Taylor Rochestie's end-of-game playbook

I believe he’s an excellent floor leader the vast majority of the time. To me, he’s got two major flaws:

1. When he’s not getting enough help from his teammates, he tries to do too much. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
2. When it’s the last minute of the game, he’s going to take the shot. Period.

I do not think those two things should overshadow what he’s done this year. This offense would be positively putrid without him leading it, as shown by what happens virtually every time he leaves the floor. I’m scared to death of what’s going to happen to this offense next year.

On my previous site, people used to knock Derrick Low a lot for not scoring enough, not shooting enough, not being aggressive enough … they said we wouldn’t miss him all that much when he left. I think we’d all like to have him right about now, and I think we’ll probably feel the same way about Rochestie.

I promise I don’t have it out for you SW WA Coug!

But Rochestie has simply kept us in games at times. When he is throwing up bad shots, it is usually because our offense is 5 minutes into one of our trademark draughts. He has pulled us out of them by hitting some tough shots. Sometimes those shots don’t fall. His defense is also something that can’t go unnoticed. He may have had a few breakdowns on Saturday, but Haynes was hitting some tough shots. Generally, guys do not get by him. I like Taylor and I’m glad he chose us to transfer to.

You both make totally valid points. I think it’s a point guard’s responsibility to break down a defense and distribute the ball.

Taylor has carried us at times because he doesn’t trust his teammates enough. He’s an awful lot like Dentmon was last year. Baynes has been underutilized almost all year. Same with Klay lately. Notice how teams stick it to us when one of their shooters gets off? When does Klay get the ball, or Baynes, when the game is in the balance? It’s in Taylor’s hands so much they become like hood ornaments.

We continually lose after posting great first halves against some very fomidable teams and then disappear for exceedingly long stretches in the second half. Taylor gets in one of those, ’let’s try to keep from losing modes’ all too often. Watch him close and when another team is making a run at us he always walks the ball up the court. It we are getting pressed, he turns into a turnover machine. He knows how to attack a press but for some reason, he won’t make them pay for trying that tactic. Weaver used to grin like a cheshire cat when Arizona put on their press. Instant offense for the Cougs.

It is coaching or is it Taylor that decides not to attack the other teams’ defenses? How many times has Taylor driven into no man’s land and not known what he was going to do with the ball? When things are getting hairy for us, that’s when Taylor should shine.

In defense of him though, we’d be lost without him in the lineup. I’m really disappointed in a lot of other players too. He needs more support but I think it’s his responsibility to instill some confidence in his teammates by trusting in them a little more than he does. The true sign of a leader is how much better they make those around them. I think Taylor is more effective as a two but we don’t have a one that can run the floor for us.

But definitely a highlight for sure.