Are we capable of pressing?

[MU82]

I hate to admit, I was jacked seeing Shaka on the sidelines and have complete confidence he will succeed at a high level at MU.

Why do you hate to admit it, Goose?

Otherwise, I agree with your post. This will be a work in progress, with some ugly results. Here's hoping they have some things figured out by midseason.

Last night Creighton won by 13, X by 3, Butler by 9, Prov by 7. Several of the teams were down in the 2nd half. Certainly the final score is irrelevant. I'm sure none of these teams are happy with their performance vs. a far inferior opponent. The point is these games pad the schedule and allow learning, experience and coaching points.

This. I know we're an instant-gratification society, but last night's games all around the country show that's easier said than done.

[MuggsyB]

Here's the thing after thinking about it a little more.  We do have enough athleticism and length to press.  Obviously it is a work in progress but I assume it will get better.  What I'm unsure about is our quickness on the ball and if we can play with physicality without fouling?

To reiterate what another poster wrote we need to find a way to harness our energy.  These guys were all over the place and generally balls to the wall on the defensive end. There is also no rule that I know of that you have to play like Speedy Gonzales every possession, never change speed or direction, and refuse to utilize the shot fake.  Our footwork and patience need to be monumentally better.  Attack with forethought and precision. 

[Goose]

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I meant to say, I have to admit to being jacked to see Shaka on our sideline.

[StillAWarrior]

Absolutely.    The team played with energy and passion.   Attacked on both ends.   Shared the ball.    Those are the bedrocks to be built on.   
As the team gets more experienced, they will better understand how to defend without getting called for a foul.   
They will better understand where their help is.   
They will close out under control better.   
When their defense creates offense, I hope they start driving to the basket rather than immediately jacking up a 3.   Lots of opportunities missed with that last night.   
Rebounding needs to be addressed.

I agree with this. Many of us - including me - have said one of the main things we want to see this season is a team that improves as the season progresses. I hope that they do and have no reason to believed that they won’t. Shaka needs to keep doing his job and they team needs to keep working and getting better every day.

Personally, I think that if Shaka abandons the system that they’ve been working on this preseason because they did not execute they way we’d like (and I suspect they way they’d like) then we’re screwed. This team will not improve if the coach changes systems every time they struggle. I want this team to improve. Improvement comes from work — including struggle.

Work. Struggle. Work some more. Improve. That’s what I want to see from this team.

I think Shaka was the right hire. If he opts to abandon his system based on last night’s game, I would view that as a huge red flag that I was wrong.

[rocky_warrior]

Work. Struggle. Work some more. Improve. That’s what I want to see from this team.

You want to see the struggle???

I kid, and I generally agree that's what I expect.

[MU82]

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I meant to say, I have to admit to being jacked to see Shaka on our sideline.

Ah. That's very different. Thanks for the clarification.

I'm glad we have Shaka, too.