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I just watched the post game press conference from the Cal Poly game on GoJacks.com & their head coach offered some interesting perspective on what it takes to get road wins for a struggling road team. Remember that Cal Poly had also struggled to close out road wins for much of the season, but did manage to pull away late at Frost. I know most of our fans like to talk about how we gave that one away, but I hope our team can take their example.
A couple of things I would like to see on this road trip:
1.) Run some full-court man-to-man defense. Not necessarily to try to force tunovers so much as to get our kids thinking aggressively right out of the chutes. Mix it up between full-court press to deny the inbounds pass, trap plays, or just making them work a little harder to get into their offense. If we give up a few easy buckets we can back off, but I like the idea of being aggressive early. I also like it to close out a game when you have the lead.
2.) Run some offensive set-plays right off the bat. Kind of like the scripted plays for a football team. If our scouting is good, we should be able to script 5 sets or so and get good looks on at least 3 of them. I'm not sure if basketball teams do this, but it seems like a good idea to me. Also helps keep the team focused, & confident. They know ahead of time what we are going to do, and can just relax & execute.
3.) Play to win down the stretch, especially with the lead. Stay aggressive on both ends of the floor.
4.) Get the most out of their fouls. This doesn't mean that we play dirty, but want to see fewer 'and-1's' against us. If your going to foul on a layup, make sure they don't make it. Make them earn it at the line. We have better depth this year, don't be afraid to use your fouls wisely. On the road, I'm OK with some offensive fouls, because it indicates we are being aggressive.
5.) Be confident & find the line between loose, and under control. Have some fun out there, & enjoy what you do. The worst thing that could happen if you play your best is to lose a game. No regrets, there are worse things than losing despite what some fans might think. But the upside to playing your best & winning is that it adds more confidence to the next game.
A couple of things I would like to see on this road trip:
1.) Run some full-court man-to-man defense. Not necessarily to try to force tunovers so much as to get our kids thinking aggressively right out of the chutes. Mix it up between full-court press to deny the inbounds pass, trap plays, or just making them work a little harder to get into their offense. If we give up a few easy buckets we can back off, but I like the idea of being aggressive early. I also like it to close out a game when you have the lead.
2.) Run some offensive set-plays right off the bat. Kind of like the scripted plays for a football team. If our scouting is good, we should be able to script 5 sets or so and get good looks on at least 3 of them. I'm not sure if basketball teams do this, but it seems like a good idea to me. Also helps keep the team focused, & confident. They know ahead of time what we are going to do, and can just relax & execute.
3.) Play to win down the stretch, especially with the lead. Stay aggressive on both ends of the floor.
4.) Get the most out of their fouls. This doesn't mean that we play dirty, but want to see fewer 'and-1's' against us. If your going to foul on a layup, make sure they don't make it. Make them earn it at the line. We have better depth this year, don't be afraid to use your fouls wisely. On the road, I'm OK with some offensive fouls, because it indicates we are being aggressive.
5.) Be confident & find the line between loose, and under control. Have some fun out there, & enjoy what you do. The worst thing that could happen if you play your best is to lose a game. No regrets, there are worse things than losing despite what some fans might think. But the upside to playing your best & winning is that it adds more confidence to the next game.
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