I wonder what Fran thinks while watching the game last night. Villanova plays 4 guards (Fran is one of the only persons who doesn't understand it's a guards game) and plays great defense. Literally, the two things that won them the championship, and Fran hasn't had either during his tenure at Iowa.
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lightning1
Well-Known Member
Wonder what Fran was thinking? "Gary said - Just graduate your players, do it the right way and you'll have a job as long as you want"
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
By the time Fran gets around to four guard lineups who can play defense, the pendulum will have swung the other way and long, lengthy lineups will be in vogue again. And the seventeen foot jumper. And guys who can shoot 60% on them. And high-low exchanges. And hair metal. And Wayne's World. And nut huggers. NOT!
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Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
Listening to the first half of the game on satellite XM while on my way home from Chicago O'HARE and John Thompson was begging Michigan to get the ball into the paint. Regardless of their foul trouble.
Their quick shooting of threes early in the shot in the shot clock played right into Villanova's hands and got their transition game going for some monster dunks.
Once the lead hit double digits Villanova didn't look back.
Michigan looked like a certain other BIG team we learned to know and love too much this winter.
lightning1
Well-Known Member
Yeah. If I'm JB, I'm setting hammer screens to get the ball into the paint. You gotta put more pressure on a team that plays defense like Nova. You ain't gonna beat them with iso offense.
mopkins
King Kong
Big men can still carry a team. It's not entirely a guards game. You look at Anthony Davis and their title run at Kentucky. You have a big man who can dominate like that and your team is nearly unstoppable
Other cases of recent great teams led by big men...dekker hayes and Kaminsky, towns and cauley-stein, wiltjer and karnowski, Noah horford and brewer at Florida...etc
I do agree that usually when a player takes over a game in the tournament it tends to be a guard. Still doesn't mean you can't win with centers and forwards.
lightning1
Well-Known Member
You can still win with traditional 4s and 5s but you better have stellar guard play. At least on the defensive end.
thedukeofearl
Well-Known Member
The Wildcats have an excellent transition game. After a missed three they are adept at the outlet pass, quick, accurate pass to one of the guards racing downcourt. Hawks really missed hitting Moss on the wings over and over last season. JBo just dribbling the ball across half court. Two years ago he would hit Moss quickly before the D was set. When he had room to operate without a set D, he was dangerous taking it to the rim.....
Lot of work to be done to change the Hawks style, but the sooner the better. Something has to be done. I don't believe there is anyone on the team who knows how to coach D. If there is, he is not getting permission to do so. Transition oriented offense is the name of the game. Defense is an afterthought.....
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
I brought up the question about two weeks ago--is outlet passing becoming a lost art? Evidently it is not if you want to become a National Champion. Gerry Wright was the best Hawkeye I ever saw at outlet passing (ironically he may have been the best I saw at finishing the break, too.) Bill Russell was probably the best outlet passer ever.The Wildcats have an excellent transition game. After a missed three they are adept at the outlet pass, quick, accurate pass to one of the guards racing downcourt. Hawks really missed hitting Moss on the wings over and over last season. JBo just dribbling the ball across half court. Two years ago he would hit Moss quickly before the D was set. When he had room to operate without a set D, he was dangerous taking it to the rim.....
Lot of work to be done to change the Hawks style, but the sooner the better. Something has to be done. I don't believe there is anyone on the team who knows how to coach D. If there is, he is not getting permission to do so. Transition oriented offense is the name of the game. Defense is an afterthought.....
I'm of the belief that Iowa isn't going to land the next Anthony Davis, who's now the best big man in the NBA and then pair him with 5 additional NBA picks. In that instance, yes, you can build around a big man but that's not reality.
Frank Kaminsky was the college player of the year for Wisconsin. The other Kentucky team you mentioned, along with Gonzaga, and Florida teams all had NBA guards on their team. Also, that Florida team was 13 years ago (and had 8 guys play in the NBA), basketball has changed drastically since then...
Basically you proved my point by referencing teams with dominant big men, and how they have to play alongside 5-8 NBA players, or be NPOY and play with only a few NBA players, or have played basketball 13 years ago... on a Florida team that had 8 guys play in the NBA.
It's a guards game, and it's why Deandre Ayton (7 footer and #1 pick in this years NBA draft) and Arizona couldn't get out of the first round against a Nevada team lead by two guards. Iowa is much more likely to win and be successful playing 3-4 talented guards at a time than signing 5-8 NBA players, which is apparently what's needed to win if your best player is a big man.
HawkPrdatr40
Well-Known Member
mopkins
King Kong
I mean we can both play the example game. Collin Sexton and trae young....two lottery point guards that couldnt get their teams out of the first round of the NCAA tournament...for example.
It's a team sport. One dominant guard or big isn't going to win you a title.
thedukeofearl
Well-Known Member
With
With Oklahoma, the entire offense became the Trae Young show. He displayed more team-oriented style of play for a while into the Big12 season, but he began to dominate the offense. He would still get his 20+ points but the team suffered drastically.....
Hope he makes it in the NBA, has a ton of talent but seems to need more game experience to develop playing team ball, learning how to incorporate the rest of the team into the offense.....
With Oklahoma, the entire offense became the Trae Young show. He displayed more team-oriented style of play for a while into the Big12 season, but he began to dominate the offense. He would still get his 20+ points but the team suffered drastically.....
Hope he makes it in the NBA, has a ton of talent but seems to need more game experience to develop playing team ball, learning how to incorporate the rest of the team into the offense.....
You're not wrong, you're just not right if you think all positions are created equal in this era. Guards are clearly more important, that's why Villanova often played 4 of them at a time on their way to a championship this year.
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
I think the thing that has changed is that we have more players who can play a lot of positions. Bates Diop was a guard in HS and plays a lot like a guard, but the guy can also post quite well. Maybe not terrific at either, but the combination is hard to deal with. In HS he would hang around the 3 point line, but when the game was on the line, wow could he go to the hope and post. Saw him dunk over a 6'9 kid Iowa was recruiting. He also had 3 D1 teammates and though he won a state championship as a soph, his team never got out of Regionals his last 2 years.
