“Positionless Basketball”

[jibsey]

This may work on teams like Creighton or Seton Hall but how would this work against pressure pressing / trapping defenses like St John’s or Marquette? Can’t imagine it would fare very well.

You mean if the refs allow St. John’s to foul us on nearly every play? Holding our players as they make cuts? We get called for touch fouls, get mugged and no calls. Creighton game on 3 point shots taken by both teams and we got called but not them. Go ahead and rewatch it. We got called and they did not.
Pitino knows they won’t call everything or there would be no game to watch so the refs just let it go.

 

[RuffRuff]

You mean if the refs allow St. John’s to foul us on nearly every play? Holding our players as they make cuts? We get called for touch fouls, get mugged and no calls. Creighton game on 3 point shots taken by both teams and we got called but not them. Go ahead and rewatch it. We got called and they did not.
Pitino knows they won’t call everything or there would be no game to watch so the refs just let it go.

How many teams in the top 30 employ that kind of pressure?

 

[Sibeerian]

You mean if the refs allow St. John’s to foul us on nearly every play? Holding our players as they make cuts? We get called for touch fouls, get mugged and no calls. Creighton game on 3 point shots taken by both teams and we got called but not them. Go ahead and rewatch it. We got called and they did not.
Pitino knows they won’t call everything or there would be no game to watch so the refs just let it go.

I think St John's may run into the wrong set of refs in March and exit the tournament early.

 

[Sphinx]

"Positionless Basketball" is just an admission that you are very uneven on talent and have to find a way to get your two or three best players to do everything. It becomes more extreme when you have a superstar. Duke and UConn both have a player who can play every position better than anyone else on the team. What they want, ideally, is for that player to be on the ball at all times, to be both the initiator and the finisher of everything they do offensively. Anytime the ball is not in that person's hands, the team is not maximizing it potential, not fully exploiting its talent. Mid-majors have this problem all the time. They may have one star player to the opponent's five, but if they can keep the ball in the hands of their one star player, they have a chance.

 

[6Nattys4Us]

Our team by ability to cover aspects of each position...

Can handle PG/1 duties: Diarra, Nowell, Ball, Ross, Mahaney, McNeeley
Can handle SG/2 duties: Ball, Mahaney, McNeeley
Can handle SF/3 duties: McNeeley, Stewart, Ross, AK, Abraham, Johnson
Can handle PF/4 duties: AK, Singare, McNeeley, Stewart
Can handle C/5 duties: Reed, Jr., Johnson, AK, Singare

Multi-capable players (e.g., positionless): McNeeley, AK, Stewart, Mahaney, Johnson, Ross, Singare, Ball

I put Johnson in multi-capable because he can cover aspects of the C (blocking, some rebounding, dunking) but plays more like a 3 with guarding the 3pt line, playing out of 5 position, fleet of foot. I often feel like he's a 3 in 5's clothing.

Straight-up non-positionless guys: Diarra (PG), Nowell (PG), Reed, Jr. (C)

McNeeley can cover aspects of the 1, 2, 3, and 4
AK can cover aspects of the 3, 4, 5
Ball, Ross, Stewart, Johnson, Mahaney, Singare are 2 position coverages

Depending on both matchups and player health, we have a fairly flexible team that can go big or small as needed. Ideally you want the most "can cover 3+ positions" players out there for switching (e.g., McNeeley could be switched to cover the 2, 3, 4 capably, and AK can cover the 3, 4, 5 capably. Johnson thinks he can apparently cover the 1, 2, 5 but that's a different conversation.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I think St John's may run into the wrong set of refs in March and exit the tournament early.

I see their ceiling as the sweet sixteen this year. Not a whole lot of offense and they won't have BE refs

 

[bendm]

In regard to Alex. How many small forwards say they “neutralized” the best center in college. Twice? Not that he licked them down but he held his down vs a sucker Kalk and an exhausted Edey.

I dont Remember the chip game the same way and kalk was visibility sick he could barely get up and down the floor

 

[BuffaloHusky]

As we argue about what position-less versus “small ball”, I haven’t seen a post yet about defense. Position-less in my mind is everyone guarding 1-5 as well as handling the ball. In my mind every lineup without Diarra and Mahaney at the 1 or Reed at the 5 is position- less.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

As we argue about what position-less versus “small ball”, I haven’t seen a post yet about defense. Position-less in my mind is everyone guarding 1-5 as well as handling the ball. In my mind every lineup without Diarra and Mahaney at the 1 or Reed at the 5 is position- less.

Fair point. I like Johnson defending the perimeter more than some of our guards and wings.

 

[F101Voodoo]

I am a long time casual fan so I am not an expert on basketball. Yet I do have an opinion. To me positionless basketball is that you perform the function that is reasonable and appropriate that you are in at that moment within. your capabilities and in the situation at the moment. That is of course the philosophical side of my brain speaking. For practical side GO HUSKIES!

 

[Iluvsuebird]

This may work on teams like Creighton or Seton Hall but how would this work against pressure pressing / trapping defenses like St John’s or Marquette? Can’t imagine it would fare very well.

I agree. However, here is the contrary take: I wonder if we could break the press by playing a 6’7” PG who can see over defenders, instead of a 6’1” hobbled guard???? Against Marquette Dan brought Reed, Jr. in the second half to be an outlet (the first inbound pass). And that worked nicely. All I am saying is that we have to think outside the box this year because we do not have Cam, Tristen, etc. on this year’s team.

 

[BuffaloHusky]

I agree. However, here is the contrary take: I wonder if we could break the press by playing a 6’7” PG who can see over defenders, instead of a 6’1” hobbled guard???? Against Marquette Dan brought Reed, Jr. in the second half to be an outlet (the first inbound pass). And that worked nicely. All I am saying is that we have to think outside the box this year because we do not have Cam, Tristen, etc. on this year’s team.

I’ve always thought the idea that you need a great pure point guard to beat the press to be incredibly misleading. I‘d rather have long guys passing over the press versus shorter guys dribbling through it. Newton, Jackson, Spencer et al to me were the better solution.

 

[UconnU]

You really need size on the perimeter in our system bc of all the switches, gang rebounding, having to set screens, etc,, Maybe our biggest advantage the last 2 years was having primarily gritty 6’4+ guards. Kemba and Bazz were anomalies. Kadary Richmond looked like Steph Castle vs our weak guards.

I’m surprised we don’t see Liam at the 2 more often, with JS at the 3. We can run a more efficient offense without as much dribbling.