Head Fake

JStaff21

Heisman
Sep 8, 2012
12,735
58,188
0
Me and my friend talked about this during the Arkansas game. Nick Richards is 7’0 tall with a 7’5 wingspan. Just get a hand in his face. Stop leaving your feet! Especially at the 3 point line!
 

DS849

Junior
Feb 21, 2008
2,506
399
0
Agree, and instead of going straight up they float toward the shooter. Hands up and then after shot run to rim.
 

JC43

All-Conference
Oct 6, 2006
3,807
2,956
0
If Richards just stood tall arms up he will be effective
 

Johnfarrel

All-American
Oct 9, 2001
5,377
5,428
113
Does is drive anyone else insane that Richards and Montgomery go flying through the air on the slightest hint a of head fake? It drives me CRAZY. Stay on your feet and play some defense! You can't block everything.
It drives me crazy. It's elementary basketball. You never leave your feet until the shooter does. Watch his belly button, not his head. He is going where his belly button goes. If it does not go up, he is not jumping to shoot.
 

KyFaninNC

Heisman
Mar 14, 2005
195,719
24,518
0
Does is drive anyone else insane that Richards and Montgomery go flying through the air on the slightest hint a of head fake? It drives me CRAZY. Stay on your feet and play some defense! You can't block everything.
That is called bad coaching. I still wonder what the assistants contribute.
 
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KyFaninNC

Heisman
Mar 14, 2005
195,719
24,518
0
It drives me crazy. It's elementary basketball. You never leave your feet until the shooter does. Watch his belly button, not his head. He is going where his belly button goes. If it does not go up, he is not jumping to shoot.
Elementary basketball that evidently is foreign to our coaching staff.
 
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ManitouDan_anon

Heisman
Dec 7, 2006
20,073
32,434
0
I don't get your point, have they not played better in Jan and Feb?

Sometimes we are , sometimes we ain't ?? And I'd take our Bahamas offense over anything I've seen since. ( yes I understand defensive intensity and the difference in opponents , regardless the freedom and pace of the early season far exceeds the grind it out pace we seem to be drug down by )
 
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c-a-t-s-f-a-n

All-Conference
Jun 29, 2017
1,744
1,502
47
Elementary basketball that evidently is foreign to our coaching staff.

These things take practice reps and game experience to master. Don't forget these are not upperclassmen (freshman and sophomore) and don't get a lot of playing time
 

Bluesnky

All-American
Jan 24, 2013
6,363
9,715
0
What I wonder more about is why don't OUR GUYS use shot fakes more to draw fouls/and ones down low? Going for a head fake is not just a UK thing -- all these high-flying athletes love to get big blocks.
I don’t know about shot fakes but it would be difficult to shoot more free throws than we did on Saturday and nearly impossible to have a greater positive free throw attempt disparity when facing a team like Tennessee. We were +15 on attempts.
 

BBUK_anon

Hall of Famer
May 26, 2005
52,358
124,843
0
When you are put under pressure your true tendencies come out. To be great you have to control yourself while under pressure. Some can, some cannot. We shall see with this team if they have players who can control themselves while under pressure.....
 
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K_TIME

Heisman
Jan 2, 2003
18,420
25,759
113
1. EJ is just young...and part of learning
2. The bigger issue is EJ is playing so much due to Wenyen leaving who would be experienced enough to be a smarter defender But due to Ky effect of kids leaivng so fast....we never get to enjoy the benefits of them learning.
 
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Comebakatz3

Heisman
Aug 8, 2008
43,907
33,731
113
The problem is that they are often out of position and scrambling to get to the defender based upon being out of position. So, they fly in late and use the jump in order to make up for being late and out of position. That is why the head fake works. If they are set in front of the person then the head fake isn't as likely to work. What needs to happen is less about going for the head fake and more about the defense, any and all of it, getting out of position and then Richards/Montgomery being in that position to begin with.
 
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Chuckinden

All-American
Jun 12, 2006
19,002
5,955
113
That is called bad coaching. I still wonder what the assistants contribute.
Touchy subject, but I agree. As much as I like Kenny Payne, it seems that our bigs are always lacking. I know that's not altogether true, but it seems that way.
 
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Bluesnky

All-American
Jan 24, 2013
6,363
9,715
0
I feel like our defense isn’t getting a fair shake on its performance Saturday. Holding Tennessee to 71 is perfectly fine.

The matchup between Tennessee’s offense and Kentucky’s defense was pretty much exactly what you would expect based on the season to date. It’s Kentucky’s offense versus Tennessee’s defense that should be raising eyebrows.
 
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Catzman

Heisman
Apr 29, 2002
17,463
14,545
113
More frustrating is that our guys dont use it. It gets a guy in the air 50% of the time at worst. PJ and Herro should attempt it 2 or 3 times a game a piece at minimum.
 

BBUK_anon

Hall of Famer
May 26, 2005
52,358
124,843
0
I feel like our defense isn’t getting a fair shake on its performance Saturday. Holding Tennessee to 71 is perfectly fine.

The matchup between Tennessee’s offense and Kentucky’s defense was pretty much exactly what you would expect based on the season to date. It’s Kentucky’s offense versus Tennessee’s defense that should be raising eyebrows.

Kentucky's offense was hampered significantly. Those same issues effected the defense but not by as much...
 

K_TIME

Heisman
Jan 2, 2003
18,420
25,759
113
Touchy subject, but I agree. As much as I like Kenny Payne, it seems that our bigs are always lacking. I know that's not altogether true, but it seems that way.
So you feel like in Kenny's time at UK the growth of PJ, Bam, KAT, Jorts, AD, hasn't been a team strength?

I have about zero qualms with Payne...Tony Barbee however I am not nearly as glowing.
 

RalphDaltonFan

Heisman
Apr 3, 2002
60,295
41,792
113
For the poster upset with Payne, I think it's more to do with the material and less to do with his coaching. He's done/doing a great job with PJ and Reid Travis has done some things this year he's not done since his SR year in HS. If you want to be upset, it's recruiting losses that have hurt as less talented players tend to not develop as quickly for whatever reason, but it's usually between the ears.

Great points being made about going for the head/shot fakes, and I'd add that the one thing driving me nuts watching any level of basketball is when a defender is matched up with a ball handler late in shot clock and hands are down--you have to have have a hand up and make them drive the ball. It's universally happening in the sport and really "love" when it happens when defensive team is up 2 possessions and if they do give up a 2 would have ball and a 3 pt lead but instead give up the 3. You always want to have the ball in your hands and decide your fate but so many of the strategies defensively late in games are questionable.
 

willyclyde

All-American
Feb 25, 2007
5,917
8,898
0
There was one play where 3 of our guys jumped all trying to block a shot. Absolutely nobody was on the weak side to get the rebound and it obviously resulted in an easy bucket for Tennessee.

Cal has so many tendencies that make no sense. This, inbounds plays, no press, taking the air out of the ball with 8 minutes left, and no zone being the most prominent imo.
 

Soupbean

All-American
Jan 19, 2007
5,945
8,109
0
Does is drive anyone else insane that Richards and Montgomery go flying through the air on the slightest hint a of head fake? It drives me CRAZY. Stay on your feet and play some defense! You can't block everything.
If you know me at all you know this is one of my top three rants over time. I yell at the TV at least 15 times a game about it. The rule is pretty simple, he who jumps first loses 95% of the time. And it's not just our guys, they all do it. The bigs who learn to control the natural temptation to get wired and jump at every ball fake or driver end up being the real rim protectors. Nick had actually gotten better at that earlier in the year but reverted back.

Its hard to do but the defender has to learn to calm down and not overreact first. Then they learn to let the shooter, driver etc commit first and then react. By jumping last you always have time to block the shot becaues 1) the shooter has to hesitate a beat at the top to release and 2) you have more time because the ball will be in the air some afterward as well. Unless its a dunk situation, first off the floor loses every time.
 
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KyCatFan1

Heisman
May 6, 2002
30,867
31,594
113
Dan Issel would have killed them. He made a living off an 8th grade head fake

Dan Issel? How about Gimel Martinez? He would have had these guys leaving their feet to block nothing.

I also hate having 2 guys constantly going for the block like was previously mentioned. I'd rather not block hardly any shots and just play good defense straight up in the paint. Unfortunately, our guys constantly get beat off the dribble and that is what forces the secondary defender to automatically go for the block.

If you get beat by your man, instead of chasing after him, why not automatically run to the secondary defenders man and block out? I wish we could just plant a big in the paint near the basket so they don't get beat off the dribble to begin with.
 

KyFaninNC

Heisman
Mar 14, 2005
195,719
24,518
0
If you know me at all you know this is one of my top three rants over time. I yell at the TV at least 15 times a game about it. The rule is pretty simple, he who jumps first loses 95% of the time. And it's not just our guys, they all do it. The bigs who learn to control the natural temptation to get wired and jump at every ball fake or driver end up being the real rim protectors. Nick had actually gotten better at that earlier in the year but reverted back.

Its hard to do but the defender has to learn to calm down and not overreact first. Then they learn to let the shooter, driver etc commit first and then react. By jumping last you always have time to block the shot becaues 1) the shooter has to hesitate a beat at the top to release and 2) you have more time because the ball will be in the air some afterward as well. Unless its a dunk situation, first off the floor loses every time.
This is what AD was so good at, also why he was a great shot blocker.

Can we not get Nazr, Maglorie, or AD in here to work with our bigs?
 

Blueblood410

Heisman
Sep 5, 2004
19,810
13,124
113
The funny thing is, our players hardly ever use a pump fake so it's not like Nick and EJ should see them every day in practice.
 
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Runnin'Ramel

Heisman
Jan 19, 2005
35,673
13,547
113
UK's bigs have been falling for every shot fake since Cal arrived. It's a youth problem more than anything, and no surprise, our teams are always loaded with freshmen bigs.
 
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HagginHall1999

Heisman
Oct 19, 2018
16,189
28,772
113
This team's going to be awesome after Camp Cal.

Obviously the above is tongue in cheek, but there were a lot of people on this message board saying UK would lose a MINIMUM of 10 games, some were 12 to 15.

At most this team will lose 8 games, unless they completely collapse. Personally, if we don't lose tomorrow I'm saying we don't lose again!
 

precipitance

All-Conference
Feb 6, 2018
886
1,543
0
Has driven me crazy for years. Weak side defender flying over to help. Gives up rebounds and points.

I have been wondering how many times a block attemp ends up a rebound, basket, or a foul against us. Three guys go for the block, leaving the rebound for a score or a recovery foul and a score.
 
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