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Kong
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5 years 1 month ago #22038 by Kong

To be honest, I didn't think we played that bad. We missed a ton of easy layups and short shots. Hit half of those and we are in it, perhaps even win it.

We drove the ball fairly decently. Our defense at times was solid.

The bad news is that D Lawson just cannot set a solid screen. I saw ISU come up to him and just push through him and he gave. It is essentially a non-screen.

We could not hit a three to save us. Agbaji keeps drifting out of his shot. He goes up and his left hip drifts back and his shot goes off to the left or is short. Grimes when in rhythm is decent, but he often rushes the shot and it clanks. TO be fair ISU had a lot of open shots that clanked off the rims. It was like they were really tight or something.

I didn't think we played bad overall. There were times when we made lazy passes and they made us pay for it.

I am not certain this team will make it out of the first weekend, but it will come down to matchups.

Only a few more games of this season and then we wait to see what the NCAA has in mind.

Visualize Whirled Peas

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USAF Jayhawk
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5 years 1 month ago - 5 years 1 month ago #22041 by USAF Jayhawk

Not that I'm in their class (5' 10" and overweight) but back in the day I was a pretty good long range shooter. What I found was that if I concentrated on landing on my launch point (i.e. straight up) my percentage went up significantly. Your observation about Agbaji drifting I thought was spot on. He also didn't seem to have the deliberate follow-through forms that he exhibited early on.

As for Grimes, I find him a mystery. I think his shooting form is the best I have ever seen. Consistent, straight up/down, good follow through, high arc and lots of backspin. He does everything textbook...except make them. Completely baffling to me.

Last Edit: 5 years 1 month ago by USAF Jayhawk.

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Riverhawk
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5 years 1 month ago #22052 by Riverhawk

good comments both of you. In part because of the poor screens, KU's half court offense is weak this year. They drive the ball fairly well and that's good because they have to. Not good jump shooters at all. And Lawson also poses issues on defense. One real good defender is not enough. They often can't get stops when they have to.

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NotOstertag
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5 years 1 month ago #22071 by NotOstertag

In the 2nd half we cut it from 17 down to 10. Then it ballooned back up to 15 and we cut it to 9. We kept getting close and then ISU, to their credit, would make shots.

I honestly didn't think we'd win the Big 12 tournament (would have put my money on Tech) but as luck would have it we got to the final. Personally, I think after Tech, KSU, Baylor, ISU and KU were all pretty comparable and any one of those teams could have won it had the cards fallen differently.

Good point on shooting. I was a terrible shot, but always played in the post so I never really had to shoot from more than 10 feet. I was a decent free throw shooter, and I think the one thing that carries through all of it is consistency. Get your feet set, have decent form and do it THE SAME WAY every time. Easy to do on FT's, but not always so easy in the fluidity of the game. Still, it's a great point about Agbaji drifting. It's adding in an extra variable (sideways motion) that shouldn't be there. More variables = less consistency = more misses.

"When I was a freshman, I remember Coach Naismith telling us how important it was to play good defense." - Mitch Lightfoot

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konza63
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5 years 1 month ago #22072 by konza63

Spot on. I've watched my son in training with two of the best local shooting coaches, and they always emphasize what you said. So much so that they literally want the shooter's feet to land in almost the identical spot after coming back down. It's not easy to do at first, but once you master that, you've locked in one key variable and prevent the drift that Kong rightly speaks of. The rest is all shot pocket and hand/eye work. I hadn't paid that close attention to Agbaji with his hips and feet, but will now.

“With kindest regards to Dr. Forrest C. Allen, the father of basketball coaching, from the father of the game.”

1936 inscription on the portrait of Dr. Naismith, displayed above Phog Allen's office desk at KU.

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NotOstertag
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5 years 1 month ago #22078 by NotOstertag

...and I hope you don't notice it because it's been fixed and his shots are falling.

"When I was a freshman, I remember Coach Naismith telling us how important it was to play good defense." - Mitch Lightfoot

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OreadExpress
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5 years 1 month ago #22085 by OreadExpress

Thanks all for this discussion. Enjoyed reading the OP and replies very much.

Never ceases to amaze me how even slight variations in fundamentals can really have a lasting effect if not corrected. Individual issues compound at the team level and you end up with a dysfunctional product that can be maddening from game to game. Sometimes everything works okay, other times there is a clear issue with one part or another that stands out, and then there are those times when nothing seems to go right.

It is what it is at this point and I hope it all holds together for a nice run into the second weekend. Any success after that would be a bonus...possible yes...but not probable considering past performance. In some respects, considering the adversity and background noise the team has faced this season, it is surprising that they are in the position they are in. The opportunity was there for all the wheels to come off and instead they remained competetive and kept the heat on the other contenders right up to the end.

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gorillahawk
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5 years 1 month ago - 5 years 1 month ago #22099 by gorillahawk

Among other things, I used to pitch fast-pitch softball...and later slow-pitch too...The first thing the old master taught me was to always check your lead footprint in the dust in front of the rubber and adjust your step...whichever way your foot was pointing was where the ball went...inside, outside, right down the middle...the length of your step indicated speed...words of wisdom...it worked!... I also asked him about how he threw breaking balls...curves, sinkers, sliders, risers, screwballs, knuckleballs, etc....he said "Well, that all depends on which finger I lick!"

Last Edit: 5 years 1 month ago by gorillahawk.

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