YlJacket
Helluva Engineer
- Messages
- 3,273
Nice post. Agree with you but I might pick at your logic just a bit. Specifically, I do think our bigs could execute on high ball screens and rim runs like you saw with KY. Not in any way saying they are as athletic and would be as good as KY but Mecca, Howard and even Saba to some degree can do that. Especially Mecca. They simply haven't been asked to/allowed to in the offense we run - at least until a couple of more recent games. They have generally been asked to be the point person at the elbow in the modified princeton set - a role pretty much all agree they are not suited for and lead to your comment about having other bigs sag off them because they can't shoot a 15 foot jumper reliably.If this years team had a center producing 1/2 to 2/3 of what Moses Wright did last year - this team is above 500 in the ACC.
The point guard play was shaky early in the season, but has improved considerably and is not significant cause for concern.
The two problems I see leading to most losses are - no inside threat on offense (have to rely on jumpers too much, other bigs sag off Howard/Saba/Meka to clog things up, and limited options when players penetrate - the other night I saw Kentucky lob to big several times on penetration - we do not have that threat).
The other issues is lack of strong big on defense - shot blocking, defending the post, etc - which leads to GT needing to be more aggressive and some of the foul disparity.
The #1 priority for next season is a quality big from the transfer portal that can step in a play at ACC level.
--- Howard/Saba/Meka in some combination are good enough already to cover for 5-10 minutes a game, and I do think Saba/Meka can develop with another years work.
--- Not likely any HS player (unless 5*) could step in and play like we would need next season
The 4 spot, I could see us being ok if Khalid Moore chooses to play the extra year, with Jalon Moore playing behind him
--- If Khalid Moore does not come back, I think needs to be addressed via transfer portal.
--- I see a ton of potential in Jalon Moore, but TBD if he is ready to play starter minutes next season or not
I do agree with comments in another thread that CJP should also target a proven wing scorer - gives more room for error to the young players that will be very good in two years (and better next year than this year).
With the play immediately change to the transfer portal - teams can use this to fill gaps. Wake and Miami are good examples that if you get the right players there you can go from 6-14 in league to 14-6.
Curious as well why we have not seen Saba last couple of games. He is the best of the three on offense, but his foot speed and ability to defend quicker players is a liability every ACC team has exploited - hoping he is still growing into that body and improves there .
One of my personal beefs with Pastner is that he should have known better than to stick with this offense after going through off season and pre season workouts with this group of bigs. By sticking with it he dumped on both his bigs who are not effective and then sent his guards/wings going downhill from the foul line off the ball screen action directly into a waiting big clogging the middle. Which further put them in a position of trying to make something happen against a big with a trailing defender but none of the wing defenders dropping off to help (why would they?) So Devoe looks like a pedestrian guard trying to pivot around to get the big in the air with no other place for him to go. (Not that I get worked up about this or anything )
With Howard and Mecca at a minimum, the other big has to follow them to the high ball screen or watch Devoe torch them - and then has to follow the big back to the rim at least without being able to stop the guard. And then our guards get a lot more room to work going downhill with a big as a drop off instead of the current nonsense. I think the KY approach would help 2 positions. Adding in some pin down screens and other off ball action would help even more.
Sorry to write 3 paragraphs in response to a post I really do agree with