. Part of the Spurs organization.
Corliss Williamson
- Thread starter UKVACats0107
- Start date
There may not be a player EVER that did something as disrespectful as Corliss did. He came into Rupp and the Razorbacks beat us. Then he spit on the Rupp floor and wiped his shoes on it.
And the Hogs have not been relevant since. Karmic justice.
I 
40 minutes of HELL
Maybe time for Pope to play 12 - 13 players and go to full court press for 40 minutes of Blue Hell
40 minutes of HELLMaybe time for Pope to play 12 - 13 players and go to full court press for 40 minutes of Blue Hell
You have to hand check to FCP the way Pitino did it however No better defense to run when the other team have big heavy bodies. Press and make them run under pressure make 3 point shots come up short in the last 10 min. Of a game. No one ever come from behind to beat a Pitino teamI
Maybe time for Pope to play 12 - 13 players and go to full court press for 40 minutes of Blue Hell
Agreed. The disappearance of the full court press has been a sad development in modern basketball.I
Nobody today dares press the full 94 feet the way those old Pitino UK and “40 minutes of hell” Arky teams did. And it’s a shame. That “balls out” style was so fun to watch.
It's tied to the 3 point shot.
When Pitino was at Providence and then during his time at UK, there were A LOT of teams that had a point guard who could handle the ball and basically no one else, at least no one else trustworthy. The 3 point shot put an emphasis on perimeter play and you generally saw more guards on the floor. And now it's all 4 and 5 out offenses.
Pitino's last UK team lost 5 games. They lost their first against a good Clemson team when Pitino tried to play too small and UK got beat up inside. Then he realized he was going to have to play Mohamed and Magloire. Then they lost a tough road game to Ole Miss when Derek Anderson had a back injury and was limited and ineffective. After that it was twice to South Carolina and then to Arizona in the title game. Which was not a fluke. South Carolina had 3 good guards who could attack the press. Arizona had Mike Bibby, Miles Simon, and Jason Terry.
Notice that Nolan Rchardson's career faded in the late 90's, and that when Pitino came back to the college game, his teams never pressed as relentlessly as his teams had at UK.
Like a traditional post scorer, the full-court press will always have some usefulness, but I think its time as a foundational, full-time strategy is gone. And I agree that's kind of sad. That kind of breathtaking aggressiveness was a joy to watch. And as much as I just explained why I think its faded, I'm still surprised that no one seems willing to even try now.
It is tied to the three point shot but not because of it. What wrecked the press as a consistent strategy was the development of the 3 and 4 (and even 5) positions being able to handle the ball some with even guard skills.
The press feasted on forcing the ball to non ball handlers to have to dribble even just a few times. Now you have at most one non ball handler on the floor.
Doesn't mean you cant still use it in spurts, mainly to drain the shot clock, but its dead as an overall strategy.
Yep. As the game became more perimeter-oriented in general, you had more guys with perimeter skills on the floor.
In the 80's, and into the 90's there were a lot of teams that played a 2 guard and small forward who you really didn't want dribbling more than once. And a 4 and 5 not at all. Teams just aren't built like that now, because almost every player grows up trying to develop some perimeter skills, even the ones who end up close to 7 foot tall.
I was at that game ( stident then) - even though we lost it was an is still the loudest game I ever remember in Rupp.
“Press Virginia” under Higgins used it like 10 years ago but it was gimmicky at that point
I played ball with him one summer. I think it was 91 or 92 at Darnell State Park in Russellville. He was a very nice kid, but boy he was a bull. There was another really good player. I don't know if he went on college. His name was Scotty and not Pippen and he was smooth as can be. I believe he probably was a two guard or a wing. Think his last name started with the letter M.
Anyway, those are some good times
Anyway, those are some good times
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You can’t get these ballplayers today to work that hard as a group. Too busy shooting half court shots and practicing their dunks. What these kids don’t realize is it gets them in the best shape of their lives, it’s a winning philosophy and it’s awesome to watch other team just wilt and give up. It can be a dominating philosophy if you can sell it. But it’s not suited for the NBA, that’s just way too much work.
Loved Corliss Williamson. "Big Nasty!" Those two years were a blast to watch them. Great squad.
Williamson
Beck
Thurman
Stewart
McDaniel
loaded squads.
Williamson
Beck
Thurman
Stewart
McDaniel
loaded squads.
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A more modern day #2 for me is Auburn using their "belts" on the Rupp floor after destroying us in '25. So glad to see them trending down since that season!
The majority of players are just softer now, and if they know that you run a full court pressing system, they’re likely to go somewhere else that doesn’t, given everything else is equal.
I miss the whole game full court press as well, but it is what it is now I guess.