In Rab's Words - Coach Rab's Blog - Entry #4

[spiral97]

Coach Rab gives his thoughts on the open practice the other night..

Entry #4 - August 29, 2007
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM...

Could it possibly get any better? A hot, balmy night inside the Al McGuire Center? Who's that? No, not William Shakespeare ... that's Marquette basketball head coach Tom Crean in mid-season form, drilling the Golden Eagles on everything from dribble moves to team defense. Was I dreaming? Was that really Wes Matthews with the two-handed reverse slam? Was that Lazar Hayward dominating the paint?

No, you weren't dreaming, and you were certainly were not watching the famed Shakespearian romantic comedy. It was the 2007-08 Golden Eagles playing hosts to some 1000 die hard students and supporters as coach Crean readied his troops for our Labor Day invasion of Vancouver, British Columbia. That's in Canada for those of you who failed to tune into my last blog, or Miss Teen South Carolina if she is listening.

The scrimmage was extremely productive on many levels. Chances for newcomers Trevor Mbakwe, Scott Christopherson and Patrick Hazel to compete in front of our fans and feel the tremendous passion they share for Marquette Basketball, as well as a chance to evaluate our veterans and the progress they have made over the summer (Note to loyal blog readers, one of Coach Crean's pet peeve phrases is "off season"... there is no off season around the Al McGuire Center). Just another of the many reasons the Marquette faithful are so fortunate to have Tom Crean in charge ... his passion for excellence and his drive to succeed have few peers in college basketball.

So I thought I would dedicate today's blog to last night's scrimmage and give you an evaluation from a coach's point of view. As in all intra-squad scrimmages there was both the good and the not so good, but being the realistic bloggers that we are, were we really expecting mid season form? Of course not. For those of you in attendance, let's see if you were paying attention.

1. 14 ASSISTS AND 18 TURNOVERS AS A TEAM. This is not uncommon for the first few weeks of practice, let alone August 28th, BUT our decision making and ability to take care of the ball will be a huge emphasis from coach Crean this fall.

2. Dominic and Maurice combined for 18 total shot attempts, but only 6 assists and 7 turnovers. We will need both of these young men to score, but their ability to run our team and make those around them better will be just as critical.

3. Ousmane was the only player to shoot over 50% from the field (4-5). Again, not uncommon when the offense is new, but who wouldn't like to see "Ooz" throw up a 65 FG% this year?

4. As a team we were 8-18 from the 3 (44%) and only 18 of our 74 field goal attempts were 3's ... those are good ratios.

5. 15-23 from the foul line...65%. Easy people. August 28th.

6. Wes, Dan, Ousmane and Lazar combine for three offensive rebounds. Jerel and Trevor combine for eight. That is not a good ratio. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to look at our team and realize we are not equipped with five seven footers. However, we are as quick and athletic as any team in college basketball and we will need EVERYONE on the glass.

7. Trend...four blocks to go with four deflections. Junior college transfers generally start to come into their own at this point in their career. Trend's athleticism and length can be a huge asset to our team. Did I mention consistency? Are you listening Trend?

8. Wes, Dominic and Jerel shot a combined 13-35 from the field - 37%, but 5-9 from the three point line - 56%. I like those 3 point percentages...and I'll chalk the 37% up to some questionable calls. :-)

9. Wes - three rebounds...Dominic - zero rebounds. In coach Crean's system guards MUST hit the glass. We do NOT expect huge offensive rebounds from Dominic, but we DO expect a handful of defensive boards. Wesley can be one of the best rebounding wings in the Big East.

10. Maurice - five turnovers and four assists. The little guy can really pass...his TO numbers will drop as he becomes more and more comfortable with our offense and personnel. And don't sleep on "Reese's" ability to shoot the ball...look for some big nights for Maurice from behind the 3.

11. Dan - two points, three rebounds, zero assists, zero steals and zero offensive rebounds. Not the Dan Fitzgerald we know and are counting on for a big senior campaign...Dan has the ability to be a "stat sheet stuffer"...a nd we are confident he will be.

12. Top 4 rebounders - Ousmane (9), Trevor (8 ), Lazar (7) and Jerel (6). Add in and Dan, Wes and Dwight and there is no question that we have the potential to be a very good rebounding team.

13. 11 team offensive rebounds. Were our block outs that good? As I touched on earlier, there is always give and take in a scrimmage. However, a trademark of a Tom Crean coached team is their ability to attack the offensive glass...always has been, always will be. This year will be no different.

14. Freshmen combine for zero field goals, but did have eight deflections. Hey, they're freshmen. But seriously, if you were in attendance last night you were able to see the tremendous upgrade athletically that coach Crean has put in place with the addition of Trevor Mbakwe and Patrick Hazel. In fact, Trevor had a couple of dunks that would have put a smile on Mr. Wade's face. As for Scott Christopherson, he already brings a tremendous ability to shoot the ball to the table. Now with the opportunity to practice against one of the nation's best backcourts on a daily basis, Scott's rate of improvement will be dramatic.

There you have it. To quote Coach Crean, "Our opportunity to practice and compete at this early juncture, puts us ahead of the game. Now the challenge is to build upon it and improve each and every day."

I couldn't have blogged it any better, coach.

Until next time (if I make it back from Canada), keep up the support on the outside, I'll keep you blogged on the inside.

http://gomarquette.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/082107aad.html

[Henry Sugar]

I've enjoyed Coach Rab's blogs so far mostly because, like many on this board, I'm starved for information about Marquette during the offseason summer.  However, this fourth entry is that additional level of insight regarding the program that I really appreciate.  One can really see how it is that the coaching staff analyzes the team and tries to improve the team.

Is it October yet?