Ok kids, now is your chance (BEFORE the game) to suggest to Coach Aston how to beat the Bears in game two in Wakko. Seems we all are good second guessers………we can see what is NOT working……………so let’s see what you have IF you were the coach for a day. I like the goals of minimizing turnovers and fouls, shoot better, defend better, score more points, give up fewer points, don’t talk back to refs, get better refs, slow down, don’t throw the ball into the low post from a bad angle or long distance, make good decisions with the ball on the fast break, keep the crowd out of the game, etc. However, I would argue that those do not make up a strategy. Those points are all good; however, they are more hopes and prayers and requests……………but not specific enough to help much.
The Bears have beaten the Horns for the last 12 times. So the old adage that if you continue to do the same thing over and over……….expect the same results. So here is your chance to show your mettle. What changes would YOU do given the opportunity? To demonstrate that I am willing to expose my lack of good brain cells to the masses, here is what I would do:
Strategy: Give anybody on the Bears an opportunity to be a hero…..EXCEPT Jones and Davis. Can’t expect to win with them going for 29 and 24 again. So how do you do that?
- Options:
- Play zone the majority of the game. This minimizes the pick and roll which they torched us with in the first game. They can still do some pick and roll against a zone, but it is different in how you play it versus man to man. This goes against Coach’s DNA but you can’t be bull-headed about it when you have not been able to stop it. This keeps you out of foul trouble early trying to defend the pick and roll.
- An option off the traditional 2-1-2 or 1-3-1 would be a box and one …………..or perhaps a diamond and one. The “one” dogs Jones with the other 4 playing zone. Since Coach hasn’t played a lot of zone, perhaps this is a stretch to see them do this effective; however, it works well at times against a team with one dominant player (Jones).
- Play better help side defense. If Coach refuses to deviate from her man to man preference, AND simply must go over the top of the screener, then your help side wing absolutely MUST slide over to help the post hedging hard. ….and still try to get back to keep Wallace or Davis from routinely hitting 3’s. The reason is that Imani and Lang at their size simply are too slow at the hedge to stop Jones on the pick and roll. Our help side defense was not very good in the first game. Also consider having the guard going “under the screener” at times. I don’t like normally going under the screener, but if you change it up some, you may force some indecision and consistency from Jones at time. We simply can’t let Jones go unimpeded down the middle of our defense on the pick and roll.
- Keep your rotation short. You simply don’t have the difference makers to win when you are playing your number 10-13 player on the roster. All the players are good but all are NOT good enough to beat Baylor. Go with 8 or 9 player rotation (see option one to keep em out of foul trouble!)
- Play some zone press to slow down their offense. You can alternate with a trapping 1-3-1 or even a soft one to just slow them down. And every so often perhaps get a turnover or two. As a minimum, put the press on when made free throws. Also play some half court trapping zone press as a change of pace.
- Play Imani at the elbow(s) the majority of the time. Baylor will double and triple team her at the low post almost every time. Imani usually is tall enough to pass to the cutter on the low post, but Baylor is tall enough to stuff that. So she plays high post and use Lang and Taylor at the low post as passing options. I realize that this takes Imani out of an area that is her strength. However, she had 7 turnovers from bad passes or traveling on the block. She can go down there periodically but most times have out high. She can hit that shot (or longer).
So that is it for me. What have you got ?
