POSTGAME THREAD: What's left to say?
by Jeff Nusser on Feb 27, 2010 9:17 PM PST
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PrintThere is only one circumstance under which I will blame the referees for a loss. This was not that circumstance.
However, that was the most inconsistently officiated game I've seen all year, and it cost the Cougs dearly. I'm as frustrated as I have ever been with this conference. How different would this game have been had they called even half of the fouls that have been fouls all year? Washington was allowed to bump and clutch -- and in one instance, simply tackle -- while spending the bulk of the second half in the bonus because of fouls called on WSU.
I don't want this to become a bitchfest thread about the refs. I just really would have liked a fair shake tonight.
As for the rest of it ... well, I'm torn between feeling good and feeling terrible. I'd like to give the boys credit for fighting back. But why do we have to have one half where we play terrible? The transition defense in the first half was inexcusable, but it's been that way all year.
And, once again, we die with Klay Thompson shooting us out of a game. The shots he took late were good ones, but they didn't go down. And that's the bottom line.
I dunno. I'm emotionally spent with this team. In a way, I'm kinda just hoping the end of the season comes soon so that we can go about the business of hitting the weight room and getting better for next year. There's a laundry list of things this team needs to get better at, and it's simply not going to happen between now and the beginning of the Pac-10 tournament.
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By the way
You are limited to one comment each bitching about the refs. Warnings and banninnations will ensue.
ban plus burnination = bannination
by Grady Clapp on Feb 27, 2010 9:38 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Sorry.
It just looks better to have the double n second to me.
by displacedcoug on Feb 27, 2010 10:00 PM PST up reply actions
can't make any comments on the refs
I’m a husky fan, so feel free to rail me if you want but …. we had 1 more foul called on us than you for the game. That includes the intentional fouling at the end of the game. We also shot 5 fewer free throws. You lost, but it wasn’t because of the refs.
I don't expect you to agree
But I expect you to use your brain if you come around here. The fouls were 10-3 with about four minutes to go in the game. The refs allowed UW to get away with some very physical play on the defensive end, and blatantly missed a handful of calls.
They weren’t the reason we lost. But they made it that much more difficult to win.
by Jeff Nusser on Feb 27, 2010 9:40 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
So we have reached an accord....
They weren’t the reason you lost. Also, as your 10-3 ratio would suggest, we weren’t allowed to bump and clutch and simply tackle which was really my point. Husky fans have reason to complain about the half dozen block/charge calls that could have gone in our favor as well.
You might have noticed in the last several years of Pac-10 basketball (as the astute observer your are) the refs always balance the fouls out by the end of the game. You should expect that every time. Bottom line, as most other pac-10 games, it was poorly officiated, but not to one teams detriment.
"Also, as your 10-3 ratio would suggest, we weren’t allowed to bump and clutch and simply tackle which was really my point."
Huh? There were 10 fouls on WSU, three on UW. To say it wasn’t to one team’s detriment is just ignorant. Accept your gift and move along.
by Jeff Nusser on Feb 27, 2010 10:38 PM PST up reply actions
Think first half
genius. If you had a 10-3 in the second half what does that mean for how it was called in the first if we ended up with 1 more. get of your horse dude.
by Baker13 on Feb 27, 2010 10:40 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Nuss, you know I have a lot of respect for you and your site, so I’ll say this as delicately as I can – your homerism is distorting your view of the officiating. I too was complaining about the calls in the game, because the refs were letting the Cougs get away with a lot of fouls that they were calling on the Huskies. Yeah, there was that blatant missed call where Suggs tackled Capers on a rebound, but there were several other instances where the Cougs were allowed to get away with bumps and hacks that the refs were calling against the Huskies.
Obviously we’re both biased, so we’re not going to agree about who the refs favored in that game. And while you say you don’t want the thread to degenerate into a bitch-fest about the officiating, you opened that door by bringing it up in the first place.
I give the Cougs a ton of credit for coming back strong in the 2nd half after a horrific first half of shooting, but the Huskies managed to find some intestinal fortitude that they haven’t shown on the road for the vast majority of this season. And it obviously helped a lot that Klay continued his miserable shooting against the Huskies…
by kirkd on Feb 28, 2010 5:03 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Did you read the post? Specifically, the first paragraph?
I do not blame the refs for the loss. I felt Washington was the beneficiary of some questionable officiating that made it hard for a Cougar team that simply isn’t as good as Washington to win the game. That is all. My biggest gripe, as it has been all season long, is that the officiating was horribly inconsistent.
I think we can agree on that one, even if, as kirkd said, we’re not going to agree as to who it benefited. And that’s OK
I just rewatched the game and it was never 10-3.
It was 7-3 at the four minute mark and then it was 9-5 at the 2:21 mark. In fairness to the refs, its pretty hard for the cougs to get foul calls with Klay launching shots before the offense sets.
Refs really had nothing to do with the outcome.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Then you must have missed something.
I’m not sure about 10-3, but I was at the game and it was 9-3 with 3:15 remaining. And I believe it was 8-3 with 4:00 remaining.
I didn't miss anything according to FSW
… they put up graphics at both of those moments.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
The Cougars were called for their 9th foul at 3:18 when Isaiah Thomas ran into DeAngelo Casto and pushed off with a forearm
Washington had three team fouls at that point. Found here.
Washington was in the bonus at 6:06, so I was wrong about how long they were in the bonus. Regardless, my gripe had a lot less to do with the number of fouls being called on WSU and lot more to do with the bumps and clutches that Washington was getting away with.
this is probably a violation of community guidelines
but I would really like to see someone smack that smirk off of Thomas’s face
www.nwfan.com
Because hey beat us and they were happy.
Cocky jerks.
CougCenter WSU's second main blog
by Craig Powers on Feb 28, 2010 3:54 PM PST up reply actions
To quote Romar:
“…have to be cocky to be successful. Pertaining to the Huskies, he said going out on the court "thinking you’re the baddest and best out there" is important to winning.
So yes, I guess they may be confident.
Purple in Pullman
by Harry the Husky on Feb 28, 2010 5:23 PM PST up reply actions
Also, to the person who noted we exceeded 51 points
Offensive efficiency versus …
UCLA: 85.5
USC: 85.2
UW: 77.4
I’ll bet Bone’s never had a three-game stretch like this in his career.
He only had three games under 90 in the last two years COMBINED
There were a couple of stretches his first two years where he had like three out of four around 90. That’s it.
Spent
I second the emotionally spent thought. It wasn’t so bad being cardiac kids , when we pulled some of them off.
FYI: 2-14 shots by Thompson is not running the game away from Thompson
The rest of the team has stepped up to make the games close.
I just don't like this motion offense
Is it too late in the season to complain about that? I’m just still not comfortable with it and it bothers me that when we need to slow down, pass and shoot, nobody seems to know how to do it. The rushed passes that get thrown out of bounds bug me, the one legged jump shots bother me. I just want to see something clean and crisp and moderately effective.
Can we still go to the CBI? Or whatever?
I feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football. Ugh
All you need to get into the CBI is to guarantee their $60,000 appearance fee
Right during spring break.
A few thoughts
I wasn’t as bothered by the refs as it seems most were. Yes, they did a terrible job, but it didn’t seem too tilted to one side. If anything, we just ended up on the wrong side of variance driven by incompetence.
The offense went really well the more Niko was involved in the 2nd half, and we went away from that at the end of the game. I know Klay’s in theory a great shooter, and some of his late shots were so close to going down, but at some point don’t you just confess that for whatever reasons, maybe God hates him or something, but Klay’s results at this point are not those of a good shooter, and the ball maybe shouldn’t be in his hands in some of those spots.
We lost this game because we just looked clueless on O in the first half. I don’t know how much of that you credit to UW, how much to bad execution and how much to what amounts to playcalling, but it was really ugly.
Thomas has horrible hair. HORRIBLE.
Not too tilted to one side?
The fouls were 10-4 with three minutes to go in the game. But I completely agree with your assessment of the offense in the first half. That was a huge hole to dig out of.
Oh the results were tilted
but it’s not like I feel like they were out to get us or anything. It’s just another game in the pac-10 where you have no idea what a foul is after watching it. Some of the calls that went against us look worse because of when they happened.
I just think at this point you have to accept that the Pac-10 does not have a culture of accountability for their officials in any sport, and know that at some point that will likely bite you in the ass, and at some point it’ll screw the other guy. Hopefully that changes with new leadership. I just stopped letting myself get worked up about the refs.
I think that this sort of things hurts the Cougs, because when we were good, it was because we got to the line a lot and hit our FTs. If we’re not able to leverage our above avg FT rates because of iffy reffings, it’ll hurt us more than a team like UW who wins in other ways.
I never think they're out to get us.
They just suck, and tonight it bit us in a really critical game. Usually I don’t get too worked up about it, either, but tonight was really, really bad. You’re spot on with regards to our reliance on FTR.
Oh, and use the reply button please.
Solid Nucleus that needs help
Thompson, Casto, and Moore give us a good nucleus. Thames, Capers and hopefully Watson and Motum give us some solid complimentary players. If we want to compete with the better teams then we need a couple more really good players. Casto needs help inside and I’m not sure Watson or Motum will be ready to give it by next year. Hopefully Aden will replace what Nik gives us and add another player that can create on their own.
This year we just don’t have enough players, IMHO.
I don't know that I buy that.
I know that comparisons aren’t always fair, but look at the Bennett Cougs. We had great players in Weaver and Low, and Rochestie and Baynes eventually added to it, but we only really had role players outside of that.
by displacedcoug on Feb 27, 2010 9:43 PM PST up reply actions
on a positive note
When Klay breaks out of his slumping shooting, which he will next year, we know the rest of the team can handle their roles. If Klay is shooting, we will be a formidable opponent. I am just excited for the next couple of years since we are the youngest team in the country.
Actually, Presbyterian is youngest in the country
But that’s a smart-alik response. We are still the youngest in the Pac-10, but not far behind Arizona and Oregon.
Want to hear something messed up? We’re older than Kentucky.
Source here.
Back from the game
The refs were despicable – again, I would really like to see Floyd and Moos make this a priority especially after the ‘ho hum, they made their decision’ response to the Oregon call that was incorrect by the very rule they cite.
However – and this is a big however – I was really disappointed in how the team responded to the bad officiating. Ticky tack fouls on their end, including Klay’s fourth which was purely a frustration foul. Those things cost us as much, if not more, than the reffing down the stretch.
Since I used my one harp-on-the-refs post, I’ll use my harp-on-Reggie card as well. I don’t have a super awesome angle on the court in section 24, but at one point I would say Reggie’s D was responsible for three consecutive UW three-pointers. On the first he didn’t get in IT’s face, on the second he didn’t run through a screen, and on the third he doubled a Husky post player and left his man wide open. That third may have involved a failure to rotate by a teammate, but you get my point.
I should clarify I don't think reffing cost us the game
And how frustrating has Klay’s slump been. This is the most depressing development in Cougar basketball since Daven Harmeling’s disappearance last spring.
its more frustrating
because Klay is our star player
I don't think it necessarily cost us, either.
But you cannot argue that it didn’t cost us of our FAIR shot, either.
It seems weird that he doubled small to big
I didn’t see the game so I’m going off what you said but I’m used to big to big doubling.
Overall I agree. His off ball defense and even his on ball leave something to be desired
by Brian Floyd on Feb 27, 2010 9:50 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
I wouldn't necessarily agree that Reggie's poor defense caused those threes.
They were doubling Pondexter, and when he came on the double, that left a man open on the perimeter. Its just a risk that they took as a team.
I'm cashing in my ref post.
What a horrible display of officiating. Watching Overton get away with the blatant muggings UW fans call “good defense” game in and game out is disgusting and if the Pac-10 gave a rat’s about the public perception of their league they’d put a stop to it. I’m also VERY tired of watching Thomas get constantly rewarded with FTs every time he a) falls over because he ran headlong into someone who outweighs him by 100 lbs, b) falls over because he tripped over his own feet, or c) falls over because someone opened a door and a draft came in. I’m sorry, every player has to compensate with their physical deficiencies and it’s not the opponents fault IT weighs as much as a pound of feathers.
Back to officiating, its absurd that officials continue to exert so much pull on the outcome of games. The sign of good officials is that you don’t notice them at all. Unfortunately, that’s far more than I can say about this game.
Odd man out
At this point who is the odd man out for the two incomers? Hopefully the JC kid can bring some sort of consistent offense.
Odds on favorite is Enquist
IF no one transfers. Big if.
I don’t want to speculate on transfers, by the way, because I don’t know the guys personally. But there are obviously some guards on this squad that need to work hard to crack the rotation. They can do it, but only if they’re patient.
We can guess all we want but i dont know
Grippi has hinted outwardly that there will be attrition and that’s all I know
by Brian Floyd on Feb 27, 2010 9:52 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
I say Charlie
I also still think Brown transfers after the season.
by spokanecougar on Feb 27, 2010 9:57 PM PST up reply actions
My take on "attrition"
Charlie is great but he isn’t a Pac 10 player. If he stays he’s a walk-on.
Anthony Brown. Why did they play him for 30 seconds?
On alert:
Harthun
Lodwick
Hopefully not homesick?
Motum. He has some talent and I hope he sticks around. He just needs to get stronger.
Lodwick would have one to play one unless he moves down though
by Brian Floyd on Feb 27, 2010 10:00 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
True
and why I have him “on alert”. I think he will stick around but will probably get the “we don’t think you will play much the rest of your career” talk. Maybe not though. He can definitely become a solid role player if he can get some confidence.
I didnt see the game so im hanging on to my ref card
All I can say was watching the box score and game cast showed that it was officiated in an odd way and I couldn’t figure out why
by Brian Floyd on Feb 27, 2010 9:52 PM PST via mobile reply actions
In my opinion,
The refs were about 5% responsible for the loss. Sure, we could piss and moan about that 5%, or we could just get over it and hope the team improves on the other 95.
by displacedcoug on Feb 27, 2010 10:02 PM PST up reply actions
Watson looked good
he has shown some promise this year, albeit he has his fair share of mistakes
Odd is a very nice word
On his first two, after almost banking the first, he took 2 steps back to shoot the second. It didn’t work…
I got a text asking if it was normal for him to bank them in
I thought we could see a granny shot attempt
by Brian Floyd on Feb 27, 2010 9:57 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
My thoughts exactly
He has range but just froze on the line it appears
by Brian Floyd on Feb 27, 2010 9:59 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
He hasn't received much of it.
He hasn’t been playing for that long.
by displacedcoug on Feb 27, 2010 10:03 PM PST up reply actions
Couldve sworn ive seen him shoot fts and they looked fine
Maybe I misremembered
by Brian Floyd on Feb 27, 2010 10:05 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
his form doesn't look horrible
but the ball comes off with basically as little touch as possible and with little relationship to the fact that the basket is where it is.
I'd say most everyone has shown flashes.
And that’s the frustrating part. Makes you wonder what might happen if even most of them put it together for a stretch of games.
Expert analysis.
As always. This is why I come here…
by displacedcoug on Feb 27, 2010 10:01 PM PST up reply actions
I don't know,
Ask Oregon’s football team…
by displacedcoug on Feb 27, 2010 10:05 PM PST up reply actions
I giggled a little at that too.
Does that make me immature?
by displacedcoug on Feb 27, 2010 10:04 PM PST up reply actions
absolutely not. Well, maybe.
But it’s still funny.
by Grady Clapp on Feb 27, 2010 10:05 PM PST up reply actions
Only if it makes me immature
Because I’m still gigging.
by Jeff Nusser on Feb 27, 2010 10:11 PM PST up reply actions
They're talking about Courtney Cox and Teri Hatcher, by the way
by Grady Clapp on Feb 27, 2010 10:04 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
I want to pay 10 cents!
my opinion on a useless poll which has no bearing on anything must be heard!
by displacedcoug on Feb 27, 2010 10:09 PM PST up reply actions
I spent a good portion of this game
wishing I grew up in some East Coast state, just so that I was a fan of a team that wasn’t broadcast on FSN. I mean I’m sure it’s just as bad on whatever you get if you’re a St. Johns fan or whatever, but god are the broadcasts so terrible. (and this was one of the better crews, save Mueller- whose continued employment as somebody who ostensibly speaks for a living makes no sense to me).
The Game
I’m not disappointed at all with this game. It was the most fun i’ve had at a game this whole year. We showed heart and fought till the very end. Go Cougs. We have a very bright future. Nik will be missed.
by AlexWSU on Feb 27, 2010 10:06 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
While "heart" is a silly, mostly meaningless concept...
… that often ignores more meaningful x’s and o’s.
I have a hard time being impressed with the team’s heart for the halftime turn around when I’d hope that any meaningful metric that measures “heart” would require that a team, playing their biggest rival, at home, on senior day, come out with a bit more… something at the start of the game.
Honestly, I didn't find a ton of fault with that first half
Yeah, the transition defense was pitiful. But other than that, it was more a matter of missing shots. It wasn’t an effort issue.
But, yes, at some point results have to improve.
by Jeff Nusser on Feb 27, 2010 10:23 PM PST up reply actions
Nuss, I wasn't pleased with some of the missed calls, particularly
the Capers tackle, but we lost simply because KT failed to be able to hit his shot. Watch the last 5 minutes and count the number of open 3s KT has. Simply missed them. Also, down 52-48 we get Capers in the middle of the lane for a turn around jumper, and he bonks it. Guys simply missed shots at the end while IT hits a game changing 3.
IT is a punk by the way, and I would have loved to see DC send the kid packing in the cheap seats on the final play.
by ptowncoug3012 on Feb 27, 2010 10:47 PM PST up reply actions
You are correct, sir.
Frustrating. We need those shots to fall. We’ve needed them to fall all Pac-10 season long.
The fact that he's gotten the better of us for two years now?
Honestly, I don’t find him a punk. Now, Venoy Overton … :-)
I actually thought
he (Overton) displayed significantly better behavior last night compared to the usual.
Purple in Pullman
by Harry the Husky on Feb 28, 2010 5:24 PM PST up reply actions
This is true
And the fact that he actually has some game to back up his attitude makes him that much more irritating.
Cashing my card too
God what is this the millionth time this season we’ve had this discussion? I think what got me the most at the game (I was there) was the sheer inconsistency of the referees. I’m not gonna comment on balance, although it clearly appeared to be in UW favor. As far as inconsistency, we saw X get called for a ticky-tack hand check OFF THE BALL, while meanwhile Overton is completely manhandling Moore as he brings the ball up court. Capers gets completely tackled under the hoop while he is going for a rebound. This is what kills me. Usually with a referee, you can determine after a few minutes what they will and won’t call. These guys it seriously seemed to be a flip of the coin whether they would blow the whistle or not.
This doesn’t relate to consistency, but no way UW should have gotten that timeout call on the held ball. Casto clearly had him tied up.
I want to clarify that I’m not blaming the loss on the refs. We played an awful first half, and that put us in a big hole to dig out of. But to say that the referees did not affect the outcome of the game would be ludicrous. Not only can referees be a score changer, but they can be a momentum changer as well. This hurt us almost as much.
It just seems like we have this topic discussed week in and week out, and we always seem to be on the losing end. I seriously hope the Pac-10 does something about it in the offseason.
On a more happy note, what about Moos’ speech in the first timeout?
Nuss Grady Craig
I see why you guys blog now. Its almost therapeutic.
As a blanket officiating statement
All I want is consistency. I don’t care if its consistently bad or good as long as its consistent. If you’re gonna call it tight, establish it early and de it for both sides through the whole game. If you’re going to let them play do the same
Too many times refs even up the foul differential just for the sake of evening it up. That seemed to be the case tonight. It was towards us in the first and the opposite in the second. I didn’t see it but I doubt the style of play shifted that dramatically. I could be wrong though
by Brian Floyd on Feb 27, 2010 11:08 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Completely agree
If you call on thing consistently, the players can easily adjust for the rest of the game. When it is called inconsistently, it just leaves the players confused.
Terrible crew
They just were awful. While it went both ways the inconsistency for a stretch in the 2nd half took WSU out of their game.
That’s how it goes.
by BornCoug on Feb 28, 2010 12:34 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Sure the refs were bad...
…but stop the easy transition baskets that we gave the dogs in the first half (weren’t there 5 of them?) and we aren’t even having this discussion. This is something that the dogs thrive on.
It’s “Coaching 101”.
by westsidecougar1 on Feb 28, 2010 7:49 AM PST reply actions
It would be nice if at some point you'd leave a comment on this site that recognizes the complexity of the game
Rather than leaving a hit-and-run comment against the coach.
There's no complexity involved in not giving up breakaway lay-ups on missed FT's.
I’m reserving judgment on Bone’s offence, though.
by Coug Friendly Canuck on Feb 28, 2010 11:03 AM PST up reply actions
FTs arent coaching
And many have tried to stop uw in transition while few succeed. This isn’t Bennett ball, either. Instead of sending one to the offensive glass were sending three. Transition buckets will happen but o rebounding has become a big part of our game
by Brian Floyd on Feb 28, 2010 11:22 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
I was going to say the same thing
Doesn’t some credit go to UW for executing in transition? I mean, that’s a skill, you know.
Yes, to a degree.
However, there is no excuse for our players to be jogging when the opponents are running..
As an addendum...
It would be nice if at some point you’d leave a comment on this site that recognizes that some aspects of the game aren’t that complex.
Maybe we can meet in the middle somehow Nuss.
by westsidecougar1 on Feb 28, 2010 1:07 PM PST up reply actions
OK, there was one layup on a missed FT. That ONE LAYUP was a mental breakdown.
What about the rest? Here, let me tell you about them:
The rest were either because of turnovers or because we crashed the offensive glass too hard and didn’t get the board. In both cases, the defense is completely out of position. Experienced teams do a better job of coping with being out of position than young teams do.
Notice how UW had practically no transition baskets in the second half? What was the difference? Oh yeah … fewer turnovers and less crashing the glass (which resulted in fewer offensive rebounds — NINE fewer, actually).
They cleaned up the sloppy play on offense and made an adjustment out of the locker room. Now THAT’S Coaching 101.
Soon IT will wish he'd never met WSU
In the next couple years.
Tony Bennett’s first year, not the best. 2nd & 3rd, GREAT.
Ken Bone’s first year, not the best. 2nd & 3rd will reincarnated.
I feel some sort of connecton between these coaches and their squads.
Just sayin’.
I'd argue that Bennett's first year was his best year
Season Overall Pac-10 Pac-10 Rank Postseason
2006–07 26-8 13-5 2nd NCAA 2nd Round
2007–08 26-9 11-7 3rd NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2008–09 17-16 8-10 7th NIT 1st Round
I mean, if we’re going by strictly postseason than the last year would be the “best.” But overall I’d say his first season was his #1, especially when you take into account where the program was when he took over (a 10th place 4-14 Pac-10 team)
He was an assistant under his dad for the previous three years
So if we think over all about the Bennett Ball era, than your theory holds true. It took a few years to transition into Bennett Ball, and then they got really good.
All in all, I think (or is it just a hope?) that we’ll see a different team out of these Cougs. While Nik is a great asset, we’re fortunate to only be losing one contributor. I think we’ll see Cal suffer next season after losing their big 3
It's About Coaching!!
We definitely need to get much stronger and tougher across the board but a lot of our problems fall on coaching.
In the past, we have been burnt on transition defense because of lack of effort, which is unacceptable, in the first half today we we burnt more because lack of coaching fundamentals and focus. We are sending 3 to the offensive glass that means two players should be back. The key is players must react when the ball is in the air not after the ball is already rebounded. When the shot goes up, the guards must be already headed back, if the ball has already been rebounded then the transition defense is too late. The same goes for reacting on help defense, must be shifting ball side while the pass is in the air.
The bigger problem is our offense, we don’t set good screens and try to do too much with the dribble. Does Coach Bone want to run a dribble intensive offense? If he is a dribble drive coach, which I do hate with a passion, then he needs to at least set up clearouts and get proper spacing. I don’t know how many times we have run into each other in the last few weeks.
Our offense is bad when one person holds the ball and Klay is the only other player moving. Our offense is even worse when Klay handles the ball on the dribble. We should be going to Casto on every possession. He won’t score everytime but at least we will be playing inside out. They need to teach Casto to pass back out and repost. He tries to do too much from poor angles when he could repost.
Except
That we often were sending four to the offensive glass in the first half, as one of our best offensive rebounders is a guard (Capers). They were trying to generate extra opportunities in the first half, and it worked – we just couldn’t get anything to drop. It was clear that was the strategy early, and it just didn’t work out. Bone made an adjustment at halftime, and we sacrificed offensive rebounding for transition defense. It worked. So how is that bad coaching?
I agree that we do dribble too much on offense, and agree that we really, REALLY need to work on screening. But I don’t agree that getting the ball to Casto all the time is the answer. There is absolutely no inside out with him. When it goes in, it doesn’t come out. Reposting isn’t a skill he’s going to learn at this point in the season. That’s something for the offseason. People forget he’s only a sophomore. It took Aron Baynes until his senior year to learn that. Casto is so far ahead of where he was as a sophomore, it’s ridiculous.
We did share the ball much better in the second half, and I think that was a catalyst behind the run that got us to the lead. That was excellent to see. Hopefully we see it again this weekend.
hbelvoir as in the trainer at Emerald Downs?
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I'm his oldest son!!
Both my youngest brother and I graduated from Wazzu!
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