Combatting height

[Dokey]

Watching teams recruit bigs you begin to see the game change from one tall post, two medium wings, and two fast guards to ones loaded with three 6’ 5” plus players who dominate in the paint. To combat you need fast players, players with high BB IQ and players who can pass on a dime and reliably shoot the three while playing a fast transition game. In other words, a Geno team. I recall “slow” smart Ania driving to basket, drawing opponents in, then in mid drive quickly firing to teammate for a three. That way you force their often slower, less athletic bigs to defend perimeter, opening the paint to cutting darters with a scrappy Aubrey fighting for a OR. Or that’s how it works on paper. Or you just recruit a Bueckers or a Fudd. We won’t have one sixth player, we will have three or four. Convincing players to play 20 quality team minutes instead of 35 is the tough part. The future doesn’t look good, it looks Stewie or DT great. Yeah, call me Captain Obvious. I am trying to convince myself—and succeeding.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Most of these teams that are big are not necessarily all that athletic or quick.

 

[Centerstream]

Yup, teams, not from CT, with 3 bigs have won a ton of NCs in recent years.

 

[DefenseBB]

There is an old adage that “you Can’t teach height” and has double meaning:
1. It doesn’t matter how good a coach you are, if you don’t have tall players in basketball, you will be disadvantaged
2. Just because you are tall doesn’t mean you can be taught to play basketball at a proficient level

Rarely do we see teams with multiple skilled players of 6’4” or taller who can play multiple positions on both offense and defense.

 

[HuskylnSC]

Bigs, specially post up bigs, are dependent players. They need guards with skill to get them the ball. If you Look at the men's 2014 final. Kentucky was supposed to win easily. But the two guards (twins named Harrison) both 6'6" could not get the offense going as Bass and Boat pressured them relentlessly. Kentucky's guards did not have sufficient skill to run their offense against pressure. I can still see the look of fear in one UK guard as he stood with his back to half court and boat crouched inches away. He didn't know what to do. I have always felt the best way to stop dominant bigs is 1) take away the entry pass and 2) power box out. We have guards that can play that kind of defense.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Wait. Oregon's top six players in terms of minutes played include 6'5" (Sabally), 6'4" (Hebard), 6'6" (Giomi), and 6'2" (Boley).

Baylor's top minutes/points players include NaLyssa Smith (6'2"), Queen Egbo (6'3"), Erin DeGrate (6'6"), Lauren Cox (6'4") among the top seven players.

And those two teams are #1 and #2 rated in the polls.

Oregon State- 6'6" (Kennedy Brown. and Taylor Jones (6'4"). They're ranked #4.

So the notion that there's no difference between us and them doesn't seem to hold up.

 

[CL82]

There is an old adage that “you Can’t teach height” and has double meaning:
1. It doesn’t matter how good a coach you are, if you don’t have tall players in basketball, you will be disadvantaged
2. Just because you are tall doesn’t mean you can be taught to play basketball at a proficient level

Rarely do we see teams with multiple skilled players of 6’4” or taller who can play multiple positions on both offense and defense.

I never took it to mean either. Basketball skills are taught height isn't. You either have it or you don't.

 

[chrissaran]

Britney Griner won 1 championship. Kalani Brown won 1 championship. Breanna Stewart won 4 championships.

 

[pspr11]

And she is still winning championships