Player Development vs Team Development

[GSII]

If individual development is good, why the confidence issues with the ball? Lack of team practice and over emphasis on individual stuff?

 

[gmutom]

If individual development is good, why the confidence issues with the ball? Lack of team practice and over emphasis on individual stuff?

No, it's lack of ball handlers. Other than Allen and Moore, name a guard you trust running a break. Corey is still indecisive, and Sherrod has a looser handle than Cornelious and Cam Long. Gray and Holloway also haven't shown they can ignite a break. That leaves Marko as our 3rd best option.

 

[GSII]

I trust Moore above anybody else. But you are right we don't have any ball handlers. Why we dont have one is a different thread.

 

[GMUgemini]

No, it's lack of ball handlers. Other than Allen and Moore, name a guard you trust running a break. Corey is still indecisive, and Sherrod has a looser handle than Cornelious and Cam Long. Gray and Holloway also haven't shown they can ignite a break. That leaves Marko as our 3rd best option.

I think it's kind of a cop-out to suggest because we don't have 10 ballhandlers on this team we can't run a halfway decent fastbreak. I have no doubt that if Wright or Holloway or Gray stole the ball at midcourt they'd be able to finish that play.

The real problem, as I stated before, is the collective basketball IQ of this team is rather low, both offensively and defensively. With the ball in their hands, many of our players make horrifyingly bad choices (either dribbling into traffic, slowing the play when there's no need, making stupid lob passes to the baseline into a double team, etc.) and on defense, they can't seem to anticipate where the ball or the player is going, so they get blown by consistently one-on-one (when they clearly have the physical tools to be able to stay in front of their man) or allow easy kickouts for 3s or dumpoffs for layups.

 

[gmutom]

I think it's kind of a cop-out to suggest because we don't have 10 ballhandlers on this team we can't run a halfway decent fastbreak.

Actually, calling our players dumb is a cop-out. We never had great ballhandlers under Larranaga, but we knew to get the ball to the few guys who could handle when we did run. How many breaks did you ever see Lamar Butler start? Very few, because he knew to set up on the wing in case Tony, Cam, Andre or Folarin drove to the basket and then dished it back out.

Our problem now is we have an identity crisis. We don't really have the personnel to press or push the ball, so we just need to adapt and play to whatever strengths we do have.

 

[GMUgemini]

We never had great ballhandlers under Larranaga, but we knew to get the ball to the few guys who could handle when we did run. How many breaks did you ever see Lamar Butler start? Very few, because he knew to set up on the wing in case Tony, Cam, Andre or Folarin drove to the basket and then dished it back out.

So, basically, you are saying I'm right and the need to have multiple ballhandlers on the floor at all times is unnecessary? I knew we were speaking the same language.

Our problem now is we have an identity crisis. We don't really have the personnel to press or push the ball, so we just need to adapt and play to whatever strengths we do have.

Why aren't they good at pressing? Do we have a lack of length or athleticism on this team, or is it something else?

I will amend my point by saying this, the team is only as smart as the person putting them in positions to succeed or fail. When no one is on the same page, or knows or understand what the others on the floor are supposed to be doing, that's not a personnel problem.

 

[Patriotfan49]

So, basically, you are saying I'm right and the need to have multiple ballhandlers on the floor at all times is unnecessary? I knew we were speaking the same language.



Why aren't they good at pressing? Do we have a lack of length or athleticism on this team, or is it something else?

I will amend my point by saying this, the team is only as smart as the person putting them in positions to succeed or fail. When no one is on the same page, or knows or understand what the others on the floor are supposed to be doing, that's not a personnel problem.

Hewitt has to yell at the top of his lungs to explain where players are supposed to go every game pretty frequently....in year 3. That shows me that both the players have no idea whats going on, and the coach cant teach the players anything and/or his system is ineffective.

The team has taken on Hewitts demeanor and mentality pretty thoroughly and they reflect him pretty accurately. Aloof, confused, no real plan of attack, and no real competitive fire.

 

[GSII]

Hewitt has to yell at the top of his lungs to explain where players are supposed to go every game pretty frequently....in year 3. That shows me that both the players have no idea whats going on, and the coach cant teach the players anything and/or his system is ineffective.

The team has taken on Hewitts demeanor and mentality pretty thoroughly and they reflect him pretty accurately. Aloof, confused, no real plan of attack, and no real competitive fire.

You have said this already. Lets be different now.

 

[gmujim92]

I don't know about everyone else, but my favorite teams (in any sport) have always been those that seem to overachieve -- that truly become far greater than the sum of their parts. The ultimate example being, of course, our 2005-06 team.

I'm not trying to derail this discussion into another thread killing the coach. Obviously everybody knows where I stand on him.

What's frustrating to me is that for the past three years, we've been far, far less than the sum of our parts.

That's not to say that we have all this otherworldly talent or anything like that. Each of Hewitt's teams have had glaring flaws and this one is no different.

But it's so obvious that these guys don't trust each other or the coach. They don't share the ball on offense and don't help each other on defense. It's glorified summer league -- every man for himself, get yours while you can.

That's what you get when you hire someone whose strength is individual player development. A bunch of good-looking athletes who have no clue how to mesh and play together as an effective TEAM.

Pretty sure I saw several teams fitting that description in Atlanta in the early-to-mid 2000s. I thought things were gonna be different once Hewitt was no longer saddled with all those 4- and 5-star recruits.

 

[The Great PATSby]

and afraid to push tempo when given the opportunity

...and as a whole, our team doesn't have the greatest ball handlers

 

[Patriotfan49]

You have said this already. Lets be different now.

Its the same product, with the same issues....game after game...year after year. There is nothing different to say.

 

[The Great PATSby]

Well since it seams this thread is going to $hit...

Enjoy boys

 

[Patriotfan49]

Curious then, if Hewitt and co can manage to make such a difference in some guys, what is holding them back with the team concept?

I dont get if you have the ability to effect a guy like Morrison, and do it rather quickly.....wouldnt that translate to the team as a whole to at least some degree?

 

[gmujim92]

Curious then, if Hewitt and co can manage to make such a difference in some guys, what is holding them back with the team concept?

I dont get if you have the ability to effect a guy like Morrison, and do it rather quickly.....wouldnt that translate to the team as a whole to at least some degree?

If college basketball was a 3-on-3 Hoop it Up tournament, Hewitt's approach would work perfectly.

But basketball is a team game. You need to be able to get all 5 players working in concert on both ends of the floor. Hewitt struggled mightily with that at GT and we're seeing the same thing at Mason.

When a coach constantly has teams that are considered "underachievers," that's not a question of talent.

 

[gmutom]

Curious then, if Hewitt and co can manage to make such a difference in some guys, what is holding them back with the team concept?

Fair question but the two aren't always related. Nobody here has ever disputed that Hewitt's an average-at-best game coach. Making players better individually doesn't always mean the sum of the parts becomes significantly better.

I think a big part of our problem on the court isn't our talent as much as the lack of mental toughness and confidence. You are probably right that some of that is reflected in our coach, but I think it's also in the type of players we have. Sherrod, Arledge and J2 are arguably our three most gifted offensive players, but does anybody here think any of them has any swagger? Sherrod could be the most reluctant start we've ever had.

People mistake my defense of Hewitt as a ringing endorsement, so let me make it clear it's not. I've just come to accept that he's not going anywhere for at least two seasons, so I have to believe things will get better when we turn over the roster and get some physically and mentally tougher players on board.

I realize that sounds like an excuse, but I don't think it's a coincidence that the three players I mentioned above were inherited by this staff and that the three toughest players on this team are Copes, Marko and Jenkins. By adding defense-first guys like Mayimba and Lockett — Porter should redshirt next year — it will hopefully give us the team identity we currently lack.

 

[Patriotfan49]

If college basketball was a 3-on-3 Hoop it Up tournament, Hewitt's approach would work perfectly.

But basketball is a team game. You need to be able to get all 5 players working in concert on both ends of the floor. Hewitt struggled mightily with that at GT and we're seeing the same thing at Mason.

When a coach constantly has teams that are considered "underachievers," that's not a question of talent.

Agreed, but then essentially if you even had 3 guys working in unison the other 2 can more or less just be decoys. But what we see usually isnt even 3 guys in unison.

 

[Patriotfan49]

Like Ive said before, maybe Im making this up but watching Sherrod as a freshman I really didnt envision him as this passive, he usually showed fire and swagger when he would get run.

 

[gmutom]

Like Ive said before, maybe Im making this up but watching Sherrod as a freshman I really didnt envision him as this passive. He showed some fire and swagger when he was playing.

As a freshman, Sherrod didn't have to be the guy. For all of Hewitt's well-documented faults, one of them is not the ability to de-swaggering a player. In fact, his open offense is tailor-made to make players stars. Sherrod had plenty of opportunities to set the tone against Iona with his family in attendance, and he laid a giant egg the first four minutes with three missed shots and a turnover.

Former Mason assistant Mike Wells told me before last season that "the only person who can stop Sherrod is Sherrod." God knows the talent is there. He just needs to play with more confidence on both ends of the court. I think he'll bounce back tonight.

PS: Nice win by your Niners last night. I thought at halftime that you were going to let my woeful Skins pull the upset, but the Shanahans made sure that didn't happen.

 

[Pablo]

But it's so obvious that these guys don't trust each other or the coach. They don't share the ball on offense and don't help each other on defense. It's glorified summer league -- every man for himself, get yours while you can.

I disagree. There are 2 issues that need to be addressed, IMO. The first is inconsistency. Don't tell me that the Patriots don't share the ball on offense and don't help each other on defense. In fact, they often do. But, they don't do it consistently. Frankly, I believe that the inconsistent play needs to be addressed by both the coach and team leadership.

The second issue is poor execution during critical situations late in the game. I'm tired of hearing Coach Hewitt take the blame for these situations because he never fully explained to the player what he wanted him to do. If Hewitt is deficient in this area, then perhaps he needs to hire assistants who aren't. As I said on another thread, I really believe that Coach Hewitt missed an opportunity when he didn't replace the departed Mike Wells with a strong X's & O's guy, particularly a former head coach.

 

[Leesburg Chankenstank III]

All this Hewitt bashing is not going to stop unless his team displays anything to the contrary.

If after the embarrassment against Iona, the team comes out tonight against Princeton and shows the same lack of effort and confusion as they did against Iona, then I hate to say it but this program has 100% chosen the wrong man for the job.

If that debacle Saturday doesn't light a fire under their collective asses, then there is No hope.