Spacing...

[GoAndRunIsGoneAndDone]

I think a lot of us can benefit by going back and looking at just what Pope's system can do, but players have to learn it and execute it.
It does work, even with less athletic players if it's done right. We aren't doing things right just yet because it depends upon every guy doing his job and being where he's supposed to be, on time. It creates more passing and less dribbling. We're dribbling too much because players are not where they are supposed to be. The ball handler is waiting and looking but nobody is home because they haven't bought in 100% or simply haven't learned the system well yet and revert to hero ball. We are not a team with a lot of heroes on it atm.

I think this is a very good read and refresher about what he wants them to do. I'm still confident they'll get there. Of course athletic players will recover faster and the system will get better when we have more top athletes to compete with.

ð Kentucky's New Offense? A Mark Pope Deep Dive

newsletter.slappinglass.com

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

Will Pope get direct with a guy and tell them the effort isn’t enough? Still waiting to see how we respond to season-altering adversity

 

[ala_kat2]

OK, Mark. Now teach them how to play your way!
(Just kidding) Ita hard to not play hero ball when the other team is taking you out of your choices on offense and shredding your defense. Lots to improve on for sure.

 

[Aike]

Defenses have scouted us and know to rough us up as we make our cuts. We have to cut hard anyway, and make them pay for their physicality.

Easier said than done, and easier for a team that’s been together running a system like this for 2-3 years instead of 4-5 months.

 

[H00SIER-Cat]

Will Pope get direct with a guy and tell them the effort isn’t enough? Still waiting to see how we respond to season-altering adversity

Is Will Pope Mark Pope's brother?

 

[Soupbean]

I think a lot of us can benefit by going back and looking at just what Pope's system can do, but players have to learn it and execute it.
It does work, even with less athletic players if it's done right. We aren't doing things right just yet because it depends upon every guy doing his job and being where he's supposed to be, on time. It creates more passing and less dribbling. We're dribbling too much because players are not where they are supposed to be. The ball handler is waiting and looking but nobody is home because they haven't bought in 100% or simply haven't learned the system well yet and revert to hero ball. We are not a team with a lot of heroes on it atm.

I think this is a very good read and refresher about what he wants them to do. I'm still confident they'll get there. Of course athletic players will recover faster and the system will get better when we have more top athletes to compete with.

ð Kentucky's New Offense? A Mark Pope Deep Dive

newsletter.slappinglass.com

Yeah I"m a huge proponent of spacing and think its the number 1 criteria for a good offesne in todays game because the defenders are just too athletic and quick to operate in a crowded floor anymore. I prefer spacing and dribble driving off that spacing instead of screening which I think glogs things up a lot of the time, but I also feel like you need to do both.

We are not really built for dribble driving because we dont really have 4 guys that are that good or that right now and we struggle to put the ball on the floor and get our shoulders buy defenders, even Robinson does. Butler and Olweh are the only two that seem to be able to do it and they do it with strenght more than quickness.

So part of why we've got bogged down against better teams this year is because we cant get the dribble pentetration off our spacing that creates ball rotation and ball movement for open threes where we are built to be deadly. Against lesser teams you'll see us do this and get a bunch of open looks that we use to destroy them. Against better teams with higher defensive resistance we cant do this and struggle to get open three looks. So we go back to the screen game to try to get to the rim etc and its a different game.

The big games we've won have not come out of our planned offense of spreading and driving and kicking out for threes but have come from straigh up grinding it out and I've been amazed at our ability to do that as well as we have. But its hard to grind it out all the time and we have to find ways to create more spacing and balll movemente and open looks from outside because thats whats going to take us anywhere in the end.