Obekpa as a perimeter defender

[beast of the east]

Doesn't look like a big east player

Your post is a perfect example of full-swing pendulum of our posters. Obekpa plays well and win, and the most unhappy negative posters look forward to next year with both Obekpa and Jordan in the NBA. Play poorly yesterday, and Obekpa "doesn't look like a Big East player". The truth - somewhere in the middle, but to somehow say that Obekpa looks like he doesn't belong in the Big East is absurd. Like a lot of athletic big men who start playing late, he has a lot of development ahead of him. This year, for the first time, we are seeing signs that he can score vs. Big East competition. A mediocre hook shot, the ability to put the ball on the floor and take it to the hoop, and a developing jump shot from 15 feet are all part of his developing arsenal, which isn't an appropriate word at this point.

But for whatever reason, with so little size in the paint, I hate to see Obekpa defend away from the hoop. And yes, he reaches too much, but I'm pretty sure the staff is working with him on that.

He is averaging 7ppg and 5 rebounds a game in Big East play.

5 rpg is one reason we are off to a 1-4 start.

 

[Marillac]

I

Doesn't look like a big east player

Your post is a perfect example of full-swing pendulum of our posters. Obekpa plays well and win, and the most unhappy negative posters look forward to next year with both Obekpa and Jordan in the NBA. Play poorly yesterday, and Obekpa "doesn't look like a Big East player". The truth - somewhere in the middle, but to somehow say that Obekpa looks like he doesn't belong in the Big East is absurd. Like a lot of athletic big men who start playing late, he has a lot of development ahead of him. This year, for the first time, we are seeing signs that he can score vs. Big East competition. A mediocre hook shot, the ability to put the ball on the floor and take it to the hoop, and a developing jump shot from 15 feet are all part of his developing arsenal, which isn't an appropriate word at this point.

But for whatever reason, with so little size in the paint, I hate to see Obekpa defend away from the hoop. And yes, he reaches too much, but I'm pretty sure the staff is working with him on that.

I noticed Lavin played Amar for a small spell with Chris. To shore up rebounding & eliminate drawing Chris out of post, is that a good option at critical points? This Pointer at PF can only go so far. Just a thought. Again, not suggesting pairing them for long stretches, but perhaps strategically. Amar looks like he can rebound.

Amar has a knack for mixing it up and being where the ball is. He looks slow footed, but with his stride can cover lots of court. Long arms, manages to get his hands on the ball without reaching. I think Lavin has to consider a front line of JDR, Amar, and Obekpa in certain situations even for short stretches against the right opponent. These two guys are not stiffs, and should be used like chess pieces when circumstances dictate.

The key to this strategy are guards who can consistently hit shots in the 45-50% range. When they shoot 30%, there isn't any strategy that can offset that with this roster.

I'm not a big one for stats but for the heck of it I looked up shooting stats for guards in the NBA. One, Kyle Korver, is shooting over 50%, namely 51.5%. Stephen Curry, generally considered the best shooter in the game is just under 50 at 49.8%. There are 18 other guards between 45 and 50; less than ONE per team. So to expect our guards, none of whom are lights out shooters (Harrison being a lights out scorer), seems to be not a strategy but rather a prayer. Safe to say with a healthy Harrison we win the game, but with NO option, the issue is why we had to play an injured player 44 minutes and the answer is the crux of our problem. A damaged Harrison on the court as least had to be defended closely and we have nothing else to go to.

Your first problem was looking up NBA stats. Averaging 45% or better is done with regularity in the NCAA. Why? Well, they aren't going up against 5 NBA defender for starters...and they get a lot more easy dunks/layups in college. In fact, the 7 top scoring guards in the country are all averaging over 45%. Stop being foolish.

 

[stjohnschris]

I

Doesn't look like a big east player

Your post is a perfect example of full-swing pendulum of our posters. Obekpa plays well and win, and the most unhappy negative posters look forward to next year with both Obekpa and Jordan in the NBA. Play poorly yesterday, and Obekpa "doesn't look like a Big East player". The truth - somewhere in the middle, but to somehow say that Obekpa looks like he doesn't belong in the Big East is absurd. Like a lot of athletic big men who start playing late, he has a lot of development ahead of him. This year, for the first time, we are seeing signs that he can score vs. Big East competition. A mediocre hook shot, the ability to put the ball on the floor and take it to the hoop, and a developing jump shot from 15 feet are all part of his developing arsenal, which isn't an appropriate word at this point.

But for whatever reason, with so little size in the paint, I hate to see Obekpa defend away from the hoop. And yes, he reaches too much, but I'm pretty sure the staff is working with him on that.

I noticed Lavin played Amar for a small spell with Chris. To shore up rebounding & eliminate drawing Chris out of post, is that a good option at critical points? This Pointer at PF can only go so far. Just a thought. Again, not suggesting pairing them for long stretches, but perhaps strategically. Amar looks like he can rebound.

Dom has been losing focus since he put up his monster scoring night. He had one rebound in 29 minutes. That is unacceptable. We need him to be the mad dog he was earlier in the year.

losing focus, undefined roles, not playing to our strengths...this all comes back to coaching. This is what a coach does with students of the game. There's supposed to be structure, learning from mistakes, progress, and hopefully success as a team. Watching it done right is what makes the college game so interesting...CO made some off season improvements, no doubt, but I feel like we saw his best basketball 4 weeks ago facing lesser opponents. He could use another year in college to develop, but who is he supposed to turn to?

 

[Marillac]

This team has 2 major deficiencies as I see it, we constantly get out rebounded, and we don't defend the 3! Solve these two issues and we will win a lot of games!

THat has been their problem since they were freshmen

Last year's team rebounded well.

False.

http://www.bigeast.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2013-2014/sju.html#team.tem

They averaged 36.7 rebounds per game last year and they are averaging 36.0 this year while making a higher % of shots (less misses to rebound).

Last year they were in a 6-way tie for the 83rd ranked rebounding team (ranked 146 for fg%: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas.../rebounds/sort/avgRebounds/year/2014/count/81

This year they are 124 (ranked 111 for FG %): http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...am/_/stat/rebounds/sort/avgRebounds/count/121

Neither of those teams qualify as good rebounding teams...not by a long shot.

 

[JohnnyFan]

This team has 2 major deficiencies as I see it, we constantly get out rebounded, and we don't defend the 3! Solve these two issues and we will win a lot of games!

THat has been their problem since they were freshmen

Last year's team rebounded well.

False.

http://www.bigeast.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2013-2014/sju.html#team.tem

They averaged 36.7 rebounds per game last year and they are averaging 36.0 this year while making a higher % of shots (less misses to rebound).

Last year they were in a 6-way tie for the 83rd ranked rebounding team (ranked 146 for fg%: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas.../rebounds/sort/avgRebounds/year/2014/count/81

This year they are 124 (ranked 111 for FG %): http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...am/_/stat/rebounds/sort/avgRebounds/count/121

Neither of those teams qualify as good rebounding teams...not by a long shot.

"If you have the right set of players, rebounding is the least important statistic in basketball, which might surprise people" -Coach Steve Lavin

This is one of my all-time favorite Lavin quotes. It is from a Daily News article following the LIU game (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/st-john-lack-size-exposed-win-liu-brooklyn-article-1.2018176)

 

[monte]

This team has 2 major deficiencies as I see it, we constantly get out rebounded, and we don't defend the 3! Solve these two issues and we will win a lot of games!

THat has been their problem since they were freshmen

Last year's team rebounded well.

False.

http://www.bigeast.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2013-2014/sju.html#team.tem

They averaged 36.7 rebounds per game last year and they are averaging 36.0 this year while making a higher % of shots (less misses to rebound).

Last year they were in a 6-way tie for the 83rd ranked rebounding team (ranked 146 for fg%: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas.../rebounds/sort/avgRebounds/year/2014/count/81

This year they are 124 (ranked 111 for FG %): http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...am/_/stat/rebounds/sort/avgRebounds/count/121

Neither of those teams qualify as good rebounding teams...not by a long shot.

"If you have the right set of players, rebounding is the least important statistic in basketball, which might surprise people" -Coach Steve Lavin

This is one of my all-time favorite Lavin quotes. It is from a Daily News article following the LIU game (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/st-john-lack-size-exposed-win-liu-brooklyn-article-1.2018176)

I got a migraine after reading the quotes in that article.

 

[Marillac]

This team has 2 major deficiencies as I see it, we constantly get out rebounded, and we don't defend the 3! Solve these two issues and we will win a lot of games!

THat has been their problem since they were freshmen

Last year's team rebounded well.

False.

http://www.bigeast.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2013-2014/sju.html#team.tem

They averaged 36.7 rebounds per game last year and they are averaging 36.0 this year while making a higher % of shots (less misses to rebound).

Last year they were in a 6-way tie for the 83rd ranked rebounding team (ranked 146 for fg%: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas.../rebounds/sort/avgRebounds/year/2014/count/81

This year they are 124 (ranked 111 for FG %): http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...am/_/stat/rebounds/sort/avgRebounds/count/121

Neither of those teams qualify as good rebounding teams...not by a long shot.

"If you have the right set of players, rebounding is the least important statistic in basketball, which might surprise people" -Coach Steve Lavin

This is one of my all-time favorite Lavin quotes. It is from a Daily News article following the LIU game (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/st-john-lack-size-exposed-win-liu-brooklyn-article-1.2018176)

I got a migraine after reading the quotes in that article.

It shines through in his players. You have guys like Harkless, Harrison, Jordan, and Kennedy that can't help but go for anything near them, but then you have guys like Jones, Pointer, and Sampson that need to be reminded to stay focused on that aspect. I never thought rebounding would be an issue with Gene Keady on the bench--regardless of the capacity.

Rebounding is criticially important to the college game. It never ceases to amaze me how many seasons are ended in March after a team plays great d, forces a bad shot that is missed, and then the opposing team gets an easy putback off of that miss.

UNC had 12 2nd half offensive boards (21 on the game)against Providence to win the tournament game last March when nobody but Paige could buy a bucket. UNC only had 13 of 40 second half points come on first shot makes in the half court. Cotton plays one of the best games I've ever seen anyone play at any level, game tied at 77, final UNC possession, great d, UNC forced to take a tough, contested shot, only to have McAdoo get the offensive board....miss 2nd shot...UNC gets the rebound....McAdoo misses second shot again...Providence can't get rebound. Game over. Providence was only in that situation because they did the same thing to us twice in March.

 

[1and1sju]

Aside from using his hands to reach-in, I actually think Obekpa plays pretty good perimeter D. And, if you've noticed, most of his reach in fouls are on his own man in the low post. He's not getting called for those out beyond the arc.
I think he hedges and "shows" on screens very well actually.
Teams had destroyed us with pick and rolls the past two seasons, but this year we're looking better because he steps up and does a good job of stretching the ball handler out. No turning the corner when CO is there.

I also think he's significantly improved how he fights for position offensively. It's too bad jordan is the only one who seems interested in feeding him the ball.

He needs to be more aggressive in boxing out, and improve his one on one defense...but I think this season has been a big step forward for Chris. He needs to forget about the baseline jumper though. Making one doesn't give him free reign to do it for the rest of the seaaon.

 

[logen]

I

Doesn't look like a big east player

Your post is a perfect example of full-swing pendulum of our posters. Obekpa plays well and win, and the most unhappy negative posters look forward to next year with both Obekpa and Jordan in the NBA. Play poorly yesterday, and Obekpa "doesn't look like a Big East player". The truth - somewhere in the middle, but to somehow say that Obekpa looks like he doesn't belong in the Big East is absurd. Like a lot of athletic big men who start playing late, he has a lot of development ahead of him. This year, for the first time, we are seeing signs that he can score vs. Big East competition. A mediocre hook shot, the ability to put the ball on the floor and take it to the hoop, and a developing jump shot from 15 feet are all part of his developing arsenal, which isn't an appropriate word at this point.

But for whatever reason, with so little size in the paint, I hate to see Obekpa defend away from the hoop. And yes, he reaches too much, but I'm pretty sure the staff is working with him on that.

I noticed Lavin played Amar for a small spell with Chris. To shore up rebounding & eliminate drawing Chris out of post, is that a good option at critical points? This Pointer at PF can only go so far. Just a thought. Again, not suggesting pairing them for long stretches, but perhaps strategically. Amar looks like he can rebound.

Amar has a knack for mixing it up and being where the ball is. He looks slow footed, but with his stride can cover lots of court. Long arms, manages to get his hands on the ball without reaching. I think Lavin has to consider a front line of JDR, Amar, and Obekpa in certain situations even for short stretches against the right opponent. These two guys are not stiffs, and should be used like chess pieces when circumstances dictate.

The key to this strategy are guards who can consistently hit shots in the 45-50% range. When they shoot 30%, there isn't any strategy that can offset that with this roster.

I'm not a big one for stats but for the heck of it I looked up shooting stats for guards in the NBA. One, Kyle Korver, is shooting over 50%, namely 51.5%. Stephen Curry, generally considered the best shooter in the game is just under 50 at 49.8%. There are 18 other guards between 45 and 50; less than ONE per team. So to expect our guards, none of whom are lights out shooters (Harrison being a lights out scorer), seems to be not a strategy but rather a prayer. Safe to say with a healthy Harrison we win the game, but with NO option, the issue is why we had to play an injured player 44 minutes and the answer is the crux of our problem. A damaged Harrison on the court as least had to be defended closely and we have nothing else to go to.

Your first problem was looking up NBA stats. Averaging 45% or better is done with regularity in the NCAA. Why? Well, they aren't going up against 5 NBA defender for starters...and they get a lot more easy dunks/layups in college. In fact, the 7 top scoring guards in the country are all averaging over 45%. Stop being foolish.

It was a frame of reference only in a conversation you were not part of and frankly not wanted. Go back to posting about how great our bench players are and how we are just thisclose to being unbeatable at least that provided some comic relief.

 

[johnnycomelately]

I like Obekpa. He is a gifted shot blocker, which provides a safety net to the other 4 defenders. He is improving offensively, but the progress is rather slow. All this being said, I don't think he's anywhere near being NBA roster ready for next year.

 

[fun]

[It shines through in his players. You have guys like Harkless, Harrison, Jordan, and Kennedy that can't help but go for anything near them, but then you have guys like Jones, Pointer, and Sampson that need to be reminded to stay focused on that aspect.

Sampson played two years and led the team in rebounding twice. He averaged 6.6 rebounds in 31 minutes and 6.1 rebounds in 29 minutes. Harkless averaged 8.6 rebounds in 36 minutes. Per 40 minutes that's 8.5 rebounds for Sampson, who needed to be reminded to rebound, and 9.5 rebounds for Harkless, who couldn't help but go for anything near himself, a difference of one rebound per game.

 

[Section3]

Aside from using his hands to reach-in, I actually think Obekpa plays pretty good perimeter D. And, if you've noticed, most of his reach in fouls are on his own man in the low post. He's not getting called for those out beyond the arc.
I think he hedges and "shows" on screens very well actually.
Teams had destroyed us with pick and rolls the past two seasons, but this year we're looking better because he steps up and does a good job of stretching the ball handler out. No turning the corner when CO is there.

I also think he's significantly improved how he fights for position offensively. It's too bad jordan is the only one who seems interested in feeding him the ball.

He needs to be more aggressive in boxing out, and improve his one on one defense...but I think this season has been a big step forward for Chris. He needs to forget about the baseline jumper though. Making one doesn't give him free reign to do it for the rest of the seaaon.

Agree...think he gets caught most on the baseline...needs to be made conscious of it...he could save at least 2 fouls a game