Offense Coming Around....
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I love to see others in here scream about fundamentals. I sometimes feel alone doing that and like I’m pestering the readers with my stickler behavior.
My two biggest pet peeves are:
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Sealing off the boards
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Properly hedging (on the ball, off the ball… all of it)
Both of my peeves are about positioning. Nothing about athleticism. It’s all about being mentally involved in the game.
I still watch NBA, especially the playoffs, because sometimes I get to see a little bit of the fundamentals at work, though less all the time.
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The rebounding issue bothers me as well. I was a very short, light, unskilled post and got tons of rebounds. No one was getting the ball away from me without blood involved. I don’t see that mindset from any of our bigs yet. We never will with Dok. Thomas Robinson got it and led the country in rebs. It’s all about effort and a basic understanding of geometry, close to the rim you should know where the rebound is going and move to that spot to seal it off.
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I hear that we are recruiting Dennis Rodman, Jr. Lol. But serious, that guy could flat out rebound (Sr. that is) - T-Rob was our worm. Interesting that as big as Doke is he doesn’t rebound better.
It’s certainly not because he is too weak or short, or for that matter not being quick enough. Too bad, if he were a Great - and I do mean Great - rebounder (bad free throw percentage and injuries aside) he would be a surefire first round pick.
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I love the discussion on boxing out/sealing, geometry, etc. When you see folks that should rebound, that don’t do a very good job, it’s those little things. Understanding angles. Sealing off your space. Finding a threat and eliminating it (boxing out). This stuff wins games. It just does.
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If Dok cleared the ball the way Withey did (hands on either side of the ball elbows up turning his body side to side) he’d probably concuss someone. However, I do think rebounding would get a lot easier for him as people would be leery of getting too close to that (now mean) behemoth. No need for the refs to keep the “cylinder” clean - elbows work better.
I’m old school that way. I miss the physicality of hand checking on defense even. It uglies up the game, but separates the men from the Trae’s.
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For Doke… rebounding is like free throws. He needs better emotional control in games (hence, mental control). This is the way he will slow the game down so he can do the right things.
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/sports/olympics/olympians-use-imagery-as-mental-training.html
Doke should imagine himself at the line, calm, collected, and focusing on the back of the rim. Releasing the ball with perfect form. He should practice FTs in the shower probably more than on the court, though developing muscle memory will help him, too.
He should study game tape. He should study his own mind… dreaming back through past games to better see the game. Go back and learn from his mistakes. See where he was emotionally during games. Conquer that now. It’s not like he should be without emotion. He should maintain high emotion that is focused. This isn’t something Doke can be taught from coaches. Doke needs to teach Doke.
Effort has never been Doke’s problem. If anything… he could stand to learn where he can conserve his energy within a game in places… then spend wildly in other areas. He’s a guy who could use visualization to change his game, if he puts his energy into it… like he put his energy into creating his new body. Doke has so much power in areas that really count. I just hope he takes on that last hurdle to receive his ultimate payoff at the finish line.
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Is it possible for Self to get back to his roots? A team that locks down on D, runs when provided the opportunity, and values every possession - no turnovers, only shots at the rim or open threes. Not as slow as Virginia, but the point is to frustrate the other team. They get a poor shot late in the clock or jack up a quick shot and then have to wait on Kansas to run their stuff 20-25 seconds of offense before an open shot. Devastating.
The scores would come down, but the March success should go up. We may holler about the lack of threes being shot or the slower pace, but winning cures all.
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@drgnslayr I think Dok may just have a slow processor when it comes to angles. You’re correct it’s not an effort issue IMHO.
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That’s how it appears. That is how it always appears for players who try to resolve the game while playing. Self calls it “over-thinking the game.”
If he does his mental work ahead of the game, the game will slow down and he’ll be able to play like he should play; playing loose and free!
Silvio is another guy who could really use this. Actually… all our guys could improve considerably by training with visualization.
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I also think folks are “naturals” at many different skills, of course, but rebounding being one. There was a 30 for 30 on ESPN, or something like that, where Rodman had no real explanation as to why he was good at rebounding. A lot of this stuff is DNA related. Positioning, anticipation, agility, instinct, etc. A lot is the choice to give effort, too. Rebounding though can be learned more than, say, shooting a jumper. @drgnslayr could teach the trombone player to rebound much easier than teaching him to shoot. For the life of me, I don’t understand how some of this simple stuff is actually so difficult for some – I always wonder that when I see a Chiefs player block a guy in the back on a kick or punt. How hard is this?
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From coaching youth basketball my best rebounders are ALWAYS smaller guys. They have that fight in them because they know without it they can’t compete. It’s rare to see a bigger kid have the aggression to rebound. They get rebounds at a young age just by having more reach and they don’t learn to fight. When you see size and aggression at the youth level it’s special and the kid usually dominates no matter the competetion.
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@Marco I think Scott Pollard was/is KU’s best man for Dennis Rodman comparisons.
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@jhawk7782 Flamboyant - mutton chops and black painted finger nails - check
Tenacious rebounder - check
Limited offense - hmm check
Plus defender with a mean streak - check!
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Reality TV, check
NBA ring, check
Multicolored hair, check
Amazing car, check
Wife named Dawn, check (oh, wait, that is the only similarity between ME and Scott)
Scott isn’t friends with any Korean dictators, though. Wikipedia says the Kings gave him the nickname of “Samurai Scott”, however, so there is an Asian something.
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dylans said:
Is it possible for Self to get back to his roots? A team that locks down on D, runs when provided the opportunity, and values every possession - no turnovers, only shots at the rim or open threes. Not as slow as Virginia, but the point is to frustrate the other team. They get a poor shot late in the clock or jack up a quick shot and then have to wait on Kansas to run their stuff 20-25 seconds of offense before an open shot. Devastating.
The scores would come down, but the March success should go up. We may holler about the lack of threes being shot or the slower
Man, you’re right! How could I forget Pollard? Guess it’s easy to do when you consider just how loaded that Jayhawk team was come his junior-senior season.
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@HighEliteMajor it does change a little bit but that’s where working on rotating and knowing your opponent come into play. I’d never go under a screen on Devonte or Svi but I’d do it everytime on Russell Robinson or Tyshawn Taylor. Guarding the 3 point line can be done without giving up tons of dribble drive you just have to be a good defensive team (watch Virginia most years).
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This thread jumped the shark.
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@kjayhawks Maybe since Coach Bennett arrived in 2014 but not before unless you jump back to the 1920s.
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From kusports.com today - “Everybody just hitting somebody before they run to the glass,” said junior guard Marcus Garrett, when asked how this team can become better at rebounding. “That’s the big thing we’ve been emphasizing lately is actually hitting your man before you go and rebound instead of just running in there.”
@drgnslayr - Did you see this, “actually hitting your man before you go and rebound instead of just running in there.” “Actually”? As if this is something new? You’ve been on this topic for years. Maybe instead of “hitting” their man maybe we could actually get some box outs?
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@HighEliteMajor The HS coach used to laugh at us 7th graders (been awhile I must say) because we’d box the other team out into the stands, literally. The refs didn’t allow that in HS, but as you can imagine we got nearly every rebound.
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@dylans So true. Even the marginal kid could box out. Effort and technique.
Boxing out is quite simply a beautiful art form. Releford was one of the best, I think.
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It really gives me a buzz to read how others understand sealing off the same as me. I thought I was losing my mind and imagining what I used to do and thinking it was a dream…
It’s become such a rarity in college basketball I’m not sure the refs understand it and they will call a foul on someone for using their butt. So much of the physicality has been removed from the game. I liked it better when it was played more like a combination of football and ballet. Now it’s just ballet.
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Boy it sure doesn’t look like this is the case, but if they could execute better he’d damn sure be right.
Self said. “We have got to make people play inside the arc. I mean, that’s got to be our goal defensively is make them play inside the arc, because … even when we’re not making shots, if it becomes a two-point game, we’re going to be hard to deal with.”
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@drgnslayr I’ll have to pay more attention to Moss, high praise-
“In the last two weeks or so, I think he’s sliding his feet pretty well and I think he’s become a pretty solid defensive guard,” Self said of Moss. “One thing that he does do well is that he’s a good block-out guy. Very rarely does he miss a block-out.”
Granny Franny says - ehh he’s just a shooter.
F’em. Lol hope Moss keeps improving. He’s really carving out a nice roll.
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I think Moss has good health now… but it is mentioned for the reason why he is starting to perform better. I don’t know… I think he’s just feeling more integrated into the team now and is feeling more comfortable.
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@drgnslayr I think he is trusting it,hammy, takes a lot of time!
