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- Nov 26, 2011
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While the Huskies played a much better game against the Cards this time around, especially in the second half were the huskies were right on par with ville, once again both Bazz and Boat failed to step up to the challenge. I really don't think Louisville is more talented than us because the Cards lost to Cincy and were swept by Memphis whom we beat 3 times. I simply think that the guards did not play smart basketball at all, both in this game and in the massacre.
Shabazz:
Starting first with Bazz. He is a great free throw shooter, and with the new hand check rules, coupled with the fact that he has established himself as a star, he should be aggressive in taking it to the rim often. He should have no problems in getting to the free throw line and knocking them down at a high rate. By being aggressive it also gets the opposing team's big men in foul trouble and gets us in the bonus much sooner. Yet tonight, as he has done too many times during the season against top competition he settled for long distance 3s. Tonight 7 out of his 12 total shots were from beyond the arc, that is too many shots beyond the arc for him especially when the 3s are not falling in. Yes I understand that those 3s are part of his identity, but he needs to make smarter decisions when to shoot them and when to attack.
I actually think Bazz is a great 3 point shooter and can shoot much better than his current percentage indicates, if he only sets both of his feet. On occasion he passes up a 3 where he has space to shoot and has his feet set and shoulders squared only to pump fake and take a much more difficult shot later on. This game I also noticed that when Bazz did not have the ball, and when Boat or someone else penetrated, Bazz was standing well beyond the arc, if he stood closer to the perimeter he would be in a much better position to catch and shoot immediately.
Lastly as is the case with Boat, Shabazz is way too cavalier when Uconn is trying to inbound the ball under pressure. He needs to realize that aside from Boat he is the only person on the team with handle to securely bring up the ball under pressure. Both Bazz and Boat are not tall enough to simply box their man and have the ball inbounded to them, both need to make quick hard cuts to get themselves open and do it much earlier because if they can't get open with an initial cut they have one or two other chances to get open. When they take their time getting open it puts more pressure on the guys inbounding the ball to them.
Boat:
Boat also took too many 3 pointers. He has done a good job getting into the lane the past few games, and could get in the lane even more often. He almost always the quickest guy on the court, and thats saying something when playing against Louisville and Memphis. Thats why Pitino had Russ Smith guarding him most of the time. However Boat needs to stop trying to beat the big men to the rim or finess is way to the rim. He needs to start getting into the bodies of the opposing big men when he is looking to score. More likely than not he will get the refs to call a foul. With his ability to get to the lane he should be getting to the charity stripe on a regular basis. He needs to learn to be more crafty and change speeds while driving and not go full blast all the time, when he is going full speed the whole way it means he is going at one speed and so the opposing team can predict where and how to block him, unlike Bazz who is very crafty with his body and smart enough to use contact to is advantage and get to the line . I could make more critiques about Boat's game but I am getting tired and the Boneyard has that covered already...
I really do think Boat is close to getting it all together, and I hope that Bazz and Boat play to their potential by driving in and taking less 3 pointers. Leave that to Niels and Daniels. I think we have enough talent to make a deep run in the tournament. With Amidah's development on the inside, Daniels new found aggressive approach, and Niels being Niels, if the guards play with the right energy and mindset on the offensive side, we are very hard to beat.
Shabazz:
Starting first with Bazz. He is a great free throw shooter, and with the new hand check rules, coupled with the fact that he has established himself as a star, he should be aggressive in taking it to the rim often. He should have no problems in getting to the free throw line and knocking them down at a high rate. By being aggressive it also gets the opposing team's big men in foul trouble and gets us in the bonus much sooner. Yet tonight, as he has done too many times during the season against top competition he settled for long distance 3s. Tonight 7 out of his 12 total shots were from beyond the arc, that is too many shots beyond the arc for him especially when the 3s are not falling in. Yes I understand that those 3s are part of his identity, but he needs to make smarter decisions when to shoot them and when to attack.
I actually think Bazz is a great 3 point shooter and can shoot much better than his current percentage indicates, if he only sets both of his feet. On occasion he passes up a 3 where he has space to shoot and has his feet set and shoulders squared only to pump fake and take a much more difficult shot later on. This game I also noticed that when Bazz did not have the ball, and when Boat or someone else penetrated, Bazz was standing well beyond the arc, if he stood closer to the perimeter he would be in a much better position to catch and shoot immediately.
Lastly as is the case with Boat, Shabazz is way too cavalier when Uconn is trying to inbound the ball under pressure. He needs to realize that aside from Boat he is the only person on the team with handle to securely bring up the ball under pressure. Both Bazz and Boat are not tall enough to simply box their man and have the ball inbounded to them, both need to make quick hard cuts to get themselves open and do it much earlier because if they can't get open with an initial cut they have one or two other chances to get open. When they take their time getting open it puts more pressure on the guys inbounding the ball to them.
Boat:
Boat also took too many 3 pointers. He has done a good job getting into the lane the past few games, and could get in the lane even more often. He almost always the quickest guy on the court, and thats saying something when playing against Louisville and Memphis. Thats why Pitino had Russ Smith guarding him most of the time. However Boat needs to stop trying to beat the big men to the rim or finess is way to the rim. He needs to start getting into the bodies of the opposing big men when he is looking to score. More likely than not he will get the refs to call a foul. With his ability to get to the lane he should be getting to the charity stripe on a regular basis. He needs to learn to be more crafty and change speeds while driving and not go full blast all the time, when he is going full speed the whole way it means he is going at one speed and so the opposing team can predict where and how to block him, unlike Bazz who is very crafty with his body and smart enough to use contact to is advantage and get to the line . I could make more critiques about Boat's game but I am getting tired and the Boneyard has that covered already...
I really do think Boat is close to getting it all together, and I hope that Bazz and Boat play to their potential by driving in and taking less 3 pointers. Leave that to Niels and Daniels. I think we have enough talent to make a deep run in the tournament. With Amidah's development on the inside, Daniels new found aggressive approach, and Niels being Niels, if the guards play with the right energy and mindset on the offensive side, we are very hard to beat.
