Next Year: Do we go Big or Stack Shooters

[DZ]

It is inevitable that there will be off-season discussions about who starts next year and that is fine but I will point out that we used at least 5 different starting line-ups this year and some people that were starters half way and even two thirds of the way through - Keita, Arop, Hoff - were barely seeing the floor at the end of the year. So, it goes w/o saying, the best players get the most minutes.

My question is our "identity" - are we a team with incredible size (like this year) that tries to win by getting the ball into Harris/Sacre. We could conceivably start Harris, Dower, Sacre - with Kelly coming in for any of them - - or we coud start Pangos/Meech, Carter, Bell and beat teams by shooting over them and getting up and down the floor.

It really comes down to who is going to play the 3 and 4. I think Bell/Pangos (from what I have read) are the "special" Austin Daye/Stepp/Gray types that can walk into any program in the country and start. So, it is a legitimate question whether we focus on our bigs - like we did this year. Or go with the guard oriented offense that is more familiar to us.

[gamagin]

good question

I think the idea is to go inside out, starting with the bigs, while adding enough shooters to the mix to keep everyone honest. RS, EH, SD, KO, MA and whoever else will have to earn their minutes.

If that doesn't work, again, I think Few may opt at times w/three guards. I haven't seen the newbies but practice should reveal to the coaches who is ready and who isn't.

Option 3, which I like and think highly likely at times: two platoon our opponents with a mixture of the best and the biggest and run 40 minutes without stopping the harassment at either end. Open man shoots, the rest collapse on the ball, the putback and the enemy. Dominate.

I hope to see the best five on the floor and the second best five in reserve. Whoever they are, everyone now understands that things and people and circumstances & matchups change fairly often, just like real life. So be ready to adjust to whatever is happening and you will likely get p.t. Or more p.t.

I'm hoping, too, that we continue to toughen up, play very strong, aggressive, up, in and under your chin, defense, and see some real, palpable, leadership arise from the 2012 version of the Zags.

[roxdoc]

Now that we finally have some outside shooters coming in my hope is that we get a bit away from the almost singular emphasis on the inside game. Of course this depends on who of the sharp shooters are ready to go and can play D. Our big guys have a track record for being a threat that cannot be overlooked, but our inside game has not been strong enough on it's own to win games against serious competition. Inside out is a great game if you have the "out". Time to rev up the outside game as soon as we have people ready to play (not necessairly start)

[BobZag]

Now that we finally have some outside shooters coming in my hope is that we get a bit away from the almost singular emphasis on the inside game. Of course this depends on who of the sharp shooters are ready to go and can play D. Our big guys have a track record for being a threat that cannot be overlooked, but our inside game has not been strong enough on it's own to win games against serious competition. Inside out is a great game if you have the "out". Time to rev up the outside game as soon as we have people ready to play (not necessairly start)

I couldn't have said it better. Right on, rox.

[ZagsObserver]

Agreed Rox, hopefully with these shooters we can open things up inside. When they double our bigs, and then the bigs pass it out to the open man, that should be an easy 3. However, due to the fact that we have inferior shooters (or did), we often did not take advantage of these opportunities, thus giving teams an added incentive to clog the paint.

Even next year we won't have a tream "stacked" with good shooters. Meech is not a good shooter, Stockton is better but still mediocre, Carter is very average (and he was one of the better shooters for the Zags). This is why we must expect the freshman to step in immediately because we cannot go through another year where our game is very one-dimensional.

[maynard g krebs]

Balance between the inside/outside game. Too often, Rob had 3 guys hanging on him because everybody knew the perimeter threats were limited. Best option for next year is large doses of Pangos, Carter, and Bell spreading the floor. That gives Sacre, Dower, Harris a lot more one on one post opportunities, and it's pick your poison- try to take that away with a double team, and with the passing ability of those guards, the ball is gonna wind up in the hands of an open shooter, or a cutter as the defense scrambles to get back on the shooters.

Hall/Frahm/Santangelo. Three legit perimeter threats to go with Calvary made that team a nightmare for opposing defenses. This group can be like that, and with multiple inside threats.

[DZ]

I agree with all of the above: We had gotten too one-dimensional - by necessity as there was no one that could be counted on to knock down threes on a consistent basis (Steven could, when healthy) but I think we woud be very well served by playing "BIG" early in the year - think about starting a line-up with Sacre/Harris/Dower - how many college teams can field a team that big and strong? At the beginning of the year, when our young guns are, well, YOUNG - they can play through their mistakes by leaning on the trees.

Then as they begin to pick up the speed of the D-1 game, then I coud see going to a smaller line-up, still with 2 of Harris/Sacre/Dower/Kelly/Spangler always on the floor - but make offense more guard oriented and look to spot up three point shooters.

I think that would be ideal. I know that Few has been loyal to upper-classmen in the past, but if Pangos/Bell are ready to ball at high D-1 level, he is not going to sit them on principle while we lose.

[zag67]

Roxi, I do agree that we need the right mix. But if you remember at the beginning of this year all we could hear was we have to get it inside. We are shooting too many 3s. Then when we do it, now we are saying that we are shooting too many 2s and not enough 3s.

So I do think that we need to get it inside to our bigs and they have got to understand that when things colapse, they have to get the ball back out. I think that might be one of the missing pieces. Inside and then out, gets your 3 point shooters open for better shots.

[MickMick]

I look for Pangos to make everyone else better.

That is what good point guards do.

Take what the defense gives you, exploit mismatches, and do it on a "game by game" basis.

That is the "identity" I'm looking for.

[U Zig, I Zag]

I just hope we play loose and play ball. Everything looked so forced this year. We were 'smoother' at times but we struggled mightly at other times.

Sam > Rob, IMHO - especially if he can get his D is order and start finishing stronger at the rim (dunks, transistion game).

I want to pick up the pace, score more. I guess that means more guard emphasis. Not sure if we need to stack up the shooters. Just get 1 or 2 good ones.

[jpwils]

Another couple options

Might be able to employ the pic n pop or pic n roll more with this group.

Would like to see Kelly and Dower work on this a bit. Sometimes they failed to set solid picks this year.

Stockton and Goodsen will be pushed to develop a bit more, and they both helped our team in different ways this year!

Also would anticipate sophomore jump in several folks such as
MM who should be one of the shooters, along with senior Marquise Carter who progressed nicely at year's end. Let's enjoy this evolving team!

Might be able to employ a pressing team at short intervals , utilizing Goodsen, Hart, Arop, and Keita...let's wait and see what happens in the off-season first.