Do We Have a Plan B?

[wisblue]

As Tower said, the vets need to see the ball go in a few times.  Hope it happens soon.  What is the alternative?  Pass the ball around aimlessly for 20-25 seconds until somebody is forced to wildly drive to the hoop or shoot it?  That is disaster. 

Our offense and this team is now a known quantity.  Coaches have adjusted and are taking away some of the things we were doing last year that were so beautiful to watch and are making it ugly as sin.  There is no play that can be designed or a different look that we can give that will matter unless we can start shooting better.

The guys are in their heads right now and they are pressing instead of just playing. They haven't quit. They are still playing hard, but confidence is missing and it's clearly impacting our entire offensive scheme and of course our shooting.

How does Shaka and staff fix it?  Don't know.

I pretty much agree with all of this.

A significant change in approach and philosophy at this stage of the season isn't going to help. Neither is expecting players to do things they aren't physically capable of doing.

If the problem is purely physical I don't see any alternative but to continue to do what has been successful before and pray that players start to make shots that they have shown before they are capable of making. Maybe the starters will have to play more minutes than ideal, but Norman and Lowery are going to have to get some minutes and hopefully they can step up and earn more time.

If there is also a problem with team chemistry, there is no hope because this will spiral completely out of control and result in a season that falls below what anyone would have thought was a floor coming into the season.

[MuggsyB]

As Tower said, the vets need to see the ball go in a few times.  Hope it happens soon.  What is the alternative?  Pass the ball around aimlessly for 20-25 seconds until somebody is forced to wildly drive to the hoop or shoot it?  That is disaster. 

Our offense and this team is now a known quantity.  Coaches have adjusted and are taking away some of the things we were doing last year that were so beautiful to watch and are making it ugly as sin.  There is no play that can be designed or a different look that we can give that will matter unless we can start shooting better.

The guys are in their heads right now and they are pressing instead of just playing. They haven't quit. They are still playing hard, but confidence is missing and it's clearly impacting our entire offensive scheme and of course our shooting.

How does Shaka and staff fix it?  Don't know.

I don't disagree with you and clearly this is a psychological issue.  But with 2 key guys out our margin for error becomes smaller.  I think Shaka said the right things at the presser and Lowery and Norman are capable of stepping up.

We're not going to stop shooting threes, everybody should understand that.  And holding it 25 secs is silly as well.  But I do think we have had a propensity to press or make poor decisions once we punch the paint off the dribble.  Our passing is sporadically good, not fluid.  Tyko in particular has not only gone 2-16 or whatever the last two games, he's been forcing when nothing is there and his shot has been sped up imo.  Once he beats his man up top and the kick isn't there, he has plenty of space to work with to score the rock.  The bigs are sagging 4 feet from the rim.  Whatever happened to the change of pace bounce or slowing down and draining the floater or 6 footer?  It's wide fking open, that's a high percentage look.   The same is true with Kam, that shot shouldn't not be axed from our arsenal.  Take a few, make the defense react.  I mean seriously these guys have enough time to plant and take a set shot from 10 feet. 

The bottom line is yes, it comes down to making WIDE OPEN shots.  Especially from our top two perimeter guys.  Why they are mentally not there I have no earthly idea but they must step-up and play solid hoops for us to have a chance. 

[MUfan12]

I love how no coaches watched film on MU at all last year, and had an epiphany after the Madison game.

[tower912]

This Shaka's and the veterans' fifth time through the league.  (Two laps each season for the pedantically inclined or small minded)  If the other coaches haven't figured out how to disrupt them they should be fired.   

Making shots cures all ills.

[21Jumpstreet]

TAMU

My point was simple, taking away a guy's dominant hand is not cutting edge scouting. Of course teams are trying to make going left difficult for them, but they were last year as well. I just don't think that is as much of the issue as others on here believe.

Also, I do believe that people focus on a leftie differently because that is not the usual dominant side. If a guy is a right handed and only goes right it less noticeable and people are less likely to talk about it.

I agree, Goose, I really don't think it's simple, grade school, force the guy left/right situation. Tyler is struggling, maybe it's off the court, maybe not. What I see is maybe he has decided he's going to beat a guy left as a big FU, and it ain't workin'. Then, he gets frustrated, gets muscled, misses. Then, he loses his guy on defense or doesn't help properly, lazy close outs. Then, he jacks some questionable shots and makes some questionable passes. Then, the wheels are off. I didn't see any of this last year, so I know deep down it's in Tyler to get over it. Mental struggles are real, frustration is real.

My son is the leader for his high school retreat coming up. It is a very spiritual, deep, vulnerable retreat. He is tasked with giving a thirty minute talk on leadership. I see a lot of Tyler in my son, the good and the bad. The retreat is very private and personal, but my son did give me a little snippet of how his talk is going to end...leaders sometimes fall, leaders need support, leaders need others to help them back up. Leadership can be lonely, it can be very difficult, sometimes when the leader wants to just scream "&$!%*" they can't. Maybe they should and trust their circle to rise them back up. Everyone is a leader in their own right, sometimes it's the person you don't expect to step forward who does in a way that makes all the difference.

Edit: And make shots, but I think the missed shots are a direct result of the mental struggles.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I love how no coaches watched film on MU at all last year, and had an epiphany after the Madison game.

Last year we were hitting threes. We also had a forward who could effectively attack the basket and shoot the three (OMax). This year we aren't hitting thees and Joplin can't effectively attack. Changes the scout and makes it easier to defend

[jesmu84]

Y'all have to let go the idea of this team shooting non-3 jump shots.

It ain't happening

[Uncle Rico]

Great thread

[tower912]

Ah, yes.   The shooting slump era. 

[tower912]

    The veterans need to see shots go in.   As soon as that happens, the fog will lift and the dominoes will fall.  No one can make that happen.  But shooting slumps don't end by not taking open looks.

Knower of ball. 

[mileskishnish72]

Don't dislocate your shoulder, Tower.

[tower912]

 

[MuggsyB]

Knower of ball.

Good take Tower. 

[Its DJOver]

OP don't know ball.

[MuMark]

Ah yes the old " we played poorly for a few games there must be chemistry issues" thread.......lol

[Milkshakes]

Holy crap.  I started reading this thread without looking at the dates.  Yikes. 

[tower912]

Time capsules with receipts are fun.