We can see the difference in approach with all the guards more depth that we have now. I know Chicago State is a weaker team but we can see a very different approach. As soon as the got the ball it was being pushed down the floor before D could really set up. Appear much more confident. BIG is stacked so it might not result in significantly more wins (especially with a truncated preseason) but it should be much more entertaining
This is going to be a fun team to watch
- Thread starter hdhntr1
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I have seen some encouraging signs and agree this could be a fun year for the Cats. The guys appear to like playing together. Roles are better defined. Nance is beginning to attack the rim offensively. Players are stronger and shooting with more confidence. We have more options for scoring points. Points in the paint may still be a problem. Still, I can see this team adding 10 points or more to its per game scoring average in BIG play.
Can we defend and rebound in conference play? Our length gives us a chance to defend. But rebounding? I haven’t seen much to be confident or not about that. How well we defend and rebound will largely define where we end up at the end of the season....IMO.
GOUNUII
I'm skeptical that the playground offense they are running against crappy teams will be the answer in the B1G. Time will tell.
Right. If NU can spread the floor and hot outside shots in the half court, they can hang. But NU’s talent will usually be inferior to their opponents, and they’ll need to limit possessions to stay competitive.
The good news is that they’ve generally been well-coached defensively, and limit opponent three point attempts while also extending opponent possessions.
Not with the Collins staff. They have been incapable of creating an offense. Might as well just try to run and gun.
Surprising that a guy like Brian James with all his years of experience on the high school, college and professional level is “incapable of creating an offense”. Posts like these harken back to the days of msnow and DocCatsFan. Good stuff.
It comes down to having players that can break down other players and that can shoot the 3. I think it had a lot more to do with recruiting than the offense we ran.
Ironically we finally have players that would be well-suited to the princeton style offense. Nance is a decent passer and can hit the mid-range shot. Buie, Audige, Beran, Kopp, Berry and Greer can hit the 3 pt shot and several of them can cut to the basket pretty well and finish.
The Princeton Offense was ahead of the curve on position-less basketball and heavy emphasis on 3-point shooting. Everyone has bought into these things if not the particular motion offense.
It's hard to win these days without 3-point shooters. Hopefully, we finally have more than 1.
The Princeton offense certainly worked a lot better when we had good players. I think to win close games, though, you need a couple of guys who can create their own shots. When defenses tightened up at the end of games, the Princeton offense was pretty ineffective.
Right. Over the last 10-15 years, smart basketball people have finally learned that layups and three pointers are the best shots to take. Pete Carril recognized that decades earlier.
Of course, the P.O. is uniquely regimented.
To me it just seems CC always wanted to run the same offense, regardless of the strengths of the players he had in the roster. It was painful to see Pardon post tourney making plays followed by countless minutes of not getting a touch down low.
Sure, it seems these days if you don’t run some kind of motion offense you are an outdated coach. But it also seems that if you are overmatched in speed and ability to penetrate it does not generate a whole lot.
agree it was well ahead on these things including keeping the middle open so players can attack the basket without a big man standing there. what turned out to be an equalizer for programs with less talent ended up being a major mathematical advantage over the old school 1 on 1 hero ball.
I'm in the same ballpark, Fitzphile. I'm interested to see how this group works against better teams.
I think it's a helpful step that Buie and Audige can create off their dribble. That's a first difference that will open things up. Maybe Berry also.
If Buie and Kopp can just be a bit more efficient from three, while Audige is actually reasonably consistent from three against good teams ... hopefully that can be the next step.
If you can get that, then let's see what Young, Beran or Nance can offer against better front lines.
I think it's a helpful step that Buie and Audige can create off their dribble. That's a first difference that will open things up. Maybe Berry also.
If Buie and Kopp can just be a bit more efficient from three, while Audige is actually reasonably consistent from three against good teams ... hopefully that can be the next step.
If you can get that, then let's see what Young, Beran or Nance can offer against better front lines.
That's silly. We play basically a Duke motion offense (because, well, Collins is from Duke). It's simple, and it can be effective. Basically focuses on breaking down a zone or man defense to generate help and open guys up to shoot the three. If you have the horses, it also enables them to show of their skills to drive the lane and attack the rim, or to drop off to the slot if there is help.
I like it better than that crap we played under Carmody where no one is supposed to rebound.
The last couple years have been guard challenged. This year's team seems to have dealt with that defficiency. We have 3 additional viable guards vs just last year. We have guys that can create their own shotWe may miss Spencer a bit but overall in much better shap with the addition of Audige, Berry, a more mature Greer, getting Gaines back and a more developed Buie. Much better balanced roster than last year and year before with greater maturity and depth. I think it will be much more fun to watch. Not sure we will have a lot more wins but much more entertaining than the last couple of years. I think we will suprise a couple good teams along the way. And next year, we will have a team that will be at the top of the cycle and I see the potential to dance
Our offense seems to consist of taking the earliest possible shot, no matter how bad.