UVAbasketball
Member
Greetings all! As a UVA alum and fan I am looking forward to a good matchup with your Hawkeyes on Wednesday and thought I would give you a deeper understanding of UVA's team, its strengths and weaknesess.
Strengths:
(1) Defence. Tony Bennett uses what he calls a packline defence in which four defenders stay within 16 or 17 feet of the hoop and the fifth challenges the player with the ball. As the opponent moves the ball around the perimeter, one defender rushes out to challenge and the other four pack inside that imaginary line. The goal is two-fold: eliminate penetration and entry passes inside. The defence requires players to be disciplined -- the defender rushing out to challenge the ball handler is tasked with not allowing an uncontested outside shot but also not allowing that player to drive around him; while the other players must quickly adjust as the offence moves the ball. For the most part, UVA executes this defence well, minimizing penetration, inside shots and uncontested jumpers. The defence is one borrowed from and adapted from Bennett's father Dick. We have used it to stop big men such as 6' 10" 235 lb. Mason Plumlee of Duke (10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 turnovers in 40 minutes) and 7' 1" 255 lb Alex Len of Maryland (expected lottery pick) - Len was held to 5 made baskets and 19 points over two games.
(2) Joe Harris. The good news for Iowa is Harris has been in a slump since UVA's big win over Duke. The bad news is if he returns to form. Harris, when he is on, is tough to stop because he is so well-rounded. He's one of the best 3-point shooters in the ACC with a pretty quick release, he can beat many defenders off the dribble and once but them has a strong pull-up jumpers, a good eye for finding open teammates and the ability to take it strong to the hole. While he is not especially quick he is agile and strong for his size and is a very smart player.
(3) The freshmen (or as we call them at UVA first years). Justin Anderson has played some of our best ball the last half of the season. He is a physical specimen -- has an NBA body already -- with good hops, but what sets him apart is heady and unselfish play. He's made some of our best passes of the year and brings a lot of positive energy that lifts our team. His shooting is more iffy -- he's better at this stage going to the basket and drawing contact. Mike Tobey is a 6'11 center who lost a chunk of time in February to mono just as he was coming on strong. He can shoot with either hand and has shown good post-up skills. He's also played tougher on D and under the boards as the season has progressed despite being on the thin side.
(4) Senior point guard -- Jontel Evans can not shoot a lick and is just an ok passer but he is very tough on opposing ballhandlers and generally runs the UVA offence with a steady hand and occasional penetration -- he's built like a running back.
(5) Akil Mitchell. Probably our most consistent player. at 6'8" he relies on quickness and is smartly aggressive. Shows good strength for his size.
Weaknesses:
(1) Youth. In addition to the two freshmen above, we have three other freshmen who get playing time along with two sophomores. When a few of them our on their game, we are tough. But because of their inexperience, they are inconsistent.
(2) Offensive consistency. When Harris is playing well and a couple of youngsters step up to add a 3rd and 4th option, our offence is surprisingly strong. But this hasn't been a frequent occurrence. That's not to say our offence is bad
(3) Jontel Evans can't shoot free throws. Not a good situation in a close game.
(4) We haven't played our best ball down the stretch, in large part because Harris has been in a slump.
A few other observations and primers on players:
(1) Paul Jesperson typically starts because he plays solid D and doesn't make many mistakes. He has a nice shot but lacks confidence. In games where he shoots well, which isn't often, our offence gets a big boost.
(2) Evan Nolte is a freshman who gets some playing time and has some nice all-around skills, inside, outside defence, but has generally been a bit slow to react to contribute in a big way. That said, he has some talent.
(3) Taylor Barnette, a freshman who had a big game against St. John's, has played little this year but has been the best shooter in practice. If he plays as he did against SJ, that is an unexpected bonus for UVA.
(4) Darion Atkins was our best interior defender until injuries limited him early this season. He's not 100% but is closer ti that then he was earlier in the year. When teams can't get inside on us he doesn't play much because Mitchell and Tobey are more effective scorers, but if Iowa does get inside you may see some of Atkins.
(5) I do expect a bigger crowd Wednesday, perhaps 12,000. I think most fans are excited about playing a quality team like Iowa with a chance to go to MSG.
(6) Predictions. Either team could win this as both have played tough against some tough competition. The home court obviously helps UVA. Some key variables: Will Harris return to form? Will Iowa shoot well from outside?
Good luck to your team and program. Looks like you have some talent coming back as does UVA -- we lose one player in Evans, get back one of our top players from 2011-12 who missed this year with an injury, get a SEC transfer forward who played well as a freshmen and a couple of good point guard recruits. I hope to see both teams in the NCAAs nest year!!
Strengths:
(1) Defence. Tony Bennett uses what he calls a packline defence in which four defenders stay within 16 or 17 feet of the hoop and the fifth challenges the player with the ball. As the opponent moves the ball around the perimeter, one defender rushes out to challenge and the other four pack inside that imaginary line. The goal is two-fold: eliminate penetration and entry passes inside. The defence requires players to be disciplined -- the defender rushing out to challenge the ball handler is tasked with not allowing an uncontested outside shot but also not allowing that player to drive around him; while the other players must quickly adjust as the offence moves the ball. For the most part, UVA executes this defence well, minimizing penetration, inside shots and uncontested jumpers. The defence is one borrowed from and adapted from Bennett's father Dick. We have used it to stop big men such as 6' 10" 235 lb. Mason Plumlee of Duke (10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 turnovers in 40 minutes) and 7' 1" 255 lb Alex Len of Maryland (expected lottery pick) - Len was held to 5 made baskets and 19 points over two games.
(2) Joe Harris. The good news for Iowa is Harris has been in a slump since UVA's big win over Duke. The bad news is if he returns to form. Harris, when he is on, is tough to stop because he is so well-rounded. He's one of the best 3-point shooters in the ACC with a pretty quick release, he can beat many defenders off the dribble and once but them has a strong pull-up jumpers, a good eye for finding open teammates and the ability to take it strong to the hole. While he is not especially quick he is agile and strong for his size and is a very smart player.
(3) The freshmen (or as we call them at UVA first years). Justin Anderson has played some of our best ball the last half of the season. He is a physical specimen -- has an NBA body already -- with good hops, but what sets him apart is heady and unselfish play. He's made some of our best passes of the year and brings a lot of positive energy that lifts our team. His shooting is more iffy -- he's better at this stage going to the basket and drawing contact. Mike Tobey is a 6'11 center who lost a chunk of time in February to mono just as he was coming on strong. He can shoot with either hand and has shown good post-up skills. He's also played tougher on D and under the boards as the season has progressed despite being on the thin side.
(4) Senior point guard -- Jontel Evans can not shoot a lick and is just an ok passer but he is very tough on opposing ballhandlers and generally runs the UVA offence with a steady hand and occasional penetration -- he's built like a running back.
(5) Akil Mitchell. Probably our most consistent player. at 6'8" he relies on quickness and is smartly aggressive. Shows good strength for his size.
Weaknesses:
(1) Youth. In addition to the two freshmen above, we have three other freshmen who get playing time along with two sophomores. When a few of them our on their game, we are tough. But because of their inexperience, they are inconsistent.
(2) Offensive consistency. When Harris is playing well and a couple of youngsters step up to add a 3rd and 4th option, our offence is surprisingly strong. But this hasn't been a frequent occurrence. That's not to say our offence is bad
(3) Jontel Evans can't shoot free throws. Not a good situation in a close game.
(4) We haven't played our best ball down the stretch, in large part because Harris has been in a slump.
A few other observations and primers on players:
(1) Paul Jesperson typically starts because he plays solid D and doesn't make many mistakes. He has a nice shot but lacks confidence. In games where he shoots well, which isn't often, our offence gets a big boost.
(2) Evan Nolte is a freshman who gets some playing time and has some nice all-around skills, inside, outside defence, but has generally been a bit slow to react to contribute in a big way. That said, he has some talent.
(3) Taylor Barnette, a freshman who had a big game against St. John's, has played little this year but has been the best shooter in practice. If he plays as he did against SJ, that is an unexpected bonus for UVA.
(4) Darion Atkins was our best interior defender until injuries limited him early this season. He's not 100% but is closer ti that then he was earlier in the year. When teams can't get inside on us he doesn't play much because Mitchell and Tobey are more effective scorers, but if Iowa does get inside you may see some of Atkins.
(5) I do expect a bigger crowd Wednesday, perhaps 12,000. I think most fans are excited about playing a quality team like Iowa with a chance to go to MSG.
(6) Predictions. Either team could win this as both have played tough against some tough competition. The home court obviously helps UVA. Some key variables: Will Harris return to form? Will Iowa shoot well from outside?
Good luck to your team and program. Looks like you have some talent coming back as does UVA -- we lose one player in Evans, get back one of our top players from 2011-12 who missed this year with an injury, get a SEC transfer forward who played well as a freshmen and a couple of good point guard recruits. I hope to see both teams in the NCAAs nest year!!
