MUScoop

Marquette lists Henry Ellenson as day-to-day with left ankle sprain


Source: Marquette lists Henry Ellenson as day-to-day with left ankle sprain (http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/370851131.html)

Even if the ankle is fine, I'm not surprised that this is the release that comes out, if only to make Butler's preparation a bit more difficult. Their game plan is certainly different if they know one way or another.

It's probably true that it's day to day. But agree that it will be tough for Butler to game plan.

Awfully nice for the team to be able to pull out that tough a win without him. Hopefully makes everyone else better and willing to figure out a way to win even after his return. Obviously we lost by 6 points after his injury, but found a way to get it done without him on the court. I am the first to admit I yelled at the screen, "Why is Fischer on the court, standing with his back the the basket, with 5 seconds left?!?!?!?!?"

Then I concluded after the play that apparently Wojo understands basketball more than I do.

Wojo said the play wasn't designed to go to Luke.   Luke was going to clear a path for Traci to follow, slash to the basket.    Didn't turn out quite that way.

Quote from: mu_hilltopper on March 02, 2016, 09:03:43 PM
Wojo said the play wasn't designed to go to Luke.   Luke was going to clear a path for Traci to follow, slash to the basket.    Didn't turn out quite that way.

I kinda like the image of Luke running through defenders kinda like Michael Oher in that one scene from The Blindside.

Quote from: mu_hilltopper on March 02, 2016, 09:03:43 PM
Wojo said the play wasn't designed to go to Luke.   Luke was going to clear a path for Traci to follow, slash to the basket.    Didn't turn out quite that way.

Wojo taking zero credit for that play and deflecting all praise to Traci was refreshing. 

I think I figured out why the players do not listen to Wojo. Most of them are teenagers, who generally do not like to listen to adults. Now, before you guys jump on me for another post let me explain what I am talking about. On that last play Fischer was suppose to set a pick and and be in position for a put back rebound. He was in position to follow Wojo's plan. That was a well designed play by Wojo. Carter becomes a hero when he deviates from the play and throws a long pass. He would of been a goat if the pass was off mark or if Fischer did not handle it. It worked out well and everyone is happy including Wojo, but the play did not follow what Wojo designed. Go back to the Creighton loss. Wojo draws a play up to get the ball to Fischer. Team again does not follow his plan and Ellenson ends up forcing a three. Obviously in that situation the players not doing what Wojo wanted did not work out. During the Georgetown game they had the camera on Wojo twice during timeouts. The first time he is telling the team that we are having great success inside and to keep pounding the ball inside. Immediately after the timeout JJJ ( who is not a teenager, but definitely a free spirit) immediately misses a three from the corner. There was plenty of time on the shot clock so he must of been day dreaming during the timeout when Wojo was talking pounding the ball inside. The second timeout Wojo tells the team they can blow the game wide open, if they ratchet up their defense. The defense goes soft and Georgetown starts making a run even before the Ellenson injury. Wojo must feel like a frustrated parent of teenagers who want to do their own thing. I have been critical of Wojo for plays after timeouts. Our offensive plays rarely work and our defensive play generally is not good. I think I owe Wojo an apology. It is not that offensive/defensive plays that Wojo is drawing up, but the fact that the players do not listen to what he tells them, which explains how the opposing team's three point shooter can be wide open after a timeout. Maybe that is simply a problem with playing a lot of freshmen. Seton Hall last year was not the team they are this year and maybe part of that is learning to listen to the coach.

You make an interesting point, but it is off subject.

Bilsu,

When a coach draws up a full court inbound play like the one at the end of the Georgetown game, they pick a main play. But they also draw up one or two audibles in case the defense changes. When Wojo talked about that not being the play they planned, he is diverting praise from himself and onto the players for recognizing the defense and going to the audible and executing it correctly. It is not a case of the players not listening to him. If that exact play had happened but Luke had dropped the pass, Wojo would have been happy with the decision just not the execution.

Same thing with the other examples you gave in the Georgetown game. The players didn't blow off Wojo and start to play soft defense. They heard him loud and clear, but they failed to execute. JJJ wasn't day dreaming during the time out. He found himself trapped on the perimeter and didn't think he could work it inside so he took the three.

You keep trying to make everything a coaching issue. Like Wojo either doesn't know what he's doing or doesn't have control of the team. I get it. Your coach being bad is easier to swallow than your team being bad. Wojo has made his share of mistakes, but he has the absolute 100% attention of this team. But just because a player hears his coach, doesn't mean he will be able to execute what the coach is saying. If that was true, Coach K would never lose a game.

You are right about playing freshmen being a factor. Our team doesn't have the experience nor frankly the talent to execute everything the way Wojo wants them to. Give them another year (assuming no major defections besides HE) and they will have that experience and talent.

The play was designed assuming man pressure.    Georgetown came out in zone pressure.    Luke made his run and Carter found him based on their common reading of the defense not being as anticipated.    Luke was where he was originally to set a pick to get Traci open for the inbounds pass and then take off to the basket to clean up.    When Georgetown did not apply man pressure, thereby eliminating the need for a pick,  Luke took off as JJ was passing Traci the ball.    Nobody from Georgetown rotated from the weakside in a timely fashion to cut Luke off.        What Traci and Luke did was well within the spirit of the drawn up play, if not the letter of it. 

I remember an NBA player's story. Pick the player or the team or the coach. Time out, critical seconds left at the end of the game, down by a point, coach is busy for two minutes drawing up a play, players look at him with disinterest and one says, "Whatever. Just get me the ball."

My point, if you have ever coached, at any level (I did 5th grade girls) and you can get your players to run whatever you've drawn up, you are either too much a dictator or a very, very special coach. The best that usually happens is your players have good habits (that you have taught them) and react positively to whatever happens. While I empathize with Wojo's frustration after the loss when the team did nothing he told them to do, I also celebrate with him when they responded positively to a broken play, follow good habits and win the game anyway. That is the sign of a maturing, developing team with good coaching.