Our defense excites me

[52T]

Everyone is excited about our offense. And I'm included. But we could start for great defenders. We right now can go 9 deep and not loose anything. Then add what you will from the freshman. I'm excited to watch us shut Down people and we will. Wish tonight was the first game

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

I agree. Robinson was BYU's best on-the-ball defender last year. His steals numbers didn't reflect a guy who gambles much, but his defensive efficiency is above average.

Oweh becomes your lock-down wing defender. Butler can play on the ball or off the ball defensively. Williams and Garrison will be studs downlow.

I love how Pope prioritized getting someone like Butler in here. We won't have to witness the sheer mess that was last year's inept efforts to stop opposing guards from driving on our defense.

 

[EliteBlue]

I’m excited about the more aggressive Defensive strategy as well.

I’m not a fan of “sit back and take it, reactionary, then try to dominate the glass” strategy that a lot of coaches (especially NBA trained) like to use.

I get it in the nba, those guys are so highly skilled that they aren’t likely to make mistakes under spontaneous pressure; but college guys do and will.

 

[NociHTTP]

Can barely see your post. It's in a very light colored font text.

 

[Cold Stout Beer]

Everyone is excited about our offense. And I'm included. But we could start for great defenders. We right now can go 9 deep and not loose anything. Then add what you will from the freshman. I'm excited to watch us shut Down people and we will. Wish tonight was the first game

Darker font is what gets me excited!

 

[Kuhldaddy]

Can barely see your post. It's in a very light colored font.

So light I can't even read it 🤷‍♀️

 

[Soupbean]

I’m excited about the more aggressive Defensive strategy as well.

I’m not a fan of “sit back and take it, reactionary, then try to dominate the glass” strategy that a lot of coaches (especially NBA trained) like to use.

I get it in the nba, those guys are so highly skilled that they aren’t likely to make mistakes under spontaneous pressure; but college guys do and will.

Yep. Nobody likes pressure on them and everybody likes space. There is nothing more disrupting and exhausting to an opponent than to put constant pressure on the ball. It makes it harder to do everything (shoot, pass, drive) and it wears you down mentally to have to first protect the ball.

I used to tell my kids I coached that their first job on defense was to turn their guy sideways so they couldnt face up and their second was to try and get them to pick up their dribble, then you've won.

Now in todays game that is not easy to do as good players (and the liberal way they are allowed to cup the ball) can take you off the dribble and break defenses down, but you still have to start with ball pressure and like you said, its better than being a punching bag sitting back.

This may sound hypocritical coming from a guy that has been such a big proponent of the zone defense in the past, but dont get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of man defense IF YOU CAN GUARD ball and can pressure. But if you cant there's nothign wrong with a good MATCHUP zone where you can still pressure and guard the ball in your zone on the perimeter.

But your point is on

 

[chroix]

Speak up dammit. Can’t hear you!

 

[EliteBlue]

Yep. Nobody likes pressure on them and everybody likes space. There is nothing more disrupting and exhausting to an opponent than to put constant pressure on the ball. It makes it harder to do everything (shoot, pass, drive) and it wears you down mentally to have to first protect the ball.

I used to tell my kids I coached that their first job on defense was to turn their guy sideways so they couldnt face up and their second was to try and get them to pick up their dribble, then you've won.

Now in todays game that is not easy to do as good players (and the liberal way they are allowed to cup the ball) can take you off the dribble and break defenses down, but you still have to start with ball pressure and like you said, its better than being a punching bag sitting back.

This may sound hypocritical coming from a guy that has been such a big proponent of the zone defense in the past, but dont get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of man defense IF YOU CAN GUARD ball and can pressure. But if you cant there's nothign wrong with a good MATCHUP zone where you can still pressure and guard the ball in your zone on the perimeter.

But your point is on

Nailed it. Couldn’t have said it better.

As for zone: completely agree there too. It was one of the clear signs Cal didn’t understand zone anytime we played it. We were always in a soft zone with hardly any movement or rotation. Just guys sagging off and bouncing in place with their hands out….it was a little league zone.

A college level zone is a matchup zone, ball pressure, situational jump traps, and takes a ton of communication, assignment recognition, and moving as a single unit….its extremely active and has minimal standing still as everybody should be moving in unison anytime the ball moves.

 

[NerlensCat]

Can barely see your post. It's in a very light colored font text.

Same for me. Can that be changed?

 

[Kyhoward]

Yep. Nobody likes pressure on them and everybody likes space. There is nothing more disrupting and exhausting to an opponent than to put constant pressure on the ball. It makes it harder to do everything (shoot, pass, drive) and it wears you down mentally to have to first protect the ball.

I used to tell my kids I coached that their first job on defense was to turn their guy sideways so they couldnt face up and their second was to try and get them to pick up their dribble, then you've won.

Now in todays game that is not easy to do as good players (and the liberal way they are allowed to cup the ball) can take you off the dribble and break defenses down, but you still have to start with ball pressure and like you said, its better than being a punching bag sitting back.

This may sound hypocritical coming from a guy that has been such a big proponent of the zone defense in the past, but dont get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of man defense IF YOU CAN GUARD ball and can pressure. But if you cant there's nothign wrong with a good MATCHUP zone where you can still pressure and guard the ball in your zone on the perimeter.

But your point is on

Correct Soup,

I was a point guard in high school and ball pressure not only wears you down physically but mentally. Constant pressure well applied leads to mistakes and points. UK has had no talented defensive guards in the past few years. Ellen’s roommate seemed to favor letting guards penetrate and the big men would stop them. As you said, nobody likes pressure.



Coach Pope’s offense also creates pressure. Ball movement and purposeful cutting off 1 or 2 screens makes defenses weary. His offense is unlike any that I have seen in college basketball. Many talk of the 3 point shots created with this offense but I am excited about the wide open layups it generates if the players execute properly. I would hate to be the opponent once our guys learn the nuances of the offense. I see an enjoyable brand of basketball that will be exciting to watch and successful at the same time.

 

[Soupbean]

Nailed it. Couldn’t have said it better.

As for zone: completely agree there too. It was one of the clear signs Cal didn’t understand zone anytime we played it. We were always in a soft zone with hardly any movement or rotation. Just guys sagging off and bouncing in place with their hands out….it was a little league zone.

A college level zone is a matchup zone, ball pressure, situational jump traps, and takes a ton of communication, assignment recognition, and moving as a single unit….its extremely active and has minimal standing still as everybody should be moving in unison anytime the ball moves.

Beautiful! Cal's idea of a zone seemed to be stuck back when all of us played junior pro basketball. A 2-3 only format where the coach put tape on the floor for us to stand on with our hands up.

A good matchup zone can be really affective change up from man defense where like you said, you still get the principles of man and still pressure the ball in your area but without the chasing throug screens etc.

If you can guard at least 4 of the 5 positions man to man then I say run man most of the time, with a little zone thrown in to rest your guys, limit fouls and change things up a little. Bu if you have 2 or more week defenders then there's nothing wrong with playing matchup zone a lot more. Like you said you can even bring trap pressure out if much easier than in man defense as well and create turnover out front if you have length like we will.. It can be a pressure defense if played right.

 

[ThrowBackCat9]

And I thought people that types in all CAPS were the worst.. lol Just kidding but the ones with bad eyes like myself can’t see that.

 

[Soupbean]

Correct Soup,

I was a point guard in high school and ball pressure not only wears you down physically but mentally. Constant pressure well applied leads to mistakes and points. UK has had no talented defensive guards in the past few years. Ellen’s roommate seemed to favor letting guards penetrate and the big men would stop them. As you said, nobody likes pressure.



Coach Pope’s offense also creates pressure. Ball movement and purposeful cutting off 1 or 2 screens makes defenses weary. His offense is unlike any that I have seen in college basketball. Many talk of the 3 point shots created with this offense but I am excited about the wide open layups it generates if the players execute properly. I would hate to be the opponent once our guys learn the nuances of the offense. I see an enjoyable brand of basketball that will be exciting to watch and successful at the same time.

Cal did believe in rim protectors and that did work for him some when he had elite level rim protectors. But when we didnt we struggled compared to what we could have been defensivley with the athletes we had. We had a length and athleticism advantage most years but never used it to pressure teams and create turnovers like we could have. We could have been a terror in some half court matchup zones extending and trapping with some of those athletes.

We played straight man and grinded it out. Again thats fine if you have the guys who can do that. But even though we played it 99% of the we were worse that most defending the ball - thats the biggest problem. If Cal was married to it then why werent we better fundamentally at it?

 

[Kybluedude]

What types or type of zone did CMP use at BYU?

 

[Kybluedude]

Wayne Turner sure was a weapon applying pressure on the other teams’ pg.

 

[RacersCats]

Correct Soup,

I was a point guard in high school and ball pressure not only wears you down physically but mentally. Constant pressure well applied leads to mistakes and points. UK has had no talented defensive guards in the past few years. Ellen’s roommate seemed to favor letting guards penetrate and the big men would stop them. As you said, nobody likes pressure.



Coach Pope’s offense also creates pressure. Ball movement and purposeful cutting off 1 or 2 screens makes defenses weary. His offense is unlike any that I have seen in college basketball. Many talk of the 3 point shots created with this offense but I am excited about the wide open layups it generates if the players execute properly. I would hate to be the opponent once our guys learn the nuances of the offense. I see an enjoyable brand of basketball that will be exciting to watch and successful at the same time.

Yeah our offense should be a solid asset to our defense. Being as deep as we seem to be, constant ball pressure and pressure from our offense should be a problem. Bottom line is the offense itself and constant ball pressure make you think more and make more decisions. When you’re constantly pressured and it’s loud and hot, mistakes will be made. With our depth we should be able to add that pressure while remaining fairly fresh.

One of the many reasons I’m actually much higher on us than most and that’s even without my blue shades on. Might not say much considering many don’t even have us ranked or barely.

 

[bucsrule8872]

OP, I agree with you, but please use a darker font. I had to copy and paste it into my notes in order to read what you wrote.

 

[52T]

Can barely see your post. It's in a very light colored font text.

I have no idea why

 

[SPECT imaging]

I agree. Robinson was BYU's best on-the-ball defender last year. His steals numbers didn't reflect a guy who gambles much, but his defensive efficiency is above average.

Oweh becomes your lock-down wing defender. Butler can play on the ball or off the ball defensively. Williams and Garrison will be studs downlow.

I love how Pope prioritized getting someone like Butler in here. We won't have to witness the sheer mess that was last year's inept efforts to stop opposing guards from driving on our defense.

Oweh, Butler, and Williams should be our best defensive players. Very strong. Some of our players like Carr and Kriisa have been weak defensive players. Perry may struggle on defense in the SEC. I read recently that Robinson has never been a very complete defensive player even though he has the body and skills to become one.

 

[UK Widget]

Change your font color

Hit "more options" and on the far left is "change font color." Just change it to black.

I have no idea why

 

[KentuckyMildCats]

Change your font color

Hit "more options" and on the far left is "change font color." Just change it to black.

Damn I didn't even know you can do this

 

[KentuckyMildCats]

I'm horny for next year

 

[bucsrule8872]

Best purely defensive lineup, IMHO:

G Butler
G Robinson
G Oweh
F Almonor
F Williams

I expect to see this lineup from time to time, but I think Carr will be at the 4. His offensive skills will overshadow his lack of defensive skills.

The other four positions are great defensively and good offensively.

Offensively, Robinson should be the man.

Butler is underrated offensively, because he didn’t put up great numbers because of SDSU’s style of play.

Oweh is still developing. Most guys make their big jump between their Sophomore and Junior year. I think he will be a really good second scorer on the wing to Robinson.

Williams is going to be solid. I like his passing out of the post. I don’t see him scoring a ton, but he will get some points.

I think Carr is the main guy at PF, because of his offense.

That’s my starting five, which focuses on defense with four strong defenders.

 

[mrschwump]

I wouldn't object to Joe Hall's "knock their dick in the dirt" defense he played with Robey, Phillips, Lee et al. As long as they get away from the "let'em shoot boys, maybe they'll miss" defense played in recent years.

 

[BBUK]

Change your font color

Hit "more options" and on the far left is "change font color." Just change it to black.

...ecalp tsrif eht ni taht od ti ekam ot evah uoY

 

[Bubbagump34]

Everyone is excited about our offense. And I'm included. But we could start for great defenders. We right now can go 9 deep and not loose anything. Then add what you will from the freshman. I'm excited to watch us shut Down people and we will. Wish tonight was the first game

 

[jeffky]

Can barely see your post. It's in a very light colored font text.

Man I am glad you said something my eyesight is bad but I thought I might be going blind with ops post 😆

 

[NociHTTP]

Man I am glad you said something my eyesight is bad but I thought I might be going blind with ops post 😆

He's obviously doing it for attention. Too many complained about it, but nothing changed. So I changed his PosterViewable status to Nil on my browser

 

[UK67KU59]

Best purely defensive lineup, IMHO:

G Butler
G Robinson
G Oweh
F Almonor
F Williams

I expect to see this lineup from time to time, but I think Carr will be at the 4. His offensive skills will overshadow his lack of defensive skills.

The other four positions are great defensively and good offensively.

Offensively, Robinson should be the man.

Butler is underrated offensively, because he didn’t put up great numbers because of SDSU’s style of play.

Oweh is still developing. Most guys make their big jump between their Sophomore and Junior year. I think he will be a really good second scorer on the wing to Robinson.

Williams is going to be solid. I like his passing out of the post. I don’t see him scoring a ton, but he will get some points.

I think Carr is the main guy at PF, because of his offense.

That’s my starting five, which focuses on defense with four strong defenders.

I agree except I think Carr will be a better defender. I don’t think Almonor is known for his defense as much as his offense (specifically his shot).

Butler
Jax
Oweh
Carr
Williams

That lineup I think could be our best defensively. Could even be our starting lineup if Oweh’s offense is good enough. I could see Brea starting too.

 

[bucsrule8872]

I agree except I think Carr will be a better defender. I don’t think Almonor is known for his defense as much as his offense (specifically his shot).

Butler
Jax
Oweh
Carr
Williams

That lineup I think could be our best defensively. Could even be our starting lineup if Oweh’s offense is good enough. I could see Brea starting too.

Almonor held Edey to 21 points in their tourney win over Purdue.

I know 21 sounds like a lot, but Edey is 7’4 and Almonor is 6’7. Almonor gave up almost a foot to Edey and still made him work for every touch and every shot.

So I think he will be fine defensively for us. Nobody he has to guard in the SEC this season will be as big and strong or will be as offensively gifted as Edey.

 

[UK67KU59]

Almonor held Edey to 21 points in their tourney win over Purdue.

I know 21 sounds like a lot, but Edey is 7’4 and Almonor is 6’7. Almonor gave up almost a foot to Edey and still made him work for every touch and every shot.

So I think he will be fine defensively for us. Nobody he has to guard in the SEC this season will be as big and strong or will be as offensively gifted as Edey.

I’ve not watched a FDU game but his defensive ratings (DBPM and DBPR) are very poor. He might be good in some settings or situations but I’m worried about his defensive versatility. It’s hard to tell how much those defensive ratings will predict his performance at UK, coming from a bad team in the NEC. I hope he can hang defensively against SEC teams. Love his shooting though.

 

[bucsrule8872]

I’ve not watched a FDU game but his defensive ratings (DBPM and DBPR) are very poor. He might be good in some settings or situations but I’m worried about his defensive versatility. It’s hard to tell how much those defensive ratings will predict his performance at UK, coming from a bad team in the NEC. I hope he can hang defensively against SEC teams. Love his shooting though.

I could be wrong. He might not be as good as I was thinking.

Anyway, I think the 4 spot is our weakest spot defensively. I wasn’t that impressed with Carr’s defense, from what little I saw him play.

 

[Wildcat-in-STL]

We all need to hope that the refs hated Cal and Pope doesnt get the same horse crap we've been getting the last few years. I say that because you can only play defense as well as the refs let you. They can easily crush good defense by calling touch fouls , bogus crap.

 

[BigBlueManSouthCentralKY]

I mean, imagine when we play Alabama. They will have Sears, Wrightsell, Nelson and Big Cliff. Without some really good defensive dudes they would splatter us. But having the four or five superb defensive guys it gives us a decent chance.