Zips vs Gamecocks Charleston Classic

[skip-zip]

I have to say a couple of things...

1) Please, lets not lull ourselves that we are fine without Tree. At the very least, we could have desperately used his rebounding yesterday. We would absolutely be a better team WITH him.

2) I'll keep saying this, because it becomes more evident every game. Kwan and Nyles are the keys to this season. They are the unexpected contributors. If these guys continue to contribute the way hey have, we will still be a hard team to beat for most of our opponents.

3) Did anyone notice that we only had 6 total assists yesterday? See below.

4) I'm loving watching Noah too. It's obvious that he has the ability to help us right now. I'd just like to see him take a few less shots and make a few more passes, especially when he gets in the paint. Yesterday in particular, he really stretched for, and floated several close-range shots that really had little chance of going in. Taking 11 shot attempts and having only 2 assists is not the best way that we can get into the 70s and 80s, rather than the 50s and 60s, which is where we will need to be to win many of the future games.

[GP1]

Taking 11 shot attempts and having only 2 assists is not the best way that we can get into the 70s and 80s, rather than the 50s and 60s, which is where we will need to be to win many of the future games.

After this weekend, I believe Zips fans are going to be entertained by the point totals scored this season. There is still some chemistry that needs to be built, but in general the team looked very good considering the hurdle that had recently been thrown in front of them. Early season, I look for the following before I consider point totals because I think if a team can do the following early, points will easily follow:

1. Physical conditioning - I went to the CCU game a year or two ago around this time of the season and the Zips looked horribly out of shape and lost to a poor CCU team. Generally speaking, the team is in very good physical condition.

2. Organization - Generally speaking, they looked well organized and better organized this early in the season than they usually are. Players generally knew where to be, what to do and who to give the ball to. The coaching staff seems to have a firm understanding of who they want in the game, when and why. Less substitutions because I think many of the players are good at a variety of things so situational substitutions are as frequently needed.

3. Basketball Smarts - The upper classmen have pretty good instincts on the floor and seem to know what they are doing. The under classmen don't have as much, but seem ahead of where their peers were at the same age.

4. Fundamentals - We seem to do the following things well: run, catch, jump, pass, throw, rebound, etc.

I know it sounds simple, but early in the season these basic things escape a lot of teams and we seem to have a grasp on the basics.

[skip-zip]

GP1....I'll agree with you on #1. It's obvious since we are defending well for an entire game. Just watch Big Dog compared to the other players, and you can see it.

However, it's hard to see some of what you claim that you are seeing on the other points, which point particularly to the offense, when I just witnessed a sloppy offensive performance where a team had 6 assists and 15 turnovers, and were outrebounded by double digits.

[GP1]

GP1....I'll agree with you on #1. It's obvious since we are defending well for an entire game. Just watch Big Dog compared to the other players, and you can see it.

However, it's hard to see some of what you claim that you are seeing on the other points, which point particularly to the offense, when I just witnessed a sloppy offensive performance where a team had 6 assists and 15 turnovers, and were outrebounded by double digits.

I totally understand, but in general, they seem to be ahead of where they normally are.

Are they perfect? No, but that sort of goes back to the basketball smarts. If they can continue to do the basics of athletic competition, they are going to continue to get much better. Scoring will increase and mistakes will decrease. That's my prediction anyhow.

[Captain Kangaroo]

However, it's hard to see some of what you claim that you are seeing on the other points, which point particularly to the offense, when I just witnessed a sloppy offensive performance where a team had 6 assists and 15 turnovers, and were out rebounded by double digits.

You're like a really pessimistic version of Dave in Green.

[Dave in Green]

The optimistic Dave in Green is here to save the day. Noah is a pass first, shoot second PG. He shot more against South Carolina out of necessity because the players he was feeding were not hitting. You can't get an assist if the player you get the ball to misses the shot. The turnovers were anticipated in the pre-game analysis because of SC's style of play. Creating turnovers is SC's game. The Zips averaged 18.5 turnovers per game against SC in their two games last season. Throughout the course of this season, the Zips will average many more assists and many fewer turnovers per game than last season. The SC game was an outlier. Rebounding is definitely an ongoing issue without Tree. I don't have an answer for that one yet, but I'm working on it.

[zipsrule]

Really good posts here. I think we have good reason to be optimistic. This team has some work to do, but there is a lot of potential here.

[1981 grad]

There were not many assist yesterday because we have guards that can beat their men off the dribble and score. Something we were sorely lacking last year. Nyles had at least 2 drives that he converted. This year we are dribbling north and south, not just east and west. With Tree out of the middle, it opens up the lane. I thought we missed a lot of open shots off passes, therefore the assist were down. I would love to see more off the ball movement but it looks like this year we will our guards taking the ball to the glass. If they can finish, it will work.

[Z.I.P.]

Just a couple of after the fact notes from the "beside the point" folder:

I can't tell you how much I enjoy listening to Dino Gaudio call the games on ESPNU. He's the only ex-coach I can think of who doesn't put his resume in your face -- he does his homework (unlike even the non-ex-coach-commentators) and provides you with interesting facts (like e.g., I didn't know BJ is the nephew of Xavier Hall-of-Famer Jamie Gladden, and Deji has a relative in the WNBA!) on top of being able to communicate the intricacies of the game in a fashion friendly to the ear of those who don't like tech-talk and play draw-ups in time-outs. I had a brief chat with Dino before one of our games of the Diamond Head Classic last year, and he's very friendly in person too.

I have to place a considerable amount of blame on Frank martin for his team's loss. He just was unable to adapt to Akron's ball drive and place perimeter pressure on the point position before NoRo and Deji (and Ant -- or is it "Tino"?) got down low. AND -- considering how horribly we were able to bring the ball upcourt under pressure -- why in the world didn't he put more press on the Zips?!?! you can bet our next opponents saw that and are going to pressure in the backcourt!

How come there wre apparently no South Carolina fans at the game IN South Caroliina -- sounded like more Zips fans at the game?

But this is as I said -- "beside thte point". the point is we beat the team that beat us by nearly 40 a year ago in the same state.

[GP1]

I can't tell you how much I enjoy listening to Dino Gaudio call the games on ESPNU.

I have to place a considerable amount of blame on Frank martin for his team's loss.

How come there wre apparently no South Carolina fans at the game IN South Caroliina -- sounded like more Zips fans at the game?

Good post.

I like Gaudio as well. Not as much as you, but in general, he is able to help fans understand the finer points of the game. For example, one of the teams ran a baseline back screen and scored. Gaudio was able to break down which player was responsible for rim protection in that scenario and why that breakdown resulted in a basket. He is also a good commentator for ESPNU studio shows so he can do color and studio. He is a younger and smarter version of Dick Vitale (Was Dick Vitale ever young?) before Vitale bought into his own hype and sort of became a cartoon character of himself.

Frank Martin? Interesting guy. Not sure if he is a great coach or a lunatic. I'm not certain that is an either/or situation. I'm leaning towards lunatic. In SC, we hear about all of his great recruits. Not sure where they all are, but they aren't on the court. On the other hand, how many point blank shots did they miss the other night?

Why no SC fans at the game? Because there are few SC basketball fans. Their home games are thinly attended. They have even fewer fans outside of Columbia. Probably a result of little success over a long period of time.

[zippy5]

I enjoyed Gaudio. Actually knew the game and announced it like a coach. Was nice to hear someone with an interest in the game instead of rambling about the Duke/UNC game in 3 months.

[ZZZips]

Entertaining games in Charleston. I don't know what changed with the ball movement this year, but I love it. I have seen more backdoor cuts from this team in one week, than I saw all last year. All of a sudden players away from the ball are moving to the proper spots on the floor? We actually have players that can drive the lane, and finish at the rim? We make foul shots? Did we finally dumb down the offense? Please bring this same team back from Charleston. I don't really care that the Gamecocks and Trojans aren't that good, I enjoyed watching the Zips beat both. I have minor critics, but it seems picky at this juncture of the season. I'll save them. We need to continue to grow and get better. NR14 makes a huge difference.

Actually KD has expanded the playbook. Also, the defenses have also become more expansive and precise. We have an overall higher basketball IQ on the floor this year. No need to dumb it down!

[ZZZips]

Agree, Excellent post CK. I had to listen to this one before I got to watch it. The radio broadcast was like a million times better than listening to the two dudes on

ESPN pulling for South Carolina to find a way to win.

Four games in and what a difference it makes when you have a point guard. Already he is making everyone of his teammates a better player.

Hats off to those who travelled. I felt bad when Tree was suspended....Seems like it all worked out OK.

We missed the Zips Win family at this tournament. We all had a great time on this trip. Hope your family can make it to the next one.

[Dr Z]

Actually KD has expanded the playbook. Also, the defenses have also become more expansive and precise.

Care to expand? I got this explanation from a staff member years ago. I Would love to see KD with a whiteboard on his show going over some plays, and giving his thoughts the way coach Larrañaga did during the Charleston tournament.

[ZZZips]

Care to expand? I got this explanation from a staff member years ago. I Would love to see KD with a whiteboard on his show going over it.

Simply, KD added new plays and options to existing plays. This is not unique to this year. When we have used a play that I have not seen, I ask about it and get a brief explanation that KD thinks I can understand. Some of the play options are too complicated for my level of understanding. It would be hard to explain some of the variances in sets on a white board. Video of the plays showing the actual timing is more relevant but I doubt if KD wants to prep our opponents.

[Dr Z]

Video of the plays showing the actual timing is more relevant but I doubt if KD wants to prep our opponents.

That is exactly what coach Larrañaga did before the Akron game. He explained how he attacked a certain defense and the options his team has. If you google it, there is video. You can also google coach Huggins explaining the way he attacks certain defenses. Roy Williams, Tom Izzo, etc... When you have good plays, there are options depending on how the defense reacts. Defenses can know exactly what your doing, and if it's run correctly and the shot is hit, there is nothing they can do. It's not a secret, it's just entertaining to see the coach go over it. Every opponent has tape of what Akron does. Nobody is asking for the game plan to the PSU game, just a few plays that we have success with. Educating your own fans can go a long way. For having two of the most talkative coaches around, Akron does an awful job with letting them provide fans with intelligent information.

[ZZZips]

I want to add one more compliment to this string.

Our new University president, Dr. Scarborough and his wife attended Sunday's game. They also attended the fan/team dinner on Saturday night. Dr. Scarborough made a few short comments from the podium and then took questions. (DIG had a great question and got a well thought out response. I'll let him post the info if he cares to do so.) He was visible in the lobby and had fun mingling with the fans. He sat with the rest of the fans and team family members at the game and rode on the fan bus to/from the game. He and his wife were were on their feet cheering as loud as any of us. I asked him after the game if he enjoyed his first view of the Zip's MBB team. Both he and his wife said they loved us beating a SEC team on their home turf.

Thank you Scott and Tammy for joining the fans at the game. Both are already vocal and avid ZIps!

[Dr Z]

Dr. Scarborough made a few short comments from the podium and then took questions. (DIG had a great question and got a well thought out response. I'll let him post the info if he cares to do so.)

Thanks for the post, good to know. Was DIG wearing his "I heart Tressel" shirt when questioning?

[Dave in Green]

... considering how horribly we were able to bring the ball upcourt under pressure -- why in the world didn't he put more press on the Zips?!?! you can bet our next opponents saw that and are going to pressure in the backcourt! ...

SC's game is to use intense pressure after the ball crosses the midcourt line, not before. So far this season the Zips have handled backcourt pressure better than last season. Noah has great ball control, court vision and passing ability. Nyles is more in control this season and Antino is lightning quick, though his passing under pressure needs work. The rest of the Zips appear to be much more educated on where to be positioned and when to break open to receive a long pass to break the press. Any team is likely to have at least a few more turnovers when pressed, but it opens up opportunities for a team that can handle the press to find someone open for a shot. Pay close attention to the way the Zips handle the press as the season goes on.

[skip-zip]

Noah is a pass first, shoot second PG. He shot more against South Carolina out of necessity because the players he was feeding were not hitting. You can't get an assist if the player you get the ball to misses the shot.

It can be stated that he is a pass first, shoot second PG. But, all I care about is what I actually see. I was merely pointing out that I love the dribble penetration, but many of the shots in the paint had little chance of going in the basket. And it's also the best opportunity a PG has to make a scoring pass. You can say that others didn't hit enough shots, but taking ill-advised shots yourself is never the answer. I'm not thinking at this point that this team is best served with an Iverson clone at PG. It's something I observed that bothered me, and wanted to point it out to everyone. It's not a matter of optimism or pessimism. Having 6 assists in any 40 min. stretch of basketball is a very alarming number, no matter what twist anyone decides to put on it. And 42% FG shooting certainly wouldn't warrant losing trust in your teammates to hit shots. It's something to keep an eye on.

Yes, the rebounding is an entirely separate issue. But if you watched the game closely, we got beat to death when we tried to battle and out-jump them for balls. It wasn't going to happen. But you may have noticed that when we picked up people when shots were in the air, and got bodies on people, we rebounded much better. We'll have to stay disciplined in that respect to hold our ground in that dept. without Tree. And as I've said previously, it wouldn't hurt to have some people inherit his tenacity on the glass. It's just hard to duplicate his motor level.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Having 6 assists in any 40 min. stretch of basketball is a very alarming number, no matter what twist anyone decides to put on it.

It would be if you lost. But if you won and beat a Top 5 conference team, it is not alarming whatsoever.

I'm glad someone has uncovered something to be negatively alarmed about after beating South Carolina. Personally, I couldn't do it.

[Dave in Green]

... (DIG had a great question and got a well thought out response. I'll let him post the info if he cares to do so.) ...

All the questions were going to Coach Dambrot, and I thought with Dr. Scarborough there it offered a good opportunity to hear his perspective on college sports. So I asked him if he could say a few words about his personal philosophy on the balance between athletics and academics at a university. He started off by talking about his early years in Texas when he became a big sports fan who went to all the games and began realizing how much enthusiasm athletics can generate at a school. He said he agreed with the Bowden philosophy that athletics can be a publicly visible portal to a university generating more interest in the school. But ultimately the primary focus for a university and its president must be on academics.

Dr. Scarborough said "balance" was a good term for keeping athletics in perspective, noting that most college athletes would not play professionally and needed to place a high priority on getting a degree that would help them succeed in other fields. He intimated that he's working on plans to improve the position of Zips athletics in the future within the financial constraints of today's economy. He emphasized that financial support from alumni was an important element in funding athletics at the university level, and thanked everyone for their support.

A lot of what Dr. Scarborough said was general rather than specific, which was what I expected when I asked about his personal philosophy. What I interpreted from his remarks is that he is personally a genuine sports fan who will do all he can to help advance Zips athletics within the framework of raising UA's academic profile. When I saw Dr. Scarborough after the South Carolina game and pointed out to him that it was the Zips' second win over a high major school in the tournament, he nodded with a big smile and acknowledged it was great for UA. My overall impression so far is that Zips athletics will be treated with the same respect under Dr. Scarborough as they would have been under a Jim Tressel presidency.

Since he spoke at some length at the team dinner, I'm sure I've missed some things here so I hope others who attended the dinner will add their thoughts.

[Dave in Green]

Wasn't quite sure where to post this, but this seems like as good of a spot as any. Was seated beside Kwan Cheatham at the team dinner on Saturday night and I just have to comment on what a terrific young man he was. Really polite, obviously very smart, good sense of humor, seemed very serious about both court work and classroom work, just was a really delightful guy to talk to. Love to see players like him on the team and really love it when they also start playing well. I will be rooting hard for this player for the next several years. Go Kwan!

MDZip, I didn't know you were there or I would have said hello. I was sitting next to Big Dog at the dinner with Aaron seated on the other side of the table and was as impressed with both of them as you were with Kwan. I had more of a chance to talk with Big Dog because he was sitting right next to me. He's very thoughtful and soft-spoken. When I asked him about a future pro career he said that was his goal, but that he was also putting a lot of work into his sports management degree (Dr. Scarborough would approve). He no longer has any pain in his wrist and is working hard to catch up with the rest of the team. He understands the importance of physical conditioning and finding his optimum playing weight.

The players were all told to go back and get seconds or thirds as they need to consume a lot of calories due to the amount of physical work they do. I can tell you from sitting next to him that Big Dog had roughly the same amount of food as Aaron or any of the other players. For someone his size he did not overeat. Unlike Zeke, he has a very large frame that's never going to be as slim as some may imagine he could be. I have a lot of confidence now that his wrist is healed that Big Dog will work with the strength and conditioning folks to be in great shape before long. Everyone just needs to have realistic expectations for what he can and can't do.

[Dave in Green]

Skip, let me try to take another shot at easing your concerns:

On the assist issue, this was not the first game of the season. Despite being dragged down by a season low 6 assists and a season high 15 turnovers in the South Carolina game, the Zips are averaging 12.5 assists and 12.0 turnovers over their first 4 games. Averages are what to be concerned about, not single game outliers. The assist average is going to go up and the turnover average is going to go down.

On the Noah issue, he's truly an all-around PG who can do it all in varying ratios depending on what each game calls for. He led his loaded HS team in both assists (7 per game) and scoring (16 ppg). He's taken a few ill-advised shots as all players do, especially freshmen. Like Noah, BJ, Antino and Aaron are also in the process of learning that shots they got off in HS don't work as well when guarded by D-I college players. It's something to keep an eye on but isn't a major concern at this early point in their college careers.

Note that the MAC didn't see Noah's performance in Charleston as worrying except to other MAC teams. They just named him MAC East Player of the Week. Imagine that, just a few months out of HS and in only his second full week of D-I college competition he had the best overall performance of any MAC East player. No one should lose sleep worrying that Noah isn't textbook perfect on every play.