RE: Valpo Game

From: Shinkle, Randy
Date: 03 Dec 2003 - 10:23 AM EST

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Ryan [mailto:address@hidden
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 9:25 AM
To: address@hidden
Subject: RE: [UC Basketball] Valpo Game

Post passing - Paul, I've noticed that now in the last two games as
well. We cant seem to get the ball into the post for A) a Max
turnaround jumper or B) a pass back out by Kareem or Max for an open
shot. This is a problem that needs to be solved. I remember
this being a
problem last year.

This is (IMO) because UC has typically been a mediocre offensive team against a zone. Having guys like Field and Tony make 3s hides the fact that UC generally doesn't attack a zone well at all. I'm sure most of this is from not practicing against a zone much, which is in turn because UC doesn't play much zone. It's sort of the inverse of other teams not being able to prepare for UC's press.

Huggins can address this over the holiday break, since I'm sure he realizes he's going to be seeing a lot of zone this year.

Armein - I don't think Bobbitt "played PG", though he did
bring the ball
up the court a few times. However, Armein played the PG spot and his
passing was good and he drove the lane a few times. However,
when you do
these two things well you should get either an assist or a trip to the
free throw line and he didn't get either ! (0 assists, 0-0 from the
line) I was surprised when I spotted that in the box score.

Armein came into the game with 8 assists and 1 turnover for
the season.
He left the game with 8 assists and 5 turnovers for the
season. He also
has the most personal fouls on the team, even though he is 7th in
Minutes Played. Sheesh. I think he could be a capable PG for us, but
many things need to improve.

To me, Armein looked like a raw freshman in this game. I didn't see much that he did that I could compliment. If there has been a question as to when White would become a starter, and who he would send to the bench, there isn't any longer (again, IMO).

I loved Bobbitt's spirit-breaking trey. The silence of the crowd was
noticeable on TV as well.

The best way I can think of to describe Tony ("the man of steal") this year is that he's "getting it." He's a re-run of D'Juan Baker, only more talented.

Field - with under 4 mins left, Field got the ball ready for
a trey and
was quickly approached by a defender. He dribbled left for a short
jumper. If he can do this with regularity, he could average 20 a night
instead of 14. He is 8-12 on the year from >inside< the arc. He also
would get fouled more which would put him at the line for a guaranteed
two points, given his 90% FT shooting last year.

The open post, motion offense should get Field more opportunities around the hoop. UC's least used major weapon is Field's FT shooting. However, note the following FT figures through last night's game:
Bobbitt: 7 of 8
Kirkland: 7 of 8
Moore: 1 of 2
F. Williams: 2 of 2
N. Williams: 16 of 18
And Tony and Nick hadn't missed until last night. That's a total of 33 of 38 for the guys who will be handling the ball in close games. Very good sign.

The major concern last night was the turnovers, which were spread around nicely. :-( Everyone who played but Hicks had at least one. The start of both halves were especially ugly. I wish UC had at least one more road game before beginning conference play, to continue to adapt to that kind of environment. Fortunately, Huggins' message seems to have gotten through about playing hard and attacking the glass.

UC has now beaten 4 not-so-bad teams by at least 19 points each. Contrary to what we thought earlier, it looks to me like Valpo is the weakest of the 4, at least right now. Akron, Oakland and Coppin State could well be conference champions. I think Coppin State is the best of the group. They're athletic and shoot the 3 really well; it kept them in the game last night against Missouri, even though they were getting crushed on the boards (38 to 19 for the game). I'll bet that stat gets noticed by Huggins and passed along to the team.

Randy '78

I also cant believe this is the same scrawny Field Williams I
saw in the
Summer League over 3 years ago. He looked scared back then,
now he looks
confident and capable.

Mike Ryan

-----Original Message-----
From: address@hidden [mailto:address@hidden
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 1:27 AM
To: address@hidden
Subject: [UC Basketball] Valpo Game

Just got back from the game in Valpo. Fun place to watch a
game. Felt
like a big high school field house. Loud crowd, good support
for their
team. Very physical game. The refs at one point would call very weak
touch fouls and then would overlook some pretty blatant hacks. Very
inconsistent but they didn't seem to be favoring either team.
A couple
of times there was some woofing between players but nothing big
happened.

Observations:

1. Bobbitt is definitely the spark on this team. He is pure energy
at all times on the court and has calmed down and matured considerably
since last year. He has very quick hands and feet on defense and is
playing in control on offense. I think we have seen the
results of his
hard work over the past several games and it looks like it will
continue. I spoke with him after the game and he was
basically playing
through cramps in his calf muscles all game. Gutsy effort. Favorite
play of the night was in the first half when Valpo started to go on a
run and their crowd got very loud and on its feet. Bobbitt calmly
dribbles up the court, knows he shouldn't, but pulls the trigger on a
long three and drains it. Crowd promptly shuts up and sits
down. Valpo
run over.

2. Huggins is still searching for the right point guard. Nick and
Chad are both pretty inconsistent right now. Both had some stupid
turnovers and are still a step slow on defense. Both let players run
back door on them several times. He played both Kirkland and
Bobbitt at
various times at the point tonight. Kirkland looked good at
the piont
late in the game but no one seems to be able to get the ball
in to Max.

3. Max is still trying to find his comfort zone. His shot is still
very flat (remind anyone of the early Kenyon?) but in the meantime is
playing great defense and rebounding. You could tell he missed Whaley
tonight on the offensive end (they were definitely keying on him).

4. Valpo watched the game tape from Coppin State. They
were stuck on
Field all night but he still managed to get open for a few
treys and had
some nice drives and dishes or finishes. They had no answer
for Bobbitt
though. He's too quick to stop. Having those two on the
court together
is dangerous for other teams.

5. Most impressive thing about this team is its defense. The team
knows how to shut down and intimidate others (even without the half
court trap). Even if we're having difficulty on offense (as
we will if
we keep relying on the 3 ball), we still will be in every game this
year.

Good team effort overall especially in a hostile environment.
Our bench
is very very deep and we are playing without two of our best players.
Can't wait for us to be full strength. The bench really
allows Huggins
keep the attention of the players on the court and keep them
focused (if
they want to stay in the game). We could be very dangerous. Night
and day from last season. Go Cats!

-Paul

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