AllWeatherFan said:
If it's true that Jamar is out for the year, I say we shift strategies and go small ball with Dorsey, Moorehead, Rorie, Oguine and Pridgett as our starting five, and Falls, Manuel and Anderson off the bench. Sucks to lose Jamar, but it's time now to push the ball up court.
AllWeather is spot on. AllWeather has become AllWise.
Akoh is gone. Stop worrying about what we don't have, and concentrate on what we do. At the very least we have:
--The best athletes in the Big Sky;
--Great rebounding from the guard line;
--A team that suddenly can shoot. (Good shooting is contagious and this team has caught the bug. Was Manuel the carrier?)
So: Here's my strategy.
--Push that ball! No matter who gets that rebound, turn and push the ball upcourt. (This is where our rebounding from the guard line could be a huge strength.) And remember: No player is the history of basketball has ever been faster than a pass. Pass that ball upcourt! This has been a HUGE key to the Warriors's success. Green, Durant, Thompson, Curry (who's a surprisingly good rebounder)--the minute they grab a rebound, they pivot and go, pell-mell, putting tremendous pressure on the opposing defense, especially the bigs, because big guys don't like to sprint up and down the court. And, yes, the NBA is catching up to small-ball, largely because bigs have become adept three-point shooters. Not so in the Big Sky. Not yet, anyway.
--Increase our shots on goal. Don't wait until deep in the possession to work for a shot. This just lets their defenses get set. Many times this year I've seen our kids pass on a good shot early in the possession. No! You get a good shot, take it. At the end of any game, I want our kids to have taken more shots than the opponent--a lot more shots. And remember, three-point shots often lead to long rebounds, further decreasing the advantage of the bigs underneath.
--More drives to the basket! Put constant pressure on the opposing bigs. Oguine has the quickest first step I've seen this side of the NBA. Rorie is crafty with an exceptional handle. He should drive more. And Pridgett to my mind is one of the huge surprises of this year.Turn him loose inside. He's shown great quickness underneath and a surprising array of deft post moves.
--I agree, this is a high-risk way to play. Turnovers ensure--a major problem for the Warriors, I might add. But at this point, it's our best chance. Strolling up the court, getting into a set offense, using up the shot clock to devise an open shot--those are all things that work to the advantage of a team, like Weber, with quality bigs.
The injury to Akoh has shaken us. Now we must respond by shaking things up again. To our advantage this time.