[Cracked Sidewalks] Back and Forth: 5-2 Edition

[CrackedSidewalksSays]

Back and Forth: 5-2 Edition

Written by: noreply@blogger.com (Rob Lowe)


Rob:  Good morning. How does 5-2 go with your coffee?

Tim:  Not bad.  Good showing vs. Providence.  After holding PC to 41% eFG%, #MUBB is holding the opposition to an eFG% of 45.5% overall, their best since Pomeroy began tracking in '03.  And, the turnover rate for #MUBB opponents is a whopping 24.5%.

Rob:  You know that I care way more about the eFG% defense.  It's a great sign, especially since I believe that the ability to force turnovers goes down as the season goes on and you face better opponents*.
*note: not supported by analysis

Tim:  It was good to see another Racine product key an #MUBB victory too.  Good showing by Jamil; we’ve been waiting for him to break out, and to deliver on the road in a conference game makes it all the more impressive.

Rob:  Agreed.  The spread on players that have been key contributors is big.  That's a good sign, and to have Jamil play strongly bodes well for the team.

Tim:  By the way, the PC game marks three straight games where Vander has logged less than 20 mins.  Mayo's emergence seems to have pushed Vander into a less prominent role.  And again, no Jamail Jones, who still has not shown any signs of establishing himself.

Rob:  Vander wasn't bad, though. He played his role well. Shot efficiently, one turnover, four boards.  And Jamail doesn't seem to be in good trend, although I do hold out hope he'll stick around and contribute as an upperclassman. Older players are so important for good programs*.
*again not supported by analysis

Tim:  Amen.  What is interesting is that Vander is becoming a role player rather than the “load-bearing wall” we presumed he would be based on his high school accolades.  I am concerned that he is disappearing again, just like last season. Blue has not hit double figures in points since NoCol. In his last four BE games he is averaging 3 ppg and his minutes are down.  While he is not a scorer, his struggles against better competition mirror that of his freshman season.

Rob:  He doesn't need to be a load bearing wall. As long as he defends and plays efficiently, there are others that can pick up that slack. At least in comparison to last year, he's still contributing in other ways.

It might be time to pull him from the starting lineup officially, just like Paint Touches was asking.  I wonder if he's got the maturity to deal with that disappointment. Also, I wonder if putting Mayo in would reverse the slow starts this team is prone to suffering.

I really liked the late game lineup of Jae, Jamil, and Gardner all at the same time.

Tim:  Agreed on Vander’s efficiency, his overall game is improved year-to-year … but let’s be honest … players could not care less about a coach saying, “you’re doing great and playing so efficiently for 18 minutes â€" really, that is better than playing for 30 like you have for your whole life”

Like you said, does he have the maturity to deal with this?  I just don’t know.  Truth is, Vander is a role player right now.

One thing that is interesting is how much more assertive Jjunior has been of late ... he is committed to the “bully drive” and has delivered 5, 7, 9, 6 and 10 assists consecutively, his best stretch since the first month of the season.

Rob:  I think Buzz has been doing a really good job of managing his rotation the last few games. The way he's shuffling the players around has been great. He is tweaking his team on the fly, and it is working.

Honestly, pretty much EVERYONE on the team is role player level but DJO, Jae, and Gardner.  That's how I consider Vander/Mayo and appreciate what Buzz is doing with his rotations.

Agreed on Junior.  I really need to find a way to measure his impact.  The stats aren't so kind to him, but there has to be a better way to show his importance.

Win on Tuesday! 6-2 would be nice

Tim:  Agreed on all points.  Go #mubb!

http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2012/01/back-and-forth-5-2-edition.html

[CTWarrior]

I'm not much of a fan of Blue, but I think without question he is much, much, improved from a year ago.  It's been a year so we may forget, but his teammates were afraid to even pass him the ball by mid-February last year.  We really (was tempted to use the word literally but did not want to incur the correct wrath of the grammar police) played 4 on 5 when he was in the game because he only use on offense was an outlet for a hopelessly trapped player.  Last year I was relieved when he managed to catch the ball and pass it to a teammate without turning it over.

I know the stats may not say it because he may still be turning the ball over at roughly the same number of times per minute or something, but trust me, he handles the ball significantly more this year than he did last year per minute on the floor and doesn't turn it over nearly as often per touch.  Plays where you catch, dribble and pass without directly leading to a basket are not counted, and he has way more of those this year.  I absolutely hated seeing him on the floor last year, and this year I don't feel that way at all. 

There's not much else to say, because the above is hardly enthusiastic praise, but I think he is moving right along and steadily getting better.  It gets interesting because Mayo is the same kind of player so he's got to improve plus be better than Mayo in the future.