Molinari

[NUdiehard]

Just to be clear on my position on this,  I am not down on Miles or questioning his long-term ability to coach at Nebraska at all.  I am still very happy with Miles and all that he has done.  In fact, the one thing I really like about Miles is that he is not afraid to make changes when things aren't working.  He is not stubborn or set in his ways like so many coaches.  It may be too late to correct it this year, but I do believe he will get this figured out for the long-term.  He will find the right balance and figure out a way to implement it in the years ahead, I am confident of that.  I do not believe Miles has a core-philosophy of "we love low scoring games" like Molinari does.  As Miles said in his presser a few weeks back, I truly believe that he wants a team that can play with pace on offense and score a lot of points while still playing great defense and holding the opponent to the fewest points possible.

 

 

Nebraska’s 52-49 victory Tuesday over Minnesota marked the ninth time in the past 10 games it has scored 65 points or less. Miles jokingly blamed first-year assistant Jim Molinari, known for his defensive prowess.

“His first key to the game was, ‘We love winning low-scoring, close basketball games,’ ” Miles said. “And I’m like, ‘I never said that.’ Let’s keep them low-scoring and us score a lot.’ ”

 

http://www.omaha.com/huskers/huskers-are-taking-their-time-in-transition/article_14e379fb-a899-5ebe-844c-7fae2ca143e0.html

[bhchrist]

I have followed this board since NU joined the B1G and have found it to be civil and thoughtful discussion, at least by message board standards. In looking at NU's struggles from afar, I really don't think the problems stem from defensive philosophy, substitution patterns, or lower possession games.

 

NUdiehard, your original post and many of the subsequent ones have largely described Bo Ryan and UW basketball to a T. A defensive style that does not look to create turnovers through high pressure but rather force you to take the lowest percentage shots in basketball: Midrange jumpers, preferably off the dribble. 57%+ of points vs. UW come on 2Pt FGs, 10th highest in the country and teams only assist on 40% of FGM, 2nd fewest in the country. Rebound the misses and you should be in most every game.

 

Low steals and blocked shot stats every year, but also very few trips to the FT line for opponents. His substitution patterns have always been defense first match-ups. It doesn't matter who you are, Dekker, Kaminsky, etc., if you violate one of their defensive "rules" you go to the bench, sometimes in the first minute of the game.

 

I mention this because these concepts are not at odds with productive or even higher scoring offense. Yes, UW is a historically good offensive team this year and not a fair comparison, but even in past years with fewer weapons they have been able to finish high in the offensive efficiency rankings. Look at UVA, Northern Iowa, Utah, WSU - low pace, not elite recruits, excellent offense and defense.

 

The main thing I wonder is why NU is not valuing the ball when they do have it this year. When I look at NU, that is a huge difference from last year to this year, dropping from a good TO rate in the top 70s last year to a really poor rate of over 20% (221st) this year. That is, giving the ball away 1 out of every 5 possesions. the effective FG%, free throw rate, and offensive rebounding numbers are almost identical from last year to this year for NU. Yet your defense is better. Unless a team kills it on the offensive boards, they had better protect the ball, especially if you don't shoot it all that well. PG is certainly an issue for NU from the games I have watched and the stats, but it is broader than that. Outside of Rivers (11.4% TO%) and Ptichford (16.6%) the rest of the team is in the 18%+ range.

 

What has changed? It seems like it is correctable, as the same players were able to protect the ball last year.

[huskerbaseball13]

I have followed this board since NU joined the B1G and have found it to be civil and thoughtful discussion, at least by message board standards. In looking at NU's struggles from afar, I really don't think the problems stem from defensive philosophy, substitution patterns, or lower possession games.

 

NUdiehard, your original post and many of the subsequent ones have largely described Bo Ryan and UW basketball to a T. A defensive style that does not look to create turnovers through high pressure but rather force you to take the lowest percentage shots in basketball: Midrange jumpers, preferably off the dribble. 57%+ of points vs. UW come on 2Pt FGs, 10th highest in the country and teams only assist on 40% of FGM, 2nd fewest in the country. Rebound the misses and you should be in most every game.

 

Low steals and blocked shot stats every year, but also very few trips to the FT line for opponents. His substitution patterns have always been defense first match-ups. It doesn't matter who you are, Dekker, Kaminsky, etc., if you violate one of their defensive "rules" you go to the bench, sometimes in the first minute of the game.

 

I mention this because these concepts are not at odds with productive or even higher scoring offense. Yes, UW is a historically good offensive team this year and not a fair comparison, but even in past years with fewer weapons they have been able to finish high in the offensive efficiency rankings. Look at UVA, Northern Iowa, Utah, WSU - low pace, not elite recruits, excellent offense and defense.

 

The main thing I wonder is why NU is not valuing the ball when they do have it this year. When I look at NU, that is a huge difference from last year to this year, dropping from a good TO rate in the top 70s last year to a really poor rate of over 20% (221st) this year. That is, giving the ball away 1 out of every 5 possesions. the effective FG%, free throw rate, and offensive rebounding numbers are almost identical from last year to this year for NU. Yet your defense is better. Unless a team kills it on the offensive boards, they had better protect the ball, especially if you don't shoot it all that well. PG is certainly an issue for NU from the games I have watched and the stats, but it is broader than that. Outside of Rivers (11.4% TO%) and Ptichford (16.6%) the rest of the team is in the 18%+ range.

 

What has changed? It seems like it is correctable, as the same players were able to protect the ball last year.

 

In conference play we are actually turning the ball over less than we were last year.  We are also creating more turnovers.  This was a major issue in the non conference but in conference play we have done a much better job. 

[bball23]

I wonder if when Craig Smith was with Miles all those year if Coach Miles actually closed his eyes during games and didn't get to see any of these "magical" offensive sets that the team was running?  Its a shame too, because had he payed more attention we could be using some of those things today. 

[49r]

KNTK - Drop the Mike:  Brian Rosenthal (Nebraska basketball writer, Lincoln Journal Star)

 

http://www.theticketfm.com/podcasts/dropthemike/2015_02_09_5_Rosenthal.mp3

(12:15)

 

How can Nebrasketball fight thru their road slump? Is Craig Smith’s absence a large reason for offensive struggles on the road? Is this an example of a team being unable to handle the attention?

[bhchrist]

That is interesting. Still not great, given the shooting percentage and facing a stonger group of offensive teams in conference, but not far off from last season. It typically is a non-issue vs. UW for tonight, given they don't force many (NU only had 5 last game). NU is also not getting to the line as much in B1G play and rebounding has gotten worse. Obviously, a frustrating season. Just average level offense this year would be 6 more wins given the quality of the defense.

 

Has Nick Fuller from Sun Prairie shown enough in his limited time that he can be a contributor the next few years? I believe the concern coming out of HS was that of a tweener of size and footspeed based on his position.

[HuskerPower #nato73]

The line is very thin between winning and losing especially for teams at our level.  So we pick out the variables year over year to see what the difference is.  I don't attribute as much to Molinari.  I go with: 

 

Gallegos and injured post for Incarnate Word and Creighton

 

Gallegos, slump and better game planning from the rest of the conference for the Conference Season.

 

I am a huge believer in the role spacing plays in basketball offense.  In pack defense you eliminate it and in the right offense with shooting weapons you create it.  We don't have as much space this year which is reducing easier lay-ups.  We get plenty of open jump shots and we don't hit them  (especially on the road)

 

To get more spacing we need a post that commands respect or maybe even a double team or a dead eye shooter.  Last year we had 1.5 of these things.    (The 1 being Gallegos and the .5 being a healthy Leslie Smith)  This year ....

 

Might add that a slashing point guard can help with this too.  We have a decent one of those but of course he is a frosh.

[hhcmatt]

I have followed this board since NU joined the B1G and have found it to be civil and thoughtful discussion, at least by message board standards. In looking at NU's struggles from afar, I really don't think the problems stem from defensive philosophy, substitution patterns, or lower possession games.

 

NUdiehard, your original post and many of the subsequent ones have largely described Bo Ryan and UW basketball to a T. A defensive style that does not look to create turnovers through high pressure but rather force you to take the lowest percentage shots in basketball: Midrange jumpers, preferably off the dribble. 57%+ of points vs. UW come on 2Pt FGs, 10th highest in the country and teams only assist on 40% of FGM, 2nd fewest in the country. Rebound the misses and you should be in most every game.

 

Low steals and blocked shot stats every year, but also very few trips to the FT line for opponents. His substitution patterns have always been defense first match-ups. It doesn't matter who you are, Dekker, Kaminsky, etc., if you violate one of their defensive "rules" you go to the bench, sometimes in the first minute of the game.

 

I mention this because these concepts are not at odds with productive or even higher scoring offense. Yes, UW is a historically good offensive team this year and not a fair comparison, but even in past years with fewer weapons they have been able to finish high in the offensive efficiency rankings. Look at UVA, Northern Iowa, Utah, WSU - low pace, not elite recruits, excellent offense and defense.

 

The main thing I wonder is why NU is not valuing the ball when they do have it this year. When I look at NU, that is a huge difference from last year to this year, dropping from a good TO rate in the top 70s last year to a really poor rate of over 20% (221st) this year. That is, giving the ball away 1 out of every 5 possesions. the effective FG%, free throw rate, and offensive rebounding numbers are almost identical from last year to this year for NU. Yet your defense is better. Unless a team kills it on the offensive boards, they had better protect the ball, especially if you don't shoot it all that well. PG is certainly an issue for NU from the games I have watched and the stats, but it is broader than that. Outside of Rivers (11.4% TO%) and Ptichford (16.6%) the rest of the team is in the 18%+ range.

 

What has changed? It seems like it is correctable, as the same players were able to protect the ball last year.

 

Welcome and please check in every once a while.

 

Re: turnovers. Both Pitchford and Ray Gallegos were essentially statues last year around the perimeter...rarely putting the ball on the court. Gallegos graduated and Pitchford has put the ball on the deck a bit more with mixed results.  That's part of it. In general this team seems to lose it's focus and create a lot of unforced turnovers.  It's maddening at times.

 

Re: Fuller. The jury is out but it's starting to look bleak. When he was recruited, we didn't have the same defensive mentality we have today. They've talked about making him an "Ethan Wragge" type which is in reference to a 3pt shooting guy Creighton had who slotted in as a stretch-4. The problem with that is that Creighton's focus wasn't defense.

 

He seems to have a natural knack for rebounding but has been defensively slow for our scheme. In theory he might be the best 3 pt shooter on this team ( which wouldn't take much) but in limited play he hasn't really taken any. 

[Husker4theSpurs]

I honestly think Miles is not much of an Xs and Os coach. Craig Smith was his right hand man for a long time and it is a loss to not have him. Miles likes running a freewheeling motion offense and often we honestly don't even look like we have an offense.

Fortunately for us, when we fire Miles in a couple of years, we'll be able to snag Craig Smith from South Dakota for probably less than what we were paying Doc Sadler.  Which is nice, because we'll be paying through the nose for the buyout from Miles. 

 

 

I keed, I keed. 

 

I just think it's funny how so many people think if we lose, it's because our coach stinks at Xs and Os. 

 

We had Craig Smith in Miles' first year here and won like 4 league games.  He wasn't so hot at Xs and Os back then, apparently.  He must have read Dean Smith's book during the off-season and became an overnight offensive genius his second year here.

 

Seriously, people, c'mon.  You honestly think a D1 head coach doesn't understand offense or how to coach it?  Just because you don't get what's going on out on the floor doesn't mean the coach is equally clueless.  I guarantee he knows more than any of us will ever know about the game of basketball.

 

And I further guarantee that he didn't turn the offense over to Molinari to run what he did at Western Illinois.  That's ludicrous.  Miles has a philosophy about offensive basketball and he didn't just delegate Xs and Os to whoever the oldest or baldest assistant happened to be.

I love how people run with anything that one says on here. Let me re-phrase - I think Tim Miles' strength as a coach does not so much lie with Xs and Os. Doesn't mean he doesn't know anything about them. There's a reason he had Craig Smith as his lead assistant for so many years. It IS a loss. Doesn't mean we can't be good without him. Often there's an adjustment period. Is this the main reason we are underperforming this year? No.

Miles has stated publicly Molinari is in charge of the defense. So I assume Miles has the most input offensively on the staff. He is on the record saying this was Coach Smith's focus in the past. Does it mean Miles didn't have a lot of input? No.

[hhcmatt]

 

Harriman was listening to the show and called in unprompted today.

[hhcmatt]

Harriman via 93.7

 

http://www.theticketfm.com/podpress_trac/web/14665/0/2015_02_11_5_Harriman.mp3

 

Called into the show unprompted.

 

- Thinks the theory about Molinari being the reason for the offensive problems is 'dumbest thing that he's ever heard'

- Craig Smith wasn't responsible for the offense, doesn't think the offensive woes are due to the loss of 

- Offered the familiarity and adjustment of the league to our team...people have this team scouted from last year and we're not sneaking up on anyone

- had some guys that they hoped would step up and they have not or been inconsistent

- They tried scripting plays and not scripting plays and are continuing to try and figure out how to fix the slow starts

- Talked about Terran and the body language issue

 

 

I think there is a lot of truth in what Harriman had to say. I also think that he's not going to say anything that isn't complementary to our staff and team. 

[AuroranHusker]

 

Nick Bahe said today what we have all been thinking. Why are Shields and Petteway not taking the ball to the basket before the defense can get set up? It has bothered me the last couple games. I'd rather play the odds with a strong take to the rim with Petteway or Shields early in the clock then have Rivers (no offense, I like the kid) put up a contested 15 footer late in the clock.

What I've been saying for two years now.....

 

 

I've been saying that my whole life! - Seriously, it is a good observation that most hoops fanatics have wondered, and Nick is no exception.

[HuskerFever]

 

Harriman was listening to the show and called in unprompted today.

 

It doesn't matter who calls the plays, it's the influence that goes into making those calls.

[hhcmatt]

 

I personally believe many of you are selling Coach Miles extremely short on his x & o ability...extremely short.

 

I think you are right.  And I think he needs to quit delagating so much stuff to others.  I thought I heard someone else was in charge of the substitutions one game?  Hopefully I misunderstood it. 

 

 

Miles typically has an assistant in charge of implementing substitutions. They talk about who they're going to sub in before games and when. Miles also delegates the scouts of the opposing teams to assistants as well. It's part of his style of delegating duties which is part of how he's become so successful despite the coaching pedigree. He's able to make big picture decisions without having to constantly look up and see how many fouls Shavon has. He doesn't have to try and figure out if Leslee is hanging on to his shorts at the FT line because he's tired. I know I've noticed in the first couple of years we rarely have guys fouling out and it's no co-incidence.

 

On the program level you'll hear guys call into talk radio saying Miles needs to focus on coaching more instead of showing up at events or tweeting or whatever. With Miles delegating some duties to his assistants and staff he doesn't have to constantly focus on details at the expense of the big picture. In addition to coaching the team he can also work on recruiting and building the program.  If one wanted to make the argument that Doc Sadler was a better overall in game coach than Miles (I'm not either way), does that overcome what Miles has done with the rest of his time to build a better program? Does Miles overcome that by properly delegating to assistants instead of having a bunch of guys standing around with clipboards?

[hhcmatt]

I heard early on (I mean during Miles first year as head coach) that Craig Smith was the primary Xs & Os guy.  I could be wrong.  My source for this may have been incorrect, but he was pretty connected with the program.  This is why I was concerned before this season started at the loss of Craig Smith and how it would affect the team.

 

I think it was more along the lines of primary scout for game planning, which would be Xs and Os but gives a distinctly different impression than using the phrase "primary Xs and Os guy".

[49r]

Harriman via 93.7

 

http://www.theticketfm.com/podpress_trac/web/14665/0/2015_02_11_5_Harriman.mp3

 

Called into the show unprompted.

 

- Thinks the theory about Molinari being the reason for the offensive problems is 'dumbest thing that he's ever heard'

- Craig Smith wasn't responsible for the offense, doesn't think the offensive woes are due to the loss of 

- Offered the familiarity and adjustment of the league to our team...people have this team scouted from last year and we're not sneaking up on anyone

- had some guys that they hoped would step up and they have not or been inconsistent

- They tried scripting plays and not scripting plays and are continuing to try and figure out how to fix the slow starts

- Talked about Terran and the body language issue

 

 

I think there is a lot of truth in what Harriman had to say. I also think that he's not going to say anything that isn't complementary to our staff and team. 

 

Finally got around to listening to this today and I would suggest for anyone who hasn't yet listened to it, stop what you're doing and listen to it now.  Really great stuff, thanks for posting this dimes.

[hhcmatt]

I am not even trying to suggest that everything Molinari is bad.  I want a great defense.  I don't have a problem with defense being our "identity", especially now when we are lacking in talent in some areas.  But I have never felt that playing slow, low-scoring games is a requirement for having a good defense.  Molinari believes in slow play, and low scoring games.  He has always been the underdog and felt that was the best way for him to win.  It is his identity.  If he has a prominent role in practice every single day (since he is the main defensive coach) and on game days (again, watch and see who is doing the coaching during games), his philosophy is going to come out and rub off on the players.  It is only natural.  I believe that slow play on offense eventually leads to passivity.  Its takes the aggression out of the offense.  It starts to affect confidence and creates some anxiety.  Every shot becomes huge and the pressure on each shot mounts.  Also, the lack of any transition game means less easy baskets, once again creating more pressure on the half-court offense, etc. All of this affects confidence, which affects shooting percentage.  Let me put it this way, if I had  players that were shooting significantly worse than they did the year before, I would be asking "why are my players shooting significantly worse than last year?" and I wouldn't be satisfied with the answer "Well, the shots just aren't falling this year." 

 

It's hard to look at our overall offensive/defensive numbers vs the numbers of Miles and Molinari historically and come to that conclusion. At the end of the day we're running one of the best defenses in the country complemented by one of the worst offenses.  However, how can you watch Wisconsin though and believe that slow play on offense must equal passivity which then equals lack of confidence? Those guys seem to feed off the fact they can pass the ball around for 33 seconds looking for an easy shot/basket and know that whoever has the ball with 5 seconds should take a shot.  By all metrics they have been a slower team than us in every year we've been in conference and yet they confidently take and make shots.  Slow offensive play does not necessarily equate to lower shooting percentage.

 

All of our players aren't shooting worse than last year.

Tai Webster is shooting significantly better from FT, 2pt and 3pt though his Freshman year numbers were dreadful so this isn't surprising.

Petteway has improved his eFG% the entire time he's played here. (2015 conf > 2015 non-conf > 2014 conf > 2014 non-conf)

Benny's numbers are down at the 2 but he actually takes and makes 3pts

 

Overall our 2pt% is up and our dreadful 3pt% is dragging us down to a lower overall eFG% than last year but a huge drop and better than our 2012-13 team with Gallegos and Talley. Pitchford, Webster, and Shields are dragging our 3pt percentage down. Is it because of lack of confidence or because they aren't that good at shooting 3s but have to take them due to lack of alternatives?

 

Shooting gets the most attention but the biggest change is turnovers. Making the argument that changing Smith for Molinari is the explanation for our increased turnovers is something that can also be backed up by numbers and much more so than shooting. Why hasn't anyone made that argument yet? Is it because no has considered this or it seems illogical or what?

 

Tossing everything I just said out the window, Miles has come out and point blank said our defense very well might be affecting our overall aggressiveness and thus our offense. While we embraced defense last year, it was at the middle of the year instead of out of the gate like this year. You've seen us press in the last couple of games though to jump start things. Miles isn't afraid to make adjustments and there is no doubt he'll keep doing so as long as we have trouble scoring. Mo might add some influence about how he wants to run things, much like every other assistant on the staff, but at the end of the day Miles makes the calls and isn't lacking for confidence or vision to make them.

[jason2486]

For those of you who have never coached above the junior high level, head coaches are going to delegate duties to their assistants. That's why you have them! Some of you make it sound like Miles should be doing everything. Maybe we should just pay Miles 20 million and have a couple grad assistants wash towels and jerseys.

[bkamler]

The line is very thin between winning and losing especially for teams at our level. So we pick out the variables year over year to see what the difference is. I don't attribute as much to Molinari. I go with:

Gallegos and injured post for Incarnate Word and Creighton

Gallegos, slump and better game planning from the rest of the conference for the Conference Season.

I am a huge believer in the role spacing plays in basketball offense. In pack defense you eliminate it and in the right offense with shooting weapons you create it. We don't have as much space this year which is reducing easier lay-ups. We get plenty of open jump shots and we don't hit them (especially on the road)

To get more spacing we need a post that commands respect or maybe even a double team or a dead eye shooter. Last year we had 1.5 of these things. (The 1 being Gallegos and the .5 being a healthy Leslie Smith) This year ....

Might add that a slashing point guard can help with this too. We have a decent one of those but of course he is a frosh.

 

Although teams kept a close defensive presence on Gallegos and that did open up the driving lanes, Gallegos was a below average three point shooter (in the low thirty percentile) that got hot about every fourth or fifth game. Like this year we had so few shooters that teams could do this while paying a small price. 

[NUdiehard]

 

It's hard to look at our overall offensive/defensive numbers vs the numbers of Miles and Molinari historically and come to that conclusion. At the end of the day we're running one of the best defenses in the country complemented by one of the worst offenses.  However, how can you watch Wisconsin though and believe that slow play on offense must equal passivity which then equals lack of confidence? Those guys seem to feed off the fact they can pass the ball around for 33 seconds looking for an easy shot/basket and know that whoever has the ball with 5 seconds should take a shot.  By all metrics they have been a slower team than us in every year we've been in conference and yet they confidently take and make shots.  Slow offensive play does not necessarily equate to lower shooting percentage.

 

All of our players aren't shooting worse than last year.

Tai Webster is shooting significantly better from FT, 2pt and 3pt though his Freshman year numbers were dreadful so this isn't surprising.

Petteway has improved his eFG% the entire time he's played here. (2015 conf > 2015 non-conf > 2014 conf > 2014 non-conf)

Benny's numbers are down at the 2 but he actually takes and makes 3pts

 

Overall our 2pt% is up and our dreadful 3pt% is dragging us down to a lower overall eFG% than last year but a huge drop and better than our 2012-13 team with Gallegos and Talley. Pitchford, Webster, and Shields are dragging our 3pt percentage down. Is it because of lack of confidence or because they aren't that good at shooting 3s but have to take them due to lack of alternatives?

 

Shooting gets the most attention but the biggest change is turnovers. Making the argument that changing Smith for Molinari is the explanation for our increased turnovers is something that can also be backed up by numbers and much more so than shooting. Why hasn't anyone made that argument yet? Is it because no has considered this or it seems illogical or what?

 

Tossing everything I just said out the window, Miles has come out and point blank said our defense very well might be affecting our overall aggressiveness and thus our offense. While we embraced defense last year, it was at the middle of the year instead of out of the gate like this year. You've seen us press in the last couple of games though to jump start things. Miles isn't afraid to make adjustments and there is no doubt he'll keep doing so as long as we have trouble scoring. Mo might add some influence about how he wants to run things, much like every other assistant on the staff, but at the end of the day Miles makes the calls and isn't lacking for confidence or vision to make them.

 

Dimes, I agree there are other aspects beyond Coach Mo or Craig Smith that definitely play into our struggles this year.  It was not my intent to lay all the blame, or even most (any?) of the "blame" on Coach Mo for our losses and disappointing record this year.  My main point was simply to state that maybe it shouldn't be that surprising that NU is very low scoring team this year considering the prominent role Coach Mo has on staff this year (note, that is different than saying it is not surprising we are losing so many games). 

 

Of the 347 teams in Division I, Molinari’s Western Illinois Leathernecks are the slowest; they average fewer than 60 possessions per game, nearly two fewer than any other team.

And so the Leathernecks have won games by scores of 50-42 and 43-40 and 39-35, and their leading scorer is averaging fewer than 13 points per game,

 

 

As I mentioned in my previous post, in 2013, Molinari had a very good record at Western Illinois (granted, he was playing in a much lower conference), but his team was the SLOWEST team in the entire country!  Think about that for a minute.  Out of 347 teams, his team was the slowest, and it wasn't even close--his team was the slowest by a wide margin.  That is astounding when you think about it.  Was he able to use that strategy to win some close games in a lower conference?  Absolutely.  Is his defense excellent? Absolutely.  Will it work for NU in the B1G? 

 

As for Craig Smith, there definitely are questions about what role he played.  Based on Harriman's statements, Smith did not "run" the offense or call the plays, Coach Miles did. But to me, that doesn't mean Smith may not have had a lot of influence on Miles and how he implemented and ran his system last year and every other year Smith was here. This is what Miles had to say about Smith when he hired him to Nebraska (after working with him at CSU) in 2013:

"Craig is an outstanding coach," Miles said. "I've hired him four times, and there's a reason for that. I believe in the way he conducts himself. He's an excellent recruiter and, schematically, he's really a good tactician when it comes to basketball. Craig will be vital to help build our program at Nebraska. He knows how I work, what I expect and how to get the job done."

 

It goes without saying that others must feel Craig had an excellent basketball mind, including offensive game planning, or he wouldn't have been hired as a head coach.  Of all the members on the staff, it was Craig Smith that got the head coaching gig, so I am guessing he knows his Xs and Os pretty well.  He may not have implemented the offense or diagrammed the plays during a game, but he could have sat with coach Miles in his office when they were piecing it together or making adjustments throughout the season. I don't know for sure, I was not there every day, I am just going off what I do now and connecting the dots.

 

As for Wisconsin, many on here are correct in pointing out that Bo Ryan has used a "slow pace" strategy in the past with considerable success.  So I guess he is proof that it can work, even in a conference like the B1G.  The one response I would have to that, though, is that Ryan recruits a distinct type of player to run his system, and I don't think NU's current roster is anywhere close to what Ryan wants for his system.  Ryan like a team full of smart, skilled players who all can shoot the ball with great accuracy.  They may not be the most athletic, but they make up for that with intelligence, discipline, fundamentals, and shooting ability.  Right now, I would say NU's roster is almost the exact opposite.  We have some pretty athletic players, but they are not extremely skilled or disciplined and they definitely are not great shooters.  So is this the strategy best employed this year for this roster?  

 

Also, regarding Bo Ryan and Wisconsin, even Coach Bo has evolved in this regard.  Note these statistics regarding Wisconsin's offense this year and last year:

 

NATION'S BEST OFFENSE

A program known for defense, Wisconsin has steadily become one of the nation's most potent offenses. According to Ken Pomeroy, the Badgers rank No. 1 in offensive efficiency this season, averaging 124.9 points per possession. If the season ended today, UW's 124.9 efficiency rating would be the highest since Pomeroy began tracking the stat in 2002.

• Last season, the Badgers scored 73.5 points per game, which was the school's highest average in 20 years when UW tallied 77.9 ppg in 1993-94. This season, UW is ahead of last year's pace at 74.0 ppg.

• Through 10 Big Ten games, the Badgers lead the conference in scoring (74.6 ppg). UW has not led the Big Ten in scoring during conference play since 1947.

 

 

Obviously, Ryan has better players to work with than Miles this year.  But the question is whether Miles' current roster is so talent deficient that it should be producing first half scores of 18, 16, 13 and 13 in 4 of its last 5 games.  Those low scoring numbers are astounding.  And I simply cannot accept that it is solely because NU's roster is "incomplete" or "lacks shooters"  Does NU have less talent and less scoring talent than every other team in the country?  Because I doubt you will find another team in all of basketball (347 teams) that has such dreadful numbers in the first half of so many consecutive ball games. And this doesn't even count some of the miserable non-conf. performances.  Do you remember NU only scored 35 points in regulation against LMU.  I went back and check LMU's schedule and no other team has come even close to scoring so few points in a game against LMU.   And LMU has played some really, really poor teams.  Does NU have that much less scoring talent than all those other teams?  Really? 

 

There are aspects of the game that must be emphasized or de-emphasized in practice throughout the year based on the coach's priorities.  For instance, How much time does NU work on outlet passes after getting a defensive rebound?  I can't state how many times I have seen Rivers get a rebound and rather than immediately looking down court for Shields or TP or Tai, he just clasps the ball and bends over to protect the ball, only to slowly throw it to a guard after the opposing defense has already retreated.  Every missed shot by the opponent should first be seen as an "opportunity" for a quick score.  If that is not available, push the ball and look for a secondary score, etc.  To me, this is the best strategy for the current roster b/c the current roster does struggle so much in the half court.  This obviously is just one simple example, I am sure there are many more complex variables that go into it.  But my point is the a coach like Coach Mo probably doesn't value or stress things like this b/c they have never been part of his core philosophy.  And I would imagine some of that rubs off on the players and Coach Miles, etc. 

 

But again, with all that said, the one thing I love about Miles is that he is never content and he never sits still.  He is constantly trying to innovate and improve.  He is not stubborn or set in his ways.  He will get this figured out, maybe not this  year, but he will get it done.  I am confident in that. 

[hhcmatt]

As for Wisconsin, many on here are correct in pointing out that Bo Ryan has used a "slow pace" strategy in the past with considerable success.  So I guess he is proof that it can work, even in a conference like the B1G.  The one response I would have to that, though, is that Ryan recruits a distinct type of player to run his system, and I don't think NU's current roster is anywhere close to what Ryan wants for his system.  Ryan like a team full of smart, skilled players who all can shoot the ball with great accuracy.  They may not be the most athletic, but they make up for that with intelligence, discipline, fundamentals, and shooting ability.  Right now, I would say NU's roster is almost the exact opposite.  We have some pretty athletic players, but they are not extremely skilled or disciplined and they definitely are not great shooters.  So is this the strategy best employed this year for this roster?  

 

Also, regarding Bo Ryan and Wisconsin, even Coach Bo has evolved in this regard.  Note these statistics regarding Wisconsin's offense this year and last year:

 

NATION'S BEST OFFENSE

A program known for defense, Wisconsin has steadily become one of the nation's most potent offenses. According to Ken Pomeroy, the Badgers rank No. 1 in offensive efficiency this season, averaging 124.9 points per possession. If the season ended today, UW's 124.9 efficiency rating would be the highest since Pomeroy began tracking the stat in 2002.

• Last season, the Badgers scored 73.5 points per game, which was the school's highest average in 20 years when UW tallied 77.9 ppg in 1993-94. This season, UW is ahead of last year's pace at 74.0 ppg.

• Through 10 Big Ten games, the Badgers lead the conference in scoring (74.6 ppg). UW has not led the Big Ten in scoring during conference play since 1947.

 

 

Obviously, Ryan has better players to work with than Miles this year.  But the question is whether Miles' current roster is so talent deficient that it should be producing first half scores of 18, 16, 13 and 13 in 4 of its last 5 games.  Those low scoring numbers are astounding.  And I simply cannot accept that it is solely because NU's roster is "incomplete" or "lacks shooters"  Does NU have less talent and less scoring talent than every other team in the country?  Because I doubt you will find another team in all of basketball (347 teams) that has such dreadful numbers in the first half of so many consecutive ball games. And this doesn't even count some of the miserable non-conf. performances.  Do you remember NU only scored 35 points in regulation against LMU.  I went back and check LMU's schedule and no other team has come even close to scoring so few points in a game against LMU.   And LMU has played some really, really poor teams.  Does NU have that much less scoring talent than all those other teams?  Really? 

 

I think you bring up a really good point in regards to is whether or not we're properly utilizing the strengths of our players on the offensive end.  We aren't a great shooting team but he do have guys who are good at finishing at the rim. Could we be pressing more? Could we give up some defensive rebounds for fast break points? Could we be run secondary fast breaks? Next year we might have some guys that change the dynamic of the team but what about this year?

 

In regards to tempo, you can be successful with both slow and fast tempos in this league though as an average the league is traditionally one of the slowest

 

Crean/Indiana and McCaffery/Iowa have been among the faster teams in the NCAA over the last 5 years. It looks like Maryland/Turgeon will be towards that end as well.

 

On the flip side, Wisconsin/Ryan and Michigan/Beilein have been among the slowest teams over the last 5 years (Northwestern too but they suck )

 

 

Here are Bo Ryan's numbers.  As you can see he always runs one of the slowest teams in the NCAA but does so with a highly effective offense and defense. The only person to run a slower team than Jim Molinari in 2012? Bo Ryan.

 

 

Bo is a great coach though and knows exactly what is he and what he wants to be.

Prior to his start at Wisconsin in 2000 he won 4 national titles in Division III as a defensive coach and took over for the original pack defense guy, Dick Bennett (father to Virginia's Tony Bennett who is running a similar Wisconsin-esque team). One can see from the success Bo has had he was the right guy for the right situation.

 

In the long run do we think we can land one and done guys? Do we instead look at what Wisconsin is doing and emulate that in our own way...which is to build system we can win with? Are we trading some of our success this year for success in the future?

 

Speaking of the future, will Miles be able to pull off something like Beilein in Michigan

 

Year 1: Losing season

Year 2: 10 seed

Year 3: Losing season

Year 4: 8 seed

Year 5: 4 seed

Year 6: 4 seed

Year 7: 2 seed

 

Wouldn't that be something?

 

[throwback]

Had a chance to watch WIU in Omaha yesterday vs the Mavs. Pretty amazing how quickly WIU's players forgot how to play defense after Coach Molinari left.   After a slow start, Mavs scored roughly 65 pts over final 30 minutes.

[hhcmatt]

Had a chance to watch WIU in Omaha yesterday vs the Mavs. Pretty amazing how quickly WIU's players forgot how to play defense after Coach Molinari left.   After a slow start, Mavs scored roughly 65 pts over final 30 minutes.

 

They completely changed styles. They're one of the faster teams in Div 1

[mrjam]

+1

[hhcmatt]

Craig Smith on Miles' offense

 

http://www.theticketfm.com/gaskins-stephens/craig-smith-explains-miles-ability-to-coach-offense/