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Not surprisingly, many of you point fingers at the players after tough losses and express confusion as to why they have a tough time winning big games when it's so clear they are loaded with talent. I posed these questions to a former 12 year NBA veteran (that played the 4 position) and was very successful in his career.
I know many of you think Gonzaga struggles because of a "lack of effort" or "attitude problems," but I want all of you to read where the majority of the problems lie (in the opinion of someone who knows all too well)
Below are the questions I asked, followed by his exact responses.
1. Why does Gonzaga have such a difficult time with bigger opponents?
Gonzaga plays small ball with big people. Mark Few is coaching a big team but is using a small man's offense. He needs to change with his personnel. But, like most coaches, they know one offense and will live or die with that system. They either don't know or believe TODAY'S PLAYERS can learn more than one offensive set, which in Coach Few's case, is motion.
2. Why do they struggle with rebounding … both offensively and defensively?
The strength of the Motion Offense is that you never know where a player might be at any time so it is difficult to scout and prepare for defensively. That is also The Motion Offense’s biggest weakness. The offensive big men might be on the post or the perimeter at any time. The Motion Offense is unpredictable! Big Men HATE the Motion offense. When you run set plays most plays are designed to have two to three guys on the boards at all times. The Big Guys know when the shot is going up so they can fight for position before the shot is taken. That never happens when running a motion offense. Defensively, a good coach who plays man to man tries to funnel players in a certain direction … i.e. baseline or to the help player etc. Coach Few’s defense has holes everywhere for attack and his zone defense is very weak.
3. Why does Coach Few insist on playing a motion offense instead of set plays?
The main motion offenses are 5-man motion, 4-out 1 in motion, 3 out 2 in motion and Flex. Unless Gonzaga runs motion like North Carolina where the focus is getting inside or to the big guy on the box or free throw line, it is a bad offense for guys 6'9 and taller... Motion is designed to spread the floor to create spacing for drives and three point shooters. Big Guys don't drive and usually don't shoot 3-pointers. I have seen Mark Few run great set plays out of timeouts. His players always seem to score or get fouled. I think coaches are lazy when all they teach and run is motion. It is impossible to think one offensive set can beat every team. You will never see a college football coach call one play for the entire game. Why should basketball be any different ?
4. What are the obvious signs that our big men aren't being taught proper and productive post moves by the coaches that are supposed to be teaching them?
When a Big Man catches the ball in the post and immediately passes back out, you know he doesn't have a post move. You can see the fear in the player's eyes when he catches the ball.
5. Why won't this style of play ever yield a win in the NCAA tournament?
5 man out motion will not win a championship. You must pound the inside and control the boards to win championships. Look at Florida's two championships. The two 7 footers in the middle controlled the paint, on defense and the boards.
5. Why can't the Gonzaga coaches admit their mistakes and come up with an offense that will give Gonzaga a chance to win?
For the Same reason UCLA lost three times in the final four. You can't run the same thing and think someone can't stop your offense. The Triangle Offense was stopped last year by Boston. Kobe couldn't get a shot off... UCLA and the Lakers use one offensive set. Boston and Florida run several offenses and plays … both played excellent defense. Rebounding and defense wins Championships!!!
6. Why do our big guys work so hard to get open in the post, just to be looked off by the guards that subsequently shoot a bomb?
Mark Few doesn't believe in the post game or his post players. If he did, he would force the guard to get the ball inside to the big men every game. Mark Few will need inside scoring in the Playoffs, but it will never happen. If you don't develop an inside game during the season, it won't be ready in the Playoffs.
7. Why do you feel it takes a former player at the 4 or 5 position to successfully coach big guys post moves?
Big Men fight for younger big men... A small coach may know the moves in theory but he doesn't have passion about the position. When I see a former guard assigned to teach the post, I laugh. You never see a 7'0 ex player teaching guard moves ... Kareem has made Andrew Bynum of the Lakers a great young center. If one of the guard coaches had tried to teach Bynum, the young man would not be as good as he is today.
8. Why is it basketball suicide for any "big" to come to Gonzaga?
Name me a great post player ever to come out of Gonzaga. Name me a great Guard or Guards from Gonzaga? Name me great big men from UCLA, Stanford, Georgetown or North Carolina. These schools have a history of developing great big men. If I was a big man I would run not walk away from Gonzaga. This is a Guard school, nothing wrong with that, if you are a guard!
I know many of you think Gonzaga struggles because of a "lack of effort" or "attitude problems," but I want all of you to read where the majority of the problems lie (in the opinion of someone who knows all too well)
Below are the questions I asked, followed by his exact responses.
1. Why does Gonzaga have such a difficult time with bigger opponents?
Gonzaga plays small ball with big people. Mark Few is coaching a big team but is using a small man's offense. He needs to change with his personnel. But, like most coaches, they know one offense and will live or die with that system. They either don't know or believe TODAY'S PLAYERS can learn more than one offensive set, which in Coach Few's case, is motion.
2. Why do they struggle with rebounding … both offensively and defensively?
The strength of the Motion Offense is that you never know where a player might be at any time so it is difficult to scout and prepare for defensively. That is also The Motion Offense’s biggest weakness. The offensive big men might be on the post or the perimeter at any time. The Motion Offense is unpredictable! Big Men HATE the Motion offense. When you run set plays most plays are designed to have two to three guys on the boards at all times. The Big Guys know when the shot is going up so they can fight for position before the shot is taken. That never happens when running a motion offense. Defensively, a good coach who plays man to man tries to funnel players in a certain direction … i.e. baseline or to the help player etc. Coach Few’s defense has holes everywhere for attack and his zone defense is very weak.
3. Why does Coach Few insist on playing a motion offense instead of set plays?
The main motion offenses are 5-man motion, 4-out 1 in motion, 3 out 2 in motion and Flex. Unless Gonzaga runs motion like North Carolina where the focus is getting inside or to the big guy on the box or free throw line, it is a bad offense for guys 6'9 and taller... Motion is designed to spread the floor to create spacing for drives and three point shooters. Big Guys don't drive and usually don't shoot 3-pointers. I have seen Mark Few run great set plays out of timeouts. His players always seem to score or get fouled. I think coaches are lazy when all they teach and run is motion. It is impossible to think one offensive set can beat every team. You will never see a college football coach call one play for the entire game. Why should basketball be any different ?
4. What are the obvious signs that our big men aren't being taught proper and productive post moves by the coaches that are supposed to be teaching them?
When a Big Man catches the ball in the post and immediately passes back out, you know he doesn't have a post move. You can see the fear in the player's eyes when he catches the ball.
5. Why won't this style of play ever yield a win in the NCAA tournament?
5 man out motion will not win a championship. You must pound the inside and control the boards to win championships. Look at Florida's two championships. The two 7 footers in the middle controlled the paint, on defense and the boards.
5. Why can't the Gonzaga coaches admit their mistakes and come up with an offense that will give Gonzaga a chance to win?
For the Same reason UCLA lost three times in the final four. You can't run the same thing and think someone can't stop your offense. The Triangle Offense was stopped last year by Boston. Kobe couldn't get a shot off... UCLA and the Lakers use one offensive set. Boston and Florida run several offenses and plays … both played excellent defense. Rebounding and defense wins Championships!!!
6. Why do our big guys work so hard to get open in the post, just to be looked off by the guards that subsequently shoot a bomb?
Mark Few doesn't believe in the post game or his post players. If he did, he would force the guard to get the ball inside to the big men every game. Mark Few will need inside scoring in the Playoffs, but it will never happen. If you don't develop an inside game during the season, it won't be ready in the Playoffs.
7. Why do you feel it takes a former player at the 4 or 5 position to successfully coach big guys post moves?
Big Men fight for younger big men... A small coach may know the moves in theory but he doesn't have passion about the position. When I see a former guard assigned to teach the post, I laugh. You never see a 7'0 ex player teaching guard moves ... Kareem has made Andrew Bynum of the Lakers a great young center. If one of the guard coaches had tried to teach Bynum, the young man would not be as good as he is today.
8. Why is it basketball suicide for any "big" to come to Gonzaga?
Name me a great post player ever to come out of Gonzaga. Name me a great Guard or Guards from Gonzaga? Name me great big men from UCLA, Stanford, Georgetown or North Carolina. These schools have a history of developing great big men. If I was a big man I would run not walk away from Gonzaga. This is a Guard school, nothing wrong with that, if you are a guard!
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