Wtf is Ollie's half court offense philosophy?

[TasteofUConn]

They're 11th in the country in efficiency. They have lapses, but they're good on that end.

This stat blows big chunks. We're 12th in the country in Pomeroy Defensive efficiency. Sounds great, right? 12th? My my. We must be really good on D. Ok, so look at the stat. It's points per 100 possessions, adjusted for opponent. Our number is 93.4. Go out 40 places to the number 52 team (Arkansas Little Rock) and their number is 96.7.

Thats a 3 bucket people.

If you believe the "advanced metrics" of Pomeroy, you have to believe that the difference between the number 12 team in the country and the number 52 team in the country is a single three point shot.

You'd also have to believe that the College of Charleston (ranked 115 with a 17 and 14 record in the CAA) is only .8 points per hundred possessions worse than Virginia on D.

Please. What a bunch of garbage. You don't need to get into the actual computation of the stat to see how unreliable it is.

Our defense is not good. Who are you going to believe? Kenpom, or your lying eyes, which saw us give up open 3 after open 3 repeatedly this year?

 

[tzznandrew]

I don't believe our offense has changed much since 2013. What's changed is our personnel.
Having Bazz and Boat to bail you out at the end of the shot clock with DD and Giffey on the wings to murder the 3 ball if any help defense moves to defend Bazz and Boat on the blowby worked great.

No so great when Bazz---->Gibbs, Boat----->Purvis, DD------->SM, NG-------->Calhoun.

So I expect more of the same going forward. Let's hope Adams and Arterique can approximate Bazz and Boat.

I think that's part of what I'm saying. The offense can and has worked well. The problem is that the current players aren't close enough facsimiles to the original for this offense to work well--and they don't need to be exact for this offense to work, and even when it worked it was sometimes less than ideal.

 

[lange10]

We know what his halfcourt philosophy is. We see players doing a bit of a circle offense coming from underneath from weak to ball side and catching the ball. They're supposed to shoot or drive there. And we know he likes to run pick and roll/pop at the top of the key with spacing from shooters.

The problem is this team doesn't have the decisiveness from DHam, the ability to finish at the rim from Gibbs/Purvis/DHam, the ability to be creative coming off the screen (Gibbs) or shoot (Adams). This allows opposing defenses to overplay Gibbs, or go under Adams and essentially neuter our offense.

It can be a beautiful system that empowers guards when it operates well (often in 2014), but it doesn't rely enough on the low block when you have a player like Miller there, and when the team can't run it, it looks like this mess we see today. When we play teams that don't have the athletes, suddenly there's an offensive system (like annihilating USF) . It's always there, but better teams can snuff it out. It's why we beat every bad team and struggle with every good team.

This whole post is exactly why I criticize Ollie. You said it perfectly. The offense in essence should be a thing of beauty but we don't have the correct pieces to run it smoothly, so it looks like a mess.

I have been saying this for weeks now, a good coach caters to his players abilities and skills and makes the necessary changes to implement a successful offense that will put players in spots where they will be successful. Ollie does the opposite, he forces the players to play and try to fit in his system, whether it plays to their strengths or not. As we've seen this season, or at least I hope you can see, it is more of the latter than the former. Players are being asked to do things they cannot do.

 

[Danzz]

UConn has never been a great half court team and that goes back to Dee Rowe's teams. The last 2 NCC we were bailed out often by outside shots by Kemba and Bazz late in the shot clock. JC's teams were not good half court teams either.

 

[tzznandrew]

This whole post is exactly why I criticize Ollie. You said it perfectly. The offense in essence should be a thing of beauty but we don't have the correct pieces to run it smoothly, so it looks like a mess.

I have been saying this for weeks now, a good coach caters to his players abilities and skills and makes the necessary changes to implement a successful offense that will put players in spots where they will be successful. Ollie does the opposite, he forces the players to play and try to fit in his system, whether it plays to their strengths or not. As we've seen this season, or at least I hope you can see, it is more of the latter than the former. Players are being asked to do things they cannot do.

I think Ollie is a good coach.

I also think he--and frequently Calhoun--were stubborn in the face of reality. Calhoun ran his system whether players could run it (94, 95, 96, 98, 99, 02, etc.) or couldn't (93, 97, 01, 07, etc). That often paid off in the long term, but looked terrible in the short. We'll see if KO's stubbornness on this will pay off, or if our offenses will continue to look like trash.

 

[Jay-Bone]

We just ran an offensive set. Mark it down. 3-6-16 2:10 pm.

 

[Giddyup5]

Our use of SM is criminal. Okafor averaged 12 attempts a game. Adrian averaged 10 attempts a game. Shonn averages 8. I would argue that Shonn is as good offensively as Okafor and he is shooting at 58% from the field and 78% from the free throw line. Imagine if Shonn averaged 4 more attempts a game (similar to Okafor) and converted 60%? Those 4 points would result in prob 3-4 more wins?

 

[tzznandrew]

Our use of SM is criminal. Okafor averaged 12 attempts a game. Adrian averaged 10 attempts a game. Shonn averages 8. I would argue that Shonn is as good offensively as Okafor and he is shooting at 58% from the field and 78% from the free throw line. Imagine if Shonn averaged 4 more attempts a game (similar to Okafor) and converted 60%? Those 4 points would result in prob 3-4 more wins?

He's not as good offensively as Okafor. But he is quite good, and should get more attempts.

I think his lack of touches is in part because our guards struggle to create good looks for themselves, and so they opponents get in their space, making entry passes more difficult.

 

[3rdbass]

He's not as good offensively as Okafor. But he is quite good, and should get more attempts.

I think his lack of touches is in part because our guards struggle to create good looks for themselves, and so they opponents get in their space, making entry passes more difficult.

I think he has way more moves offensively than Okafor. Unfortunately we don't have guards to get him the ball. Now Okafor was better rebounder and on defense.

 

[James]

Our use of SM is criminal. Okafor averaged 12 attempts a game. Adrian averaged 10 attempts a game. Shonn averages 8. I would argue that Shonn is as good offensively as Okafor and he is shooting at 58% from the field and 78% from the free throw line. Imagine if Shonn averaged 4 more attempts a game (similar to Okafor) and converted 60%? Those 4 points would result in prob 3-4 more wins?

Okafor was 6'11, Miller is 6'5. Much smaller target he doesn't necessarily carve up space /position that great. He must expense great energy in the post due to a size difference of other fours

 

[The Funster]

We know what his halfcourt philosophy is. We see players doing a bit of a circle offense coming from underneath from weak to ball side and catching the ball. They're supposed to shoot or drive there. And we know he likes to run pick and roll/pop at the top of the key with spacing from shooters.

The problem is this team doesn't have the decisiveness from DHam, the ability to finish at the rim from Gibbs/Purvis/DHam, the ability to be creative coming off the screen (Gibbs) or shoot (Adams). This allows opposing defenses to overplay Gibbs, or go under Adams and essentially neuter our offense.

It can be a beautiful system that empowers guards when it operates well (often in 2014), but it doesn't rely enough on the low block when you have a player like Miller there, and when the team can't run it, it looks like this mess we see today. When we play teams that don't have the athletes, suddenly there's an offensive system (like annihilating USF) . It's always there, but better teams can snuff it out. It's why we beat every bad team and struggle with every good team.

Spot on, IMO. It also didn't help that DHam had a horrid year shooting. If he can play like he did in the 2nd half today, hit the open 3, get in the lane and hit the floaters we'll be a lot better. I also like Adams getting in the lane. He seems like the only guy who can actually get to rim and if he can't he has the awareness to pass. Not sure what is up with Purvis, he doesn't have the burst he used to have. Gibbs is just a catch and shoot guy.

Its a bully offense, as you said in so many words. You can bludgeon a team that can't play good defense or can't matchup on the perimeter. I think our hope against Cincy to drive and pass to a big on the baseline for either drive, alley oop or jumper. We also need to set picks for Gibbs, DHam and Purvis and hope they can make a few early. That will help open up the lane and maybe get their bigs to over commit when we get in the lane. Use their defensive aggressiveness against them.

 

[Danzz]

Calhoun's teams relied more on defense and transition points. Ollie is similar but our problem is that we can't rebound to create transition opportunities and when we do we miss layups.

 

[Justin M]

Our use of SM is criminal. Okafor averaged 12 attempts a game. Adrian averaged 10 attempts a game. Shonn averages 8. I would argue that Shonn is as good offensively as Okafor and he is shooting at 58% from the field and 78% from the free throw line. Imagine if Shonn averaged 4 more attempts a game (similar to Okafor) and converted 60%? Those 4 points would result in prob 3-4 more wins?

Couldn't agree more, every guy on the team who I've talked to couldn't agree more. He deserves more touches and has earned the right to get more touches. Seems whenever the ball gets into his hands he makes something happen with either a bucket or kick out for an open three ball. IMO, a teams primary option should always be the fast break. With Brimah (a man who runs the floor exceptionally well for a big man) and all the other athletes/burners we have on the floor, there is no way this team shouldn't be scoring more transition baskets. The problem is, on the D board, our first look isn't up the floor, its down on the ground to make sure we can dribble it.

 

[GuttyWolf]

Our use of SM is criminal. Okafor averaged 12 attempts a game. Adrian averaged 10 attempts a game. Shonn averages 8. I would argue that Shonn is as good offensively as Okafor and he is shooting at 58% from the field and 78% from the free throw line. Imagine if Shonn averaged 4 more attempts a game (similar to Okafor) and converted 60%? Those 4 points would result in prob 3-4 more wins?

It starts at the top with Kevin. He has gone on record saying Hamilton and Purvis are our two best players (LOL). The fact he had no idea his best player wore #32 all year is my biggest gripe with him.