Buzz out coached

[john_cocktoasten]

Buzz made no adjustments against the zone last night. Why not bring in a big man to give an inside presence? Why not press to speed up the game?

[radome]

It would've helped if someone could make a shot to stretch the zone.  Buzz knows more than me but I was hoping that he would put Jones in, just for his shooting.  Only he and the staff know if Jones was ready but I recall that Jones was supposed to be a "shooter".  I don't know what it would've cost us on D.

[Ready2Fly]

It would've helped if someone could make a shot to stretch the zone.  Buzz knows more than me but I was hoping that he would put Jones in, just for his shooting.  Only he and the staff know if Jones was ready but I recall that Jones was supposed to be a "shooter".  I don't know what it would've cost us on D.

Yeah, I would have put Jones in for Buycks for a few minutes around the 12 minute mark and told him that if he had an inch of space from behind the arc to pull the trigger.

[brewcity77]

Sadly, I agree wholeheartedly with this. Typically, you draw the zone out by shooting over it. Well, we couldn't hit the ocean from the beach last night, so you have to make other adjustments. The press worked to take over against Bucknell, but it was nowhere to be seen last night. Though it helps to make shots if you want to press. Bringing in a big man seemed obvious. Was it the combination of Otule's foul trouble and Gardner's shoulder that kept them out of the game? We were far too stationary as well. One undersized guy inside, four guys standing on the perimeter. Not nearly enough motion. Last night was definitely disappointing from a coaching perspective.

[mu03eng]

Not to rain on your suck parade, but Marquette made their run in the second half against the zone.  DJO and especially Jimmy started attacking the gaps and forced Gonzaga to play man the last 2 minutes of the game.  That tells me they made the adjustments, its not like Mark Few said, you know the zone is really working but we're going to stop using it.  Yes they struggled in the first half, but I would say the team adjusted in the second half to close the gap.

And which big man do you bring in?  The ailing Gardner or Otule who had four fouls and was needed on the defensive end?  Bringing in a big man to defeat a zone is the 3rd way you attack a zone, the first two being shoot out of it and drive the gaps, we tried the first and sucked, and then were pretty successful in the 2nd with the 2nd

[WellsstreetWanderer]

Buzz wasn't outcoached. We didn't make our shots. Jimmy came alive and we finally beat the zone.

[GGGG]

This thread drives me nuts:

1. Buzz drew up a play that gave DB a wide open three to tie the game with less than a minute to go.  It didn't go in.

2. Buzz made adjustments to beat the zone.  And no, the way to beat a zone isn't to shoot over it.  That's what the defense wants you to do.  You attack it.  And they did that with JFB and DJO.  And it worked!!!

3. Mark Few is a very, very good coach.  If Buzz was outcoached in any respect, he's in good company.

4. Putting in a cold freshman to hit a three point shot makes no sense whatsoever.  Jones apparently doesn't deserve to be on the floor because basketball is more than just shooting.

[radome]

Not to rain on your suck parade, but Marquette made their run in the second half against the zone.  DJO and especially Jimmy started attacking the gaps and forced Gonzaga to play man the last 2 minutes of the game.  That tells me they made the adjustments, its not like Mark Few said, you know the zone is really working but we're going to stop using it.  Yes they struggled in the first half, but I would say the team adjusted in the second half to close the gap.

And which big man do you bring in?  The ailing Gardner or Otule who had four fouls and was needed on the defensive end?  Bringing in a big man to defeat a zone is the 3rd way you attack a zone, the first two being shoot out of it and drive the gaps, we tried the first and sucked, and then were pretty successful in the 2nd with the 2nd

Well said.  I think that being true fanatics like most of us in this forum, made it feel as if it took forever to adjust.  I need to remind myself that it is November and the team is young ... it is November and the team is young ... it is November and the team is young ... it is ...

[Ready2Fly]

Not to rain on your suck parade, but Marquette made their run in the second half against the zone.  DJO and especially Jimmy started attacking the gaps and forced Gonzaga to play man the last 2 minutes of the game.  That tells me they made the adjustments, its not like Mark Few said, you know the zone is really working but we're going to stop using it.  Yes they struggled in the first half, but I would say the team adjusted in the second half to close the gap.

And which big man do you bring in?  The ailing Gardner or Otule who had four fouls and was needed on the defensive end?  Bringing in a big man to defeat a zone is the 3rd way you attack a zone, the first two being shoot out of it and drive the gaps, we tried the first and sucked, and then were pretty successful in the 2nd with the 2nd

We should have been flashing Jimmy into the free throw line area the way we did with Matthews his senior year and Hayward last year.  At that position, if the zone doesn't collapse then I'd take an uncontested 15 footer off the catch from Jimmy B all day.  If they do collapse, then he can either put it on the floor and finish, put it on the floor and dish, or immediately kick it out to an open three point shooter.  That's my preferred method of breaking a zone, and it always drove me nuts that Crean refused to do it.  We weren't zonable the past two years because we were finally doing that.  It made no sense that we didn't last night.

[brewcity77]

2. Buzz made adjustments to beat the zone.  And no, the way to beat a zone isn't to shoot over it.  That's what the defense wants you to do.  You attack it.  And they did that with JFB and DJO.  And it worked!!!

Typically, the zone will allow you a decent number of open looks from 3-point range. If you make those, the zone has to come out further to react to the made shots. That opens lanes and makes it easier to drive and attack through the zone, which essentially breaks it. Making shots is the easiest way to attack the zone.

[Ready2Fly]

This thread drives me nuts:

1. Buzz drew up a play that gave DB a wide open three to tie the game with less than a minute to go.  It didn't go in.

2. Buzz made adjustments to beat the zone.  And no, the way to beat a zone isn't to shoot over it.  That's what the defense wants you to do.  You attack it.  And they did that with JFB and DJO.  And it worked!!!

3. Mark Few is a very, very good coach.  If Buzz was outcoached in any respect, he's in good company.

4. Putting in a cold freshman to hit a three point shot makes no sense whatsoever.  Jones apparently doesn't deserve to be on the floor because basketball is more than just shooting.

Sultan, I agree with all of these points.  However, we didn't start properly attacking the zone until there was too little time left.  All we were doing was swinging it around the three point line for the first 12-15 minutes against the zone.  That's not my preferred method of attack either, I'm just saying if that's the plan like it seemed last night, might as well go with someone who can pull the trigger.  Jones couldn't have boxed out any worse.  If it doesn't work after a few possessions, sit him back down.

[Ready2Fly]

Typically, the zone will allow you a decent number of open looks from 3-point range. If you make those, the zone has to come out further to react to the made shots. That opens lanes and makes it easier to drive and attack through the zone, which essentially breaks it. Making shots is the easiest way to attack the zone.

The problem is you don't get good looks against a 2-3 unless you make them collapse first.  You have to attack off the dribble or flash a guy to th ft line first.  When it collapses, you kick out to the open man for three, and the zone is broken.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Buzz made halftime adjustments on perimeter defense as GU was lights out (our downfall this year).  We gave up only 24 points and got back in the game.  Everyone moaning about the second half rebounding, but there is a reason why we were out of position--and it worked.  Do I wish we had some legs to grab a few more, yes...and there are adjustments and periods of experience to be had.  My one ? was, where was Erik?  Seemed like his athleticism could have helped us vs. GU.  Is he that far removed from his great practices and earned starts not to see a minute?

[GGGG]

Typically, the zone will allow you a decent number of open looks from 3-point range. If you make those, the zone has to come out further to react to the made shots. That opens lanes and makes it easier to drive and attack through the zone, which essentially breaks it. Making shots is the easiest way to attack the zone.

It's fools gold.  It is indeed the easiest way to attack a zone, but it is very often the least effective.  Rarely does doing the exact thing the defense wants you to do work.

[79Warrior]

Buzz made no adjustments against the zone last night. Why not bring in a big man to give an inside presence? Why not press to speed up the game?

Is is Buzz's fault the guys ca't hit jumpers????? by the way, what big man do you bring in?????

[brewcity77]

It's fools gold.  It is indeed the easiest way to attack a zone, but it is very often the least effective.  Rarely does doing the exact thing the defense wants you to do work.

Guess it's just frustration after we were so fortunate last year. Hayward could always step out and hit the three, Acker and Cubillan were reliable from range. They've been replaced by guys who don't have nearly the accuracy, which probably puts far too much pressure on DJO, and thus far, he hasn't responded well. When you have 4 guys on the court who can drill the three like that, it's much easier to shoot over the zone. Not nearly as easy this year.

[BCHoopster]

The second half on the D end for rebounds was ridiculous.  Can Jones and EW be worse then the 3 guards he
had in there?  Buzz is to pig headed.  I wonder how Buzz would coach A.I., practice, are you talking practice??
I think EW has done a nice job when he played.  I would love to see a Otule or Gardner, EW and Crowder with
Butler and Cadougan.  Play big for a change, it is not like DJO plays strong D, he gets lost with his man all the
time!  Buycks, I think even he is disappointed with his play, he can only get better!

[ErickJD08]

Buzz wasn't outcoached. We didn't make our shots. Jimmy came alive and we finally beat the zone.

Nice... someone watched the game...

It's the coach's job to help a team create open looks.  It's the players' job to knock down the open looks.  We had plenty of open looks in Kansas City.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Is is Buzz's fault the guys ca't hit jumpers????? by the way, what big man do you bring in?????

Interesting question and there are actually several interesting answers when you think about it. 

[mug644]

The problem is you don't get good looks against a 2-3 unless you make them collapse first.  You have to attack off the dribble or flash a guy to th ft line first.  When it collapses, you kick out to the open man for three, and the zone is broken.

Good quick passing, switching the ball and "skipping" a man are additional ways of getting good looks, and don't necessarily collapse the defense. Rather, they try to stretch the defense and leave spaces open to guys to get to receive passes ready to shoot. Or to drive.

[Golden Avalanche]

This thread drives me nuts:

1. Buzz drew up a play that gave DB a wide open three to tie the game with less than a minute to go.  It didn't go in.

2. Buzz made adjustments to beat the zone.  And no, the way to beat a zone isn't to shoot over it.  That's what the defense wants you to do.  You attack it.  And they did that with JFB and DJO.  And it worked!!!

3. Mark Few is a very, very good coach.  If Buzz was outcoached in any respect, he's in good company.

4. Putting in a cold freshman to hit a three point shot makes no sense whatsoever.  Jones apparently doesn't deserve to be on the floor because basketball is more than just shooting.

I actually don't think they attacked the zone very well.

We never flashed to the foul line like we did so effectively with Hayward last year. It opens the swing to the weak side and the backdoor. Without that, the GU zone could just sit and not worry about our movement (lack thereof).

Also, the claim that Jones shouldn't be in because he's a Frosh and hasn't picked up the defense of the game doesn't hold with me when I watch our "experienced players" sit idle as GU gets three shots at a lay-up on multiple occasions.

At the least, Jones could've been a designated fouler on Arop who was eating us alive on offensive boards in the middle of the second half like he was going after the last bread pita at the canteen.

[avid1010]

Yeah just bring in a big man and hit some shots from outside....too bad we missed all the open shots from outside and Otule had foul trouble.  If you're going to criticize the coach, at least act like you watched and understood the game.

[MU_Iceman]

Why not press to speed up the game?

Very simple explanation, actually...you can't set up your press if you don't make a basket...

[DaCoach]

The truth is we spent all too much trying to break their zone in the 2nd half by passing the ball around the perimeter. That works only if we can hit a decent number of 3s. We didn't and never adjusted until deep into the half. We are quicker than Gonzaga yet we showed very little gap dribble penetration. It just looked to me as if the team wasn't prepared for a zone. I'm sure that will be dealt with as the weeks go on but I wasn't impressed with our adjustments.

This is another game where the opposition had too many real good looks from the perimeter during the opening half. In the end we lost by only 3 and 5 points to ranked teams. That's a good sign. This is a very young team which will get better. However, DJO needs to get his swagger and game back. We have to find someone who can threaten and score from the outside and our 28% 3 point shooting can't continue if we are to compete against strong opposition.

[NersEllenson]

For those complaining about the "lack of a man flashing to the free throw line area" against the press:  Do you really think Buzz forgot this offensive strategy for attacking against a zone, when it was part of our method the last 2 years?  Seriously?  Beyond that, we did have Jimmy flash to the free throw line area some of the time as well.  Bottom line, we missed shots and did not get enough penetration early on against the zone - not till late in the 2nd half did DJO and Jimmy really start attacking the zone.

Keep in mind - this is the first zone D the team has seen all year..it is a process sometimes..