Cant play 40 minutes

[scrappy2.0]

Bottom line--this team has not--will not and seems cannot play 40 full minutes of intense basketball. It has showed in every game -- whether ahead close or behind---that is it. They have the ingredients


3 guards who are capable of scoring 20 each Lamb Boat Shabazz

2 Very solid big men AO AD

3 Good role players Smith Giffey TO

They just dont play focused basketball for 40 minutes. If they did--we'd be around 24-6 and a solid 2 seed with a reasonable chance at vying for it all.

 

[UCHuskies08]

Maybe it's because the vast majority of them are freshmen and sophomores

 

[Dann]

 

[HuskyFan32]

Maybe it's because the vast majority of them are freshmen and sophomores

Can't use that excuse anymore. It's 30 games in. The freshman are sophomores and the sophomores juniors as they say which is dumb but the point stands.

 

[Bryan Lord]

3 guards who are capable of scoring 20 each Lamb Boat Shabazz

2 Very solid big men AO AD

3 Good role players Smith Giffey TO

Agreed. This team should be really good if not great. Hopefully we get there still.

 

[TheRogers]

Maybe it's because the vast majority of them are freshmen and sophomores

That is a reasonable excuse for mistakes. It is not a reasonable excuse for consistent effort.

 

[willie99]

they won easily

 

[dogpause]

Did they play 40 minutes? No, but they came out strong and finished strong. I'm getting a sense this team is starting to gel and that Calhoun's presence means so much to these guys. If we can get to Syracuse, I think that will be the game that can catapult us if we can win it. But even a close loss will provide a barometer and a confidence boost.

 

[ruskin]

One thought that made me feel better during Tuesday's lull was that "Well, maybe they're saving their energy for the next four days".
The long stretches where the "want" switch gets turned off are maddening, especially when they look as good as they did during the first half.
They will need to go 40 minutes today, especially against what should be a very PO'd Kevin Jones.

 

[willie99]

Did they play 40 minutes? No, but they came out strong and finished strong. I'm getting a sense this team is starting to gel and that Calhoun's presence means so much to these guys. If we can get to Syracuse, I think that will be the game that can catapult us if we can win it. But even a close loss will provide a barometer and a confidence boost.

I concur, they're jelling

they didn't play like a JC team in Feb because they were not a JC team, he wasn't there. I think (maybe hope) he's the difference and we have some fun in March

 

[cohenzone]

Well, whether or not it should have been the case, who knows, but if RS didn't deserve the playing time for a lot of the season, the fact that he seems now to be a very important piece of the puzzle and the team seems a little better organized does not seem merely coincidental to me. He is a very smart and tough basketball player and a major missing link on a team that has not looked "tough" very often.

But I don't get too excited over consecutive victories against 2 teams that are not bound for any tournament, and both of those teams outplayed us for significant stretches, plus the Providence game was what it was, and they ain't going anywhere either.

 

[Palatine]

No team can play a full 40 minutes, that's a cliche'.

The other team will have stretches where you are denied what you want to do. The other team will have stretches where they outplay you. Players will make mistakes because they are human. It would be tough to put together a full 40 minutes against air.

There is an old saying, "Only a mediocre person is always at his best." That applies to basketball. There will stretches where you play well and stretches where you play poorly. No one can give 100% effort, execute at 100%, 100% of the time. It simply is not possible.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Maybe it's because the vast majority of them are freshmen and sophomores

considering a lot of these kids played multiple games in a row or on the same day in highschool and are way more in shape then us.... because they are freshman and sophomores they cant play hard for 25+ minutes a game?

 

[TheRogers]

No team can play a full 40 minutes, that's a cliche'.

The other team will have stretches where you are denied what you want to do. The other team will have stretches where they outplay you. Players will make mistakes because they are human. It would be tough to put together a full 40 minutes against air.

There is an old saying, "Only a mediocre person is always at his best." That applies to basketball. There will stretches where you play well and stretches where you play poorly. No one can give 100% effort, execute at 100%, 100% of the time. It simply is not possible.

Maybe you are taking a very literal perspective. You are right as far as players like Bazz and Lamb who may be asked to play 35-40 minutes a game. Yes they are all human and have lapses and all you can hope is that they have the mental and physical stamina to minimize these 1-3 minute brain farts.

Playing the full 40 mins means the team plays for a full 40 minutes. That means for an individual who is out there in 2-3 minute intervals, it's not too much to expect to stay with their man on defense and be active on offense. Missed passes or dropped passes happens but hustling back on defense and consistently executing your roles for the time you are in the game is something I think is expected.

You just want to see the team minimize the same mistakes happening over and over and over throughout the game (cough cough perimeter defense). I for one do not get frustrated if AD or AO goes for a rebound and does not end up with it. I get frustrated when AD and AO is not in the vicinity of the paint for a rebound for the most part (since there are situations where they just can't).

 

[tzznandrew]

Playing the full 40 mins means the team plays for a full 40 minutes.

No offense, but this is a worthless tautology.

Find a team, anywhere, that doesn't have defensive breakdowns now and then, that doesn't go through scoring droughts. Every team does it--and sometimes it's because the other team is actually good.

I know this place likes to suggest that these kids don't try, and that they just don't want it enough. This is not true.

Focus can be an issue, especially for young teams. If what you are saying is that they lack focus for 40 minutes, I'll say two things: 1) you are right, but no team stays focused for 40 minutes, 2) they can do better in keeping their focus longer, though.

 

[jibsey]

Getting to and playing tight with the Cuse again would mean everything.