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Shaka Smart

dstanleywfu said:
Michigan is playing the best basketball of the season at the right time.. just so happens that VCU is having a bad game.. and plus the overall talent level of Michigan is way better than VCU it makes it even worse looking.. but seeing this 25 point spread is awful to watch
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Will take him anyways. I'm still hoping, against all hope, that Ron is pulling the ultimate poker card face with this whole deal right now, and will pull him on board within the next few weeks.
 
Fuck Your Couch said:
So you think Pitino and Louisville are going to struggle?
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I just remember Skip's explanation of why he didn't run a press at Wake like he did at Xavier. Watching other coaches and their results with the press in the ACC seemed to confirm Skip's judgment. Doesn't mean you can't be successful with it, but is something I would be concerned with until I see how a coach actually performs with it at this level.

With the double round robin a thing of the past, that system has a greater chance for success.
 
Kinda karmic. I thought it was a bit unsportsmanlike what Shaka did to a depleted Akron - pressing up 30. So he gets his
 
Here is my two cents worth, and I have coached a little and loved to press, and at times my team's press was a beauty to behold. At other times, not so much. To me the weakness is that some people you can press, other teams not so much. When a press becomes integral to your defense, then it also starts to become key to your offense. And when the press is not producing turnovers - indeed, resulting in easy baskets against you because the other team is too good at beating your press - then your offense tends to stagnate as well. So, all in all, I could get away with a good press at times but not at others. You are just better off at doing what most good and great coaches do and forget full court presses most of the time and simply teach your players to put pressure on the ball in the half-court. It seems to work better in the long run.
 
I think that big problem with consistently running a press like VCU currently runs against teams with significant talent as found in the bigger conferences is that Shaka's press requires four quick (and therefore probably smaller players) for it to be effective. It is a 1-2-1-1 press basically, which relies on a quick player pressing the ball initially, getting the point guard going up court fast (and a bit out of control) into the waiting trap on either end from the middle of the diamond. It relies on consistent fast pressure causing turnovers (heating up the ball). When a team has a couple of high level ball handlers who can break that, you run into halfcourt matchups like that seen with Michigan, where they are outmanned down low. It can obviously be effective, as he has been very successful with it, but due to the squad it requires to run it effectively, it can be a problem running it full-time against top teams.
 
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couldn't the same criticisms be applied to the FGCU coach who likes to press full time?
 
You guys realize that this "down year" for Shaka is still better than any season [Redacted] has ever had?
 
Or louisville with pitino . Florida runs a little press. Some here are over reacting a little to one game. We must have one of the most reactionary fan bases around.
 
If our AD wasnt dug in with Bzz, this is exactly what we would have wanted to happen. The further Shaka advanced in the tournament, the higher his stock would be.
 
Yes. I don't know what press FGCU typically runs. The 1-2-1-1 is generally considered the most aggressive. I don't mean to say that the press doesn't work. WKU almost took Kansas down with a press. I'm just saying that the full blown constant 1-2-1-1 press that Shaka runs requires such fast playes at the top 4 spots on the press, that it mandates a certain type of starting five that might be tough to win with consistently. If you have a center and a stud PF, or two PFs, Ithink it would be tough to run a 1-2-1-1 effectively. Of course, I'm sure that he is a good enough coach that he could adapt to some other form of press, but it just wouldn't look like the same type of ball that we see watching them now.
 
buckets said:
You guys realize that this "down year" for Shaka is still better than any season [Redacted] has ever had?
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32 coaches with games this weekend and every single one has more success than bzz. Don't get me started on the ones that have already lost.
 
Can't believe it's taken Michigan nearly 20 years to make a Sweet Sixteen.
 
I'm not opposed to Shaka and I'm not opposed to pressing. I just have some questions about how effective a system that relies on constant pressing would be in the ACC due to the higher level of guard play. It's not an overreaction to one game. It's something that I've been thinking about for awhile and for me at least dates back to the debates we used to have about defense with Skip.
 
IMO, a press could be run consistently in the ACC, but not the variety presently used at VCU. Louisville runs a press pretty consistently with a more standard lineup, but is a Match Press, which basically always has a man on a man. It is, however, very difficult to teach a team to do consistently without breakdowns. Pitino does it because, as much as I hate if, he is a great coach.
 
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Required wife pic.
 
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