Defense - A Michigan How To

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WinOneThisCentury

Well-Known Member
A few years back, John Beilein at Michigan was struggling with their defensive efficiency numbers. He felt that was keeping them from taking the next step. He knew they had talent, and could score with anyone, but they couldn't get stops consistently when they needed to.

Well, what John did was analyze the defensive efficiency numbers of every D1 program as well as a few D2 programs. He then looked at the programs with the top defensive numbers. He found out that Illinois State was consistently at the top in defensive numbers. He went out and made the top assistant at that program an offer he couldn't refuse.

Michigan is now the number one defensive basketball team in D1.

Gary Barta should have required this happen after the worst defensive season in history.
 
I'm responding to my own thread because it still pisses me off. Michigan can go out and hire a defensive assistant to focus on that end to spectacular results..but Iowa, for some reason, after the worst defensive season in the history of the program can say..."nah...we got this" and our athletic director is on board.

I'm sorry...but I honestly have left Barta out of the KF / Fran discussions, but after what I watched last night...I'm no longer able to contain my disdain for Gary. He's his own worst enemy. I think he believes, "well, Fran knows a ton more than me about basketball, so I'm going to let him do his thing." Gary needs to understand it's ok that Frans knows more about basketball than him...he just needs to focus on the results. The results last year on defense were atrocious. "Fran, I can't have our team that poor defensively...you need to get a coach dedicated to it...because what we have isn't working." End of story..."I don't care if you don't like it." Grow a sack Gary...seriously, it's your job.
 
WinOneThisCentury said:
I'm responding to my own thread because it still pisses me off. Michigan can go out and hire a defensive assistant to focus on that end to spectacular results..but Iowa, for some reason, after the worst defensive season in the history of the program can say..."nah...we got this" and our athletic director is on board.

I'm sorry...but I honestly have left Barta out of the KF / Fran discussions, but after what I watched last night...I'm no longer able to contain my disdain for Gary. He's his own worst enemy. I think he believes, "well, Fran knows a ton more than me about basketball, so I'm going to let him do his thing." Gary needs to understand it's ok that Frans knows more about basketball than him...he just needs to focus on the results. The results last year on defense were atrocious. "Fran, I can't have our team that poor defensively...you need to get a coach dedicated to it...because what we have isn't working." End of story..."I don't care if you don't like it."
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All good stuff. How can an AD go with the status quo of no, none, any type of Big championships for many years in all sports and especially in the big time sports. BBall none in a very long time. Iowa was in two final fours in the late 50's, good-to great in the 60's, a Big title in 68 and 70, in 81 or so with Lute I believe, then none, none in 37 years, terrible. I wish we would chase after some coaches.

Football the hawks have had 5 big 10 champ in 40 years but none in the last 14 so actually 5 in 25 years or so, not bad , one champ every 5 years or 20% of the time in a big time league, but it has dried up ( I guess you could save 2015 is about as good as it can get and is normally a Champ year).

the hawks have had 7 Big 10 football titles from 57 or so to 2004, about 47 years, not bad, but nothing lately
 
WinOneThisCentury said:
A few years back, John Beilein at Michigan was struggling with their defensive efficiency numbers. He felt that was keeping them from taking the next step. He knew they had talent, and could score with anyone, but they couldn't get stops consistently when they needed to.

Well, what John did was analyze the defensive efficiency numbers of every D1 program as well as a few D2 programs. He then looked at the programs with the top defensive numbers. He found out that Illinois State was consistently at the top in defensive numbers. He went out and made the top assistant at that program an offer he couldn't refuse.

Michigan is now the number one defensive basketball team in D1.

Gary Barta should have required this happen after the worst defensive season in history.
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Great point. From 2014 through the New Years Day game in 2017 we owned Michigan, beat them at their place a couple times as well. They always had a hard time containing Peter Jok.
 
WinOneThisCentury said:
A few years back, John Beilein at Michigan was struggling with their defensive efficiency numbers. He felt that was keeping them from taking the next step. He knew they had talent, and could score with anyone, but they couldn't get stops consistently when they needed to.

Well, what John did was analyze the defensive efficiency numbers of every D1 program as well as a few D2 programs. He then looked at the programs with the top defensive numbers. He found out that Illinois State was consistently at the top in defensive numbers. He went out and made the top assistant at that program an offer he couldn't refuse.

Michigan is now the number one defensive basketball team in D1.

Gary Barta should have required this happen after the worst defensive season in history.
Click to expand...
I agree our D sucks, and that Barta sucks, but after watching the first two B1G games it's unbelievably apparent that our O ain't that great either. Anytime you face off against big, aggressive teams with a squad of skinny white kids who appear to have never lifted a weight or driven a basketball closer in than the free throw line, you're gonna get beat in P5 basketball.

Fran just wants to recruit no farther than Eastern Iowa AAU who can shoot lights out against zero defense. Those same kids can't play defense and get clowned as soon as someone puts a body on them in man defense. That will never win ball games consistently.
 
WinOneThisCentury said:
A few years back, John Beilein at Michigan was struggling with their defensive efficiency numbers. He felt that was keeping them from taking the next step. He knew they had talent, and could score with anyone, but they couldn't get stops consistently when they needed to.

Well, what John did was analyze the defensive efficiency numbers of every D1 program as well as a few D2 programs. He then looked at the programs with the top defensive numbers. He found out that Illinois State was consistently at the top in defensive numbers. He went out and made the top assistant at that program an offer he couldn't refuse.

Michigan is now the number one defensive basketball team in D1.

Gary Barta should have required this happen after the worst defensive season in history.
Click to expand...


I was going to start a thread a week ago paralleling Michigan's improvement on Defense and point out that three years ago they were similar to Iowa, having a good offensive game but atrocious on defense. He did what you stated and they improved tremendously on defense the past two years.

Beilein completely let his defensive specialist take care of that end of the floor and he admitted he really only concentrates on the offensive side of the ball and lets his D coach run that.
 
MelroseHawkins said:
I was going to start a thread a week ago paralleling Michigan's improvement on Defense and point out that three years ago they were similar to Iowa, having a good offensive game but atrocious on defense. He did what you stated and they improved tremendously on defense the past two years.

Beilein completely let his defensive specialist take care of that end of the floor and he admitted he really only concentrates on the offensive side of the ball and lets his D coach run that.
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A competent AD demands better results when one his coaches refuses to address obvious flaws. We do NOT have a competent AD.
I'm as egotistical as the next competitor but I like winning more than I like looking in the mirror and patting myself on the back. I'm making changes to fix the problems that are costing me Ws.
 
lightning1 said:
Good defensive teams get stops when they need them.
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No, not always do they get stops when they need to. They do get more stops than average defensive teams do — at any time during the game.

Michigan won’t go undefeated.
Virginia won’t go undefeated.
Duke won’t go undefeated.
MSU can’t go undefeated.
 
DDThompson said:
No, not always do they get stops when they need to. They do get more stops than average defensive teams do — at any time during the game.

Michigan won’t go undefeated.
Virginia won’t go undefeated.
Duke won’t go undefeated.
MSU can’t go undefeated.
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Of course not every single time. Just the majority of them. And getting stops on the defensive end doesn't always = a win. You still have to put the ball in the basket.
 
I often wonder what is like to win a defensive battle on the basketball floor. You know, when you aren't shooting well and you need to grind one out. That's what Michigan did against NW. When was the last time we held a Big10 team to 60?
 
Given how this roster is constructed I think they are limited on what they can do on the defensive end. Want to and effort can only take you so far.
 
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