Boozer Breaks Silence | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Boozer Breaks Silence

The last 10 seconds are on the Duke coaches. First, they had a time out and they probably should have used it before inbounding. Second, why was Sarr a freshman and a 53% FT shooter inbounding the ball? He inbounded to Cam Boozer who was quickly double teamed so he threw it back to Sarr and he quickly got rid of it to Cayden Boozer as he thought he was going to be fouled. Shouldn't Evans, a 86% FT shooter at least been in the backcourt if not inbounding? Third, Scheyer motioned Cayden Boozer to throw the ball down court.

The real question is why did the game come down to the last possession when Duke had a 19 point lead? Cayden Boozer was a small part of the collapse.
 
UConnJim said:
The last 10 seconds are on the Duke coaches. First, they had a time out and they probably should have used it before inbounding. Second, why was Sarr a freshman and a 53% FT shooter inbounding the ball? He inbounded to Cam Boozer who was quickly double teamed so he threw it back to Sarr and he quickly got rid of it to Cayden Boozer as he thought he was going to be fouled. Shouldn't Evans, a 86% FT shooter at least been in the backcourt if not inbounding? Third, Scheyer motioned Cayden Boozer to throw the ball down court.

The real question is why did the game come down to the last possession when Duke had a 19 point lead? Cayden Boozer was a small part of the collapse.
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As I said, everything was good execution wise until the lesser Boozer dribbled into the defense, but you can certainly criticize who was where. Evans should have inbounded, and Cam Boozer should have been the guy flashing to the middle. That probably means that Cayden receives the inbound pass, which is risky, but he has to go somewhere.
 
Duke should have used their timeout. 10 seconds = time to cross half court so best bet was get in the hands of best FT shooter and wait for contact/foul because simultaneously end of game and half court is game over.

Cay turned but first thought was dribble around and got caught having to pass over and was a mistake. Yes bad play by him but coach could have talked it over in a TO first.

Poise by AK not taking a contested shot and pass to Braylon was key for us
 
It's all on Scheyer. He choked. No way you don't call the TO with 10 seconds left in a chaotic huge game to get your guys' heads straight. It's what timeouts are for. With the stakes that high, leaving his guys out there to do "whatever" is pure coaching malpractice. As for Scheyer's excuse that you don't lose the game in one play? You do if it's that one. Classic CYA. He should have immediately taken responsibility for all of it, at least to protect his own men.
 
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80shusky said:
Same. It's not his fault alone that the entire team collapsed in the last 10 minutes of the game and let UConn back in. It looked like Scheyer was telling them to advance the ball. He tried to do what he was told to do.
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He needed to turn and pass it immediately to his teammates on the other end of the court. When he took a dribble, the defenders closed on him. He gave them the small window they needed.
 
Honestly, I started to have faith with 10 seconds left when Cam Boozer fumbled the first pass. I just had a feeling like, these guys are a little frazzled, we could do this. Then the way Cam passed and then Sarr passed again was so fast, they seemed to be in a hurry when they didn't need to be. All Cayden had to do was fake the pass and then with Mullins and Demery in the air, pass around them.
 
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Whatever. You can't dissect the what ifs of this game. What if UConn didn't shoot like my drunken UConn intramural team for most of the game? What then? What if the obvious charge by Cam was called correctly? Cayden Boozer played a fantastic game and without him that game isn't close. The loss sure as hell isn't on him. It all came together in a way that produced something of profound beauty for college basketball fans. The basketball gods are pleased.
 
Excalibur said:
If we were in that position and held the ball and there was a tie up, there would be an army of people screaming "WHY DID HE HOLD THE BALL!!!" and telling us how we can't break a press. It was a perfect press break up until the time Boozer panicked. If he just gives a ball fake there, Silas and Braylin jump out of their shoes, he then completes the pass for a dunk, and the game is over.
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The more I've watched that sequence and the more I think about this, I'm fine with what he tried to do. We've seen the pass and keep away dozens of times in that situation when there's a solid amount of time on the clock.

The problem is not trying to pass the ball to one of two wide open teammates down court, it's making damn sure you get that pass to them. If he had put more steam and arc on that pass, the game is over. There wasn't a Husky anywhere in their zip code. He simply executed it poorly.

Also, gotta give credit to Demary for closing in fast and getting a hand on the ball. With that said, in that situation, you better get the pass off cleanly or risk the unthinkable. Well that unthinkable happened and because of it, their season ended right then and right there.

I don't blame him for his decision. His inexpensive, likely never being in that situation with so much at stake, had a lot to do with the outcome. A brutal time and outcome to learn that lesson, but lesson learned nonetheless.
 
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1999GoodSon said:
It's all on Scheyer. He choked. No way you don't call the TO with 10 seconds left in a chaotic huge game to get your guys' heads straight. It's what timeouts are for.
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There's no way you do call a timeout there with only one left. You keep that in your pocket of the inbounder can't get it in or if a guy gets trapped and is in trouble. The true malpractice would have been burning his final timeout after the made FT.

Their press break was standard. Every team goes over this every day in practice. You don't need to call a TO there to draw up something. If you have two timeouts left then absolutely, use one there. With one timeout, no way.

There was nothing wrong from a coaching perspective.

1. Inbound the ball.
2. Accept the trap.
3. Pass back to the inbounder.
4. Look middle to the flasher.
5. Flasher looks opposite to break the press.

This has been how you break pressure for decades. You can see Scheyer motioning to look/pass opposite.

The problem was that Boozer broke a cardinal rule: he caught it and went right into a dribble instead of a controlled catch and turning to face the defense and assess the situation. He's a freshman, he rushed, he made a mistake, and his team paid for it.

Holding the ball wasn't the answer either. No coach in basketball history would tell a player to hold the ball with 7-8 seconds left. 2-3 seconds, sure. You don't risk the tie up or the strip with that much time left.
 
A perfectly played game is hard. Hell, IMO, we made a major mistake just moments earlier not fouling Nbonga.

Also... they blew a record lead (134-0) and it wasn't all on him.
 
Lefty2one said:
There's no way you do call a timeout there with only one left. You keep that in your pocket of the inbounder can't get it in or if a guy gets trapped and is in trouble. The true malpractice would have been burning his final timeout after the made FT.

Their press break was standard. Every team goes over this every day in practice. You don't need to call a TO there to draw up something. If you have two timeouts left then absolutely, use one there. With one timeout, no way.

There was nothing wrong from a coaching perspective.

1. Inbound the ball.
2. Accept the trap.
3. Pass back to the inbounder.
4. Look middle to the flasher.
5. Flasher looks opposite to break the press.

This has been how you break pressure for decades. You can see Scheyer motioning to look/pass opposite.

The problem was that Boozer broke a cardinal rule: he caught it and went right into a dribble instead of a controlled catch and turning to face the defense and assess the situation. He's a freshman, he rushed, he made a mistake, and his team paid for it.

Holding the ball wasn't the answer either. No coach in basketball history would tell a player to hold the ball with 7-8 seconds left. 2-3 seconds, sure. You don't risk the tie up or the strip with that much time left.
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You're right. But I'm going to split hairs with you. After the inbounds play, and his brother fumbled that first pass it looked like things were going sideways fast. A timeout right there for a reset was the right call. And I'll die on the hill of saying Schreyer should accept complete responsibility. He was standing 10-15 feet away.
 
Lefty2one said:
There's no way you do call a timeout there with only one left. You keep that in your pocket of the inbounder can't get it in or if a guy gets trapped and is in trouble. The true malpractice would have been burning his final timeout after the made FT.

Their press break was standard. Every team goes over this every day in practice. You don't need to call a TO there to draw up something. If you have two timeouts left then absolutely, use one there. With one timeout, no way.

There was nothing wrong from a coaching perspective.

1. Inbound the ball.
2. Accept the trap.
3. Pass back to the inbounder.
4. Look middle to the flasher.
5. Flasher looks opposite to break the press.

This has been how you break pressure for decades. You can see Scheyer motioning to look/pass opposite.

The problem was that Boozer broke a cardinal rule: he caught it and went right into a dribble instead of a controlled catch and turning to face the defense and assess the situation. He's a freshman, he rushed, he made a mistake, and his team paid for it.

Holding the ball wasn't the answer either. No coach in basketball history would tell a player to hold the ball with 7-8 seconds left. 2-3 seconds, sure. You don't risk the tie up or the strip with that much time left.
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I’m dumbfounded that people don’t understand this
 
A less-bad choice would've been for Cayden Boozer to just keep dribbling instead of stopping to make the pass. He clearly had a step on both defenders if he'd kept momentum moving diagonally to the left. They would've had to foul him from behind. I know, better to hold the ball, but it's also easier to prevent a steal off the dribble than the pass.
 
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1999GoodSon said:
You're right. But I'm going to split hairs with you. After the inbounds play, and his brother fumbled that first pass it looked like things were going sideways fast. A timeout right there for a reset was the right call. And I'll die on the hill of saying Schreyer should accept complete responsibility. He was standing 10-15 feet away.
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If you call a timeout that means you have to inbound the ball again - and you probably just used your best inbounds play. Not to mention, the initial inbound pass to Cameron Boozer was a bit awkward. He ends up bobbling it before quickly regaining control and sending it back to Sarr underneath the basket. It did not look like the smoothest operation, and it probably wasn't going to be the next time either given their lack of a true alpha ball-handler. St. John's gave them trouble with the press, too.
 
I could care what Dook, their coach and players have to say.
The entire program is to blame for not having enough energy to keep a large lead.
I do wonder however, who would be successful, the UConn offense in bounding vs the UConn defensive pressure?
 
Excalibur said:
If we were in that position and held the ball and there was a tie up, there would be an army of people screaming "WHY DID HE HOLD THE BALL!!!" and telling us how we can't break a press. It was a perfect press break up until the time Boozer panicked. If he just gives a ball fake there, Silas and Braylin jump out of their shoes, he then completes the pass for a dunk, and the game is over.
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The other thing that hasn't really been discussed is that Duke was still in the 1 and 1. Our next foul was only going to be the 8th of the half. I honestly think it was the right call, Demary just made an extraordinary play on the ball.
 
temery said:
I feel for the kids.

www.yahoo.com

Duke’s Cayden Boozer breaks silence on brutal blunder vs. UConn

Duke fell in the Elite Eight to UConn after giving up a 15-point half time lead and one major blunder by Cayden Boozer.
www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com
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Crazy. I mean Isiah Thomas is in the HOF and all he had to do in '87 was inbounds the ball and he was in such a hurry that he telegraphed the pass, Bird stole the ball, and the Celtics went to the NBA finals and the Pistons went home. This kid is just a freshman, trying to do what his coach wanted.
 
Mike Honcho said:
The other thing that hasn't really been discussed is that Duke was still in the 1 and 1. Our next foul was only going to be the 8th of the half. I honestly think it was the right call, Demary just made an extraordinary play on the ball.
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Correct. We had the foul advantage in the second half which hasn’t been the case for us usually. Regardless of the outcome of the tournament Duke and their fans will never live this moment down. We always want to beat Duke because of the excellence of their program and players. It all just came together this time.
 
DRBackup said:
Crazy. I mean Isiah Thomas is in the HOF and all he had to do in '87 was inbounds the ball and he was in such a hurry that he telegraphed the pass, Bird stole the ball, and the Celtics went to the NBA finals and the Pistons went home. This kid is just a freshman, trying to do what his coach wanted.
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We needed so many things to happen perfectly -- a mistake, a play to induce the mistake, multiple plays to capitalize on the mistake -- they all happened.
 
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My theory is Boozer got greedy and wanted to produce a dunk finish to the game. It was their undoing.
 
Excalibur said:
As I said, everything was good execution wise until the lesser Boozer dribbled into the defense, but you can certainly criticize who was where. Evans should have inbounded, and Cam Boozer should have been the guy flashing to the middle. That probably means that Cayden receives the inbound pass, which is risky, but he has to go somewhere.
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This is pretty much exactly what I was going to post. It was idiotic to have Sarr inbound as he's a 50% free throw shooter. Ross was trying to foul him, but Sarr got rid of it quickly. In a lot of press break situations, it's the second pass that draws the foul. Some have said Duke should've used their TO, but that's dumb. I was also a little surprised that they wouldn't have subbed for Ngomba (or Sarr) after Silas' make. I get that would've given us more time to set up, but it would've removed one or two very poor free-throw shooters from the equation. I have to admit, though, I have no idea if Duke's reserves are reliable at the line

Duke actually did a good job, initially, of avoiding the foul/trap and squeezing some seconds. Cayden made the mistake of immediately dribbling rather than gathering and, hard in the moment, I know, using our aggressiveness against us. Duke literally had two players uncovered waiting to dunk and seal the game.

Either way, Scheyer deserves most of the "blame" for the situation, and this is example #98009809 that, despite how talented your freshmen are, they are still just kids and prone to making mistakes. Both Boozer's (and Sarr) looked like they wanted to get rid of the ball asap - Cam fumbled the pass initially - and Cayden just rushed. I mean, I think we were in some ways fortunate that Braylon got the ball back with only two seconds on the clock. There was no time to think. I believe only a senior, veteran, like AK would have the patience/intelligence to pass up his shot in that situation, which could've been blocked or would've been taken under much more duress. It also helped that Evans decided to watch instead of even considering contesting.
 
Deepster said:
You know what? I don't give a rat's patootie about either Boozer, Scheyer or anyone affiliated with that program right now. They all collectively gagged away a lead that 134 other teams didn't. Sucks for them.
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Yes it does. And they don’t train hard, try to win or even send their mothers flowers on Mother’s Day. They are just rotten SOB’s, and losers that we should hate. Right?
 
Little Boozer got the ball with nobody really near him (but obviously Demary and Mullins rushing at him). In a parallel world where he just holds the ball and waits for the foul, then misses the front end and UConn wins on a three, people are posting the screen shot of two guys wide open and absolutely killing him for not throwing the ball ahead for the winning dunk.

Duke kinda did everything right there on the press break until the execution of the final pass. The one strategic mistake was running their best FT shooter (Evans) way down court and having a 55 percent shooter (Sarr) inbound it and receive the pass. But we didn’t take advantage of that.

We actually did almost nothing right until the deflection. We should’ve fouled Cam right away so that we could have given potentially ourselves two more possessions. It’s a big time pressure 1-and-1 so make them shoot one or two of them and not necessarily wait to find the ideal victim. We had a timeout left so if Cam made both, we can still go end to end, score quickly, foul again and maybe you get a second chance (unless they go 4-4).

But if our strategy was to foul the worst FT shooter, we had nobody there to defend the first pass and/or foul Sarr. Malachi and Silas were face guarding Evans and Cayden Boozer on the other side of the court and didn’t see the ball. Smith released Evans, but got caught in no man’s land guarding nobody and couldn’t get to Sarr in time to foul him (or put any pressure the second pass). Ross was trapping Cam Boozer and tried to get there but had too much ground to cover. Then we had a lot of ground to cover to get to Cayden - where we couldn’t foul him either.

If that pass gets by, the narrative is completely different about our terrible clock management and poor organization on the press and Duke’s perfect press break. There would be a spot shadow on Smith doing absolutely nothing guarding nobody and Duke’s heady ball movement to run out the clock. We didn’t foul on the inbounds - then Sarr was wide open, Cayden was wide open and the guys downcourt were wide open.

Demary’s fingertips changed everything.
 
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