Do we need dribble drive player?

[michaeldm9]

After days of depression I am finally been able to start watch NCAA Basketball again. I been trying to figure why are some of these teams still playing. It finally hit me what we are missing. A finisher at the basket. Someone who can take the ball off the dribble and finish at the basket or draw files. We really haven't had a player like during JTIII tenure. Kidd-Gilchrist is a beast on the boards. Sorry watching the game. Back to my point. It seems penetrations come from off ball movement instead of dribble drive. I think that's why we start settling for 3s. We need someone who can get to the basket. I think that would open up the offence even more. JTIII say its part of the offence but I haven't see player really do it effectively or make a real attempt to do so.

Got 3 question

1) Who was our best driver to the basket during JTII? (I say Jason Clark)
2) Do we need one to get the the final 4? (Yes)
3) Is part of the offence? (Don't think is something that JTIII has recruited well. Not really part of our offence.)

[Problem of Dog]

So you're asking if we need a player who excels at doing something that does not fit within our set offense at all?

No.

[michaeldm9]

Mar 23, 2012 23:33:49 GMT -5 Problem of Dog said:

So you're asking if we need a player who excels at doing something that does not fit within our set offense at all?

No.

Need to find a place for it. The game has changed. Kimba road it alll the way to a National championship.

[MCIGuy]

Mar 23, 2012 23:33:49 GMT -5 Problem of Dog said:

So you're asking if we need a player who excels at doing something that does not fit within our set offense at all?

No.

Considering Gtown hasn't proven it can get past the first weekend of an NCAA tournament during most seasons under III and his system, I guess you're right. Who needs that type of player or that style of play to be mixed in with our current methods of doing things?

[nychoya3]

Is your question whether it would be good to have Kemba Walker or MKG? Because yes, yes it would. Excellent insight.

[MCIGuy]

Mar 23, 2012 23:23:05 GMT -5 michaeldm9 said:

Got 3 question

1) Who was our best driver to the basket during JTII? (I say Jason Clark)
2) Do we need one to get the the final 4? (Yes)
3) Is part of the offence? (Don't think is something that JTIII has recruited well. Not really part of our offence.)

Clark may have been the best over the course of his career but remember that Hoya fans got on him last season because he seemed to stop doing that in the first place. I think Jabril easily has the best upside/capability to get that done than any player III has recruited. The question is if Jabril doesn't shoot the three as well as other guards will he get the time? And will III discourage him from driving because it "takes away" from the style of play he prefers the team plays?

[SSHoya]

Don't see what precludes JTIII from having a guard with dribble-drive skills who can play within the system but also have the skill to go to the rim when a play breaks down as option.

[KirbyKeger]

I think Jabril does a pretty good job of getting to the bucket, and from what I understand, DSR has the ability to muscle his way there.

[jgalt]

I think there was definitely the need for a guard (or anyone) to drive the lane in the second half against NC State (instead of taking bogus threes). But gtown doesnt need a new guy to do that. Starks and Jabril can both get to the hoop driving the lane. I was surprise Markel didnt do it more that game, but it seems like whenever he hits a three or two in a game, he decides he is really good at that and forgets to drive.

[Madgesdiq]

Maybe you need to find a new program to root for.

[Dhall]

Oladipo reminded me of Clark. The difference with the Kentucky players is that they are bigger, stronger and actually score when they get to the rim or draw a foul. So yeah we could use a strong 6'6 guy with ball skills, the ability to finish and overall NBA talent.

[Ottomatic]

Queue Troy Williams

[Eurostar]

I wouldnt bash the OP here. This is a legitimate question that people bring up ALL the time with our team.

Chris Wright was the break down guard we recruited and that didnt propel us to the final 4. I think he drove out of the flow of the offense which was the problem.

Jason Clark drove A TON earlier this year, but for some reason he just stopped driving in the second half. I think that more than anything else made our offense less versatile and more stagnant in the second half of the season. He started settling for the step back 25 foot 3pt shot instead of going around the screen up top and driving to the basket. I'm not sure if they scouted us better and took that away or we just stopped looking for it, but I do believe that Clarks driving early in the season added a dimension we hadnt had in a while.

[bmartin]

Do we need another thread on a topic that has been discussed at length in every thread that followed a loss? it's a silly question.

Every offense works better with an ankle-breaking unguardable point guard. Every offense and defense works better with an unstoppable big man controlling the paint. Every offense works better with long wings who are great shooters and can drive on anyone who crowds them.

But plenty of teams with great penetrating guards lose early round games also. Some even lose to Lehigh or Norfolk State.

[NTAMM]

Yes. It always helps to have a guard (or another player who plays a different position) who is a (good) dribble drive player. Watching last season’s NCAA championship run, we saw that type of player in Kimba Walker. With his drive dribble ability he was able to create his shot by their attacking the basket, driving than pulling up for the midrange shot, or creating space to shoot the three-pointer. He was also able to create shot for his teammates. In particular, he was able to create for Jeremy Lamb. During that period, Lamb blossomed largely due to opportunities created by Walker’s play. Walker was able to score and create for others, when the rest of UConn was struggling offensively. We also see the havoc dribble drive players can create for a defense in Kentucky – where multiple guards have that ability as do at least one of Kentucky’s forwards.

During JTIII’s regime, there have been two guards that were good at dribble driving. The last one was Chris Wright. At the end of the season, watching the Hoyas play without Wright, provided a sense of what an elite point guard means for the team. Wright could singlehandedly break a press, deliver the ball to teammates in positions where they could score, and he could and was willing to attack the basket, and he gave the team another scorer. Yet, with Chris Wright’s dribble drive skills, came an understanding of the game -- better than most GU boosters gave him credit. He was a point guard who understood when jump shots were not falling. Therefore, there were times when he took it upon himself to push the tempo. Pushing the tempo is a way to get easy, transition baskets. The problem was that an uptempo style of basketball was not suited to GU’s talent and style of play. As the team was not used to playing uptempo, the offensive sets looked sloppy.

The other Hoya guard that was good at dribble drive was Ashanti Cook. The offense did not depend on Cook’s dribble drive skills. This was partly because the offensive was primarily a “pass and cut” offense and partly because Cook was surrounded by skilled, athletic players like Jeff Green, Brandon Bowman, and Darryl Owens who were good a getting open and had skills to attack the basket and finish at the rim. But, in Hoyas NCAA tournament run (JTIII’s first as the Hoya coach), Cook asserted him, utilized his dribble drive ability, and played some of the best basketball of his Hoya career.

The dribble drive abilities of Wright and Cook made their Hoya squads much better. Particularly, in an era where there are no longer dynasties that dominate college basketball, a good dribble drive-type player enhances the offense and can single-handedly take over a game. For this season, not having that type of player, at times, was a problem for the Hoyas. It could be a problem next season unless DSR is ready and encouraged to use that skillset. If he plays the point, he will still look first for his shot. However, at a high level in high school basketball, he has shown glimpses of being able to drive and dribble effectively.

[Nevada Hoya]

I liked how Indiana was able to get to the basket vs Kentucky. They had some versatile players, who could dribble penetrate. Of course, Kentucky has the horses and wears you down, but I did like Indiana's offense vs Kentucky. Now if they could just have tightened up their FT defense, they would have been in the game.

[dreamhoya]

It's all perspective. Starks can do it, clark could do it, Jabril can do it. GU's offense doesn't focus much on that. If it's there it can be taken, but remember, JTIII pulls the reigns a bit on that. I'd imagine there'll be a bit more of it with starks, trawick, dsr, and (hopefully) bowen...

[kchoya]

Mar 24, 2012 13:48:30 GMT -5 dreamhoya said:

It's all perspective. Starks can do it, clark could do it, Jabril can do it. GU's offense doesn't focus much on that. If it's there it can be taken, but remember, JTIII pulls the reigns a bit on that. I'd imagine there'll be a bit more of it with starks, trawick, dsr, and (hopefully) bowen...

Agreed. For all the crap JT3 gets on here, this past season shows he adapts to his personnel. Look at how much zone we played, and how effective it was.

I also agree with the post that Clark did drive to the hoop more in the first half of the season, but stopped doing it as much for some reason.

[bmartin]

I'm all for dribble penetration, but I hate watching teams whose the guards spend the whole game dribbling around and pointing for their teammates to set screens for them.

[hoyazeke]

Mar 24, 2012 0:40:22 GMT -5 SSHoya said:

Don't see what precludes JTIII from having a guard with dribble-drive skills who can play within the system but also have the skill to go to the rim when a play breaks down as option.

this........
Noone is saying change the system to dribble drive. Just recruit a couple of kids that are able to bail us out when the system fails.