got to admit I was wrong about a couple of things...
with the season imploding last year...I was not really confident about the team under Steve Alford going into the season....
sure...Lonzo Ball was a top prospect...but the idea of having your 3 guard starting line up with Ball..Alford and Hamilton...I just didn't see how that line up was going to match up defensively...and would there be enough ball movement...and less chunking....to make things work....
Well...I was wrong about that....because not only is this team moving the ball well on offense..... but all of the sudden they are playing great defense.... far beyond what they were doing the last couple of seasons...
then there's TJ Leaf...
I saw the high school highlights...was really impressed...but had no idea this guy was going to come and house guys like he's doing in college...Leaf is an all round threat on offense...and a tough guy in the paint...
Freshman Ike Anigbogu is a big strong rim protector for us....exactly what we need to go with the more finesse big me like Welsh and Golomon...
UCLA is proving they're for real..... and stil are missing one of their key players in Prince Ali.... once Prince comes back to give us a solid wing player and defender off the bench...this team can make some big things happen into March...
1. "Having 3 guys on the court who can play pg is huge in teh NCAA" In response to Reply # 0
especially evident in the game vs UK and their pressure.
The good thing is theyre not all midgets so they can play 1,2,3 and Hamilton can help with some ball handling too.
One of the things im impressed with Ball about is how he knows the floor and spacing so well. Several times ive watched him coach Bryce or Holiday to just take a few dribbles back towards halfcourt to create space for the offense, and remove clutter from the wing.
He also does a great job of re-finding the ball and coming back to get it. Not a skill a lot of people talk about when evaluating pgs, but the way he's always finding his way back to get the ball reminds me of something Cp3 does.
--- "though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought
2. "right...." In response to Reply # 1 Tue Dec-06-16 03:29 PM by Warren Coolidge
Ball's offensive awareness and court presence is really off the charts.... We literally look like a completely different team...running a completely different offense with him on the court...
and with our 3 PGs .... my concern going into the season was...well let me go back some....We've had some success with Big 2 guards playing small forward for us in recent years...going back to Ced Bozeman....on to Kyle Anderson ..then Norman Powell.... and with all 3 of those guys....they were paired with a back court tandem that could really lock down their opponents 1,2,3.... Last year with Isaac Hamilton filling that spot when you had Holliday and Bryce in the backcourt...we simply did not have size and defensive ability to match up well with 1,2,3s.... Isaac is no Norman Powell defensively ....Isaac can guard 1s or 2s...he can play the 1 or 2...he's not really a 3 at all..
so my concern was.....if you bring in Ball...start him and move Holiday to the bench...does that really solve last year's problem... I wasn't sure...but man.... we are a really good defensive team right now....
and once Prince Ali suits up ....we'll finally have a true wing in our rotation and that's going to make things even better
3. "Its been real good team defense so far" In response to Reply # 2
I dont know if Bryce, Ball, and Holiday really scare anyone defensively. Like Longo said, Ball is pretty bad at moving his feet, BUT he has a knack for getting his hands in the right place at key moments so far.
I think theyre doing a good job communicating and playing team defense, but also their high paced offense is doing a good job of wearing guys down defensively so they are more tired on offense.
Ali will really help with that but who loses minutes once he gets back? It seems like they want to play Ball 33+, Alford plays a bunch, and so does hamilton.
Maybe once he gets back they can drop balls minutes a bit, but he really changes the complexion of the team when hes on the floor
>Ball's offensive awareness and court presence is really off >the charts.... We literally look like a completely different >team...running a completely different offense with him on the >court... > > >and with our 3 PGs .... my concern going into the season >was...well let me go back some....We've had some success with >Big 2 guards playing small forward for us in recent >years...going back to Ced Bozeman....on to Kyle Anderson >..then Norman Powell.... and with all 3 of those guys....they >were paired with a back court tandem that could really lock >down their opponents 1,2,3.... Last year with Isaac Hamilton >filling that spot when you had Holliday and Bryce in the >backcourt...we simply did not have size and defensive ability >to match up well with 1,2,3s.... Isaac is no Norman Powell >defensively ....Isaac can guard 1s or 2s...he can play the 1 >or 2...he's not really a 3 at all.. > >so my concern was.....if you bring in Ball...start him and >move Holiday to the bench...does that really solve last year's >problem... I wasn't sure...but man.... we are a really good >defensive team right now.... > >and once Prince Ali suits up ....we'll finally have a true >wing in our rotation and that's going to make things even >better
--- "though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought
Frank Longo Member since Nov 18th 2003 86670 posts
Tue Dec-06-16 04:22 PM
5. "I like how active everyone's hands are." In response to Reply # 3
Like, yes, they don't create a lot of turnovers, and so far their defense has been okay at best overall, but if there's a loose ball or a rebound up for grabs or a pass that's not exactly on point by the other team, I like UCLA to touch it. And while that's not really an easily quantifiable stat, it does mean that I trust them to out-hustle teams, which usually results in wins.
Frank Longo Member since Nov 18th 2003 86670 posts
Tue Dec-06-16 03:52 PM
4. "They're still not great defensively... but it's going in the right direc..." In response to Reply # 0
They currently rank 7th out of Pac-12 teams in defensive efficiency-- they've let most of their opponents do a point per possession or close to it. This is mostly because teams have shot the 3 pretty well against UCLA, and the Bruins don't really look to force turnovers much. Still, compared to last year's travesty, it's much better-- I credit Leaf and Onigbogu being far more effective down low already on D than Tony Parker ever was.
However, the defense shouldn't matter too much if they keep this level of offensive efficiency going. Top 3 in the country in shooting percentage from both 2 and 3, #1 in the country in eFG%. They also shoot free throws really well. I'm most impressed by the rate at which Ball's wack-looking shot goes in-- it's unorthodox, but it seems to be working. Leaf is also a hell of a player-- the young Laettner comparison from that other post fits-- and Anigbogu is high-motor and a big body, which is always a nice thing to have.
Pac-12 should be interesting. I pegged UCLA to finish second to Oregon, but Oregon is still struggling without Dillon Brooks playing the way he should-- Arizona's a question mark too with Trier in the wings and Jackson-Cartwright out til February, they'll be tremendously talented but probably too young and too shallow a bench to do anything of note. The conference is UCLA's for the taking.
8. "I was really impressed with Ball. Leaf was more effecfive than "impress..." In response to Reply # 7
Its hard to make a living passing in the air the way Ball did but man he's good at it. Excellent shooter as well. Was REALLY impressed with Holiday.
The game got away from UM when Walton tried the face up 3 over Goloman at 78-69. 7-0 run later and it was over. They stopped attacking with Wilson in the second half and the pffemse got bogged down.
Today the defense was especially bad. They just couldn't put together stops consistently even when they finally got going offensively.
Too bad Hamilton couldn't save some of the shooting from last game.
Ball was the best player on the court. I was reading there were about 40 NBA scouts at the game tonight. He really shows up for big games. I've still been reading on lots of sites where people doubt if he's a pro player for some reason--usually around his ugly shot and supposed lack of athleticism (again I think this is a result of his stiller face). Dude can flat out play because he reads and understands the game so well-- and has the ability to turn up another gear.
--- "though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought
21. "my worry with this squad is " In response to Reply # 20
the defensive match ups with guards or wings if in particular Bryce gets caught guarding guys that are really taking it to him..
and that's what happened today...
that's one of the reasons I was a bit disappointed we redshirted Prince Ali this year because he would have given us one more defender off the bench to guard guys like that...
that and Welsh was off offensively and defensively..... I think Coach should have gone with Holiday and Ike sooner and longer...
but hey...Pac 12 basketball is tough.... Arizona played a perfect game for themselves..
>but man Ball's pops be putting on a lot on his kids.. > >he triple-downed on his claim about Lonzo and Steph Curry in >an interview during the game.. >
Keep that to yourself bruh. >unless he's trying to purposely drop Lonzos stock to get him to a certain team...which would be dumb because the lottery isn't set
--- "though time has passed, im still the future" (c) black thought
Frank Longo Member since Nov 18th 2003 86670 posts
Sun Feb-26-17 04:51 PM
28. "It's still gonna be tough." In response to Reply # 27
Gonzaga had comparable non-conf slates to Arizona and Oregon, a better one than UCLA. UCLA has the best win (Kentucky on the road), but Gonzaga has wins against Arizona, Florida, and Iowa State neutral court. Their "best win" factor is no slouch.
Gonzaga was ahead of all three teams in RPI and KenPom til last night. Now, in RPI, they're a little behind Arizona and Oregon, still ahead of UCLA. They're still #1 in KenPom.
It'll be interesting to see if the committee *actually* de-emphasizes the RPI like they've claimed they'd do, in which case the Zags will probably retain a 1 seed, or if they still lean heavily on it, in which case I think Arizona and Oregon have the best chances if they can complete the regular season/conf. tourney sweep. I have a hard time believing, with the 1 seed line really competitive, that any non-regular-season conference champion will get one.
Frank Longo Member since Nov 18th 2003 86670 posts
Sun Feb-26-17 04:52 PM
29. "That switch to the 3-2 baffled Arizona." In response to Reply # 0
Alford should continue to throw in some different looks. They're not a great defensive team man-to-man. They should rely on confusion and misdirection. Combine that with their potent offense and they'd be money.
30. "they are much better man on man when Holiday and Ike " In response to Reply # 29
are on the court.....
the problem really is with Bryce and Welsh not being to stay with quicker players...ie the first Arizona game when Bryce got completely torched, and the USC game when Metu ate Welsh alive...
playing more zone definitely helps with that....and something Alford did throughout this month is that he's going to his bench a lot quicker than he was previously..
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