Zips v. NIU

[Quickzips]

He tends to go back and forth between rushing up wild shots and taking his time too much and getting the ball stripped.

I agree with most of what you have to say about Zeke except the part about rushing up wild shots. I think it's important that he use quickness to his advantage against the slower bigs who guard him. He absolutely needs a quick release, which is not the same as rushing up wild shots. As for wildness, I commented during the game that Zeke's shooting percentage is going up, and he only infrequently has a bad miss in more recent games. Most of his misses now are at least finding the rim and bouncing around, with a possibility of falling through. So I would say that the instances of Zeke rushing up a wild shot are now pretty rare, and no longer a serious issue.As for the photo of Nik's block, it would clearly demonstrate to MAC refs that they were correct. Please note the proximity of Nik's thumbnail to the shooter's middle fingernail. Only MAC refs have the eyesight and confidence to call that a foul. Likewise, in the photo of Zeke's attempted block, can there be any doubt that Zeke's little fingernail brushed the shooter's ring fingernail a fraction of a second after this photo was taken?Flagrant stuff to be sure if you're a MAC ref.

Personally, I think there is a difference between having a quick release and rushing a shot. Having a quick release is a good thing. It means you are getting the ball to the hoop before a defender can get in good position to make a play on the shot. Rushing a shot is a bad thing. It means you aren't really gathering yourself, your out of control and you aren't really getting off a good shot. I've seen Zeke rush a lot of shots this season where taking an extra second or two to gather and make a good move would yield a much higher percentage.

[RACER]

i just wondered if anybody understands how kd gives out pt.like one poster said that zeke makes a good play on a block shot,and then he is taken out.i looked at the stats of the last four games.i am in no way picking on steve mc neese.the stats don't lie though. western 27 min 8 pts fg% 50% 3PT % 50%, toledo 25 min 3pts fg 16% 3pt % 16%,eastern 34 min 4 pts fg% 0 3pt % 25%, n.ill 23 min 2pts 0fg% 3pt% 10%. why is he getting so many min.why not give some min to steward,and see what he can do? in the four games he has played 8min 3pts,7 in 3pts,7 min 3pts,5min 0 pts. he has pretty miuch the same stats in about 1/4 the pt. i am not saying steve should not play,but why not give more min to steward,and mc clanahan.how could they do any worse? kd is a great coach for some reasonsteve is always out there.

[Deeustin89]

KD could learn a thing or two about riding the hot hand. He kills guys momentum time and time again with his substituting and insistance on playing 10-11 guys.

[Dave in Green]

He tends to go back and forth between rushing up wild shots and taking his time too much and getting the ball stripped.

I agree with most of what you have to say about Zeke except the part about rushing up wild shots. I think it's important that he use quickness to his advantage against the slower bigs who guard him. He absolutely needs a quick release, which is not the same as rushing up wild shots. As for wildness, I commented during the game that Zeke's shooting percentage is going up, and he only infrequently has a bad miss in more recent games. Most of his misses now are at least finding the rim and bouncing around, with a possibility of falling through. So I would say that the instances of Zeke rushing up a wild shot are now pretty rare, and no longer a serious issue.As for the photo of Nik's block, it would clearly demonstrate to MAC refs that they were correct. Please note the proximity of Nik's thumbnail to the shooter's middle fingernail. Only MAC refs have the eyesight and confidence to call that a foul. Likewise, in the photo of Zeke's attempted block, can there be any doubt that Zeke's little fingernail brushed the shooter's ring fingernail a fraction of a second after this photo was taken?Flagrant stuff to be sure if you're a MAC ref.

Personally, I think there is a difference between having a quick release and rushing a shot. Having a quick release is a good thing. It means you are getting the ball to the hoop before a defender can get in good position to make a play on the shot. Rushing a shot is a bad thing. It means you aren't really gathering yourself, your out of control and you aren't really getting off a good shot. I've seen Zeke rush a lot of shots this season where taking an extra second or two to gather and make a good move would yield a much higher percentage.

Yep, based on what you and I said in our last posts, we are in full agreement that there is a difference between having a quick release and rushing a shot. We agree that Zeke was rushing his shot a lot early in the season and getting some bad misses. We apparently disagree that he's still doing it as much. I see him learning and improving from game to game, and turning his previous rushed shots into quick releases. When he takes an extra second or two to gather, the defense collapses on him and the shot becomes much more difficult. He must both shoot quickly and be in control. Practice and experience will continue to make him better and better at this, just as he has gotten better since the beginning of the season.

[Dave in Green]

i just wondered if anybody understands how kd gives out pt.like one poster said that zeke makes a good play on a block shot,and then he is taken out.i looked at the stats of the last four games.i am in no way picking on steve mc neese.the stats don't lie though. western 27 min 8 pts fg% 50% 3PT % 50%, toledo 25 min 3pts fg 16% 3pt % 16%,eastern 34 min 4 pts fg% 0 3pt % 25%, n.ill 23 min 2pts 0fg% 3pt% 10%. why is he getting so many min.why not give some min to steward,and see what he can do? in the four games he has played 8min 3pts,7 in 3pts,7 min 3pts,5min 0 pts. he has pretty miuch the same stats in about 1/4 the pt. i am not saying steve should not play,but why not give more min to steward,and mc clanahan.how could they do any worse? kd is a great coach for some reasonsteve is always out there.

I don't understand every move KD makes, but some are easier to understand than others. The answer to your question about McNees is in the team statistics (link below). The primary job of the point guard is to protect and distribute the ball, with scoring being secondary. When studying the season statistics, pay particular attention to the assist-to-turnover ratio. The best point guards are those who are steady, reliable, get the most out of the other players, and have high assist-to-turnover ratios. If he were relieved of point guard responsibilities and totally focused on shooting, I have no doubt that McNees would be as effective at shooting guard as he is at point guard. It's up to the other point guards to take time away from him by proving they can perform point guard duties as effectively as he has. Zips Season Stats

[Quickzips]

He tends to go back and forth between rushing up wild shots and taking his time too much and getting the ball stripped.

I agree with most of what you have to say about Zeke except the part about rushing up wild shots. I think it's important that he use quickness to his advantage against the slower bigs who guard him. He absolutely needs a quick release, which is not the same as rushing up wild shots. As for wildness, I commented during the game that Zeke's shooting percentage is going up, and he only infrequently has a bad miss in more recent games. Most of his misses now are at least finding the rim and bouncing around, with a possibility of falling through. So I would say that the instances of Zeke rushing up a wild shot are now pretty rare, and no longer a serious issue.As for the photo of Nik's block, it would clearly demonstrate to MAC refs that they were correct. Please note the proximity of Nik's thumbnail to the shooter's middle fingernail. Only MAC refs have the eyesight and confidence to call that a foul. Likewise, in the photo of Zeke's attempted block, can there be any doubt that Zeke's little fingernail brushed the shooter's ring fingernail a fraction of a second after this photo was taken?Flagrant stuff to be sure if you're a MAC ref.

Personally, I think there is a difference between having a quick release and rushing a shot. Having a quick release is a good thing. It means you are getting the ball to the hoop before a defender can get in good position to make a play on the shot. Rushing a shot is a bad thing. It means you aren't really gathering yourself, your out of control and you aren't really getting off a good shot. I've seen Zeke rush a lot of shots this season where taking an extra second or two to gather and make a good move would yield a much higher percentage.

Yep, based on what you and I said in our last posts, we are in full agreement that there is a difference between having a quick release and rushing a shot. We agree that Zeke was rushing his shot a lot early in the season and getting some bad misses. We apparently disagree that he's still doing it as much. I see him learning and improving from game to game, and turning his previous rushed shots into quick releases. When he takes an extra second or two to gather, the defense collapses on him and the shot becomes much more difficult. He must both shoot quickly and be in control. Practice and experience will continue to make him better and better at this, just as he has gotten better since the beginning of the season.

I do agree that Zeke is rushing less of his shots lately, but he's still rushing his shots at times. I saw quite a few of them at EMU. Not as much against NIU. We need more of the NIU shooting and less of the EMU shooting.

[RootforRoo44]

KD could learn a thing or two about riding the hot hand. He kills guys momentum time and time again with his substituting and insistance on playing 10-11 guys.

I couldn't agree more. Many a game have been lost by the Zips in the past few years due to KD not riding the momentum his players build. The way he runs things it's hard for shooters to get into any sort of rhythm.

[zipfan85]

Great pics! Thanks for borrowing them, Doc. Wasn't Nik called for a foul on that play?

I maybe wrong, but I think I heard them call the foul on jimmy away from the ball. Nik did get upset with the call whether it was or not. I love Nik's energy and spirit, but I think there can be times when he goes crazy. But I understand, Nik is the guy who wants to win. Who doesn't?

[Dave in Green]

I do agree that Zeke is rushing less of his shots lately, but he's still rushing his shots at times. I saw quite a few of them at EMU. Not as much against NIU. We need more of the NIU shooting and less of the EMU shooting.

OK, we're close to agreement. In the transition from HS to D1, it takes a little time for players to adjust to the difference in shot timing vs. bigger, quicker defenders. Zeke has made steady progress on this, which is all that I think is fair to ask of him or any other true freshman. He still makes mistakes, but so do veterans. You can see veteran players occasionally rushing shots in NBA games.

[vmd9]

KD could learn a thing or two about riding the hot hand. He kills guys momentum time and time again with his substituting and insistance on playing 10-11 guys.

I couldn't agree more. Many a game have been lost by the Zips in the past few years due to KD not riding the momentum his players build. The way he runs things it's hard for shooters to get into any sort of rhythm.

I agree also. He has a tendency to sub in 3-4 players at a time, which makes no sense. You have a good run going, momentum and chemistry working, if a guy is tired sub him out but not all of them. I feel like I'm watching hockey with all the line changes!

[Dave in Green]

Wait a minute. I thought the big criticism of KD was that he was too quick to pull players for making mistakes.Now the criticism is that he's too quick to take players out when they're not making mistakes?So, if KD starts letting players stay in longer, how long will it be before he's criticized for wearing out his players?Has anyone read Aesop's fable about the man, the boy and the donkey?Aesop's Fables

[RACER]

that's fine with the asst to tournovers.then take care of the ball.steve is shooting us out of the last four gameswith terible shooting.the problem is he is playing pt guard,but thinks he is at the two guard. i sorry but he does not deservemore min that humpty,or roberts.plus he is a liability on defense.i don't have a problem with him playing it's just hom much time kd is giving him.27m,25m,34m,23m.we have other guards on this team also.

[Dave in Green]

McNees is in a bad shooting slump. He's only 1 of 20 from the field over the past 3 games (4 games ago he shot 50% from the field).For the season, McNees has a .373 shooting percentage, which is not great. However, more than 2/3rds of his field goal attempts are 3-pointers, and his .356 shooting percentage on 3s is not bad (equivalent to .534 shooting percentage on 2s by points scored).By comparison, Hitchens' season field goal percentage is only slightly better at .381, and he's shooting .368 on 3s.None of the Zips point guards is a high percentage shooter. They all run hot and cold in the high 30s to low 40s percentage range. When choosing among point guards with similar shooting percentages, turnovers and assists become key factors in who gets the most minutes.

[GP1]

KD could learn a thing or two about riding the hot hand. He kills guys momentum time and time again with his substituting and insistance on playing 10-11 guys.

I couldn't agree more. Many a game have been lost by the Zips in the past few years due to KD not riding the momentum his players build. The way he runs things it's hard for shooters to get into any sort of rhythm.

I agree also. He has a tendency to sub in 3-4 players at a time, which makes no sense. You have a good run going, momentum and chemistry working, if a guy is tired sub him out but not all of them. I feel like I'm watching hockey with all the line changes!

If you can afford to, substitute liberally early in a game. Players are humans and not robots so they become tired.Getting a lead early in a game is critical in any sport. In basketball, it allows a coach to rest his players. If you have a 12 point lead and rest your starters, the other team has to leave their starters in to try to catch up. If they catch up to say four, then put the starters back in. The other team will be tired from trying to catch up and the starters can expand the lead again.Basketball is a game very much like hockey in there is constant motion. Rest is critical.

[Deeustin89]

McNees is in a bad shooting slump. He's only 1 of 20 from the field over the past 3 games (4 games ago he shot 50% from the field).For the season, McNees has a .373 shooting percentage, which is not great. However, more than 2/3rds of his field goal attempts are 3-pointers, and his .356 shooting percentage on 3s is not bad (equivalent to .534 shooting percentage on 2s by points scored).By comparison, Hitchens' season field goal percentage is only slightly better at .381, and he's shooting .368 on 3s.None of the Zips point guards is a high percentage shooter. They all run hot and cold in the high 30s to low 40s percentage range. When choosing among point guards with similar shooting percentages, turnovers and assists become key factors in who gets the most minutes.

Seems like all of the Zips guards have gone through big shooting slumps this year, i remember humpty had a 3-30 stretch over 3 games earlier this year

[mes102]

KD could learn a thing or two about riding the hot hand. He kills guys momentum time and time again with his substituting and insistance on playing 10-11 guys.

I couldn't agree more. Many a game have been lost by the Zips in the past few years due to KD not riding the momentum his players build. The way he runs things it's hard for shooters to get into any sort of rhythm.

I agree also. He has a tendency to sub in 3-4 players at a time, which makes no sense. You have a good run going, momentum and chemistry working, if a guy is tired sub him out but not all of them. I feel like I'm watching hockey with all the line changes!

If you can afford to, substitute liberally early in a game. Players are humans and not robots so they become tired.Getting a lead early in a game is critical in any sport. In basketball, it allows a coach to rest his players. If you have a 12 point lead and rest your starters, the other team has to leave their starters in to try to catch up. If they catch up to say four, then put the starters back in. The other team will be tired from trying to catch up and the starters can expand the lead again.Basketball is a game very much like hockey in there is constant motion. Rest is critical.

kinda hard to be in constant motion when there's a media timeout every 2 minutes it seems...