Havoc Press

[5DollarPitcher]

Why did Shaka get away from this at UT? What are the odds he brings it back in the Big East?

[tower912]

Discussed elsewhere.  Change in the definition of foul

[brewcity77]

I think it's a lot harder to get 4/5 star recruits to defend for 94 feet. I also think part of the success of it was the athleticism edge they had in the CAA and A-10 made that intensity really hard to deal with, whereas Big 12 teams all have similar athletes so it made more sense to play a more conventional defense.

[FartyEightHours]

Shaka Havoc is gonna take over the Beast!!

[cheebs09]

I used to think it was because of high major teams able to beat a press pretty easily.

Then I saw a Steve Wojciechowski coached team.

[FartyEightHours]

All it takes is a little press!!!

[mhendrick]

dont need 40 minutes of hell but we do need to mix it in.

[JakeBarnes]

dont need 40 minutes of hell but we do need to mix it in.

I mean, that described our offense last year...

[f/k/a humanlung]

dont need 40 minutes of hell but we do need to mix it in.

After seven years of 40 minutes of turnstiles, I'll take anything we can get.

[Jockey]

I think it's a lot harder to get 4/5 star recruits to defend for 94 feet. I also think part of the success of it was the athleticism edge they had in the CAA and A-10 made that intensity really hard to deal with, whereas Big 12 teams all have similar athletes so it made more sense to play a more conventional defense.

Bingo! I thought Shaka started chasing high ranked players at Texas rather than getting the guys he needed for his system. I hope and think that will change now.

I'm not saying 5 stars don't play hard, but they aren't used to getting down into the gutter to fight.

[tower912]

He changed his style at Texas.   But his teams still defended.

[5DollarPitcher]

I think it's a lot harder to get 4/5 star recruits to defend for 94 feet. I also think part of the success of it was the athleticism edge they had in the CAA and A-10 made that intensity really hard to deal with, whereas Big 12 teams all have similar athletes so it made more sense to play a more conventional defense.

I understand that it's a smaller sample size but VCU beat Georgetown, Purdue, and FSU on its way to the Final Four, largely due to the Havoc Press. Those teams have the same level of athlete as anyone in the country.

Are we moreso saying it's unsustainable throughout an entire conference play slate?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I understand that it's a smaller sample size but VCU beat Georgetown, Purdue, and FSU on its way to the Final Four, largely due to the Havoc Press. Those teams have the same level of athlete as anyone in the country.

Are we moreso saying it's unsustainable throughout an entire conference play slate?

That last sentence is key. Havoc works against A10 PGs and can work against B12/BE PGs when they haven't played against it before and only have a few days to prepare. If you see it 2-3 a year and have an entire season to prepare for it, I think B12/BE PGs will learn how to abuse it pretty quickly.

Plus, I think Brew's point about chasing 5-stars is legit too. The handlers of those recruits will only send their players to programs that highlight them in the right way. I doubt many handlers are a fan of havoc.

[MU82]

So will Mike Anderson either not try to recruit top-50 players, or will he abandon his defensive system if he does?

[brewcity77]

Are we moreso saying it's unsustainable throughout an entire conference play slate?

TAMU said it well. It won't work for an entire season once teams are used to it, but can be effective in a one-off scenario where teams aren't ready for it.

As far as Anderson, after his initial top-10 class (similar to Wojo's 2015 class) his recruiting took a step down at Arkansas. He only had one top-25 class & two top-40 players, both in-state. He went the JUCO route often, likely as much due to an inability to get big time recruits.

So far at St John's, he hasn't recruited a single top-250 player per 247. His key won't be recruiting stars but finding the right guys and getting buy-in.

[MU82]

TAMU said it well. It won't work for an entire season once teams are used to it, but can be effective in a one-off scenario where teams aren't ready for it.

As far as Anderson, after his initial top-10 class (similar to Wojo's 2015 class) his recruiting took a step down at Arkansas. He only had one top-25 class & two top-40 players, both in-state. He went the JUCO route often, likely as much due to an inability to get big time recruits.

So far at St John's, he hasn't recruited a single top-250 player per 247. His key won't be recruiting stars but finding the right guys and getting buy-in.

Thanks for the answer, brew.