(12-31-2022 09:54 AM)EagleSam Wrote: (12-30-2022 09:59 PM)Luckeyone Wrote: Very, very disappointed in the lack of improvement this team has made in 13 games. This team is out of position on defense, no help defense, no shot contesting, no blocking out…..pitiful!
On offense it’s mostly dribble, dribble, dribble - difficult shot.
Glad Emoni was on today but his defense along with the rest of the team is terrible.
I believe the coaches poll had us picked very lowly in the conference and I believe they are right.
Truly disappointed in Coach Heath and how this team struggles with intensity on defense.
I couldn’t have said it any better. This team is tough to watch, for the opposite reasons that Murphy’s teams were tough to watch. I’d rather see an aggressive team that’s in foul trouble every single night, than watch a parade of layups and wide open threes by our opponent. The defensive communication is a nightmare on switches and rotations. I’ll gladly take the “hero ball” offense if we were more active and competent defensively. But you’re right luckey…we aren’t doing well on either end of the floor.
There’s time to improve, as this is still a very young team. But if we continue on this pace and miss the MAC tournament, Heath’s seat should be warming up a bit. This is not acceptable basketball with the talent we have.
I would agree with you guys more if we were talking about the first half of the non-conference play. I think the second half of non-conference play there are signs of improvement.
These are the blocks for each of the games in order of schedule- ie, Wayne St, Mich, Bradley, etc.
1, 2, 0, 1, 0, 1, 5, 2, 1, 1, 3, 4, 3
It is a bit of an ebb and flow, but the general trend should be somewhat clear in the positive direction. My sense is that early in the season, players were literally just standing around watching guys drive to the basket- no one helped once the initial defender was beat AND the initial player just give up on the play. In the back half of the non-con play, there is definitely more help in the post, the initial defender is trying to recover (and going after the ball rather then side-swiping/fouling), and defenders both in the frontcourt AND the backcourt are putting more effort to keep their man in front of him.
I think what I am describing above is not obvious because EMU is still losing nonetheless, and they are still allowing opponents to score inside too easily on many occasions (but fewer occasions or at least not as easily). This is still happening in my opinion for two reasons. 1) losing track of their man when they are rotating out to the perimeter, and 2) they are playing too much “statue defense” in the post (outstretched hands and a generally stationary position that the defender just easily leans around). Point 2 is what I would like the players to start working on next- I think they do “statue defense” to avoid fouling (and maybe to avoid biting on pump fakes), but you also need to learn to anticipate what your opponent is doing and you can’t be as flat footed as our post players are being.
Nonetheless, I think there are signs of improvement defensively already. But it is dead slow progress and may not come to fruition until late this year or more likely next year. Which would obviously be too late to make use of Emoni Bates.