Defensive growing pains

[Sithlyone]

Our help side defense was very weak tonight. Maybe I just need a few games to get last seasons amazing defense out of my system but on many drives (especially late in the 2nd half) when the ball was reversed or when they drove into the lane we never rotated over and they passed to an open guy for easy points. Skal seemed to be the culprit most times so maybe this is just him learning the position.

Since this is a very fixable problem through coaching I'm not overly concerned. I only bring it up because of how glaring it was, especially compared with last season. Which really just goes to show how amazing last season was.

 

[brianpoe]

Our help side defense was very weak tonight. Maybe I just need a few games to get last seasons amazing defense out of my system but on many drives (especially late in the 2nd half) when the ball was reversed or when they drove into the lane we never rotated over and they passed to an open guy for easy points. Skal seemed to be the culprit most times so maybe this is just him learning the position.

Since this is a very fixable problem through coaching I'm not overly concerned. I only bring it up because of how glaring it was, especially compared with last season. Which really just goes to show how amazing last season was.

With all of the items involved in teaching defense I would say that this is the next to last thing to evolve. With pick and roll D being the hardest.

 

[Sithlyone]

With all of the items involved in teaching defense I would say that this is the next to last thing to evolve. With pick and roll D being the hardest.

Yeah, I get it. I was just taken aback by it. However, Lee, Poythress, Willis seemed to be in the right place most of the time.

 

[CatsRWild]

This team isn't going to ever be great at defense this season. Just don't have that type of personnel outside of the occasional Lee, Poythress or Skal blocked shots. 8 blocks tonight inside. On the perimeter we let their backcourt score all too easy. Starting guards 17 & 18 a piece and their two guards off their bench added 6 each. Just need to learn to slow the other teams backcourt down enough to come out on top.

Forget freedom of movement and reduced shot clock rules changes...we'll press more to cover up our half court defensive woe's. Ulis may be tough and quicker, but good guards can just post him or rise up to shoot over him. Murray is disinterested in guarding back...outside of gambling off his man to go for the occasional steal. He already reminds me of Rhondo when he was hear (except with a 3 point shot). Great offensive talent that can get anywhere he wants with the ball, and he'll even lead the team in steals...all while giving up 18+ a night to his man he forgot to guard. What little I've seen of Briscoe, he looked like he may be our best perimeter defender of this group with his size and athleticism. Missed him tonight.

It's all good, just going to win with offense this year! Go Cats!

 

[Xception]

We are going to do it backwards for the first time in the Cal era , we will be better at offense and the defense will come later .

 

[brianpoe]

We are going to do it backwards for the first time in the Cal era , we will be better at offense and the defense will come later .

You are such a good poster on the basketball boards...

 

[KWilt43atbuzz]

I think the freedom of movement movement is going to hamper every defense or at least it better!

 

[Blue Decade]

Our help side defense was very weak tonight. Maybe I just need a few games to get last seasons amazing defense out of my system but on many drives (especially late in the 2nd half) when the ball was reversed or when they drove into the lane we never rotated over and they passed to an open guy for easy points. Skal seemed to be the culprit most times so maybe this is just him learning the position.

Since this is a very fixable problem through coaching I'm not overly concerned. I only bring it up because of how glaring it was, especially compared with last season. Which really just goes to show how amazing last season was.

Our interior defense was good last night. It will get better when weakside help improves, but a lot of this is on Labissiere. Lee is a shot eater. Our perimeter defense was pretty bad, but Albany had a poor shooting night anyway. With Briscoe, Murray, and Mathews, our team has the potential to become a good perimeter defensive team later in the season. That takes time. But in order to beat teams like Duke and Kansas, you have to play solid transition defense. Last night, we were not challenged very much in transition.

 

[KWilt43atbuzz]

Ulis and Hawkins are both solid peremeter defenders as well.

Obviously Hawkins needs time to get back in shape from the broken hand.

This team has all the parts to be solid defensively. Watch Cal and Co. Coach em up.

 

[Sithlyone]

Ulis and Hawkins are both solid peremeter defenders as well.

Obviously Hawkins needs time to get back in shape from the broken hand.

This team has all the parts to be solid defensively. Watch Cal and Co. Coach em up.

Forgot to mention Hawk. He caught my eye too, and not in a good way. Several times he left his position/man to try to help on a switch and got caught in no mans land and his guy either scored, took an open shot or drewout an other defender that opened a lane for a pass for an easy layup. I think he was trying to do to much to make up for some of the others.

 

[Bkocats]

Forgot to mention Hawk. He caught my eye too, and not in a good way. Several times he left his position/man to try to help on a switch and got caught in no mans land and his guy either scored, took an open shot or drewout an other defender that opened a lane for a pass for an easy layup. I think he was trying to do to much to make up for some of the others.

That's what I thought as well - and add in he's probably trying to earn in some minutes that'll be very hard to come by, he tried way too hard. Hawk needs to relax; he's not a bad ball player - and can be quite tenacious. There is a reason so many of us thought he was a good defender last year. Last night, though, he was more liability than asset.