Story Links
Jan. 14, 2004
As the Virginia men’s basketball team travels through the Atlantic Coast Conference, the youngsters are going to learn in a hurry what it takes to win.
Aggression…
ACC teams stay on the attack on offense. It takes more than one player to produce victories. Plus…a team has to have several productive elements. Inside power, guard play, unselfishness, production from the small forward, which normally is the one position that is tough to defend…and use of the three-point line. Winning teams in the ACC rarely go 3 for 22 from the arc. The “3” is a weapon now…and winning ACC programs dial long distance eight to twelve times a game. It’s just a basketball fact of life.
Keeping droughts short…
I’ve seen it a lot this year, not only in ACC games but top 25 match-ups. Just like being in Mexico…the “runs” can kill you. 13-2 explosions, 16-4 bursts, especially right before half time, are recipes for disaster. Let a team get on a roll and you are climbing a hill like no other…. especially in the ACC, where sometimes the men in black and white enjoy watching the beauty of a 22-8, four minute onslaught. Go three or four minutes without a field goal and your team is toast.
Free throws….
I hate free throws…. I hate seeing teams miss them, and I especially hate seeing a game with 78 of them like Georgia Tech and North Carolina had this past Sunday. 78! It’s not an Elks Shoot-out…. it’s a basketball game. However teams that attack get to the line. And teams that shoot 74% from the free throw line win…it’s as simple as that. In the final two minutes of games, teams that get to the line and knock down 11 of 12, or 9 for 9, normally win.
Defense…
I didn’t mean to place “defense” so far down the list…. but play D, limit teams to 35% shooting, guard the perimeter, keep teams from hitting the open 3, and your team is going to win. I’ve always been a proponent of…no matter what sport…about pitching and defense. Point guards and “D”…being strong up the middle …quarterbacks and defense…elements of victory. If you can shut down passing lanes…make it difficult in the middle and don’t give up anything easy, your team has a chance to win. UVA has a lot to learn in that regard…. the inside defense has not been what the coaches are teaching, and the Cavaliers are giving up a lot of good looks from the outside.
Transition…
Now this is basketball…. the fast break, 3 on 1’s, outlet and push…cherry pick and get behind the defense. Get to the rack! I know James Naismith really didn’t have this kind of basketball in mind, but it’s poetry in motion…its basketball’s version of the no huddle…and it’s the double steal executed to perfection. The Wahoos, at times, have looked good on the break. In the first half against Duke, it was the up tempo style of play that got them back in the game. Keep a team on it’s heels most of the 40 minutes, and you have them playing from behind.
Rebounding…
Again…these elements are not in order, because most coaches will tell you rebounding is one of the most important elements in winning basketball. Get killed on the boards night after night and your team has “play in game” written all over it. Rebounds mean defense and second chance opportunities. Note…that’s one stat you will hear my radio crew emphasize…. second chance points. It details hustle and offensive rebounds…and that produces wins. Period…paragraph!
Intangibles…
I’m big on swagger…it’s one of those sports words that is hard to define. You either have it, or you don’t. It can grow in time, but a team needs to have it. The night Georgia Tech knocked off #1 Connecticut in the pre-season NIT I noticed the Yellowjackets had an “air” about them…and they had it early. It was like, “not tonight UConn…we are going to match you point for point, rebound for rebound”. Swagger comes from defense …which translates to offense…in that order. Duke has had it for years…Roy Williams is trying to bring it back to Chapel Hill, Gary Williams’ NCAA title team had it during the championship run, and this Virginia team can gain it. Gary Forbes is close to having it…so is J.R. Reynolds. I see it in T.J. Bannister’s eyes, in Derrick Byars’ expressions, and in Devin Smith’s defense. Todd Billet carries it in his heart…but swagger is a team thing…develop it…. and you’ll win three or four games on swagger alone.