Pulling Adama

[Rocktheworld]

Not knowing how to pass =/= selfishness.

He would never have been recruited if he was a selfish kid. Passing vision is something you often have or don't have... it's a hard skill to learn, and often just comes with experience. It's usually the last skill folks develop. Adama picked up the game way later than most players on this team.

He probably will never be a great passer, but he can be decent. I would say he had two moments where he definitely should have passed it back out yesterday. He'll get in the film room and keep learning.

It’s not one or the other; it’s both, and the failed dunk encapsulates things.

He can’t not know how to pass. He can’t not understand the importance of passing. He can’t not understand that he forces himself into very inefficient shots. He’s been here 3 years and there’s no way he’s being coached to do what we see on a nightly basis with no significant change over what is now around 60 college games. It seems like it’s an unwillingness rather than inability. Again, the failed dunk just sent it over the edge in my opinion; each on their own would be one thing, but now we have multiple distinct behaviors that point to someone who is more interested in doing themselves. These are obvious, wide-open, no-brainer looks he is passing up. Like passing Go in Monopoly without taking $200

 

[REB1094]

Friendly reminder that Adama Sanogo is still averaging 19/9 on 60% and will exceed that statline on Friday

 

[husky429]

He can’t not know how to pass. He can’t not understand the importance of passing. He can’t not understand that he forces himself into very inefficient shots. He’s been here 3 years and there’s no way he’s being coached to do what we see on a nightly basis with no significant change over what is now around 60 college games. It seems like it’s an unwillingness rather than inability.

I hear what you're saying, but I'm never going to believe that the kid is selfish until I see someone making plays to boost their stats instead of helping the team win. I haven't seen it on the court, off the court, in interviews, when he was playing in HS, anywhere. If he isn't making a passing reading, it's because he hasn't learned fast enough (or learned at all). Is that selfish, or is that a BBIQ limitation?

Akok couldn't pass well either, was he selfish? Neither could Facey, Carlton, Polley, Whaley... the list goes on. Shoot, Bouknight was a god-awful passer. I wouldn't call any of them selfish--they just lack passing as a skill.

Kid is trying to get buckets and has trouble seeing out of the post--it is what it is. He has tunnel vision and that's practically rarely something players improve in college.

 

[NotADime89]

He was not far from half court when he got the ball. Didn't we applaud the practice clip where Johnson did exactly that, taking only a couple dribbles to go 3/4 court?

That's what I saw, Newton one step ahead of him just to the left. Right next to him. I didn't see any clear opening to pass it. But as I said, I need to rewatch the clip.

Dude just go back and rewatch the clip, you've said the same thing 5 times already and keep commenting without rewatching. He wasn't right next to him and there was a clear opening to kick it ahead to Newton

 

[HuskyHawk]

Dude just go back and rewatch the clip, you've said the same thing 5 times already and keep commenting without rewatching. He wasn't right next to him and there was a clear opening to kick it ahead to Newton

Find me the clip and I will.

 

[NotADime89]

Find me the clip and I will.

Rewatch the game. Its around the 4 min mark

 

[Rocktheworld]

I hear what you're saying, but I'm never going to believe that the kid is selfish until I see someone making plays to boost their stats instead of helping the team win. I haven't seen it on the court, off the court, in interviews, when he was playing in HS, anywhere. If he isn't making a passing reading, it's because he hasn't learned fast enough (or learned at all). Is that selfish, or is that a BBIQ limitation?

Akok couldn't pass well either, was he selfish? Neither could Facey, Carlton, Polley, Whaley... the list goes on. Shoot, Bouknight was a god-awful passer. I wouldn't call any of them selfish--they just lack passing as a skill.

Kid is trying to get buckets and has trouble seeing out of the post--it is what it is. He has tunnel vision and that's practically rarely something players improve in college.

Those guys would at least try to make the right play and perhaps fail. Adama isn’t even trying to do that. He may think his contested shots are the right plays because he’s our best player; but again, there is no question he is passing up the most obvious, easy plays. Completely ignoring wide open cutters right in front of him.

I said in a prior post, before last night, I was wondering if he truly understood the offense based on his lack of passing. Then the dunk attempt, again, reinforces the idea that he’s running his own show. And, again, it’s year 3 with the same coach, same offense.

 

[husky429]

Those guys would at least try to make the right play and perhaps fail. Adama isn’t even trying to do that. He may think his contested shots are the right plays because he’s our best player; but again, there is no question he is passing up the most obvious, easy plays. Completely ignoring wide open cutters right in front of him.

I said in a prior post, before last night, I was wondering if he truly understood the offense based on his lack of passing. Then the dunk attempt, again, reinforces the idea that he’s running his own show. And, again, it’s year 3 with the same coach, same offense.

I mean if you want to call one of our players selfish, you do you. Seems pretty disrespectful to the kid and the coaching staff to me. But it doesn't matter one way or the other if we win games.

You call not making obvious reads selfish, I say it's a skill gap. Not sure we're going to reconcile that.

 

[superjohn]

I mean if you want to call one of our players selfish, you do you. Seems pretty disrespectful to the kid and the coaching staff to me. But it doesn't matter one way or the other if we win games.

You call not making obvious reads selfish, I say it's a skill gap. Not sure we're going to reconcile that.

Selfish doesn't at all seem to be who Adama is. I thought I remembered him making some good kick outs in the first 2 games but game 3 showed his fatal flaw again. He's usually too dominant to take off the court but if he goes into black hole mode where he's going 1 on 3 and shooting as he's falling over instead of kicking it out, he has to sit. As Hurley said after the game, with Adama and Donovan we have one of the few best big man duos in the country and are reminiscent of Purdue.

 

[Kenny11]

He did twice in the first game. I feel like it's a point of emphasis in practice that Hurley expects of him.

Yeah. I think he just felt like he could physically dominate 2 players and still score. His passing was much better the first two games. Off game last night

 

[bigknight3]

Yeah. I think he just felt like he could physically dominate 2 players and still score. His passing was much better the first two games. Off game last night

I like that he did it instinctively the first game, so I knew they had been working on it.

Now every time he ignores the double and triple teams and puts bad tape off bad shots while trying to muscle through defenders with wide open shooters on the wing, Hurley can use these moments to continue to coach thus bad tendency out of Sanogo

 

[BuffaloHusky]

Buffalo had some really good length which was not only affecting Adama but was also another reason that so many passes to him were flying out of bounds or off target. I don't think it was a coincidence that after a stretch where it felt like 4 or 5 turnovers in a row occurred trying to get him the ball he decided he was just going to take the ball himself. As for being selfish... that's just frustration and he will learn from it.

 

[Rocktheworld]

I mean if you want to call one of our players selfish, you do you. Seems pretty disrespectful to the kid and the coaching staff to me. But it doesn't matter one way or the other if we win games.

You call not making obvious reads selfish, I say it's a skill gap. Not sure we're going to reconcile that.

Multiple distinct behaviors that constellate to resemble selfishness or me-first attitude is as far as I’ll go. Never called him a selfish person. He can start passing and shut me up whenever he wants.

 

[NYCMike]

I might be the only one who thinks he tried to miss that on purpose to get Newton his 10th board. I think that’s why Hurley was pissed.

I thought the same. Not smart, but the opposite of selfish.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I mean if you want to call one of our players selfish, you do you. Seems pretty disrespectful to the kid and the coaching staff to me. But it doesn't matter one way or the other if we win games.

You call not making obvious reads selfish, I say it's a skill gap. Not sure we're going to reconcile that.

Selfish doesn't at all seem to be who Adama is. I thought I remembered him making some good kick outs in the first 2 games but game 3 showed his fatal flaw again. He's usually too dominant to take off the court but if he goes into black hole mode where he's going 1 on 3 and shooting as he's falling over instead of kicking it out, he has to sit. As Hurley said after the game, with Adama and Donovan we have one of the few best big man duos in the country and are reminiscent of Purdue.

I certainly don't think he's selfish. What I think I saw, early in the game (and in games last year) was a scripted offense. Hurley saying get the ball to Adama, and Adama will shoot. When the defense takes that away with doubles or pushes him out, the guards keep making those entry passes (several were terrible) and Adama keeps taking those shots. I think they're doing it because that's the game plan. It always seems to be worse at the start of either half.

Can the team do better? Yes, but I think we're hurt by the absences in that regard. We're more reliant on Sanogo without the other guys. The hope was we'd have so much firepower that they couldn't double him. Well, they doubled him and we missed the shots, so they kept doing it.

 

[REB1094]

The hope was we'd have so much firepower that they couldn't double him. Well, they doubled him and we missed the shots, so they kept doing it.

This is a very important point. The entire base of our offense is forcing teams to guard Sanogo 1v1, or rain threes if they send extra defenders.

If teams are playing him 2v1 and nobody is making the threes, we’re the exact same team as last year and the offense will subsequently look exactly like last year.

Only difference would be that we have Hawkins and Newton throwing together last second iso after the offense breaks down instead of RJ. In theory this should be better, but you’ve already put yourself at an extreme disadvantage if that’s the situation.

Make the open shots = Sanogo gets to play 1v1 = everyone wins (except our opponents).

 

[Waquoit]

I'm tellin' ya, his first two shots go in last night if he uses glass.

 

[gsmooth]

It was a message to everyone on the team that if Hurley can bench Adama for that play, he will bench any of them for that type of play.

And it was a good and necessary message to send, IMO. I love Adama, but he botched that play.

 

[gsmooth]

Yeah. Who does he think he is …….Phil Nolan?

I remember that end of the game dunk at MSG vs Mich State in the Elite Eight very well. The announcers even said something like "and Nolan's not giving this up, he is taking it himself.", LOL

 

[ElmCity40th]

I won’t just say Sanogo is a selfish player. He just did something selfish. As a fan I only can hope he sees the bigger picture because this perhaps will be the last season he plays in his career where he is the go to feature. Live and learn my guy.

 

[Scrappy3]

Everyone makes mistakes.
I’m not gonna make an issue out of one play. Next time he’ll make the pass

 

[auror]

I won’t just say Sanogo is a selfish player. He just did something selfish. As a fan I only can hope he sees the bigger picture because this perhaps will be the last season he plays in his career where he is the go to feature. Live and learn my guy.

Like I'm not going to pretend I wouldn't have gone wild as a fan if he went coast to coast for a slam, despite it not being the right play. I know that. He knows that. He knows what the fans want.

But if you're going to do that, you gotta actually do it. He assumes the risk of that selfishness. In a big game, that risk is more important, and he should pass.

 

[imno1]

if I were Coach I woulda just said “you do that again you better duckkn make it”

 

[Brandon86]

So, I’m trying to understand the complaint here. A guy has the ball, past mid court, with no defenders between him and the basket, and one teammate maybe 4 feet ahead of him, and…he should pass? Why? That’s a higher risk play. We aren’t talking about a guy under the basket looking back for the pass. Nor a 2 on 1 where you pass to ensure a clean look.

He blew the dunk, but dunking wasn’t a bad decision. His lazy execution was the problem.

If somebody is in front of you, you always throw it ahead. Honestly that’s not even debatable in basketball lol.

 

[CbbisGreat]

Adama was forcing a lot tonight. Was doubled with Karaban/calcaterra wide open screaming for the ball on the perimeter and still forced bad shots.

it crossed my mind that maybe Adama missed on purpose, thinking that newton would get the rebound and his triple double .not saying thats what happened but it occurred to me during the play