@Creighton, Tue., Dec. 31, 4p, PEACOCK

MugCostanza said:
I think the team will get better but so will every other team and I've been on the belief this team has less room to grow over the course of the season than last year's team did.

Yes, last year's team was very old but 4 of our main guys - Jenkins, Dingle, Ledlum, and Luis had never played at anything close to the Big East level and that was pretty evident early on. We didn't get a good version of Dingle until mid February. Defensively, we're already 9th in adjusted efficiency on that end this year so very little room to grow. This time last year we were still a few weeks away from the infamous lateral quickness postgame after which we improved a bit on that end too.
Click to expand...
Sure every team will get better, but we have higher upside than most teams. This isn’t the NBA where teams are shooting at a 40% from 3pt routinely.

I also don’t think guys adjusting to a different level of play is the only reason there’s an adjustment period and higher ceilings. I’d argue it has more to do with changing roles, changing styles, and playing with different guys.

Kadary, Scott and Smith all played for three of the slowest teams in the country last year. Two of them were unquestioned primary ball handlers for much of the season.

I’d also argue being this good defensively makes my point. There’s a ton we can work on offensively. Generate open, set shots for Scott/Wilcher/Dunlap (which we did well)/Glover + get more cuts on picks.

Re: Gene, I agree. It’s why I don’t see the Creighton game as any type of success. The big east is down, and we need to dominate January or we will be a bubble team
 
room112 said:
Love reading your analysis. Id love your take on how this roster is constructed, from the perspective of not really having any legitimate 3 point shooters. This is especially baffling to me under the lens of the modern game, where 3 point shooting is prioritized, and long range 2 pointers are analytically considered low quality shots (and we somehow specialize in those???)
Click to expand...
Here are two things we know about Pitino:

1. He is the Godfather of the 3-point shot based on analytics
2. His defense is predicated on having a long, rim-protecting center who can run the floor.

One more thing we know about Pitino is:

3. He preaches and demands defensive intensity, and wants to press at least in spots

Now look at this team.

At center he has

(a) undersized Zuby,
(b) long Vince who as Marillac has repeatedly noted plays short and his best aspect on defense is that he sometimes recovers for a block after he fails to do what he should have done in the first place
(c) Prey who seems to have the ability to be productive but is buried on the bench (more on this later)
(d) Maker.

Thus far he has been bailed out here because Zuby has put on his Superman cape, but Zuby is not a prototypical Pitino center. By the way you can refer back to last year when he took Soriano, who had been very productive as a back-to-the-basket center and rebounder and turned him into a non-factor by insisting that he be something he wasn't.

At point guard we know that Pitino wants a tough defender who is reliable with the ball, can run the offense, and has speed. Instead he has:

(a) Kadary, who I like but is about the farthest thing you can get from a Pitino point guard
(b) Smith, who has a lot of the right attributes but may be too short - and is being sent out there to play with Kadary which is more of an oil-and-water mix than peanut butter and chocolate.

After that we know what Pitino would want are some guards and wings, preferably with some length, who can shoot the 3. Instead we have:

(a) Luis - a go-to-the-rim and midrange player, to go with Kadary (same) and Zuby (same)
(b) Scott and Dunlap who seem to fit the prototype but have not produced (again more on this later)
(c) Wilcher and Glover who are good fits but still growing

So at the end of the day you have a team with an undersized center (who has made up for it with miles and miles of heart (bonus points for those who get the reference)), two starting guards who are radically different players and play at radically different speeds, a lane-clogging wing, and nobody who can shoot consistently and stretch opposing defenses.

Now, there are things Pitino could do about this which he apparently refuses to do. He could have invested some game time (I am sure he invests practice time) in getting Prey and Scott untracked., He could have made a tough decision at PG and given the reins to either Smith or Kadary (which would mean either Kadary becomes a small forward or Smith becomes a wing shooter or a spark plug off the bench) and then proceeded from there schematically.

Instead, he continues to do what he did last year which is to (1) keep beating square pegs into round holes; and (2) have a zero tolerance policy for errors by players outside of the one or two he favors.

So you wind up with a team of rim- and midrange-oriented players with a mismatch of guard skills, no outside shooting, and no real depth at center. Which is about as un-Pitino-like team as you can get.

It's like a guy who wants to cook a prime rib, goes to the store and buys a bunch of fish and vegetables, and then figures if he applies enough seasoning and heat the fish and vegetables will magically become prime rib.

For a contrast, look at Creighton, or the Jay Wright Villanova teams. You know exactly what pieces those coaches want to make their systems work, and they went out and shopped for what they needed. Pitino shops like a teenage girl with a credit card who just impulse buys things that look shiny without regard to what he's going to do with them when he gets home.

And that's not a criticism of the players - I like the players he's brought in. I'm just not sure some of them fit together in the structure he wants to use, and I definitely do not believe that he has laid a foundation for some of them to succeed. Despite that he's obvioulsy an outstanding coach and there is talent on this team and I think they will be what I thought they would be, which is a borderline top-25 team all year. I just think that the various issues will prevent them from reaching their maximum potential which was maybe a top 15 team.

The next question is whether we see Year 3 of Zuby, Wilcher and Dunlap to go along with Year 2 of Glover and Prey. If Pitino can in fact retain players who continue to develop in his system then I think he will eventually get the team he wants. But he doesn't have that right now.
 
Last edited:
lawmanfan said:
Here are two things we know about Pitino:

1. He is the Godfather of the 3-point shot based on analytics
2. His defense is predicated on having a long, rim-protecting center who can run the floor.

One more thing we know about Pitino is:

3. He preaches and demands defensive intensity, and wants to press at least in spots

Now look at this team.

At center he has

(a) undersized Zuby,
(b) long Vince who as Marillac has repeatedly notes plays short and his best aspect on defense is that he sometimes recovers for a block after he fails to do what he should have done in the first place
(c) Prey who seems to have the ability to be productive but is buried on the bench (more on this later)
(d) Maker.

Thus far he has been bailed out here because Zuby has put on his Superman cape, but Zuby is not a prototypical Pitino center. By the way you can refer back to last year when he took Soriano, who had been very productive as a back-to-the-basket center and rebounder and turned him into a non-factor by insisting that he be something he wasn't.

At point guard we know that Pitino wants a tough defender who is reliable with the ball, can run the offense, and has speed. Instead he has:

(a) Kadary, who I like but is about the farthest thing you can get from a Pitino point guard
(b) Smith, who has a lot of the right attributes but may be too short - and is being sent out there to play with Kadary which is more of an oil-and-water mix than peanut butter and chocolate.

After that we know what Pitino would want are some guards and wings, preferably with some length, who can shoot the 3. Instead we have:

(a) Luis - a go-to-the-rim and midrange player, to go with Kadary (same) and Zuby (same)
(b) Scott and Dunlap who seem to fit the prototype but have not produced (again more on this later)
(c) Wilcher and Glover who are good fits but still growing

So at the end of the day you have a team with an undersized center (who has made up for it with miles and miles of heart (bonus points for those who get the reference)), two starting guards who are radically different players and play at radically different speeds, a lane-clogging wing, and nobody who can shoot consistently and stretch opposing defenses.

Now, there are things Pitino could do about this which he apparently refuses to do. He could have invested some game time (I am sure he invests practice time) in getting Prey and Scott untracked., He could have made a tough decision at PG and given the reins to either Smith or Kadary (which would mean either Kadary becomes a small forward or Smith becomes a wing shooter or a spark plug off the bench) and then proceeded from there schematically.

Instead, he continues to do what he did last year which is to (1) keep beating square pegs into round holes; and (2) have a zero tolerance policy for errors by players outside of the one or two he favors.

So you wind up with a team of rim- and midrange-oriented players with a mismatch of guard skills, no outside shooting, and no real depth at center. Which is about as un-Pitino-like team as you can get.

It's like a guy who wants to cook a prime rib, goes to the store and buys a bunch of fish and vegetables, and then figures if he applies enough seasoning and heat the fish and vegetables will magically become prime rib.

For a contrast, look at Creighton, or the Jay Wright Villanova teams. You know exactly what pieces those coaches want to make their systems work, and they went out and shopped for what they needed. Pitino shops like a teenage girl with a credit card who just impulse buys things that look shiny without regard to what he's going to do with them when he gets home.

And that's not a criticism of the players - I like the players he's brought in. I'm just not sure some of them fit together in the structure he wants to use, and I definitely do not believe that he has laid a foundation for some of them to succeed. Despite that he's obvioulsy an outstanding coach and there is talent on this team and I think they will be what I thought they would be, which is a borderline top-25 team all year. I just think that the various issues will prevent them from reaching their maximum potential which was maybe a top 15 team.

The next question is whether we see Year 3 of Zuby, Wilcher and Dunlap to go along with Year 2 of Glover and Prey. If Pitino can in fact retain players who continue to develop in his system then I think he will eventually get the team he wants. But he doesn't have that right now.
Click to expand...
Excellent post.
I might add
Ricks vaunted workouts he put players thru. What did he see?
 
lawmanfan said:
Here are two things we know about Pitino:

1. He is the Godfather of the 3-point shot based on analytics
2. His defense is predicated on having a long, rim-protecting center who can run the floor.

One more thing we know about Pitino is:

3. He preaches and demands defensive intensity, and wants to press at least in spots

Now look at this team.

At center he has

(a) undersized Zuby,
(b) long Vince who as Marillac has repeatedly notes plays short and his best aspect on defense is that he sometimes recovers for a block after he fails to do what he should have done in the first place
(c) Prey who seems to have the ability to be productive but is buried on the bench (more on this later)
(d) Maker.

Thus far he has been bailed out here because Zuby has put on his Superman cape, but Zuby is not a prototypical Pitino center. By the way you can refer back to last year when he took Soriano, who had been very productive as a back-to-the-basket center and rebounder and turned him into a non-factor by insisting that he be something he wasn't.

At point guard we know that Pitino wants a tough defender who is reliable with the ball, can run the offense, and has speed. Instead he has:

(a) Kadary, who I like but is about the farthest thing you can get from a Pitino point guard
(b) Smith, who has a lot of the right attributes but may be too short - and is being sent out there to play with Kadary which is more of an oil-and-water mix than peanut butter and chocolate.

After that we know what Pitino would want are some guards and wings, preferably with some length, who can shoot the 3. Instead we have:

(a) Luis - a go-to-the-rim and midrange player, to go with Kadary (same) and Zuby (same)
(b) Scott and Dunlap who seem to fit the prototype but have not produced (again more on this later)
(c) Wilcher and Glover who are good fits but still growing

So at the end of the day you have a team with an undersized center (who has made up for it with miles and miles of heart (bonus points for those who get the reference)), two starting guards who are radically different players and play at radically different speeds, a lane-clogging wing, and nobody who can shoot consistently and stretch opposing defenses.

Now, there are things Pitino could do about this which he apparently refuses to do. He could have invested some game time (I am sure he invests practice time) in getting Prey and Scott untracked., He could have made a tough decision at PG and given the reins to either Smith or Kadary (which would mean either Kadary becomes a small forward or Smith becomes a wing shooter or a spark plug off the bench) and then proceeded from there schematically.

Instead, he continues to do what he did last year which is to (1) keep beating square pegs into round holes; and (2) have a zero tolerance policy for errors by players outside of the one or two he favors.

So you wind up with a team of rim- and midrange-oriented players with a mismatch of guard skills, no outside shooting, and no real depth at center. Which is about as un-Pitino-like team as you can get.

It's like a guy who wants to cook a prime rib, goes to the store and buys a bunch of fish and vegetables, and then figures if he applies enough seasoning and heat the fish and vegetables will magically become prime rib.

For a contrast, look at Creighton, or the Jay Wright Villanova teams. You know exactly what pieces those coaches want to make their systems work, and they went out and shopped for what they needed. Pitino shops like a teenage girl with a credit card who just impulse buys things that look shiny without regard to what he's going to do with them when he gets home.

And that's not a criticism of the players - I like the players he's brought in. I'm just not sure some of them fit together in the structure he wants to use, and I definitely do not believe that he has laid a foundation for some of them to succeed. Despite that he's obvioulsy an outstanding coach and there is talent on this team and I think they will be what I thought they would be, which is a borderline top-25 team all year. I just think that the various issues will prevent them from reaching their maximum potential which was maybe a top 15 team.

The next question is whether we see Year 3 of Zuby, Wilcher and Dunlap to go along with Year 2 of Glover and Prey. If Pitino can in fact retain players who continue to develop in his system then I think he will eventually get the team he wants. But he doesn't have that right now.
Click to expand...
Nice job LMF
 
lawmanfan said:
Here are two things we know about Pitino:

1. He is the Godfather of the 3-point shot based on analytics
2. His defense is predicated on having a long, rim-protecting center who can run the floor.

One more thing we know about Pitino is:

3. He preaches and demands defensive intensity, and wants to press at least in spots

Now look at this team.

At center he has

(a) undersized Zuby,
(b) long Vince who as Marillac has repeatedly notes plays short and his best aspect on defense is that he sometimes recovers for a block after he fails to do what he should have done in the first place
(c) Prey who seems to have the ability to be productive but is buried on the bench (more on this later)
(d) Maker.

Thus far he has been bailed out here because Zuby has put on his Superman cape, but Zuby is not a prototypical Pitino center. By the way you can refer back to last year when he took Soriano, who had been very productive as a back-to-the-basket center and rebounder and turned him into a non-factor by insisting that he be something he wasn't.

At point guard we know that Pitino wants a tough defender who is reliable with the ball, can run the offense, and has speed. Instead he has:

(a) Kadary, who I like but is about the farthest thing you can get from a Pitino point guard
(b) Smith, who has a lot of the right attributes but may be too short - and is being sent out there to play with Kadary which is more of an oil-and-water mix than peanut butter and chocolate.

After that we know what Pitino would want are some guards and wings, preferably with some length, who can shoot the 3. Instead we have:

(a) Luis - a go-to-the-rim and midrange player, to go with Kadary (same) and Zuby (same)
(b) Scott and Dunlap who seem to fit the prototype but have not produced (again more on this later)
(c) Wilcher and Glover who are good fits but still growing

So at the end of the day you have a team with an undersized center (who has made up for it with miles and miles of heart (bonus points for those who get the reference)), two starting guards who are radically different players and play at radically different speeds, a lane-clogging wing, and nobody who can shoot consistently and stretch opposing defenses.

Now, there are things Pitino could do about this which he apparently refuses to do. He could have invested some game time (I am sure he invests practice time) in getting Prey and Scott untracked., He could have made a tough decision at PG and given the reins to either Smith or Kadary (which would mean either Kadary becomes a small forward or Smith becomes a wing shooter or a spark plug off the bench) and then proceeded from there schematically.

Instead, he continues to do what he did last year which is to (1) keep beating square pegs into round holes; and (2) have a zero tolerance policy for errors by players outside of the one or two he favors.

So you wind up with a team of rim- and midrange-oriented players with a mismatch of guard skills, no outside shooting, and no real depth at center. Which is about as un-Pitino-like team as you can get.

It's like a guy who wants to cook a prime rib, goes to the store and buys a bunch of fish and vegetables, and then figures if he applies enough seasoning and heat the fish and vegetables will magically become prime rib.

For a contrast, look at Creighton, or the Jay Wright Villanova teams. You know exactly what pieces those coaches want to make their systems work, and they went out and shopped for what they needed. Pitino shops like a teenage girl with a credit card who just impulse buys things that look shiny without regard to what he's going to do with them when he gets home.

And that's not a criticism of the players - I like the players he's brought in. I'm just not sure some of them fit together in the structure he wants to use, and I definitely do not believe that he has laid a foundation for some of them to succeed. Despite that he's obvioulsy an outstanding coach and there is talent on this team and I think they will be what I thought they would be, which is a borderline top-25 team all year. I just think that the various issues will prevent them from reaching their maximum potential which was maybe a top 15 team.

The next question is whether we see Year 3 of Zuby, Wilcher and Dunlap to go along with Year 2 of Glover and Prey. If Pitino can in fact retain players who continue to develop in his system then I think he will eventually get the team he wants. But he doesn't have that right now.
Click to expand...
While I agree with most of this, then that presents a question of the accuracy of this portion: "he's obviously an outstanding coach". To me, there is a disconnect with the presumed "I am old and have to win now" and "I can wait it out and mold the team incrementally over years to win". His past success speaks for itself. But, they why would he be so stubborn and not open the gate for guys that he may not "like" as much as the chosen few, or has he lost the forest for the trees?

Frankly, I do blame some of the players as this is not rocket science. The Zuby being undersized is a little overstating the case as he is NOT really, except that he'd rather not play the 5 if he had his druthers. But for college, there are a lot of guys at the 5 at or below his size. And, he is not the problem. The Scott, Wilcher, Luis, Richmond underperforming is the problem. Whatever the reasons, you can't blame shooting poorly or not defending, or being out of shape on the coach. Like it or not, some of these guys have ceilings and limitations that are obvious (Luis), have far underperformed past performance (Scott and Richmond) or have not yet developed as expected or hoped. Again, not the coach's fault.

If you want to make the case that the players have not been evaluated properly and maybe should not have been brought in, then that WOULD be the staff's fault, but I have not seen that case been made.

I am just hoping that the team stabilizes, comes out tomorrow with intensity and urgency and that starts a great run that wipes away some of the negativity.
 
This team is 5 points and 3 should've wins from 14-0, even with pitino's faults. I'm as pissed as anyone here at our current record, mainly because I just can't stand Pitino. With 17 games remaining, let's see how things go. This team is still capable of doing some damage.
 
LMF, good breakdown but to my way of thinking, the bottom line is, Pitino has just not done a good job. Two teams worth of players and I would submit he has clearly defined a role for one player, Jenkins.
He has been a mad scientist with virtually everyone else on the roster. It took him forever to right the team last year but still, IMO, making head scratching coaching decisions as late as the 2nd half of the UConn game.
This year, two point guards, means no point guards and no “coach on the floor”. He lamented the team not running “his play” at the end of the Creighton game, well, who had the keys to the car? Smith, Richmond, Luis? His half court offense is a joke yet chooses to play a half court game against a team begging to be pressed, and then declares we are “not a pressing team” in the post game. Really? You can’t get this group to force tempo? If that is really the case I would submit he has lost more than just his fastball. All athletic participants IMO are judged in the now, the past is for post career tribute dinners.
I would defy anyone to prove to me he has done a good job in the last year and a half without giving relative praise in comparison to the train wreck this program has been or pointing to his very well earned HOF past.
 
The way we lost this one was gut-wrenching, but while I thought we had a shot to win this one I certainly wasn't marking it in the win column. I know Creighton got blown away by Georgetown, but on the other hand they did also beat the number one team in the country back in early December. I know a loss is a loss is a loss, but when you put it into perspective, we lost a game where we had two chances to win at the buzzer against a team that almost never losses at home. We held a team that scores nearly 80 points a game (and over 30 a game from beyond the arc) to less than 60 points (less than 30 behind the arc).

The sky isn't falling because we lost a game on the road to a team that nearly never losses at home and has already beaten two ranked opponents this year (both at home). We are 5 points away from being undefeated and ranked in the top 15 and I think this team is good enough to win in the Big East and make the dance. Let's win these next 8 heading up to Marquette. It won't be easy, but on paper the next 8 are certainly winnable games. If the team can build confidence and momentum ahead of the back-to-back Marquette / UCONN games, then I truly believe we'll be singing a different tune five weeks from now.
 
logen said:
LMF, good breakdown but to my way of thinking, the bottom line is, Pitino has just not done a good job. Two teams worth of players and I would submit he has clearly defined a role for one player, Jenkins.
He has been a mad scientist with virtually everyone else on the roster. It took him forever to right the team last year but still, IMO, making head scratching coaching decisions as late as the 2nd half of the UConn game.
This year, two point guards, means no point guards and no “coach on the floor”. He lamented the team not running “his play” at the end of the Creighton game, well, who had the keys to the car? Smith, Richmond, Luis? His half court offense is a joke yet chooses to play a half court game against a team begging to be pressed, and then declares we are “not a pressing team” in the post game. Really? You can’t get this group to force tempo? If that is really the case I would submit he has lost more than just his fastball. All athletic participants IMO are judged in the now, the past is for post career tribute dinners.
I would defy anyone to prove to me he has done a good job in the last year and a half without giving relative praise in comparison to the train wreck this program has been or pointing to his very well earned HOF past.
Click to expand...
Compared to last season, this team has no horrific losses up to this point (Pace, Michigan, BC) and is a great defensive unit. With the exception of Baylor, the team's losses have been super close despite PUTRID shooting. Pitino stressed defense to start the season and it's showing. The offense will click and I would not be surprised if they are steamrolling come Feb/March. I think he has a done a good job this season. The shooting woes are not on him. He noted in the Creighton postgame press that the team gets in their head when a jumper doesn't fall in. I will expect that to change now that they can focus more on the offensive side of the ball. Hopefully Brady returns healthy and is ready to contribute on that end.
 
Alex9045 said:
Compared to last season, this team has no horrific losses up to this point (Pace, Michigan, BC) and is a great defensive unit. With the exception of Baylor, the team's losses have been super close despite PUTRID shooting. Pitino stressed defense to start the season and it's showing. The offense will click and I would not be surprised if they are steamrolling come Feb/March. I think he has a done a good job this season. The shooting woes are not on him. He noted in the Creighton postgame press that the team gets in their head when a jumper doesn't fall in. I will expect that to change now that they can focus more on the offensive side of the ball. Hopefully Brady returns healthy and is ready to contribute on that end.
Click to expand...
At least two of the losses were horrific. Inserting Smith to dog Roach (or whoever pushed the ball) at the end of the Baylor game, which was a no brainer IMO, and there should have been no open look.
Creighton was an absolute joke IMO playing the game at Creighton’s pace without a fight, without an attempt to make them speed up. Never mind running a weave around the perimeter against a team packing the lane, SJU spent a good portion of the game on offense in mindless laps to no strategic end.
Frankly, I just don’t remember the Georgia circumstances, so no comment.
As to shots not falling, how you get to a shot can be very influential as to the percentage a team shoots. It is a coaching staffs job to get players shots in rhythm, in the flow. Honestly, not saying that is applicable here because I truly don’t know but I do know SJU runs terrible half court sets.
 
logen said:
At least two of the losses were horrific. Inserting Smith to dog Roach (or whoever pushed the ball) at the end of the Baylor game, which was a no brainer IMO, and there should have been no open look.
Creighton was an absolute joke IMO playing the game at Creighton’s pace without a fight, without an attempt to make them speed up. Never mind running a weave around the perimeter against a team packing the lane, SJU spent a good portion of the game on offense in mindless laps to no strategic end.
Frankly, I just don’t remember the Georgia circumstances, so no comment.
As to shots not falling, how you get to a shot can be very influential as to the percentage a team shoots. It is a coaching staffs job to get players shots in rhythm, in the flow. Honestly, not saying that is applicable here because I truly don’t know but I do know SJU runs terrible half court sets.
Click to expand...
I will agree with you if the team still looks lost on offense by the end of January. I think the staff has not prioritized the offense and half court as much as they have with defense. I think that will change now. This team should improve on that side of the ball.
 
Alex9045 said:
I will agree with you if the team still looks lost on offense by the end of January. I think the staff has not prioritized the offense and half court as much as they have with defense. I think that will change now. This team should improve on that side of the ball.
Click to expand...
From your mouth....
 
Alex9045 said:
I will agree with you if the team still looks lost on offense by the end of January. I think the staff has not prioritized the offense and half court as much as they have with defense. I think that will change now. This team should improve on that side of the ball.
Click to expand...
Sorry but these are experienced players and coaches, the idea of installing an offense halfway through the season just isn’t the way it works, period end of story.
 
lawmanfan said:
Here are two things we know about Pitino:

1. He is the Godfather of the 3-point shot based on analytics
2. His defense is predicated on having a long, rim-protecting center who can run the floor.

One more thing we know about Pitino is:

3. He preaches and demands defensive intensity, and wants to press at least in spots

Now look at this team.

At center he has

(a) undersized Zuby,
(b) long Vince who as Marillac has repeatedly noted plays short and his best aspect on defense is that he sometimes recovers for a block after he fails to do what he should have done in the first place
(c) Prey who seems to have the ability to be productive but is buried on the bench (more on this later)
(d) Maker.

Thus far he has been bailed out here because Zuby has put on his Superman cape, but Zuby is not a prototypical Pitino center. By the way you can refer back to last year when he took Soriano, who had been very productive as a back-to-the-basket center and rebounder and turned him into a non-factor by insisting that he be something he wasn't.

At point guard we know that Pitino wants a tough defender who is reliable with the ball, can run the offense, and has speed. Instead he has:

(a) Kadary, who I like but is about the farthest thing you can get from a Pitino point guard
(b) Smith, who has a lot of the right attributes but may be too short - and is being sent out there to play with Kadary which is more of an oil-and-water mix than peanut butter and chocolate.

After that we know what Pitino would want are some guards and wings, preferably with some length, who can shoot the 3. Instead we have:

(a) Luis - a go-to-the-rim and midrange player, to go with Kadary (same) and Zuby (same)
(b) Scott and Dunlap who seem to fit the prototype but have not produced (again more on this later)
(c) Wilcher and Glover who are good fits but still growing

So at the end of the day you have a team with an undersized center (who has made up for it with miles and miles of heart (bonus points for those who get the reference)), two starting guards who are radically different players and play at radically different speeds, a lane-clogging wing, and nobody who can shoot consistently and stretch opposing defenses.

Now, there are things Pitino could do about this which he apparently refuses to do. He could have invested some game time (I am sure he invests practice time) in getting Prey and Scott untracked., He could have made a tough decision at PG and given the reins to either Smith or Kadary (which would mean either Kadary becomes a small forward or Smith becomes a wing shooter or a spark plug off the bench) and then proceeded from there schematically.

Instead, he continues to do what he did last year which is to (1) keep beating square pegs into round holes; and (2) have a zero tolerance policy for errors by players outside of the one or two he favors.

So you wind up with a team of rim- and midrange-oriented players with a mismatch of guard skills, no outside shooting, and no real depth at center. Which is about as un-Pitino-like team as you can get.

It's like a guy who wants to cook a prime rib, goes to the store and buys a bunch of fish and vegetables, and then figures if he applies enough seasoning and heat the fish and vegetables will magically become prime rib.

For a contrast, look at Creighton, or the Jay Wright Villanova teams. You know exactly what pieces those coaches want to make their systems work, and they went out and shopped for what they needed. Pitino shops like a teenage girl with a credit card who just impulse buys things that look shiny without regard to what he's going to do with them when he gets home.

And that's not a criticism of the players - I like the players he's brought in. I'm just not sure some of them fit together in the structure he wants to use, and I definitely do not believe that he has laid a foundation for some of them to succeed. Despite that he's obvioulsy an outstanding coach and there is talent on this team and I think they will be what I thought they would be, which is a borderline top-25 team all year. I just think that the various issues will prevent them from reaching their maximum potential which was maybe a top 15 team.

The next question is whether we see Year 3 of Zuby, Wilcher and Dunlap to go along with Year 2 of Glover and Prey. If Pitino can in fact retain players who continue to develop in his system then I think he will eventually get the team he wants. But he doesn't have that right now.
Click to expand...
Excellent post! That being said, if you were the coach, who would be in your starting lineup and who would be the 6th, 7th and 8th players off of your bench.
 
logen said:
Sorry but these are experienced players and coaches, the idea of installing an offense halfway through the season just isn’t the way it works, period end of story.
Click to expand...
If you believe the staff is just now installing offense (I used the term prioritized), then I don't know what to tell you. Sure, bad offense is going to cost them seeding. Bad defense...cost them the whole tournament last season.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top