cowboysooner
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2008
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JMO, the NCAA tourney is 99 (ok maybe 92%) about shooting. In basketball, defense doesn't win, shooting does. I am a big billy tubbs fan, and agree with a statement I have heard him say 100 times, "I can't stand coaching kids that can't shoot". When he has explained that, he has stated that you can defend, rebound, not turn it over, and execute perfectly in your offense, but if the kid doesn't put it in the hole, it is all for nothing and you have just wasted a lot of energy and coaching for nothing.
In a vaccum, basketball is about shooting, shooting and shooting.
Our problem this year, and this was highlighted for me, this week when I watched a dozen schools that I hadn't seen before, is that we didn't have a reliable perimeter shooter, other than bird and he lost his shot late in the year and was a liability in the other faccets of the game. Most teams in the tournament had several reliable perimeter threats. I'm convinced that the reason you see so many upsets in the ncaa is that the big schools get great athletes, but often they are reliable shooters and the small schools end up with very skilled kids that maybe aren't as athletic, and that shooting wins out.
The irony of it all for us is that arguably, the best two three point shooters in the college game today are Clarke and Mcgee and both literally lobbied to come to ou. We didn't offer Clarke initially and then we he wanted to transfer, lon couldn't guarantee him a schollie until we heard from the NCAA or a kid transfered. Not lon's fault. I blame Blair for not transfering early enough. And McGee, well I have been talking about him since he graduated. I'll never understand it. He is, in my opinion, the best contested 3 shooter since reddick and begged to come to ou twice. Not sure what the deal is with that, but it is odd that he doesn't start for ISU.
My hope, Lon develops and finds shooters for next year.
In a vaccum, basketball is about shooting, shooting and shooting.
Our problem this year, and this was highlighted for me, this week when I watched a dozen schools that I hadn't seen before, is that we didn't have a reliable perimeter shooter, other than bird and he lost his shot late in the year and was a liability in the other faccets of the game. Most teams in the tournament had several reliable perimeter threats. I'm convinced that the reason you see so many upsets in the ncaa is that the big schools get great athletes, but often they are reliable shooters and the small schools end up with very skilled kids that maybe aren't as athletic, and that shooting wins out.
The irony of it all for us is that arguably, the best two three point shooters in the college game today are Clarke and Mcgee and both literally lobbied to come to ou. We didn't offer Clarke initially and then we he wanted to transfer, lon couldn't guarantee him a schollie until we heard from the NCAA or a kid transfered. Not lon's fault. I blame Blair for not transfering early enough. And McGee, well I have been talking about him since he graduated. I'll never understand it. He is, in my opinion, the best contested 3 shooter since reddick and begged to come to ou twice. Not sure what the deal is with that, but it is odd that he doesn't start for ISU.
My hope, Lon develops and finds shooters for next year.
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