uneblinstu's Post Game Chatter: ed 8, vol 3 - Delaware St.

[uneblinstu]

That was about as unfulfilling as a 15 point win could be.

 

- I love Shavon Shields. I really do, but sometimes I think he tries to take on too much of the burden. He looks a lot like the 2013-14 version of himself in many ways, but there were a couple of times where he needed to get rid of the ball and he kept it. A couple of times where he probably tried to do much with the ball. 

- Andrew White III: Rinse, repeat.

- Turnovers were a problem again. 16 more.

- I liked that we had 19 assists, though.

- Probably because they won, I liked that Miles had at least one freshman on the floor during DSU's run. I like that they got some experience in that situation, even though in the end it was Shields and White that broke the run. I like that Miles didn't call a time out there and let them fight through it.

- I'm convinced that Watson is the far and away best offensive guard on the team. It's not even close. However, he was a huge defensive liability tonight. He got blown by at least four times during the Hornets run. He's got the talent in him to play defense, it's just moving really fast for him on that end of the floor, I think.

- Morrow didn't have a very good game, I don't think. I'm not sure I've ever seen three fouls called on a player in such a short period of time as he did today.

- Thought the offense looked better tonight. More movement, crisper passing.

- I thought this was one of Benny's better games offensively. If he can be someone teams have to acknowledge on defense, that will be a huge help in opening things up.

- Tai and Benny are still really good perimeter defenders. I just wish they could provide more offensive punch. We saw maximum Energizer Benny tonight a couple of times. That was fun to see.

- I'm not sure I like taking Hammond out after every foul he commits. I think that leads to timid play and looking over the shoulder whenever he makes a mistake. 

- McVeigh has a chance to be one of the better bench players we've had in a while. It's been said a thousand times already, but he's going to be a helluva player as he gets more experience.

[Huskerpapa]

-  Our defensive continuity was MIA.  Not sure how to put my finger on it, but we seemed to get beat to the spot often throughout the night.  Seemed that the only guard who had luck guarding was Tai, and even he was beaten on occasion.

-  McVeigh is the real deal on offense.  On defense, he has to adjust to the various matchup issues that will exist.

-  I hate to say this, but we sure seem to rely on the "3"  Seems strange to say after last year.

-  We let another big run take place.  Gotta find a way to prevent those from happening.

- OMG, the fouls!!!!  Hey REFS, I get it, we need to adjust better to the rule changes...but good lord, breath through your noses for awhile.

-  Should have beat this team by 15 to 20, and we did, but man, let's get rid of the drama.

-  Jacobson keeps getting more minutes, he is pretty darn good in spurts.  I believe he is really going to help this team.

- Morrow is the real deal, he is going to keep getting better and better...and better.

- Shavon and Andrew are our two-headed monsters.  We need others to step forward, but that is a Captain Obvious statement

[Norm Peterson]

Flat out, Bakari Evelyn should have redshirted.  He went 11 deep tonight.  Post game, Miles is talking about cutting the rotation down.  Wants 8, maybe 9 guys.  Well, it was clear from the beginning that Bakari wouldn't be in the top 8 and if you went to 9 it would be to add another big.  So, he's going to basically waste a year of eligibility when he could have come in next year as part of a class of 4 (including him) and been the only guard in the class.

 

We were on the verge of running those guys out of the gym and then we came up empty on at least a dozen consecutive possessions.  What the hell happened?  I mean, I know turnovers and shots not falling (Shavon even missed both ends of a 2 shot foul in that stretch) but what caused the team to suddenly not be able to do anything right?  It was like Benny and Tai hit triples on consecutive possessions (or close to consecutive) and we thought hell had just frozen over so we don't have to play anymore?

 

If Tai is going to be on the floor, he has to be willing to take three pointers.  He ends up being such a liability in this "make the extra pass" offense when he's programmed himself to not even think about shooting.  He gets the ball in the corner and he's by himself and he catches the ball in rhythm and he ... looks to pass to someone less open.  Or maybe drive into a crowd.  There was one time Tai was on the near wing, the ball is being reversed, there's one defender between him and maybe Shavon in the corner, and Tai catches and immediately passes to the corner.  Hey, Tai, how about a pump-fake there?  How about something to get the defender to at least THINK about having to come over and close out on you?  Then, when you pass the ball to the corner, the shooter is going to have an extra moment to get off his shot, which could make the difference between getting a shot or having to pull it back out and reset things.  But, because Tai didn't even pretend for a moment like he might shoot it, defender closes out on the shooter in the corner and there's no shot.  Tai, get over your angst about shooting.  I'd rather you miss than never even pretend to take a shot.

 

But the reason Tai is out there, like it or not (because he's going to continue to be out there) is because of his defense.  Miles said it on the post-game.  Andrew can't cover their 2-guard.  Tai is long enough and athletic enough to cover their 2-guard.  Andrew and Shavon are not.  So, at the end of the game, when Miles thought he wanted to get Jack back out there, he was stuck because he couldn't take Andrew or Shavon out, because you need them on offense.  And Tai and Benny are the only ones who can defend their quicker guards.  (Bakari should have redshirted.  Maybe he can still get, like, a wrist injury to his non-shooting hand.  Or maybe  a groin pull.  Those things last for months.)

 

Here, I'm going to say this.  We need to at least look to enter the ball to the post.  There were times where Jake actually had a smaller defender sealed and was open to the entry pass and we didn't even think about getting it to him.  He was deep in the blocks, also, so he could have just spun to his left and flipped the ball toward the rim, but we made no effort to get it in to him.  I watched Jake in warmups, and he was working on some moves.  He made a very nice counter-clockwise spin into a righty hook that he swished.  If he's been working on it, give him half a chance to execute it in a game.   At least let's start looking at some high-low action.  If we can't drive to the basket, we need to have some way to find points in the paint.

 

I think we finished 12 of 28 from three, which is a pretty good percentage.  But before that long scoring drought, we were 8 of 16 for 50%.  And at one point prior to that, we were over 50%, so like maybe 8 of 15.  I'm guessing we only made about 4 of our last 13 treys.  That sort of dampens down the enthusiasm over the stat sheet.  Still, I'd take 12/28 from three as a team any game.

 

Michael Jacobson has a longer way to go than I had previously thought.  Defensively, he's just not there.  This was not a good game for him.

 

I feel really bad for Ed Morrow.  Twice, he made a really impressive move to the hoop and twice he got whistled for an offensive foul by refs who seemed to have nothing better to do than blow their whistles tonight.  He still needs to get over trying to face up to the basket when he gets the ball.  But his athleticism at the 4 is going to be so nice to have as he matures and develops (and learns to stop fouling.)

 

Right now, we have three weapons from three-point range.  Ideally, I'd like to have a 4th who can really release and splash.  Right now, we don't have that 4th guy.  And we don't have a strong and active post who, when Shavon gets past the first layer of defense, can catch a dump pass and slam it home.  That would help Shavon a bit in opening his ability to drive to the paint.  Right now, the help slides over and he doesn't have anyone who he can dish inside to when that happens. 

[colhusker]

Will simply call this a growing pain win.

[uneblinstu]

 

Here, I'm going to say this.  We need to at least look to enter the ball to the post.  There were times where Jake actually had a smaller defender sealed and was open to the entry pass and we didn't even think about getting it to him.  He was deep in the blocks, also, so he could have just spun to his left and flipped the ball toward the rim, but we made no effort to get it in to him.  I watched Jake in warmups, and he was working on some moves.  He made a very nice counter-clockwise spin into a righty hook that he swished.  If he's been working on it, give him half a chance to execute it in a game.   At least let's start looking at some high-low action.  If we can't drive to the basket, we need to have some way to find points in the paint.

He had that sweet little hook shot in the lane in the first half. You really saw his wing span come into play there. 

 

 

 

Right now, we have three weapons from three-point range.  Ideally, I'd like to have a 4th who can really release and splash.  Right now, we don't have that 4th guy.  And we don't have a strong and active post who, when Shavon gets past the first layer of defense, can catch a dump pass and slam it home.  That would help Shavon a bit in opening his ability to drive to the paint.  Right now, the help slides over and he doesn't have anyone who he can dish inside to when that happens. 

Let's not get greedy now, Norm. Remember last year when we didn't even have a first threat out there an now you want a fourth? 

 

 

 

But yeah, that would be nice. Not sure who that'd be, though.

[big red22]

No way any team should go on a 20-0 run... But 2 games in a row... Ummm I just don't get it?

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

[uneblinstu]

No way any team should go on a 20-0 run... But 2 games in a row... Ummm I just don't get it?

How many teams at Nebraska's level are four freshman and a sophomore who's never played into the rotation? Not many. I think it's part of the learning curve.

[big red22]

Here, I'm going to say this. We need to at least look to enter the ball to the post. There were times where Jake actually had a smaller defender sealed and was open to the entry pass and we didn't even think about getting it to him. He was deep in the blocks, also, so he could have just spun to his left and flipped the ball toward the rim, but we made no effort to get it in to him. I watched Jake in warmups, and he was working on some moves. He made a very nice counter-clockwise spin into a righty hook that he swished. If he's been working on it, give him half a chance to execute it in a game. At least let's start looking at some high-low action. If we can't drive to the basket, we need to have some way to find points in the paint.

He had that sweet little hook shot in the lane in the first half. You really saw his wing span come into play there.

Right now, we have three weapons from three-point range. Ideally, I'd like to have a 4th who can really release and splash. Right now, we don't have that 4th guy. And we don't have a strong and active post who, when Shavon gets past the first layer of defense, can catch a dump pass and slam it home. That would help Shavon a bit in opening his ability to drive to the paint. Right now, the help slides over and he doesn't have anyone who he can dish inside to when that happens.

Let's not get greedy now, Norm. Remember last year when we didn't even have a first threat out there an now you want a fourth?

But yeah, that would be nice. Not sure who that'd be, though.

Fuller... He was a 3 point specialist in high school. It's time he gets it back!

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

[uneblinstu]

 

 

Here, I'm going to say this. We need to at least look to enter the ball to the post. There were times where Jake actually had a smaller defender sealed and was open to the entry pass and we didn't even think about getting it to him. He was deep in the blocks, also, so he could have just spun to his left and flipped the ball toward the rim, but we made no effort to get it in to him. I watched Jake in warmups, and he was working on some moves. He made a very nice counter-clockwise spin into a righty hook that he swished. If he's been working on it, give him half a chance to execute it in a game. At least let's start looking at some high-low action. If we can't drive to the basket, we need to have some way to find points in the paint.

He had that sweet little hook shot in the lane in the first half. You really saw his wing span come into play there.

Right now, we have three weapons from three-point range. Ideally, I'd like to have a 4th who can really release and splash. Right now, we don't have that 4th guy. And we don't have a strong and active post who, when Shavon gets past the first layer of defense, can catch a dump pass and slam it home. That would help Shavon a bit in opening his ability to drive to the paint. Right now, the help slides over and he doesn't have anyone who he can dish inside to when that happens.

Let's not get greedy now, Norm. Remember last year when we didn't even have a first threat out there an now you want a fourth?

But yeah, that would be nice. Not sure who that'd be, though.

Fuller... He was a 3 point specialist in high school. It's time he gets it back!

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

 

Except I think he's the tenth player in a nine man rotation...

[Norm Peterson]

Will simply call this a growing pain win.

Yeah, I mean, the other side to the feeling of frustration over letting Delaware back into the game was that we went very deep into the bench and were giving all sorts of combinations a bit of a look-see to see how they play together. 

 

Sounds like Miles is going to start shortening the bench.

 

They five current starters are comfortably in the top 8 in the rotation, followed by McVeigh, Morrow and Watson (in alphabetical order).  Next is a toss-up right now between Fuller and Jacobson.  Probably Jacobson because of his size and because he has a higher ceiling and more time left to develop. 

[Husker4theSpurs]

Few of these kids want to redshirt these days because they just assume they'll leave if they don't get the minutes eventually so they basically lose the year anyhow if they do redshirt (5 year clock starts when they enter school). It's either redshirt now or lose a year basically while you're sitting out transferring if you've already redshirted. They figure they'd rather take garbage minutes I suppose.

It is too bad we don't have a few more guard options ... Tai's D is alright but you just can't have an off guard who isn't a threat to shoot. Same with Benny at the point. But we're kind of stuck unfortunately. We'll slowly see more and more of Watson I think. I'm probably crazy but sometimes I find myself thinking I wouldn't even mind seeing what Trueblood could do.

 

I felt like some of the ticky-tack whistles just had us tentative on D during their run and then that tentativeness kind of spread to our offense.

 

It's nice to have more options but as stated previously we have no inside threat for the most part. We have decent bodies and potential but no one has any inside moves or overt offensive game. I really think Morrow is gonna be super solid sometime, he just needs to get adjusted to the whistles. He's a great 5th best starter on any team with the motor he has, but he can't really fill that role here right now (I could say similar about a lot of our players). They're kind of forced to play a position or role they're not completely comfortable with right now.

 

It's at least entertaining and I anticipate it will be fun watching these young players grow over the years.

[FredsSlacks]

i could see bakari transferring. he's the only scholarship player not getting minutes, and he'll be 2nd string to watson his whole time here.

[Husker4theSpurs]

 

 

Here, I'm going to say this. We need to at least look to enter the ball to the post. There were times where Jake actually had a smaller defender sealed and was open to the entry pass and we didn't even think about getting it to him. He was deep in the blocks, also, so he could have just spun to his left and flipped the ball toward the rim, but we made no effort to get it in to him. I watched Jake in warmups, and he was working on some moves. He made a very nice counter-clockwise spin into a righty hook that he swished. If he's been working on it, give him half a chance to execute it in a game. At least let's start looking at some high-low action. If we can't drive to the basket, we need to have some way to find points in the paint.

He had that sweet little hook shot in the lane in the first half. You really saw his wing span come into play there.

Right now, we have three weapons from three-point range. Ideally, I'd like to have a 4th who can really release and splash. Right now, we don't have that 4th guy. And we don't have a strong and active post who, when Shavon gets past the first layer of defense, can catch a dump pass and slam it home. That would help Shavon a bit in opening his ability to drive to the paint. Right now, the help slides over and he doesn't have anyone who he can dish inside to when that happens.

Let's not get greedy now, Norm. Remember last year when we didn't even have a first threat out there an now you want a fourth?

But yeah, that would be nice. Not sure who that'd be, though.

Fuller... He was a 3 point specialist in high school. It's time he gets it back!

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

 

 

Actually I think Fuller was a bit of a slasher in high school (in addition to 3s). 

[hhcmatt]

Flat out, Bakari Evelyn should have redshirted.  He went 11 deep tonight.  Post game, Miles is talking about cutting the rotation down.  Wants 8, maybe 9 guys.  Well, it was clear from the beginning that Bakari wouldn't be in the top 8 and if you went to 9 it would be to add another big.  So, he's going to basically waste a year of eligibility when he could have come in next year as part of a class of 4 (including him) and been the only guard in the class.

 

Few of these kids want to redshirt these days because they just assume they'll leave if they don't get the minutes eventually so they basically lose the year anyhow if they do redshirt (5 year clock starts when they enter school). It's either redshirt now or lose a year basically while you're sitting out transferring if you've already redshirted. They figure they'd rather take garbage minutes I suppose.

 

i could see bakari transferring. he's the only scholarship player not getting minutes, and he'll be 2nd string to watson his whole time here.

 

You guys all might be right but we are talking about a freshman in game 3.

[Norm Peterson]

i could see bakari transferring. he's the only scholarship player not getting minutes, and he'll be 2nd string to watson his whole time here.

Bakari is a combo guard who can play point and off-guard.  And he's not a stiff.  He has some game.  He's just in a log-jam right now and it doesn't get much easier next year when Anton Gill is in the rotation.  But, I'd rather he'd be a freshman next year with Anton Gill as a junior, than have him still biding his time as a junior during Anton's senior year.

 

I really do think Bakari has some game.  He's just not to a level yet to command minutes with being a true freshman on a deep team.  I think in time, he'll be a very good player.

[hhcmatt]

[hhcmatt]

Miles Presser

http://www.huskers.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=4716507

 

White and Shields

http://www.huskers.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=4716508

 

Highlights

http://www.huskers.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=4716509

[hhcmatt]

After watching McVeigh play this summer and looking at any of his international stats he struck me as the kind of guy who people talk about his shooting ability and then it turns out that he's not really much of a shooter.  Boy am I glad I was way off on that one.....he's single-handedly restored my faith in the corner 3 pt shot. 

 

At points tonight I felt I was watching a bullfight because Morrow was playing ole defense.  Morrow is going to start at some point but the metrics back up what I see on the court: people want him to start because Benny/Tai have looked shaky, not because his play on both sides have earned him the start.

 

Morrow has approximately 2 more games to figure out what is and what is not a foul before he really starts hurting us by not being able to stay on the court.

 

Jake had 4 offensive rebounds tonight and at times looked feisty. Wish he played a bit bigger more. 

 

Tai and Benny combined for just 3 turnovers tonight and overall were solid. It tougher to drive against a zone but don't you think an effective use for them would be to drive the lane when possible and find one of those 3 pt shooters we now possess in addition to putting themselves in position for a high percentage shot?

[colhusker]

 

Will simply call this a growing pain win.

Yeah, I mean, the other side to the feeling of frustration over letting Delaware back into the game was that we went very deep into the bench and were giving all sorts of combinations a bit of a look-see to see how they play together. 

 

Sounds like Miles is going to start shortening the bench.

 

They five current starters are comfortably in the top 8 in the rotation, followed by McVeigh, Morrow and Watson (in alphabetical order).  Next is a toss-up right now between Fuller and Jacobson.  Probably Jacobson because of his size and because he has a higher ceiling and more time left to develop. 

 

Norm I agree but would that not be part of the growing pains?  Miles was learning what worked and what doesn't?  He HAD to be pained by a 20-0 run by Delaware State.

[lanigan123]

My thoughts. We MUST atleast try and enter the ball to the post. We got it to Morrow 1x on the block. I think we will see these runs where we don't score because we don't have a guy like Terran who can create his own shot or get to the rim at will. McVeigh needs minutes. He can flat out shoot. Tai, we have to get him going to the hoop. Standing at the 3 point line will get us nothing but beat. Hoops has a strong foundation. What I would t give to have Gill play this year.

[hhcmatt]

 What I would t give to have Gill play this year.

 

Yeah, I hope he's the TP-like killer with a better shot selection and better shooting teammates that we hope he is.

[Fullbacksympathy]

Watching Morrow, I think Molinari needs to spend an entire practice one-on-one with him on defensive fundamentals.  The guy has gotten away with pure athleticism and willpower to this point, but I've also noticed some glaring lack of boxing out and balance defensively.  He has the potential to be one of the most disruptive defenders we've ever had here, and if he gets his fundamentals down, he's going to be terrifying. 

 

I think the same of Watson.  Coach Mo needs to work with him on those deficiencies as well.  Both freshmen have the blessing of long arms, but it doesn't matter how long your arms are if you never learn to move your feet.  We need them both to play a lot if we're going to be any good this year.

 

Lastly, at this point, I think it makes way more sense from a +/- to have Watson, White, Shields, McVeigh, and Morrow out there as much as possible.  Yeah, maybe we'll give up some points, but we'll score a ton of points as well.  I don't buy it that Shields can't guard the 2.  Take a step back and make someone shoot over 6'7".  I'm willing to live with this given what we'd produce on the other end.  If it stalls, you can always shake it up with two great defenders in Benny and Tai to buffer the D a bit. 

 

I also agree with feeding the post.  I really feel like Hammond has some offensive skill that's going unnoticed, and it's not like he's a selfish player so there wouldn't be a black hole issue.  Feeding the post is akin to running the football--it keeps the defense honest. 

[big red22]

My thoughts. We MUST atleast try and enter the ball to the post. We got it to Morrow 1x on the block. I think we will see these runs where we don't score because we don't have a guy like Terran who can create his own shot or get to the rim at will. McVeigh needs minutes. He can flat out shoot. Tai, we have to get him going to the hoop. Standing at the 3 point line will get us nothing but beat. Hoops has a strong foundation. What I would t give to have Gill play this year.

I'm going to disagree with this.  I think Watson is definitely a "create your own shot" type of player.  

[bobcat402]

Watching Morrow, I think Molinari needs to spend an entire practice one-on-one with him on defensive fundamentals.  The guy has gotten away with pure athleticism and willpower to this point, but I've also noticed some glaring lack of boxing out and balance defensively.  He has the potential to be one of the most disruptive defenders we've ever had here, and if he gets his fundamentals down, he's going to be terrifying. 

 

I think the same of Watson.  Coach Mo needs to work with him on those deficiencies as well.  Both freshmen have the blessing of long arms, but it doesn't matter how long your arms are if you never learn to move your feet.  We need them both to play a lot if we're going to be any good this year.

 

Lastly, at this point, I think it makes way more sense from a +/- to have Watson, White, Shields, McVeigh, and Morrow out there as much as possible.  Yeah, maybe we'll give up some points, but we'll score a ton of points as well.  I don't buy it that Shields can't guard the 2.  Take a step back and make someone shoot over 6'7".  I'm willing to live with this given what we'd produce on the other end.  If it stalls, you can always shake it up with two great defenders in Benny and Tai to buffer the D a bit. 

 

I also agree with feeding the post.  I really feel like Hammond has some offensive skill that's going unnoticed, and it's not like he's a selfish player so there wouldn't be a black hole issue.  Feeding the post is akin to running the football--it keeps the defense honest. 

in this instance im gonna go with Coach on this one, you risk putting shavon or White in foul trouble guarding smaller quicker twos, than we lose them for key stretches of the game, because we had them out guarding players they shouldn't be. For this season we will have to sacrafice and realize that at times, we will have players on the court that are not looking for their shot, its gonna hurt us, but i think the more dangerous proposition is  putting Shavon or White at the two and risk getting them into significant foul trouble. As we've seen thru 3 games, if you impede the offender progress in anyway its gonna be called a foul. Cant risk those two players on the cheap ones, and they have to sit out for extended min, cant risk it. 

[Fullbacksympathy]

 

Watching Morrow, I think Molinari needs to spend an entire practice one-on-one with him on defensive fundamentals.  The guy has gotten away with pure athleticism and willpower to this point, but I've also noticed some glaring lack of boxing out and balance defensively.  He has the potential to be one of the most disruptive defenders we've ever had here, and if he gets his fundamentals down, he's going to be terrifying. 

 

I think the same of Watson.  Coach Mo needs to work with him on those deficiencies as well.  Both freshmen have the blessing of long arms, but it doesn't matter how long your arms are if you never learn to move your feet.  We need them both to play a lot if we're going to be any good this year.

 

Lastly, at this point, I think it makes way more sense from a +/- to have Watson, White, Shields, McVeigh, and Morrow out there as much as possible.  Yeah, maybe we'll give up some points, but we'll score a ton of points as well.  I don't buy it that Shields can't guard the 2.  Take a step back and make someone shoot over 6'7".  I'm willing to live with this given what we'd produce on the other end.  If it stalls, you can always shake it up with two great defenders in Benny and Tai to buffer the D a bit. 

 

I also agree with feeding the post.  I really feel like Hammond has some offensive skill that's going unnoticed, and it's not like he's a selfish player so there wouldn't be a black hole issue.  Feeding the post is akin to running the football--it keeps the defense honest. 

in this instance im gonna go with Coach on this one, you risk putting shavon or White in foul trouble guarding smaller quicker twos, than we lose them for key stretches of the game, because we had them out guarding players they shouldn't be. For this season we will have to sacrafice and realize that at times, we will have players on the court that are not looking for their shot, its gonna hurt us, but i think the more dangerous proposition is  putting Shavon or White at the two and risk getting them into significant foul trouble. As we've seen thru 3 games, if you impede the offender progress in anyway its gonna be called a foul. Cant risk those two players on the cheap ones, and they have to sit out for extended min, cant risk it. 

 

I get it, but I guess I look at it the other way--Shields and White both have guard skills offensively with big frames, and both of those guys are constantly looking for their shots, plus they both usually take care of the ball.  I think they are both a similar threat to undersized guards (in terms of drawing fouls on them).  Bottom line:  the best basketball we've played this year occurred at Villanova when we had Watson, McVeigh, and Morrow on the floor at the same time, and that was against one of the best backcourts in the country. 

 

Do you really feel like there's a big dropoff from Tai to Shavon guarding the 2?  Because I don't see that at all.  I agree with White, but not Shavon.