I guess after watching last night's game I came away satisfied. Yes the outcome wasn't great but this was the best the team has looked in awhile. Last night we were organized, had an offensive plan, attacked in the paint, pushed the ball at times, and limited turnovers. This wasn't MSU, OSU, IL where the opponent looked disinterested and let us hang around as we junked up the game and made some trick 3-balls. We looked like a real basketball team, a team with balance, that had an offensive identify, and that made adjustments.
We are obviously short the horses (top-end talent and depth) and we can beat that death, and hopefully that improves next year and the year after. However, some of the players we do have, have shown noticeable improvement and have the potential to become legit Big 10 players. Fuller is developing into one of the better big men in the league. He has show he can isolate and score, finish effectively with either hand, and crash the boards. Payne showed some explosion (beating his guy off the dribble several times), the ability to get in the paint, and deliver excellent passes on the pick-n-roll. He had trouble finishing, but hopefully that develops with work and experience, because he has shown he can get to the rim. Gatens finally looked comfortable, and seemed to understand his role as a perimeter ball-handler and shooter. May's athleticism can influence games, and his shooting has improved.
There are fundamental things that need to improve. We have to fix our defensive scheme, the switching at the end of the game is not good basketball. We need to do a better job at the free throw line ect...
But all I read today is people complaining about minutia coaching decisions. I feel like people are complaining just to complain. Here are the most stupid complaints.
1.) Lick is an idiot coach for not fouling at the end of the game. This an extremely debated strategy. Many coaches elect to play it straight-up. I think it is fair to say deference should be given to the coach on this, and either strategy can work/not work dependent on execution.
2.) Lick is an idiot for not playing Cougill. I know Cougs is an Iowa boy and stuff...but he is not that good (at least not good enough to be up in arms about). Cougs has some major flaws in his game, and Brommer brings a different skill set. Cougs is a 10 minute role player right now, nobody goes ape sh*t when Winks doesn't play. Simms went 10-24 shooting, Cole and Brommer were reasonably effective on him...I guess we could have taken Fuller out. Maybe Cougs is better than Brommer, maybe last night he wasn't...either way its not that big of deal.
3.) Lick is an idiot for having Gatens drive on the last play. Certainly hindsight is 20-20, and the execution didn't work out but there was nothing inherently wrong with the strategy (going for a quick 2 over a contested 3). Also, UM switched Simms onto Fuller for that last play. Until then one of UM's little white dudes had been guarding Fuller. The play was an clearout pick-n-roll with Gatens and Fuller (our two-best players), since Simms was now guarding Fuller, they switched and he was able to bother Gatens' shot. Might be more a nice defensive adjustment then schematic error.
I'm neither for or against Lick. We need more and better players. But this team did play well last night, and the coaches had those guys ready to play. All the complaining is counter-productive and tired.
We are obviously short the horses (top-end talent and depth) and we can beat that death, and hopefully that improves next year and the year after. However, some of the players we do have, have shown noticeable improvement and have the potential to become legit Big 10 players. Fuller is developing into one of the better big men in the league. He has show he can isolate and score, finish effectively with either hand, and crash the boards. Payne showed some explosion (beating his guy off the dribble several times), the ability to get in the paint, and deliver excellent passes on the pick-n-roll. He had trouble finishing, but hopefully that develops with work and experience, because he has shown he can get to the rim. Gatens finally looked comfortable, and seemed to understand his role as a perimeter ball-handler and shooter. May's athleticism can influence games, and his shooting has improved.
There are fundamental things that need to improve. We have to fix our defensive scheme, the switching at the end of the game is not good basketball. We need to do a better job at the free throw line ect...
But all I read today is people complaining about minutia coaching decisions. I feel like people are complaining just to complain. Here are the most stupid complaints.
1.) Lick is an idiot coach for not fouling at the end of the game. This an extremely debated strategy. Many coaches elect to play it straight-up. I think it is fair to say deference should be given to the coach on this, and either strategy can work/not work dependent on execution.
2.) Lick is an idiot for not playing Cougill. I know Cougs is an Iowa boy and stuff...but he is not that good (at least not good enough to be up in arms about). Cougs has some major flaws in his game, and Brommer brings a different skill set. Cougs is a 10 minute role player right now, nobody goes ape sh*t when Winks doesn't play. Simms went 10-24 shooting, Cole and Brommer were reasonably effective on him...I guess we could have taken Fuller out. Maybe Cougs is better than Brommer, maybe last night he wasn't...either way its not that big of deal.
3.) Lick is an idiot for having Gatens drive on the last play. Certainly hindsight is 20-20, and the execution didn't work out but there was nothing inherently wrong with the strategy (going for a quick 2 over a contested 3). Also, UM switched Simms onto Fuller for that last play. Until then one of UM's little white dudes had been guarding Fuller. The play was an clearout pick-n-roll with Gatens and Fuller (our two-best players), since Simms was now guarding Fuller, they switched and he was able to bother Gatens' shot. Might be more a nice defensive adjustment then schematic error.
I'm neither for or against Lick. We need more and better players. But this team did play well last night, and the coaches had those guys ready to play. All the complaining is counter-productive and tired.
