12/9: MBB vs Alabama A&M

[Steverc]

AAM shot 10% from 3. Lol.

 

[MtnWasp]

Point guard play is not adequate. Abram looked good after finally getting some minutes. Hint hint.

When George is on the floor, PG is a strength for GT. Abram looks more like a 2G to me.

 

[kg01]

Point guard play is not adequate. Abram looked good after finally getting some minutes. Hint hint.

Eh, while I'd prefer to have a scoring threat at the point, George has made a hugely positive impact as a facilitator there.

And, with all due respect, I thought Abrams looked the same. Just against poor competition. They've got to find a role for him. For me, it's as a gunner off the bench.

I'll say again, if they can unlock Abrams and get a Terry back, we become really dangerous.

 

[GT33]

Point guard play is not adequate. Abram looked good after finally getting some minutes. Hint hint.

Does he ever pass the ball?

 

[MWBATL]

Looks like an NBA offense. But without the accuracy of NBA shooters. We shot 50% three-pointers last night and shoot roughly 40% for the season (this is 3 pointers as a % of all FG attempts). Boston (NBA) leads the NBA shooting just over 48% of all FG attempted as 3 pointers. So, we look alike in that regard. NBA teams run an average of around 35% of 3 pointers made. We are a hair below 30% (Lowest NBA team is at 33%.). We rank #294 in the nation in 3 point %.

I'm not sure that will make for a good college offense.

FYI, teams like Virginia, Clemson and Miami are at or above 40% accuracy in this regard. Clemson is the only one of those that shoots as often as we do. (Miami isn't far behind. Virginia shoots far fewer.)

 

[Steverc]

Eh, while I'd prefer to have a scoring threat at the point, George has made a hugely positive impact as a facilitator there.

And, with all due respect, I thought Abrams looked the same. Just against poor competition. They've got to find a role for him. For me, it's as a gunner off the bench.

I'll say again, if they can unlock Abrams and get a Terry back, we become really dangerous.

I was also thinking that Abram could be like Vinnie "The Microwave" Johnson.

 

[57jacket]

Kowacie Reeves leads Georgia Tech to win over Alabama A&M

It was Reeves’ third 20-point game of his career spanning his time at Florida and Tech.

www.ajc.com

 

[SecretAgentBuzz]

A nice easy win over AAMU--just what the doctor ordered to get the taste of the last loss out of our mouths. Here is what I saw:

The good:
-Our defense! We brought the "home game" defense and really locked down. We clogged the inside and contested outside shots. I don't care who the opponent is, when you hold them to under 50, you are doing well.
-Nait George. Calm, cool, and under control. He made some nice passes. I'll take 8 assists from him every night.
-Kowacie Reeves. He keeps getting better as the year goes on. He is our best defender and a capable shooter, and as he gets more confident and aggressive, his game keeps getting better.
-Looking for buckets in transition. Please keep doing this!
-Walk-ons! Always fun to see them play.

The not so good:
-Our offense turning the ball over 20 times against one of the worst teams in D-1. Yuck. Please take care of the ball.
-Our shooting in the second half. We could have scored 90, but we missed a lot of open looks. 3 of 16 from 3-point range is very bad.
-Lots of missed free throws.

Lots of guys looked....off...in this one. Maybe it was the opponent, maybe the smaller crowd, maybe finals, I don't know. But Ndongo, Kelly, Deebo, and Sturdivant all had off nights.
It was nice to see Abram come back, but he didn't look much different than before. He is a "shoot-first, ask-questions-later" kind of player and not really suited for PG. And unless his shooting improves, he's not a great addition to what we already have out there. Gapare looked better than before, but he still has his out-of-control moments.

All in all, it was nice to get back into the win column, but this one didn't impress like I hoped. The next one will be at Madison Square Garden against Penn St, so I hope we are ready!

Go Jackets!

 

[57jacket]

"The not so good:
-Our offense turning the ball over 20 times against one of the worst teams in D-1. Yuck. Please take care of the ball."

Not so good?? ABSOLUTELY AWFUL. Better to shoot from half court than turn the ball over. From half court there is SOME chance of scoring and you are in a good defensive position. Playing for 20 years, this is, obviosly, one of my hot buttons. LOL

 

[GaTech4ever]

I like George a lot, but man he really cannot shoot from deep. It’ll be interesting to see how defenses play him now that the scouting report is out there. Even if he could get to 33% it’d be huge for us.

 

[yjfan]

I like George a lot, but man he really cannot shoot from deep. It’ll be interesting to see how defenses play him now that the scouting report is out there. Even if he could get to 33% it’d be huge for us.

He drives well
He needs to attack the defenses that way

 

[Root4GT]

Looks like an NBA offense. But without the accuracy of NBA shooters. We shot 50% three-pointers last night and shoot roughly 40% for the season (this is 3 pointers as a % of all FG attempts). Boston (NBA) leads the NBA shooting just over 48% of all FG attempted as 3 pointers. So, we look alike in that regard. NBA teams run an average of around 35% of 3 pointers made. We are a hair below 30% (Lowest NBA team is at 33%.). We rank #294 in the nation in 3 point %.

I'm not sure that will make for a good college offense.

FYI, teams like Virginia, Clemson and Miami are at or above 40% accuracy in this regard. Clemson is the only one of those that shoots as often as we do. (Miami isn't far behind. Virginia shoots far fewer.)

We are in the range of most ACC teams less UVA and Louisville on 3 point attempts per game. We take 24 and most ACC teams are in that area. Pit is the high outlier with 29 a game.

The college game has changed a lot in the last several years. Teams' try and shoot 3s and at the basket as much as possible.

We get a lot of good open 3s. We are not shooting well except for Reeves from 3. We know Kelley and Coleman are capable 3 point shooters. Terry is as well though I would expect it will take him weeks to get back into playing shape after a prolonged foot injury. That's 4 good 3 point shooters. Kyle is decent as well.

Turnovers have been ok most of the year, they were really bad yesterday. Most were unforced.

I agree with the folks that think George makes our offense much better.

 

[GaTech4ever]

-Kowacie Reeves. He keeps getting better as the year goes on. He is our best defender and a capable shooter, and as he gets more confident and aggressive, his game keeps getting better.

Great post, but one thing to nitpick. Reeves is much more than a capable shooter. He’s over 40% from 3 and over 95% from FT. He’s currently on pace to have one of the best shooting seasons in GT history and one of the best in the ACC this season (if not country). Obviously still early but he’s shooting a lot so it’s a decent sample.

 

[GaTech4ever]

He drives well
He needs to attack the defenses that way

So you don’t think it would help if he could be a threat to hit open shots? I didn’t say I prefer him shooting over driving.

Also, it’s hard to attack in the half court when you’re not a shooting threat. And he hasn’t really been able to make much happen driving in the half court.

 

[MtnWasp]

Abram has plenty of physical tools and skills. And to his credit he did dig-in defensively last night. He has the size-strength-quickness to be an impact defender if he so chooses. But he shows his immaturity on the court. He, like Gapare, want to take the game over every time they have the ball in their hands.

He and Gapare have huge upsides. But they are big projects for the staff. I give Stoudamire credit for drawing a line and sitting Abram for 3 games. There is a LOT of coaching to be done here to reel-in these big fish. And Stouamire deserves credit for giving them minutes even if it makes the coach look bad. Our coach is ambitious and confident. That is a good thing.

As for PG, it is a different kind of position. Success there doesn't distill down to mere physical tools and skills. Feel for the game is the thing. Magic Johnson wasn't great because he was tall. He wasn't especially quick, not a great leaper, not especially physical and not a great shooter to say the least. He impacted the game with his decisions. He just saw the game at a different level than most all other players. Kenny Anderson was like that as a college player for GT. Alvarado developed into that kind of guy by the end of his career. And Alvarado was not a great shooter when he came in. His shooting stats as a Senior were extremely good.

When I watch George play, I see that kind of thing. He is not a finished product in terms of skills, but the kid sees the floor at a different level. I give a little example from last night: We're in half court defense where George is at the top of the key loosely guarding the PG who does not have the ball. Gt is not applying pressure. A&M wing has the ball and dribbles to the right right wing. The A&M PG is about 20 feet out, midway between the top of the key and half-court. As the A&M wing drives right, George, far away from the action, slides over to the right just ten feet at the top of the key. When the driving A&M wing is cut-off by the GT defense, he looks to outlet to the A&M PG who is being lazy and doesn't move to the ball and George is there to intercept the outlet pass.

Sliding over those ten feet was the diffrence between a steal or a routine offensive re-set. It was completely instinctive. Most players don't do it and most fans don't see it. Feel for the game and anticipation count on defense as well. And George consistently grinds on defense.

I saw an interview of Magic Johnson one time and he said, WWTTE, that basketball was a simple game. When a player has the ball in his hands, there are only three things he can do with it: he can shoot it, pass it, or dribble it. The player only has to make the right decision.

Here is a thing for fans to watch to compare our PGs: When our PGs receive the ball, make a mental count of how long it takes each of our PGs to make a decision to pass, shoot or dribble, and compare those counts between the players. I think they will be stunned by how big a difference there is.

Both Pastner and Stoudamire emphasized not wanting the ball to stick on offense. A good way to beat a defense is to play the game mentally faster than the defense. We saw several instances of rapid ball movement by GT last night that resulted in wide open shots. Offensive pace is dictated by rapid decisions and anticipation. I'm not sure that is something that you can teach.

If you have that feel for the game at the PG spot, it raises the ceiling for the entire offense. If you don't have that, = low ceiling.

 

[kg01]

Abram has plenty of physical tools and skills. And to his credit he did dig-in defensively last night. He has the size-strength-quickness to be an impact defender if he so chooses. But he shows his immaturity on the court. He, like Gapare, want to take the game over every time they have the ball in their hands.

He and Gapare have huge upsides. But they are big projects for the staff. I give Stoudamire credit for drawing a line and sitting Abram for 3 games. There is a LOT of coaching to be done here to reel-in these big fish. And Stouamire deserves credit for giving them minutes even if it makes the coach look bad. Our coach is ambitious and confident. That is a good thing.

As for PG, it is a different kind of position. Success there doesn't distill down to mere physical tools and skills. Feel for the game is the thing. Magic Johnson wasn't great because he was tall. He wasn't especially quick, not a great leaper, not especially physical and not a great shooter to say the least. He impacted the game with his decisions. He just saw the game at a different level than most all other players. Kenny Anderson was like that as a college player for GT. Alvarado developed into that kind of guy by the end of his career. And Alvarado was not a great shooter when he came in. His shooting stats as a Senior were extremely good.

When I watch George play, I see that kind of thing. He is not a finished product in terms of skills, but the kid sees the floor at a different level. I give a little example from last night: We're in half court defense where George is at the top of the key loosely guarding the PG who does not have the ball. Gt is not applying pressure. A&M wing has the ball and dribbles to the right right wing. The A&M PG is about 20 feet out, midway between the top of the key and half-court. As the A&M wing drives right, George, far away from the action, slides over to the right just ten feet at the top of the key. When the driving A&M wing is cut-off by the GT defense, he looks to outlet to the A&M PG who is being lazy and doesn't move to the ball and George is there to intercept the outlet pass.

Sliding over those ten feet was the diffrence between a steal or a routine offensive re-set. It was completely instinctive. Most players don't do it and most fans don't see it. Feel for the game and anticipation count on defense as well. And George consistently grinds on defense.

I saw an interview of Magic Johnson one time and he said, WWTTE, that basketball was a simple game. When a player has the ball in his hands, there are only three things he can do with it: he can shoot it, pass it, or dribble it. The player only has to make the right decision.

Here is a thing for fans to watch to compare our PGs: When our PGs receive the ball, make a mental count of how long it takes each of our PGs to make a decision to pass, shoot or dribble, and compare those counts between the players. I think they will be stunned by how big a difference there is.

Both Pastner and Stoudamire emphasized not wanting the ball to stick on offense. A good way to beat a defense is to play the game mentally faster than the defense. We saw several instances of rapid ball movement by GT last night that resulted in wide open shots. Offensive pace is dictated by rapid decisions and anticipation. I'm not sure that is something that you can teach.

If you have that feel for the game at the PG spot, it raises the ceiling for the entire offense. If you don't have that, = low ceiling.

Can't find anything to disagree with here. Love instinctive players.

Good point w.r.t. quick decisions. When most people hear that a team wants to "play fast", that doesn't always refer to running up and down the court. Playing at a fast pace can also refer to how quickly a team plays in the halfcourt, basically how fast they can make those correct PDS decisions you mention.

It's exactly what makes the Miami Heat such a tough team to guard. Always have 5, hardworking, instinctual players on court. And although they're not a fastbreak team, they play at a really fast pace.

 

[57jacket]

Abram has plenty of physical tools and skills. And to his credit he did dig-in defensively last night. He has the size-strength-quickness to be an impact defender if he so chooses. But he shows his immaturity on the court. He, like Gapare, want to take the game over every time they have the ball in their hands.

He and Gapare have huge upsides. But they are big projects for the staff. I give Stoudamire credit for drawing a line and sitting Abram for 3 games. There is a LOT of coaching to be done here to reel-in these big fish. And Stouamire deserves credit for giving them minutes even if it makes the coach look bad. Our coach is ambitious and confident. That is a good thing.

As for PG, it is a different kind of position. Success there doesn't distill down to mere physical tools and skills. Feel for the game is the thing. Magic Johnson wasn't great because he was tall. He wasn't especially quick, not a great leaper, not especially physical and not a great shooter to say the least. He impacted the game with his decisions. He just saw the game at a different level than most all other players. Kenny Anderson was like that as a college player for GT. Alvarado developed into that kind of guy by the end of his career. And Alvarado was not a great shooter when he came in. His shooting stats as a Senior were extremely good.

When I watch George play, I see that kind of thing. He is not a finished product in terms of skills, but the kid sees the floor at a different level. I give a little example from last night: We're in half court defense where George is at the top of the key loosely guarding the PG who does not have the ball. Gt is not applying pressure. A&M wing has the ball and dribbles to the right right wing. The A&M PG is about 20 feet out, midway between the top of the key and half-court. As the A&M wing drives right, George, far away from the action, slides over to the right just ten feet at the top of the key. When the driving A&M wing is cut-off by the GT defense, he looks to outlet to the A&M PG who is being lazy and doesn't move to the ball and George is there to intercept the outlet pass.

Sliding over those ten feet was the diffrence between a steal or a routine offensive re-set. It was completely instinctive. Most players don't do it and most fans don't see it. Feel for the game and anticipation count on defense as well. And George consistently grinds on defense.

I saw an interview of Magic Johnson one time and he said, WWTTE, that basketball was a simple game. When a player has the ball in his hands, there are only three things he can do with it: he can shoot it, pass it, or dribble it. The player only has to make the right decision.

Here is a thing for fans to watch to compare our PGs: When our PGs receive the ball, make a mental count of how long it takes each of our PGs to make a decision to pass, shoot or dribble, and compare those counts between the players. I think they will be stunned by how big a difference there is.

Both Pastner and Stoudamire emphasized not wanting the ball to stick on offense. A good way to beat a defense is to play the game mentally faster than the defense. We saw several instances of rapid ball movement by GT last night that resulted in wide open shots. Offensive pace is dictated by rapid decisions and anticipation. I'm not sure that is something that you can teach.

If you have that feel for the game at the PG spot, it raises the ceiling for the entire offense. If you don't have that, = low ceiling.

Excellent insight mtn... I'll look for the time thingy. Thanks.

 

[Techster]

Reeves ++++ best pleyer on the floor.

Said it after the UGA game, Reeves is our most consistent and our best overall player so far this season. Affects the game in so many ways.

He's starting to live up to his 5 star rating coming out of High School.

 

[Root4GT]

So you don’t think it would help if he could be a threat to hit open shots? I didn’t say I prefer him shooting over driving.

Also, it’s hard to attack in the half court when you’re not a shooting threat. And he hasn’t really been able to make much happen driving in the half court.

Everyone would be better if they shot better - LOL. George actually gets the offense initiated driving and he is pretty good at the pick and role, especially for a freemen who is often doing a pick and roll with another freshmen (NDongo)

 

[yjfan]

So you don’t think it would help if he could be a threat to hit open shots? I didn’t say I prefer him shooting over driving.

Also, it’s hard to attack in the half court when you’re not a shooting threat. And he hasn’t really been able to make much happen driving in the half court.

the game against miss st he was hitting layups- now i see him pass out when at the rim- idk why