We're athletic "enough". Certainly not our strength but it's enough. Our issues:
1. We do not play with consistent effort. We get very lackadaisical at times. This is our ##1 problem. Cannot afford to do that when you're already borderline average athletically. It shows up:
-defensively
-rebounding
-careless turnovers
But the 2nd half vs Duke & Zags when we played with much greater effort, you could see athleticism is not our greatest issue & can be muted if we're playing hard in both ends.
2. Hero ball. We have some players that want to be a hero at times rather than make the simple play. That's when lack of athleticism sticks out. Instead of driving the ball & trying to finish kick it out to the shooters that surround you. It's also a reason our offense has lacked a rhythm for several games. The ball movement has declined.
3. Ball handling. We really do not handle the ball well.
4. Lack of Physicality. We do not like people getting ohysical with us.
With all of that said, #1 seems to be the problem that has hurt us the most when we struggle. Play hard for 40 minutes & the other problems are not nearly as obvious. Like I said...it's fixable. But the players have to do it. A coach cannot give a player a "want to" or create a "competitive drive".