Zoom action

Eastkybball

All-Conference
May 7, 2019
1,544
2,825
98
Doesn’t fing work if you don’t have players who can read the defense, read screens, and cut hard. Let alone get confused on inbounding the ball.
We should’ve been pounding down low to Moreno to start the game instead of jacking up threes lol. We have a team with 2 players who can get down hill and create but if the lane is cluttered we’re fd. I hate dumb ppl who think they know basketball. Really dread some ppls opinions outside of here tomorrow.
We sucked and they were great. I’d love for a practice leak just to see what Pope is going over in practice. Are these guys getting up shots like our past teams? Nope they are paid professionals and have a fantastic start to life financially.
 

TuesdayBoost

Junior
Jan 27, 2026
200
256
43
Doesn’t fing work if you don’t have players who can read the defense, read screens, and cut hard. Let alone get confused on inbounding the ball.
We should’ve been pounding down low to Moreno to start the game instead of jacking up threes lol. We have a team with 2 players who can get down hill and create but if the lane is cluttered we’re fd. I hate dumb ppl who think they know basketball. Really dread some ppls opinions outside of here tomorrow.
We sucked and they were great. I’d love for a practice leak just to see what Pope is going over in practice. Are these guys getting up shots like our past teams? Nope they are paid professionals and have a fantastic start to life financially.
I get where you are coming from but I think we did start the game trying to go inside. We are just bad. All areas.
 

Eastkybball

All-Conference
May 7, 2019
1,544
2,825
98
You would think after all the layups Garrison has stood and watched he’d try one himself sooner or later.
Garrison is bad basketball player who continues to get worse. I just don’t understand it. Persistence and hard work with his height and build would get better with time. He’s had a year to get better but honestly he was better last year. No time in the gym, now work being put in, and you can tell from this team. Noah being touted the greatest shooter anyone ever seen and won’t even take a shot. Glad he finally connected on one tonight but I figured he would’ve gotten better over the summer too.
 

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
44,591
80,227
113
Doesn’t fing work if you don’t have players who can read the defense, read screens, and cut hard. Let alone get confused on inbounding the ball.
We should’ve been pounding down low to Moreno to start the game instead of jacking up threes lol. We have a team with 2 players who can get down hill and create but if the lane is cluttered we’re fd. I hate dumb ppl who think they know basketball. Really dread some ppls opinions outside of here tomorrow.
We sucked and they were great. I’d love for a practice leak just to see what Pope is going over in practice. Are these guys getting up shots like our past teams? Nope they are paid professionals and have a fantastic start to life financially.
Me too because they sure the hell don’t teach any basketball stuff, we don’t watch tape or scout. I’ve never seen one team so unprepared to face every single team they step on the court with.
 
Jul 6, 2025
2,136
6,456
113
We didn't really run any offense that i could tell. A bunch of overpaid bench players all trying to be hero. In the first few minutes alone, they missed Moreno for two easy dunks. One of which they finally passed but way too late and he was blocked.

If you just want to score points and win a game, zoom absolutely works. Its awful for an elite program due to the recruiting issues i often discuss.

Especially this group of mediocre talents need to run this offense to compete. Instead they just reverted back to selfish bs. Then offensive struggles infected our defensive effort. Then oweh lost his head.

Pathetic.
 

UKBB4Ever

All-Conference
Jul 3, 2025
1,709
2,981
113
Doesn’t fing work if you don’t have players who can read the defense, read screens, and cut hard. Let alone get confused on inbounding the ball.
We should’ve been pounding down low to Moreno to start the game instead of jacking up threes lol. We have a team with 2 players who can get down hill and create but if the lane is cluttered we’re fd. I hate dumb ppl who think they know basketball. Really dread some ppls opinions outside of here tomorrow.
We sucked and they were great. I’d love for a practice leak just to see what Pope is going over in practice. Are these guys getting up shots like our past teams? Nope they are paid professionals and have a fantastic start to life financially.
We all learned zoom action in junior high or high school. And we all learned the pick and roll.

And both are fantastic with the right personnel.

Both are easy to guard with one dimensional players running them.

Every coach knows this. At every level.

So what’s going on?

I’ve never been to a Pope practice so I’m guessing. But I think we are running zoom action against our defense and it works great.

You hear Pope all the time say “practice is not translating to games”.

That should make a coach look inward and make adjustments. Instead he just doubles down.

The not being prepared for any team is just beyond comprehension. I can’t even venture a guess as to why that happens. Other than it’s just not something this staff does.

Then the team is not in game shape. Yes, they have beach muscles. But they are ready to come out after 3-4 minutes of game action.

Motivation? Does Pope even know what that is?

Game management? It appears he subs on a schedule. Not anything to do with game flow. Only variation is when he has to because of fouls.

Individual instruction? Is there any?

Can it be possible that every single player for 2 seasons is uncoachable?

If there is anything that Pope does well as a coach I would like to know what it is?
 

CrimsonCats_rivals

All-Conference
Mar 22, 2022
1,626
3,310
61
I’m not sure it’s all low basketball IQ so much as we have a lot of limited players who make it easier for well prepared defenses to guard. At its most basic level, the zoom action is supposed to force the defense to pick whether to take away the 3 or the cut to the rim and attack the opening that results from their choice. Other than maybe Aberdeen on his best days, we don’t really have anyone who’s a multilevel scorer to best leverage that kind of action. Oweh can attack the rim, but has a slow, awkward jumper that defenses don’t have to respect much. Chandler, Johnson, and theoretically Noah can hit an uncontested 3, but haven’t shown any ability to hurt anyone attacking the paint, so it becomes a no brainer to go over everything and take away their space at the 3 point line. Neither Jelavic, or especially Mo scare anyone as a shooter, so it’s also easy for their man to help off if we do get someone going downhill. We just don’t have a good offensive team, and I think the fatal flaws mostly come back to poor roster construction instead of in game strategy and scheme.
 

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
44,591
80,227
113
We all learned zoom action in junior high or high school. And we all learned the pick and roll.

And both are fantastic with the right personnel.

Both are easy to guard with one dimensional players running them.

Every coach knows this. At every level.

So what’s going on?

I’ve never been to a Pope practice so I’m guessing. But I think we are running zoom action against our defense and it works great.

You hear Pope all the time say “practice is not translating to games”.

That should make a coach look inward and make adjustments. Instead he just doubles down.

The not being prepared for any team is just beyond comprehension. I can’t even venture a guess as to why that happens. Other than it’s just not something this staff does.

Then the team is not in game shape. Yes, they have beach muscles. But they are ready to come out after 3-4 minutes of game action.

Motivation? Does Pope even know what that is?

Game management? It appears he subs on a schedule. Not anything to do with game flow. Only variation is when he has to because of fouls.

Individual instruction? Is there any?

Can it be possible that every single player for 2 seasons is uncoachable?

If there is anything that Pope does well as a coach I would like to know what it is?
I sure don’t see anything. It starts with recruiting, continues with practice/game prep/instruction/motivation, and ends with head scratching lineups.
 
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NoDef

All-American
Sep 1, 2001
5,148
7,091
113
We sucked and they were great. I’d love for a practice leak just to see what Pope is going over in practice. Are these guys getting up shots like our past teams? Nope they are paid professionals and have a fantastic start to life financially.
I've heard his practices are not very impressive either.
 

JSquad0070

Senior
Oct 4, 2025
359
958
93
The bottom line is we have no shooters or ball handlers. Aberdeen is literally the ONLY person we have that can get his own shot off the dribble or even make an attempt to get into the lane and kick it out. (Which he rarely does because he’s not a point guard) Chandler can shoot wide open but cannot dribble worth a dang. Nobody on the team can get him an easy bucket. Oweh cannot shoot and he’s literally only able to line drive to the bucket, never looking to pass out.
 

wildcatdon

Heisman
Oct 17, 2012
10,314
13,021
113
We all learned zoom action in junior high or high school. And we all learned the pick and roll.

And both are fantastic with the right personnel.

Both are easy to guard with one dimensional players running them.

Every coach knows this. At every level.

So what’s going on?

I’ve never been to a Pope practice so I’m guessing. But I think we are running zoom action against our defense and it works great.

You hear Pope all the time say “practice is not translating to games”.

That should make a coach look inward and make adjustments. Instead he just doubles down.

The not being prepared for any team is just beyond comprehension. I can’t even venture a guess as to why that happens. Other than it’s just not something this staff does.

Then the team is not in game shape. Yes, they have beach muscles. But they are ready to come out after 3-4 minutes of game action.

Motivation? Does Pope even know what that is?

Game management? It appears he subs on a schedule. Not anything to do with game flow. Only variation is when he has to because of fouls.

Individual instruction? Is there any?

Can it be possible that every single player for 2 seasons is uncoachable?

If there is anything that Pope does well as a coach I would like to know what it is?
Some good points there.
 

Ukwazoo3

All-Conference
Jul 6, 2025
614
1,311
93
The bottom line is we have no shooters or ball handlers. Aberdeen is literally the ONLY person we have that can get his own shot off the dribble or even make an attempt to get into the lane and kick it out. (Which he rarely does because he’s not a point guard) Chandler can shoot wide open but cannot dribble worth a dang. Nobody on the team can get him an easy bucket. Oweh cannot shoot and he’s literally only able to line drive to the bucket, never looking to pass out.
Yep. We drive, the defense collapses, and we always look shocked and have no plan. So then our player does 5 pivots while double teamed and either chucks a shot up or desperately gets rid of it.

We are never operating with a plan or looking for the cutter/screener. We were terrified all game, trying to keep Vandy from kicking it out to wide open shooters, but we won't carry the same philosophy on offense.
 
Mar 10, 2003
5,908
11,282
93
I have a different opinion than most. I think we just have a few, to quote Cal, “selfish mf’ers”. And when they’re selfish, it puts added/unneeded pressure on the other guys when they do get the ball or an open shot. It all snow balls. Guys play tight because we dig a hole jacking up highly contested shots without passing out of the lane. Frustration leads to poor effort or playing afraid of getting down worse and mistakes happen. Guys start blaming and arguing. There’s no trust or togetherness. But it all comes down to the coach. This group doesn’t respect him and he refuses to demand their respect by hurting feelings. This team is more athletic/physical than last year’s team. We have two guys who can drive the paint anytime they want compared to just 1 last season. Theoretically, they should be able to do more offensively than the last squad. We’re just not seeing it and won’t see it as long as Pope allows them to play selfishly.