ADVERTISEMENT

Zone was effective. Was that Cal or Kenny?

Kybluedude

All-SEC
Nov 19, 2005
8,480
10,006
113
I like being able to mix defenses when needed. Only man to man is like a fastball only pitcher. Not always effective. Some nights it just isn't there. Yesterday we realized in the second they were going straight line drives and we zoned. They started going sideways and having to take more time. It served it's purpose. Will we continue to utilize it from here forward when Cal is on the bench or was it used by Kenny and will go in the mothballs. Obviously I would like to keep it as a change of pace. With our tendency to foul and not being the best man to man group it can be helpful but Cal " doesn't play zone"
 
It was a thing of beauty. Cal a couple of radio shows back said they were looking at using zone so I'll say it's Cal, unless we never see it again. LOL
 
Well the halftime report said that Cal just gave commendation to the team when the came in and then stepped back to not interrupt the flow that the coaches had. So assuming that is correct I would have to assume it was the Assistants call and Cal stayed out of it.

Add that to the fact that they focused on calling and setting up the defense and allowed Tyler to focus on offense would suggest that it was their call to go to Zone.

I'm not a zone fan generally but it seemed to be the right call yesterday.

EDIT: BTW - Yay! for me for reaching 1000 posts!!! woowhooo :cool2:[banana]
 
I thought the zone was much improved.
I'd like to see Cal throw it in from time to time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rye48
Cal is not against using the zone. He prefers playing man to man, but how do you think we were so efficient playing zone in the South Carolina game if we hadn't been practicing it?

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!
He just rolls the ball out. USCjr was perfect team to practice against. Cal isn't as bad or dumb as some media (and posters) want to believe
 
  • Like
Reactions: kat57 and catman111
During the post game comments Coach Robic said they had planned to use some zone.
This. They said they worked on it past week or so Probably since poythress went out. Said they said it would help with rebounding and match ups against South Carolina. Cal had a gameplan. He knew SC was gonna be rough and a foul fest. I think he was anticipating it and the calls at the beginning of the game made him go off and wanted refs to know he knew what was coming.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kat57
He just rolls the ball out. USCjr was perfect team to practice against. Cal isn't as bad or dumb as some media (and posters) want to believe

Don't think anyone has ever said he is a bad coach. Stubborn and bad are far cries from one another. When the other team is scoring at will against your preferred defensive strategy then it only makes sense to have a plan B. We have not seen a plan B all year defensively and there were other games where it was needed more so than yesterday.
 
Someone already mentioned it, but Cal talked about them working on a zone a couple of weeks back. My guess is they looked at the schedule and chose to try it out against USC because they don't have anyone that will beat you from 3. I wasn't involved in game planning, but I would imagine this was part of the scheme all along.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blueaz and kat57
During the post game comments Coach Robic said they had planned to use some zone.

Now how much a no-brainer is that? You don't just decide to play zone. It's worked on for a few days before. Cal has alluded to it before but not used it. Why? It was not installed enough yet to be effective. Expect to see it more if needed. ... same as Willis' 3's.........not as much needed when Murray and Ulis are hot, But the threat of Willis is used nearly every possession.........biggest blow out......Willis shoots 3 for 4, but the middle is open as is the other wing and front. Willis should have a 1/2 assist every time Lee or Skal gets a lob lay in :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: UKrazycat2
Don't think anyone has ever said he is a bad coach. Stubborn and bad are far cries from one another. When the other team is scoring at will against your preferred defensive strategy then it only makes sense to have a plan B. We have not seen a plan B all year defensively and there were other games where it was needed more so than yesterday.
Then you don't read here often. I have read many posts proclaiming he is a below average coach.
Well, obviously, he has been reading this board and felt he needed to make some changes.
 
Actually I think we played zone against Florida on about two of their possessions when Humphries first got in that game. Thought at the time that perhaps they had practiced it for when Hump would come in based on the fact that it had been so long since he had had any PT and playing zone would help him out with his lack of quickness playing man.
 
Honestly, the SC win was big for us in that we blew them out on the road, but what scares me the most is we really haven't won a game when we've had to come back from a deficit. All of the games we either got down early, or lost the lead late, we lost. That is one aspect we have to change unless we continue to maul opponents, but you never know when that cold shooting night is going to rear its ugly head.

Just need to see the rest of the team outside Ulis and Murray keep going when we are down and take back the lead and win.
 
you can't play zone unless you worked on it in practice.

Also, Cal usually play spot minutes of Zone. (People here like to exaggerate the "no" zone principle of Cal")

Second, i don't think zone was as effective as people make it out to be. It wasn't any better or worse. I don't see anything that made me go "Wow, that defense really confused them."

Instead first possession we go zone, i believe they scored, and another possession was wide open look three that missed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: brianpoe
I have a hard time believing Cal would have a big issue with them coaching to the best of their ability. I mean if he can't trust them to make competent decisions, why even have them?




You really think if they just played a zone without Cal's knowledge he would be ok with that? Coaching to their ability is one thing,doing something the head coach didn't approve is totaly different.
 
  • Like
Reactions: brianpoe
Then you don't read here often. I have read many posts proclaiming he is a below average coach.
Well, obviously, he has been reading this board and felt he needed to make some changes.

Actually I read here quite often and have been very adamant about the need to have a zone in our defensive arsenal. Of course some posters on here take offense to ever questioning Cals philosophy and proceed to call others idiots who know nothing of the game.
 
USC is a horrible shooting team especially from 3

That is the only reason it worked

Only reason we went to it is to avoid further foul trouble.

I think we went to it out of necessity not because we wanted to
Then that is a good reason to use it and protect your bigs from a whistle happy ref, plus if a team can take our guards off the bounce like Kansas did an occasional zone is a good idea
 
Like I said... He must read this board. He could have never "changed" on his own.
Now, that the cat is outa the bag, I am sure opposing coaches will be lurking; trying to figure out Cal's next move.
 
  • Like
Reactions: UKrazycat2
Cal is not against using the zone. He prefers playing man to man, but how do you think we were so efficient playing zone in the South Carolina game if we hadn't been practicing it?

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!
Actually Cal has said many times that he hates a zone. Every time he tried it in the past a three ball would go in and he'd go right back to man-to-man.
But you are right, Cal had to have been teaching it in practice because they were way too good at it.
South Carolina was the perfect team to use it on because they're not a good outside shooting team.
But we are about to see how stubborn Cal is because now he has seen that it is effective and it does protect our bigs from foul trouble so hopefully he uses it to change up defenses to confuse our opponents.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rye48
You really think if they just played a zone without Cal's knowledge he would be ok with that? Coaching to their ability is one thing,doing something the head coach didn't approve is totaly different.

Like others have stated, they have worked on it in practice. In so doing Cal gave tacit approval to use the zone in situations where he finds himself not in the position to make the call himself. So yes, his knowledge of this game was not important because he already gave them permission to play zone because he trained the players to do so and then left the assistants in charge with the ability and confidence to make said adjustments.
 
Cal is not against using the zone. He prefers playing man to man, but how do you think we were so efficient playing zone in the South Carolina game if we hadn't been practicing it?

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

@JohnBlue_

Yep, they worked on it all week according to Cal. And this from a coach that many believed would NEVER go zone.
 
being up 30....lots of things are effective. but the zone lovers will draw whatever conclusion they want against a bad USC team that stopped giving a damn about 5 minutes into the 2nd half.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blueaz and G-PIP
It is seems to me that a zone is a poor substitute for good man-to-man defense. Now, in instances of foul trouble, or having players with very poor defensive ability or a general lack of athletic ability, maybe it's the best alternative. But, with the quality of athletes UK usually has, I hope to see very little, if any, of it in the future. During the last part of the game against SC it helped slow the game down, decrease possessions and run the clock - which, with UK's big lead, was all that was required. But, this team has been playing very well on the defensive end despite having issues with fouls. I'm not clear why any UK fan would be clamoring for more zone.
 
Then that is a good reason to use it and protect your bigs from a whistle happy ref, plus if a team can take our guards off the bounce like Kansas did an occasional zone is a good idea

The problem is this...KU would have rained 3's against a zone. Then what would you be saying?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bigblueincincy
Then that is a good reason to use it and protect your bigs from a whistle happy ref, plus if a team can take our guards off the bounce like Kansas did an occasional zone is a good idea

Yeah but it leads to being susceptible to the opponent getting alot of offensive rebounds (see Syracuse pretty much under any year under Boheim).........they rank 329th this season lol
 
I believe yesterday was somewhat out of necessity, due to foul trouble. I believe we could be a teriffic zone defensive team with Skal, Lee, Willis, Humphries and their length, not to mention Tyler, Murray, and Briscoe out front and on the wings.
It is espically good when getting a good sized lead to force the opponent to use more of the shot clock each possession.
 
I like being able to mix defenses when needed. Only man to man is like a fastball only pitcher. Not always effective. Some nights it just isn't there. Yesterday we realized in the second they were going straight line drives and we zoned. They started going sideways and having to take more time. It served it's purpose. Will we continue to utilize it from here forward when Cal is on the bench or was it used by Kenny and will go in the mothballs. Obviously I would like to keep it as a change of pace. With our tendency to foul and not being the best man to man group it can be helpful but Cal " doesn't play zone"
Who was on the bench?
 
Who was on the bench?
It is obvious that it has been practiced, Kenny may have switched to it earlier than Cal would have??? Who knows for sure? But it worked on a team like the Gamecocks, I'm just glad to see it worked and we won. They didn't bomb us with 3's, rebounding didn't really suffer, although I think they out rebounded us by 3? Zones are very useful in some situations, hope we use it again if needed, Go Cats
 
being up 30....lots of things are effective. but the zone lovers will draw whatever conclusion they want against a bad USC team that stopped giving a damn about 5 minutes into the 2nd half.


I loved watching the sad faces of the SC players, coaches and fans when they realized what real, blueblood, basketball looks like.
 
Cal is not against using the zone. He prefers playing man to man, but how do you think we were so efficient playing zone in the South Carolina game if we hadn't been practicing it?

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

Good point. The team had to practice on it because they looked good when they were using it.
 
Well Cal has mentioned they have shifted the focus from offense to defense so it wouldnt shock me if they practiced it somewhat.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT