Reply to a comment

It's frustrating to see how we responded to Asheville switching to a 2-3 zone. We stopped attacking the rim and made poor decisions that resulted in hurried shots at the end of the shot clock. Our guards get really flustered by pressure on the wing and have a tough time distinguishing backside/weakside cuts that are WIDE open.

Complacency is the #1 enemy is basketball. A 20 point lead looks great until the other team goes on a huge run. No lead is safe in basketball and you must keep your foot on the gas pedal at all times. I'm all for saving energy but these are teams we should beat by 20+ with or without Maymon. It hurts not having him but our guards must play better. Golden gets in a hurry and it's a disaster when he leaves his feet to make a pass. McBee is a great shooter but I'm afraid that teams will key on him even more than before. If you're gonna be a spot up shooter, you better learn to use your picks and pop/flare/cut when applicable. You can't stand free throw line extended and expect open shots, this isn't Grainger, this is D-1. That said, I think he made some excellent passes when he realized he wasn't going to get his looks. He is smart enough to adapt on the fly but we need him to get open and aggressively pursue the open spots on the floor. That will make it easier for the posts, too.

All in all, a win is a win and I'm not really as negative or upset as my post sounds. I thought the inside play was lights out. Kenny Hall has come into his own on O and D. We dominated the glass and got tons of key putbacks. Stokes is simply a monster but needs to stay down low. A couple of times he ended up posting guys up way outside. A motion offense needs good spacing! Anyway, that's all for now. A tough test waits on the morrow!