Akok Only 25 Minutes

[husky429]

I feel like everyone talking about valuing the minutes early on and playing guys when they seem to have too many fouls really doesn't take into account in game coaching strategies. If you have that shot blocker out there when the other team knows he's in "foul trouble" relative to the time left, the team strategy is going to be to go after that guy EVERY play.

Drive at that defender, flop your legs out when you shoot in the hopes they kind of hit them and a ref calls a bad foul, if you lose the ball on your own and that defender is anywhere near you, fall over and cry about it.

Refs are terrible, and athletes don't play fair. For these reasons, I think in most cases you have to sit that guy mid first half with 2 fouls, especially the younger he is, regardless of how he's played so far in his career.

You cannot look at fouls per game or per 40 minutes in a bubble, because if the player has NEVER been in "foul trouble" in those minutes for your data, you have ZERO data on how many fouls he picks up when the other team is hellbent on getting fouls called on him. Data matters, but perspective on the data is necessary

Very, very good point. I'd give 2 likes if I could.

 

[superjohn]

I hate the 2 fouls automatic sit down thing and always have, everyone always points to the Okafor Duke game and I hated it then as well. Everything worked out in the end but I think we blow Duke's doors off if Okafor doesn't sit. I think there is a pretty decent chance we do the same if Alterique and Akok don't sit. You certainly can't have your two most important players in the game sitting at the same time. Fouls tend to even themselves out and refs have a really hard time fouling guys out....Calhoun walks on water but his strict adherence to it is right up there with him never fouling when up 3 at the end of the game, always hated that.

 

[ctchamps]

I feel like everyone talking about valuing the minutes early on and playing guys when they seem to have too many fouls really doesn't take into account in game coaching strategies. If you have that shot blocker out there when the other team knows he's in "foul trouble" relative to the time left, the team strategy is going to be to go after that guy EVERY play.

Drive at that defender, flop your legs out when you shoot in the hopes they kind of hit them and a ref calls a bad foul, if you lose the ball on your own and that defender is anywhere near you, fall over and cry about it.

Refs are terrible, and athletes don't play fair. For these reasons, I think in most cases you have to sit that guy mid first half with 2 fouls, especially the younger he is, regardless of how he's played so far in his career.

You cannot look at fouls per game or per 40 minutes in a bubble, because if the player has NEVER been in "foul trouble" in those minutes for your data, you have ZERO data on how many fouls he picks up when the other team is hellbent on getting fouls called on him. Data matters, but perspective on the data is necessary

Great post. It's also human nature for the player with 3 fouls to play cautiously.

Another consideration is the quality of play that Sid provided during much of that time Akok was sitting.

Sid comes in when Akok picks up his third at 16:53 and gets a block on the next play. He gets an assist at 14:58 to Josh. TO at 14:20; D rebound at 12:52; O rebound and missed layup at 12:37; D rebound at 12:21 leading to fast break makes the shot on an assist by Al, is fouled and makes the foul shot at 12:15; media time out at 11:49 Akok subbed in for Sid but Sid comes back in for Akok at 11:18 and scores on the steal and alley oop by Christian at 10:59; gets a D rebound at 9:26 and a block at 8:44; foul at 7:32 in which he's subbed out.

Arbitrary is not just pulling players with two fouls in the first half. It's also not considering other things such as opposing teams, how refs are calling games and how substitutes are performing in place of the foul strapped player.

 

[Waquoit]

I hate the 2 fouls automatic sit down thing and always have, everyone always points to the Okafor Duke game and I hated it then as well.

And they refuse to acknowledge Maryland game where sitting Butler blew it.

 

[Excalibur]

And they refuse to acknowledge Maryland game where sitting Butler blew it.

I've always loved this inaccurate description --

Butler sat for five minutes. We had a two point lead when he went out, played it even for three minutes, and MD went on a mini-run in the last couple of minutes. Still, it was a four point game when some no-name guy from Maryland hit an over the shoulder three as time expired. I'm sure Butler would have prevented that.

Fresh and motivated, Butler scored 26 in the second half and we had control of the game with 4 minutes to go. Maryland's big run came late -- with Butler on the floor.

 

[Waquoit]

Too bad about that mini-run.

 

[jibsey]

Letting Akok foul out is preferable to us losing and him having less than 5 fouls. I know it worked for Calhoun and Okafor in the National championship game vs Georgia tech but we don’t have that kind of UCONN team do we?