ProdigalHorn
10,000+ Posts
We've talked a lot about this team's lack of defense and blocking out - clearly uncontested dunks off missed shots were at an all-time high this year. And while a lot of that is coaching, I'd suggest a lot of it falls on recruiting the past few years.
Barnes has been unable to get a solid post since... well.. when? Everyone talks about the guard play, but I think we'll be OK there with time - a lot of young guys who have a lot of polishing to do. But is it really any surprise that we got dominated inside?
Pittman - always was a project, got better but his athletic and hoops IQ limitations started to show the more he became a part of the offense.
Matt Hill - Relatively respected recruit coming out of high school, but I've yet to see why. Very limited offensive game, not athletic, certainly not a starting center for a top 30 DI program, and I can't imagine anyone ever thinking he could be.
Alexis Wangmene - another project, very limited hoops experience coming in, and while certainly an athlete, seems to have hit a wall in terms of development.
That's it, folks. That's the post position. When you go into a game wondering whether you will get 8 boards from your post spot, you have a problem. I don't know if it's because Rick has just struck out with the big-time centers nationally, or if he's tried to focus on long-term players who aren't going to leave after two years and just isn't recruiting good big men, or if he just flat-out doesn't have a good handle on what constitutes a big-time college prospect at that position. But we seem content to recruit 6-7 athletic forwards to take up the slack on rebounding and occasionally post up against smaller teams.
The best defensive teams Barnes has fielded had a shot-blocker waiting in the middle, with the defense funneling everything into the paint. Now, we do that and people are going right to the rim, and if they don't hit it, the guy coming behind them is there to jam it home.
This needs to be addressed, IMO more than anything else.
Barnes has been unable to get a solid post since... well.. when? Everyone talks about the guard play, but I think we'll be OK there with time - a lot of young guys who have a lot of polishing to do. But is it really any surprise that we got dominated inside?
Pittman - always was a project, got better but his athletic and hoops IQ limitations started to show the more he became a part of the offense.
Matt Hill - Relatively respected recruit coming out of high school, but I've yet to see why. Very limited offensive game, not athletic, certainly not a starting center for a top 30 DI program, and I can't imagine anyone ever thinking he could be.
Alexis Wangmene - another project, very limited hoops experience coming in, and while certainly an athlete, seems to have hit a wall in terms of development.
That's it, folks. That's the post position. When you go into a game wondering whether you will get 8 boards from your post spot, you have a problem. I don't know if it's because Rick has just struck out with the big-time centers nationally, or if he's tried to focus on long-term players who aren't going to leave after two years and just isn't recruiting good big men, or if he just flat-out doesn't have a good handle on what constitutes a big-time college prospect at that position. But we seem content to recruit 6-7 athletic forwards to take up the slack on rebounding and occasionally post up against smaller teams.
The best defensive teams Barnes has fielded had a shot-blocker waiting in the middle, with the defense funneling everything into the paint. Now, we do that and people are going right to the rim, and if they don't hit it, the guy coming behind them is there to jam it home.
This needs to be addressed, IMO more than anything else.
