Game 24: AT University of Rhode Island, Tuesday, February 9th, 7 PM, NO TV

[wijg]

I am a little confused at the criticism about Paulsen playing man D all the time. In a recent game, I believe it was the Dayton game (the beat downs are running together in my memory at this point), we played a significant chunk of zone D. To me, that showed flexibility. Results weren't any better if I recall correctly.

Seems to me we are just limited right now by our limited number of players and injuries, etc.

 

[GMUgemini]

I am a little confused at the criticism about Paulsen playing man D all the time. In a recent game, I believe it was the Dayton game (the beat downs are running together in my memory at this point), we played a significant chunk of zone D. To me, that showed flexibility. Results weren't any better if I recall correctly.

Seems to me we are just limited right now by our limited number of players and injuries, etc.

To me, it's less about man vs. zone, it's the passivity with which our players seem to play defense. Zone defenses can be pretty aggressive, too. And that doesn't even mean generating a lot of turnovers, but it certainly means trying to dictate what the opposing offense is doing, where they're going to catch the ball, what shots (and under what kind of pressure) they are going to take etc.

 

[gmutom]

To me, it's less about man vs. zone, it's the passivity with which our players seem to play defense. Zone defenses can be pretty aggressive, too.

Exactly. I honestly don't care what we play as long as we cover people. I get that we are undermanned and inexperienced right now, and only time will change that; but it doesn't mean we have to constantly leave shooters wide open like we did last night and against Dayton.

 

[liem.le.3388]

I'm curious if Paulsen is telling them not to close out on shooters or if the players are just not capable.

 

[gmujim92]

You also have to consider that we had very little depth even before Marquise got hurt, and even less now.

It's difficult to be too aggressive defensively when our primary players know they need to stay on the court and the officials have been instructed to call all types of ticky-tack fouls.

I suppose Otis could be super-aggressive and spend large chunks of every game watching Tate play PG for us, but I don't necessarily think that's a winning strategy.

Simply put, I think some of you have unrealistic expectations at the moment. If we are still not guarding anyone next year or the year after, I will share your concern then.

 

[liem.le.3388]

You also have to consider that we had very little depth even before Marquise got hurt, and even less now.

It's difficult to be too aggressive defensively when our primary players know they need to stay on the court and the officials have been instructed to call all types of ticky-tack fouls.

I suppose Otis could be super-aggressive and spend large chunks of every game watching Tate play PG for us, but I don't necessarily think that's a winning strategy.

Simply put, I think some of you have unrealistic expectations at the moment. If we are still not guarding anyone next year or the year after, I will share your concern then.

I totally hear you on this, our guys need to try to start fresh bc there's no depth. But giving shooters 5ft on a jump shoot vs trying to close out only giving them 1-2ft makes a big diff.

 

[GMUgemini]

You also have to consider that we had very little depth even before Marquise got hurt, and even less now.

It's difficult to be too aggressive defensively when our primary players know they need to stay on the court and the officials have been instructed to call all types of ticky-tack fouls.

I suppose Otis could be super-aggressive and spend large chunks of every game watching Tate play PG for us, but I don't necessarily think that's a winning strategy.

Simply put, I think some of you have unrealistic expectations at the moment. If we are still not guarding anyone next year or the year after, I will share your concern then.

That's a pretty specious argument when Rhode Island's starting guards played more minutes than ours did.

 

[gmujim92]

That's a pretty specious argument when Rhode Island's starting guards played more minutes than ours did.

I'm not sure you know what specious means.

We started three freshmen guards last night. Freshmen typically aren't great defensively, and that is exacerbated by the fact that we have basically zero depth behind them. Thus, we are being very conservative and trying not to get beaten off the dribble, which increases the likelihood of picking up cheap fouls.

Rhody has a 5th-year senior and two other guys who are both nearing the end of their second year as starters.

Again, I'm not sure what some of you expect. We have serious roster limitations, especially without our best backcourt defender.

Do you seriously think this is the type of defense DP would prefer under optimal conditions?

 

[GMUgemini]

I'm not sure you know what specious means.

We started three freshmen guards last night. Freshmen typically aren't great defensively, and that is exacerbated by the fact that we have basically zero depth behind them. Thus, we are being very conservative and trying not to get beaten off the dribble, which increases the likelihood of picking up cheap fouls.

Rhody has a 5th-year senior and two other guys who are both nearing the end of their second year as starters.

Again, I'm not sure what some of you expect. We have serious roster limitations, especially without our best backcourt defender.

Do you seriously think this is the type of defense DP would prefer under optimal conditions?

Plausible, but wrong, Jim. And I think absolutely some of our defensive problems are scheme. I think some might be the fatigue of the season. I think some might be depth. But I think some has to be laid at the feet of Paulsen, too.

 

[GSII]

If we are going to stand on the argument that we have a limited roster, then why even play man to man? Play zone to preserve energy. Slow he offense down even more. To me it seems a bit stubborn on both offense and defense to not go all out Princeton for the rest of the season. We have zero post efficiency, we travel when making a post move, and/or we brick point blank shots after making what seems to be an uncomfortable post move. It's a complete train wreck so why not try something else at some point.

 

[gmutom]

This is all just message board banter to help us get through a tough season. Everybody here loves Dave and thinks he's the right guy for this reclamation project. Hey, it could be worse, he could be getting kicked out of a JV girls basketball game like GW's head coach.

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2016/02/10/lonergan-kicked-out/

 

[GMU92]

This is all just message board banter to help us get through a tough season. Everybody here loves Dave and thinks he's the right guy for this reclamation project. Hey, it could be worse, he could be getting kicked out of a JV girls basketball game like GW's head coach.

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2016/02/10/lonergan-kicked-out/

Why not have the HS team coach clarify this with the game officials? No need for him to be approaching the scorer's table. And his daughter seriously broke down in tears over fouling out in a game? Good grief.

 

[MasonFanatic]

Sometimes you have to keep doing what you know won't work short term, to build experience for the future. If we play zone the rest of this season, how does that help prepare our freshmen for the style Paulsen wants to run next year or the year after?

 

[hoops10]

Does it really matter whether we play man or zone? I see guys who are trying but quite frankly are limited in their ability to cover/play defense. I think Marco is playing hard, but how many times do we see players just blow right by him for easy layups. Shevon, is an enigma to me, there are times he is unstoppable when it comes to rebounding, but the rest of his game is totally a work in progress. BAD hands, tired of seeing guards just rip the ball out of his hands. Finally, the freshman are doing what most freshman do. Otis is a keeper, Abrams and Grayer certainly show flashes, Morrell and Dixon need a lot more time.

Their record is a direct reflection on the quality of their playing ability, and their youth. It is what it is. Lets hope the new guys next year give us a boost.

You have to like Paulson's passion for the game. He needs time to grow with his new players too. We'll all know how good a coach he is in three years. Question is, how many folks can handle the continuing adversity.

 

[gmujim92]

Plausible, but wrong, Jim. And I think absolutely some of our defensive problems are scheme. I think some might be the fatigue of the season. I think some might be depth. But I think some has to be laid at the feet of Paulsen, too.

So you're telling me that the same defensive scheme that made Bucknell consistently one of the top defensive teams in the country is to blame for us being one of the worst defensive teams in the A-10?

DP already has proven he knows how to coach defense. If you read the Bucknell board, it actually took a couple years for his offense to catch up with the team's defensive prowess.

Perhaps he left his ability to coach defense back in Pennsylvaia? Or could there be a more "plausible" explanation?

 

[mkaufman1]

It sucks but as Marcus Lemonis says "Trust the Process". And thats the best thing any of us can do at this juncture.

 

[stimes]

You also have to consider that we had very little depth even before Marquise got hurt, and even less now.

It's difficult to be too aggressive defensively when our primary players know they need to stay on the court and the officials have been instructed to call all types of ticky-tack fouls.

I suppose Otis could be super-aggressive and spend large chunks of every game watching Tate play PG for us, but I don't necessarily think that's a winning strategy.


Simply put, I think some of you have unrealistic expectations at the moment. If we are still not guarding anyone next year or the year after, I will share your concern then.[/Q

It's not that we have unrealistic expectations, these guys need to stop jacking up 3's and go to the basket. With Moore out, our offense is stagnant and the defense is horrible. These young players just take no pride in their defense. Basketball is not just an offensive game, actually its defense that wins games. Watching these young players, is like watching a shoot out at the OK Corral. Everyone shooting and no defense being played. Don't get me wrong I like the heart and determination of these young players, but lets try to get the ball inside to the bigs and get them jump started before we start taking ill advised shots. Davidson is coming in this week. If we don't close out on their shooters and stop Jack Gibbs penetration we will be in for another long night.

 

[stimes]

I totally hear you on this, our guys need to try to start fresh bc there's no depth. But giving shooters 5ft on a jump shoot vs trying to close out only giving them 1-2ft makes a big diff.

You also have to consider that we had very little depth even before Marquise got hurt, and even less now.

It's difficult to be too aggressive defensively when our primary players know they need to stay on the court and the officials have been instructed to call all types of ticky-tack fouls.

I suppose Otis could be super-aggressive and spend large chunks of every game watching Tate play PG for us, but I don't necessarily think that's a winning strategy.

Simply put, I think some of you have unrealistic expectations at the moment. If we are still not guarding anyone next year or the year after, I will share your concern then.

It's not that we have unrealistic expectations, these guys need to stop jacking up 3's and go to the basket. With Moore out, our offense is stagnant and the defense is horrible. These young players just take no pride in their defense. Basketball is not just an offensive game, actually its defense that wins games. Watching these young players, is like watching a shoot out at the OK Corral. Everyone shooting and no defense being played. Don't get me wrong I like the heart and determination of these young players, but lets try to get the ball inside to the bigs and get them jump started before we start taking ill advised shots. Davidson is coming in this week. If we don't close out on their shooters and stop Jack Gibbs penetration we will be in for another long night.

 

[gmujim92]

It's not that we have unrealistic expectations

We have five active freshmen and four scholarship "veterans" who are effectively freshmen in our current coach's system.

So yes, expecting this extremely limited team to have done anything more than it has to this point -- including 3 top-100 (or close) victories -- actually is unrealistic.

Why not just enjoy the wins when they come and accept for now that the players and coaches are trying as hard as they can?

 

[GSII]

So you're telling me that the same defensive scheme that made Bucknell consistently one of the top defensive teams in the country is to blame for us being one of the worst defensive teams in the A-10?

DP already has proven he knows how to coach defense. If you read the Bucknell board, it actually took a couple years for his offense to catch up with the team's defensive prowess.

Perhaps he left his ability to coach defense back in Pennsylvaia? Or could there be a more "plausible" explanation?

Disagree. The Patriot League is nothing like the A10. Yes Bucknell had success bc of DP, and also bc of an NBA player on his roster. Just like HAVOC isnt living well in Austin, and has evolved from caa to a10 to b12, same goes for DP's defensive scheme in A10. It needs adjusting to the higher talent level. We cant leave athletic guards open to drain 3's.


Davidson isnt athletic but can make shots from everywhere. What will the defensive scheme be on Sat? Dare them to shoot while sagging to get rebounds and hope they go cold? Its highly likely bc thats what DP's defensive scheme has been most of his career. Wont work in A10 without some tweaks to frustrate good shooters.