Quick stuff (CoC game)...

[gary-7]

... and as I'm gonna watch the replay after the wuffies game, these are first impressions and notes.

This is the sort of game we know all too well that UNC teams --- even good ones ---are fully capable of losing. This year Ol' Roy wasn't gonna let that happen, so let's start there:

- Most years (especially with this many frosh) we would've been stubbornly sticking with 22 come hell or high water --- Nuh-uh, not today. We went 32 on their first OB, then 42 (thank you, Jesus!) several times and (wait for it) 44 several times. Go ahead with yore badd self, Roy! And y'all saw it, forced TO after TO.

- In fact, I'll say it right here --- being aggressive and multiple was the difference in the game, cuz well... 22 was (and will be) a work in progress with the younguns, as would be expected.

I spent more time than even usual watching off the ball, and whew... it was a good news / bad news thing, but then, that was true offensively as well --- so I'll go from that perspective:

- Good news --- we did a mostly credible job of challenging their 3s. Bad news --- communication breakdowns. The latter was GLARING when we had 4 frosh on the floor together at one first-half stretch and proceeded to lose a lead.

- Good news --- Bigs mostly did a nice job of rim-protecting. Bad news --- Late and lazy footwork in Help.

- Good news --- willing to get the ball inside. Bad news --- SPACING on the Secondary (which in fairness is always the biggest challenge for young Guards).

Some individual notes:

- Bad news --- seemed like Garrison was feeling some pressure from all the pre-season accolades. Hesitant and not finishing. Good news --- he kept plugging and pulled some boards.

- Bad news --- speaking of hesitation, dammit Andrew, stop thinking so much before you shoot. Good news --- Plates played as good a defensive game as I've seen from a Heel in a while. Responsible for multiple takeaways and our rotations were instantly better. I'll look again at the replay, but I had him for 4 steals and 2 blocks and IIRC the only time he didn't get a stop on his man was when somebody forgot their "goaltender" responsibilities and didn't call out a high back-screen late.

- Bad news --- Dayron still needs to refine his defensive footwork. Good news --- Damn, he is a budding BEAST inside and showed some sporty post moves and rim-protection.

- Bad news --- Bless his heart, RJ was lost in team-D and will have to adjust to guarding bigger guys. Good news --- Kid is fearless and makes things happen.

- Bad news --- Caleb had some ugly moments offensively. Oh, and dammit son, don't be leaving your feet like that --- that fall scared me half to death! Good news --- He has the makings of a strong defender as he learns to trust the rotations behind him, and flashed some smooth "takes" as he got comfortable. And I love my PG making FTs!

- Bad news --- why didn't Kessler play in the first half? Good news --- when he played, well, you can't teach 7'2. Gonna hafta catch up wth his body, but that's 7'2 with skills.

- Bad news --- Leaky also struggled with his shot, and had a lapse or two. Good news -- Roy played Leaky exclusively at the 3 and he performed his role quite well overall. Moreover, Leaky looked spry and seemed to be running without pain.

Random thoughts:
- not a good shooting night --- first-game jitters were apparent... but that FT shooting will hunt! Let's hope that part's a trend.

- Roy must've blistered some butts about rebounding as we got em by 15 in the second half.

- Bacot quietly played a strong game across the board with 12 and 8, and I had him for 3 blocks.

- Was honestly surprised that Walton got more minutes than Puff behind Leaky but we'll see how that progresses. I think they'll both be good players for us down the road, as it was expected this will be a getting-their-feet-wet season.

- And damn, how weird was it to see UNC playing a real game in an empty Dome?

- Unsuprisingly, Charleston pressed us some. Roy had em ready. Press-O was pretty seamless

- On the other hand, it was apparent we hadn't practiced much vs Zone --- I don't think we managed to run our Zone-O Continuity once when they went to it. I'm sure that will be addressed.

Anyway, I'm just so dadgummed glad to have Carolina basketball back, and that was a decent start!... 😎

 

[CarolinaBlue5]

Kessler and Puff have been in Covid protocol. That’s why they didn’t play much

 

[gary-7]

Kessler and Puff have been in Covid protocol. That’s why they didn’t play much

Ahh, I didn't have sound. I figured it was something physical. Thanks.

 

[heels05champs]

I was wondering why Kessler didn’t play most of the game as well and then the announcer finally said he had not practiced in 10 days. With that said, it was obvious the skill level is elite with Kessler. The game seems to come easy to him and I think he will be an impact freshman this year.

 

[iwish]

... and as I'm gonna watch the replay after the wuffies game, these are first impressions and notes.

This is the sort of game we know all too well that UNC teams --- even good ones ---are fully capable of losing. This year Ol' Roy wasn't gonna let that happen, so let's start there:

- Most years (especially with this many frosh) we would've been stubbornly sticking with 22 come hell or high water --- Nuh-uh, not today. We went 32 on their first OB, then 42 (thank you, Jesus!) several times and (wait for it) 44 several times. Go ahead with yore badd self, Roy! And y'all saw it, forced TO after TO.

- In fact, I'll say it right here --- being aggressive and multiple was the difference in the game, cuz well... 22 was (and will be) a work in progress with the younguns, as would be expected.

I spent more time than even usual watching off the ball, and whew... it was a good news / bad news thing, but then, that was true offensively as well --- so I'll go from that perspective:

- Good news --- we did a mostly credible job of challenging their 3s. Bad news --- communication breakdowns. The latter was GLARING when we had 4 frosh on the floor together at one first-half stretch and proceeded to lose a lead.

- Good news --- Bigs mostly did a nice job of rim-protecting. Bad news --- Late and lazy footwork in Help.

- Good news --- willing to get the ball inside. Bad news --- SPACING on the Secondary (which in fairness is always the biggest challenge for young Guards.

Some individual notes:

- Bad news --- seemed like Garrison was feeling some pressure from all the pre-season accolades. Hesitant and not finishing. Good news --- he kept plugging and pulled some boards.

- Bad news --- speaking of hesitation, dammit Andrew, stop thinking so much before you shoot. Good news --- Plates played as good a defensive game as I've seen from a Heel in a while. Responsible for multiple takeaways and our rotations were instantly better. I'll look again at the replay, but I had him for 4 steals and 2 blocks and IIRC the only time he didn't get a stop on his man was when somebody forgpt their "goaltender" responsibilities and didn't call out a high back-screen late.

- Bad news --- Dayron still needs to refine his defensive footwork. Good news --- Damn, he is a budding BEAST inside and showed some sporty post moves and rim-protection.

- Bad news --- Bless his heart, RJ was lost in team-D and will have to adjust to guarding bigger guys. Good news --- Kid is fearless and makes things happen.

- Bad news --- Caleb had some ugly moments offensively. Oh, and dammit son, don't be leaving your feet like that --- that fall scared me half to death! Good news --- He has the makings of a strong defender as he learns to trust the rotations behind him, and flashed some smooth "takes" as he got comfortable. And I love my PG making FTs!

- Bad news --- why didn't Kessler play in the first half? Good news --- when he played, well, you can't teach 7'2. Gonna hafta catch up wth his body, but that's 7'2 with skills.

- Bad news --- Leaky also struggled with his shot, and had a lapse or two. Good news -- Roy played Leaky exclusively at the 3 and he performed his role quite well overall. Moreover, Leaky looked spry and seemed to be running without pain.

Random thoughts:
- not a good shooting night --- first-game jitters were apparent... but that FT shooting will hunt! Let's hope that part's a trend.

- Roy must've blistered some butts about rebounding as we got em by 15 in the second half.

- Bacot quietly played a strong game across the board with 12 and 8, and I had him for 3 blocks.

- Was honestly surprised that Walton got more minutes than Puff behind Leaky but we'll see how that progresses. I think they'll both be good players for us down the road, as it was expected this will be a getting-their-feet-wet season.

- And damn, how weird was it to see UNC playing a real game in an empty Dome?

- Unsuprisingly, Charleston pressed us some. Roy had em ready. Press-O was pretty seamless

- On the other hand, it was apparent we hadn't practiced much vs Zone --- I don't think we managed to run our Zone-O Continuity once when they went to it. I'm sure that will be addressed.

Anyway, I'm just so dadgummed glad to have Carolina basketball back, and that was a decent start!... 😎

Just nice to be able to read your game summaries with Heels b-ball again. Thanks as always.

 

[CarolinaMagic]

Leaky was awful. He does nothing well on the offensive side of the ball. He can't shoot and does nothing off the dribble for himself or for teammates. He simply isn't a Carolina level starter. I'd rather learn on the fly with Puff and Walton while Black gets 8 to 12 minutes a game. Puff came right in and buried a 3 pointer 2 feet behind the line.

 

[gary-7]

Just nice to be able to read your game summaries with Heels b-ball again. Thanks as always.

You are quite welcome.

 

[xtarheelx]

Leaky was awful. He does nothing well on the offensive side of the ball. He can't shoot and does nothing off the dribble for himself or for teammates. He simply isn't a Carolina level starter. I'd rather learn on the fly with Puff and Walton while Black gets 8 to 12 minutes a game. Puff came right in and buried a 3 pointer 2 feet behind the line.

The staff was high on leaky from day1. Eric Montross praised Leaky from day1. I never saw what they were talking about.

 

[FlaTarHeel]

Good news --- Plates played as good a defensive game as I've seen from a Heel in a while. Responsible for multiple takeaways and our rotations were instantly better. I'll look again at the replay, but I had him for 4 steals and 2 blocks and IIRC the only time he didn't get a stop on his man was when somebody forgpt their "goaltender" responsibilities and didn't call out a high back-screen late.

I couldn't wait to read your report to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me. Thank God they are still holding on.
AP was our best perimeter defender tonight by a mile!
I'm confident it will be Love at some point, but tonight the senior showed them what staying in school can do for you.

 

[midline]

With all of the new faces, and those being freshmen, I wasn't looking for a great performance. And didn't get one. Awful choppy. But to be expected. I was pleasantly surprised that Bacot seems to have improved and gotten more forceful with going to the rim instead of the barrage of head fakes he fooled nobody with last year. Impressed with Sharpe. He appears to be a man.
Not ad happy with Patek, or Leaky. Was hoping for vast improvement from both, but didn't see it. Plates still scared to take a shot naturally. And Leaky just seems to get lost in the offense. Imagine both of their minutes will fade as the season moves along.

 

[gary-7]

I couldn't wait to read your report to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me. Thank God they are still holding on.
AP was our best perimeter defender tonight by a mile!
I'm confident it will be Love at some point, but tonight the senior showed them what staying in school can do for you.

Yep. Caleb has the potential to become a plus-defender once he learns his responsibilities and rotations. I'm smiling as I watch the replay as he was the one who hung AP out to dry on the backscreen by forgetting to open and see ball in the paint, but hey, in our system even PGs hafta remember they're "goaltenders" sometimes. And yeah, Andrew was 100% on stops up til then and caused 3 more TOs in addition to his 4 picks.

 

[Steat]

The announcers said that Sharp reminded them of Hansbrough. I can see it.

I would love to see the following line-up going into February:

Love
RJ
Puff
Brooks
Sharp

 

[IDUNK4HEELS]

... and as I'm gonna watch the replay after the wuffies game, these are first impressions and notes.

This is the sort of game we know all too well that UNC teams --- even good ones ---are fully capable of losing. This year Ol' Roy wasn't gonna let that happen, so let's start there:

- Most years (especially with this many frosh) we would've been stubbornly sticking with 22 come hell or high water --- Nuh-uh, not today. We went 32 on their first OB, then 42 (thank you, Jesus!) several times and (wait for it) 44 several times. Go ahead with yore badd self, Roy! And y'all saw it, forced TO after TO.

- In fact, I'll say it right here --- being aggressive and multiple was the difference in the game, cuz well... 22 was (and will be) a work in progress with the younguns, as would be expected.

I spent more time than even usual watching off the ball, and whew... it was a good news / bad news thing, but then, that was true offensively as well --- so I'll go from that perspective:

- Good news --- we did a mostly credible job of challenging their 3s. Bad news --- communication breakdowns. The latter was GLARING when we had 4 frosh on the floor together at one first-half stretch and proceeded to lose a lead.

- Good news --- Bigs mostly did a nice job of rim-protecting. Bad news --- Late and lazy footwork in Help.

- Good news --- willing to get the ball inside. Bad news --- SPACING on the Secondary (which in fairness is always the biggest challenge for young Guards.

Some individual notes:

- Bad news --- seemed like Garrison was feeling some pressure from all the pre-season accolades. Hesitant and not finishing. Good news --- he kept plugging and pulled some boards.

- Bad news --- speaking of hesitation, dammit Andrew, stop thinking so much before you shoot. Good news --- Plates played as good a defensive game as I've seen from a Heel in a while. Responsible for multiple takeaways and our rotations were instantly better. I'll look again at the replay, but I had him for 4 steals and 2 blocks and IIRC the only time he didn't get a stop on his man was when somebody forgpt their "goaltender" responsibilities and didn't call out a high back-screen late.

- Bad news --- Dayron still needs to refine his defensive footwork. Good news --- Damn, he is a budding BEAST inside and showed some sporty post moves and rim-protection.

- Bad news --- Bless his heart, RJ was lost in team-D and will have to adjust to guarding bigger guys. Good news --- Kid is fearless and makes things happen.

- Bad news --- Caleb had some ugly moments offensively. Oh, and dammit son, don't be leaving your feet like that --- that fall scared me half to death! Good news --- He has the makings of a strong defender as he learns to trust the rotations behind him, and flashed some smooth "takes" as he got comfortable. And I love my PG making FTs!

- Bad news --- why didn't Kessler play in the first half? Good news --- when he played, well, you can't teach 7'2. Gonna hafta catch up wth his body, but that's 7'2 with skills.

- Bad news --- Leaky also struggled with his shot, and had a lapse or two. Good news -- Roy played Leaky exclusively at the 3 and he performed his role quite well overall. Moreover, Leaky looked spry and seemed to be running without pain.

Random thoughts:
- not a good shooting night --- first-game jitters were apparent... but that FT shooting will hunt! Let's hope that part's a trend.

- Roy must've blistered some butts about rebounding as we got em by 15 in the second half.

- Bacot quietly played a strong game across the board with 12 and 8, and I had him for 3 blocks.

- Was honestly surprised that Walton got more minutes than Puff behind Leaky but we'll see how that progresses. I think they'll both be good players for us down the road, as it was expected this will be a getting-their-feet-wet season.

- And damn, how weird was it to see UNC playing a real game in an empty Dome?

- Unsuprisingly, Charleston pressed us some. Roy had em ready. Press-O was pretty seamless

- On the other hand, it was apparent we hadn't practiced much vs Zone --- I don't think we managed to run our Zone-O Continuity once when they went to it. I'm sure that will be addressed.

Anyway, I'm just so dadgummed glad to have Carolina basketball back, and that was a decent start!... 😎

Solid analysis of the game. Thanks

 

[Tarheel75]

Thanks Gary, interesting post game write-up.

Not being able to attend games and having to watch via TV is a bit frustrating for me personally, as there is so much that is missed by cameras that would certainly make many pause in their criticisms. Just as was mentioned in your post, AP's defense was
really the best defense played by an individual player. The fact that he is 4 years in the system had much to do with his good play on defense. I don't know what COC's record will be this year, or just how good their overall team is, there was some decent speed and shot makers on that team, and I was anxious to see how we manned up with them.

And yes, I think I was more surprised that Roy threw 32-42-& 44 at COC.., a lot. Evidently, he feels like he has enough players with the quickness and agility to change up defensive pressures and that's exciting to me, as it will create some real confusion for the opposition once the younger ones have played it enough.

I did notice on at least 4 possessions in last nights game, that AP was directing both Love & Davis when they were not sure of just where they were supposed to be, and immediately they went where he directed them. I liked that. The times that COC ran back door cuts and were wide open to the basket, were a result of either Caleb, RJ, or Leaky losing their man and getting screened out of the play. If any want to be critical of AP's play, let it be for his lack of offensive production, as his defense was the best of all the guards, and let's hope he finds his range on his shot eventually.

Keep in mind that Harris is due back very soon, and his contributions will also make a difference in our overall play and will, most likely eat up most of AP minutes, we'll see about that shortly. Both Love & Davis are going to be the type of defenders we really like to watch once they have some more games behind them and gain experience.

Now..., on to the rest.

Our post players just might be the best these eyes has ever seen collectively on 1 Carolina team. How that equates to W' & L's..., well, it will depend on their continued development

1. Garrison: We all know his strengths and where he is weak. I thought he pressed too much last night trying to live up to his POY status. He will come around sooner, rather than later. However, it's going to be damn near impossible for him to score enough and show the other tangibles of his game to win that award, due to the other post players we have, and our back court play as well.

2 .Sharpe: Ho boy! If he stays out of foul trouble, look out. I think I heard the announcers mention TH & Sharpe together in the same sentence? I see that. He is hands down the most aggressive OR I have seen since Tyler. He can put the ball in the basket, for sure, but he needs to stop with the 12-15' jumpers until he has honed that shot. That's most likely what would keep him in the program for maybe a second year, but..., that's a discussion for another time huh?

3. Bacot: It appears that he has muscled up some and is a little more comfortable in the paint. His herky- jerky play has diminished a great deal, and his overall play was good, I thought. Gotta think he is feeling the pressure to produce and improve his play exponentially due to the competition for that spot. Thank God I didn't have to watch him miss shots right at the hoop over and over like last year. His spot will be an interesting one to watch going forward.

4. Kessler: COVID protocol limited his participation in last nights game. He and Puff both, have not been allowed to practice for the last 7-10 days due to positive testing, so that's why they were kept out most of the game.
Of all the post players, he is the most intriguing to me. In his limited 4 minute stretch, his production was incredible! His length will be a real weapon, and I really want to see him play against the center from Iowa, just to gage where he is defensively. He is smooth, doesn't get in a hurry to shoot, rebounds, and is quite the weapon on put backs, as you may have noticed. While he was exciting to watch, one needs to temper expectations about his consistency until he has played against stronger competition, I would think. I think I can be safe in saying, Walker will be a weapon that has been missing from Roy's arsenal in forever. Love this guy.

5. Puff: As was mentioned, he only got to play about a minute or so. What do you guys think about his rainbow shot? Nothing but net. He has one of purest shot forms that I have seen since Al Wood and Sweet D. He's going to be an offensive juggernaut. The defensive side of the ball is where he will determine how much court time he will see, and I'm thinking he will be as good as Leaky on that side of the ball. It may just be that by the 10th game or so, if we get to play that many or more, he will eat into Leaky's minutes. He is a good one for sure.

6. Love & RJ: I don't have or need to say much of anything about these 2 other than we are in good hands at the 1 & 2.

7. Walton: He had the 1st game jitters, I could tell very easily. He will settle after a few games, and then we will see what kind of shooter he can be.

8.Leaky: Overall, he was to me, the biggest disappointment of the entire team. I know it's just 1 game and I am going to reserve my final judgments about his play until he has enough games to be evaluated fairly, but he seemed to me to be the same as last year, with no noticeable improvement. However, it is evident that Roy certainly sees him as a value add that I, at this time do not see. He is suffering a lot from lack of quickness in changing direction, and that, I thought was due to a plethora of injuries, which seems not be the case.

In closing, this first game has given us a glimpse of just how good we CAN be. Of course there will hopefully be much improvement on defense, and that our best shooters will, once they become accustomed to the weird environment that COVID has brought, will be able to manufacture and maintain their own playing energy, we will then see the true nature of this team. 39% shooting is miserably bad, and that will get better I think.

Our defense held COC to 40% shooting, and our rebounding and second chances won this game, if you paid attention. With a team this young, there will be miscues and mistakes made, so get ready for it. No player or team ever plays a perfect game and the player(s) who work and who are able to limit these mistakes and miscues are the ones who win championships.

ETA: 2 things I failed to mention that I felt were and are important.

1. Lack of communication on both sides of the ball ( O & D ). This will be a point of emphasis for Roy I am sure in the very next practice.

2. Caleb & RJ both are learning the 1 & 2 guard positions, and that can be tough for the short term, but they are showing that they can do it very well.

 

[DrJaaay]

I was excited to see how deep we are this year. It's gonna be a challenge for Roy to divide up the minutes. Good D by Platek ... he'll hopefully start hitting those wide open shots. Love our bigs. Freshman guards looked like freshmen, but they weren't scared. We're gonna be real good by March!

 

[imajericho]

Platek tried to take a charge while in the restricted arc and got beat for an easy layup at one point. I don't have much to say about defensive effort from our perimeter as Caleb and RJ both seem to play risky boom or bust at the moment on the Defensive end, but I didn't think Platek was too astounding either.

 

[39 Feet Above Sea Level]

Thank you Gary and 75 for some analysis by people who know what is expected to happen on the floor vs. what actually occurs. I could only keep running tabs on the score and was kinda nervous until that 17-0 run in half 2.
Sounds like we're gonna have lots of potential to keep us all excited for whatever kind of season this will be.

 

[Tarheel75]

Platek tried to take a charge while in the restricted arc and got beat for an easy layup at one point. I don't have much to say about defensive effort from our perimeter as Caleb and RJ both seem to play risky boom or bust at the moment on the Defensive end, but I didn't think Platek was too astounding either.

Yep, and that happened again to another player, in the flow of the game, it's sometimes hard to gage just exactly where you are in that area. I will say this, that if AP had been outside the arc, he would have gotten the charge. That easy lay-up was not on AP. It was Caleb Love who lost his man, and AP tried to pick him up and is just not quick enough to do it. I'm not an AP apologist, but I have played enough and seen enough over my years to know where to look for breakdowns on defense, and what appears to the eye, cannot always be trusted in a structured defense such as ours is. Even Roy mentioned
that AP's defense and directions were instrumental in our defense, even if it was poor to bad most times.

 

[Archer2]

First of all, thanks to @gary-7 and @Tarheel75 for their knowledgeable assessments of the game. I never fail to enjoy them. I saw a team that sorely needs practice time, to learn the system and to learn to play with one another. But I also saw enormous potential in this team and we have one of the best coaches in the college game. IF this season plays out according to schedule, we should contend for the ACC title and make a good run in the NCAAT.

 

[Jafo4444]

Looks to me like Caleb is our best player, followed by Sharpe or possibly Kessler. Caleb has the body and athleticism of a pg lottery pick. He’s going to be special at UNC....for one season.

I can’t wait to see how RoY deploys our bigs come the tourney. I’m sure Brooks will get the start due to his service time, but I’d love to see Sharpe and Kessler get the most minutes. Their upsides are so much greater.

hopefully platek can force the defense to guard him. At this point, I’d leave him open.

^^ same goes for Leaky. Puff and Walton have a nice opportunity here. Hopefully one of the capitalize. Leakey lack of shooting ability hurts our bigs.

 

[dadika13]

One of the rare times the board is in mostly agreement.

Bit of a sloppy game but we all expected that with a new lineup combined with this very weird and limited preseason. The glimpses of what this team will be in a month or so was impossible to miss though.

I haven’t been this excited about a group of freshman since the 14 class.

 

[dlew71]

@Tarheel75 "I think I was more surprised that Roy threw 32-42-& 44 at COC.., a lot. Evidently, he feels like he has enough players with the quickness and agility to change up defensive pressures and that's exciting to me,"

Agree and I would add given the challenges on the offensive end with all the new faces the best offense is a turnover leading to the break

Hope coach keeps this up all year

 

[gary-7]

First of all, thanks to @gary-7 and @Tarheel75 for their knowledgeable assessments of the game. I never fail to enjoy them. I saw a team that sorely needs practice time, to learn the system and to learn to play with one another. But I also saw enormous potential in this team and we have one of the best coaches in the college game. IF this season plays out according to schedule, we should contend for the ACC title and make a good run in the NCAAT.

You're welcome, arch... and it just hit me that this is our first season opener without our friend Mike Irby.
RIP big fella, and happy Thanksgiving to everyone here.

Here's to a fun, safe and memorable season!

 

[Steat]

I appreciate what Gary and 75 bring to the board. You guys are just so good at this.

Lets enjoy Sharpe this season. He is a lottery pick next year unless he pulls a Hansbrough.

 

[imajericho]

Yep, and that happened again to another player, in the flow of the game, it's sometimes hard to gage just exactly where you are in that area. I will say this, that if AP had been outside the arc, he would have gotten the charge. That easy lay-up was not on AP. It was Caleb Love who lost his man, and AP tried to pick him up and is just not quick enough to do it. I'm not an AP apologist, but I have played enough and seen enough over my years to know where to look for breakdowns on defense, and what appears to the eye, cannot always be trusted in a structured defense such as ours is. Even Roy mentioned
that AP's defense and directions were instrumental in our defense, even if it was poor to bad most times.

The play the my knowledge was Platek on the bottom end of the screen 3 point arc getting blown past baseline side for a layup. To my remembrance.

It is also important to note though that players with lesser athleticism will appear better against lesser competition too, where the lack of athleticism and burst to expose them exists. It is what we saw a lot of Luke Maye earlier in his career here.

I think AP has the knowledge but can't do what a lot of players ultimately are able to do.

 

[Tarheel75]

The play the my knowledge was Platek on the bottom end of the screen 3 point arc getting blown past baseline side for a layup. To my remembrance.

It is also important to note though that players with lesser athleticism will appear better against lesser competition too, where the lack of athleticism and burst to expose them exists. It is what we saw a lot of Luke Maye earlier in his career here.

I think AP has the knowledge but can't do what a lot of players ultimately are able to do.

It may be that we are talking about 2 differing plays, and I think that I remember that one also. Yes, he got blown by, but there were other players who suffered worse embarrassments in this game. As I mentioned previously, no player will be perfect on either side of the ball, it's impossible, as you know.

The point being, is that AP made the least miscues and was a leader on defense not only with his play, but also with his experience and directives to both Caleb & RJ. He will help us some this year with stability on the defensive side, but his continued contributions on those ends may become moot once Harris is back. I agree that AP has the want to, but may not possess the needed quickness to achieve the desired results.

 

[gary-7]

The play the my knowledge was Platek on the bottom end of the screen 3 point arc getting blown past baseline side for a layup. To my remembrance.

It is also important to note though that players with lesser athleticism will appear better against lesser competition too, where the lack of athleticism and burst to expose them exists. It is what we saw a lot of Luke Maye earlier in his career here.

I think AP has the knowledge but can't do what a lot of players ultimately are able to do.

He got back-screened and no one called it out and Caleb forgot to cover the paint. Had zero to do with athleticism and everything to do with lack of communication from someone else. Same thing would've happened to Dudley Bradley, Bobby Jones or MJ in that circumstance.

And BTW, the guy Plates guarded (and otherwise shut out) most of his time has previously started at Vandy and Minnesota.

 

[2DDIMOND]

He got back-screened and no one called it out and Caleb forgot to cover the paint. Had zero to do with athleticism and everything to do with lack of communication from someone else. Same thing would've happened to Dudley Bradley, Bobby Jones or MJ in that circumstance.

And BTW, the guy Plates guarded (and otherwise shut out) most of his time has previously started at Vandy and Minnesota.

Haters gonna hate! If some of these guys sat in a room face to face with Roy, & Roy told them how valuable Platek was to this team, even in a minimized capacity that they weren’t able to understand, they wouldn’t believe it, & bash Roy..........which some of them already do anyway. I want to add that I, in no way, think Platek is a high level ACC basketball player. But he has value, & he has value to this team in particular that he has knowledge & experience within our system that at least 6 of our rotation players do not! I encourage you to take the blinders off, start looking for the good he does in each game instead of the bad, & you will find it. His teammates love him! When they bail on him, that’s when you should too! Which will be never! He’s a Tar Heel, & like it or not, he will contribute this year, & likely contribute more than you are willing to ever admit!

 

[Archer2]

“Most years (especially with this many frosh) we would've been stubbornly sticking with 22 come hell or high water --- Nuh-uh, not today. We went 32 on their first OB, then 42 (thank you, Jesus!) several times and (wait for it) 44 several times. Go ahead with yore badd self, Roy! And y'all saw it, forced TO after TO.”

@gary-7, would you do a very brief synopsis on these defenses, if it not too much trouble?

 

[DSouthr]

OK, so for me the story line of this game is the loss of exhibition and scrimmages, they need to play against real opponents rather than team mates that know what is supposed to happen. Having to go with so many freshmen amplifies this. Bet I am not the only one here that was spitting fire when CoC took that brief second half lead! Guarantee ya, while a part of Roy didn't like that either, he did like that his team got a punch in the face and hit back even harder.

Going to tell you right now, I do not love our line up when we have both leaky and Platek on the floor together, not until those fellas can prove to be offensive threats, defensively they are mostly fine but they kill our ability to get good spacing inside or drives in to the paint when they can be dared to shoot. Would not shock me at all to see Roy let Puff get some time at the 2 as well as the 3 as a guy that demands defensive to have to respect. Point being for a program that aspires to what UNC does every season if you have 2 guys that are not solid scoring threats on the floor the others guys can defend 3 on 5, not good!

 

[Tarheel75]

OK, so for me the story line of this game is the loss of exhibition and scrimmages, they need to play against real opponents rather than team mates that know what is supposed to happen. Having to go with so many freshmen amplifies this. Bet I am not the only one here that was spitting fire when CoC took that brief second half lead! Guarantee ya, while a part of Roy didn't like that either, he did like that his team got a punch in the face and hit back even harder.

Going to tell you right now, I do not love our line up when we have both leaky and Platek on the floor together, not until those fellas can prove to be offensive threats, defensively they are mostly fine but they kill our ability to get good spacing inside or drives in to the paint when they can be dared to shoot. Would not shock me at all to see Roy let Puff get some time at the 2 as well as the 3 as a guy that demands defensive to have to respect. Point being for a program that aspires to what UNC does every season if you have 2 guys that are not solid scoring threats on the floor the others guys can defend 3 on 5, not good!

Uh...David, did you mean 5 on 3 maybe ?

 

[Lewis&Miller]

The development of our front court is a can't wait to see thing this year. Sharpe is gonna be the starter. He has the mindset of a winner(he doesn't wonder what it takes, he knows its effort). His presence is gonna keep Bacot around another two or three years, so good for all fans.

We know Kessler is highly skilled but his presence was big, dominant in his brief 5 minutes(6 pts, 4reb). Cant wait to see him develop.

Just down the road, the 3 spot is a huge problem. This teams aggressive attacking backcourt and huge post presence is gonna create tons of shots for the wing. We need to grow a knockdown shooter(with game minutes) between Puff and Walton. Roy said Walton has been the best shooter in practice but a taller 6'8" Johnson could be less effected by recovering defenses. This team reaches its peak only with a shooter at the 3 spot.

 

[DSouthr]

Uh...David, did you mean 5 on 3 maybe ?

LOL, yeah, reckon I did! LOL

 

[gary-7]

No worries.
"20" is our base man-to-man, with the second digit of the call indicating the "pickup point".
Thus, 21 is basic "gap" man, and staying "below the ball".
22 (Roy's default, as well as Dean's once the 3-point line came in) means aggressive man in the half-court, using "hard" sideline/baseline forces on the ball and denying passing lanes when possible.

"30" is Dean's classic "run-and-jump", typically with the ball-side one-pass-away defender leaving his man and "jumping" the ball-handler for a high trap, as the remaining defenders rotate (clockwise on our right side, counterclockwise on our left) to the trap. Thus, 32 is the half-court version.

"40" is similar to 30, but more sophisticated, in that while the traps can come in the same areas, 40 is triggerd either by a force into a wing trap or more often, a trapper coming from the backside. Essentially, it's 22 that morphs into 2-2-1 Zone trap principles, with the one-pass-away defenders being "interceptors" and the guy two-passes-away being the "goal-tender" with a foot always in the paint.
42 is the half-court version
44 is full-court. In 44 we typically do a "hot" deny leaving the inbound passer unguarded (his defender becomes the goaltender) and everyone else face-denying on the inbounds. Depending on the call, sometimes we retreat off a successful inbound, but otherwise we try to spring an early trap (again, with 2-2-1 principles), before retreating into 20 (or, it's possible to keep it on at the next level).

Note: Dean used to run 43 a lot (which I dunno if I can remember Roy ever doing) which used to drive teams crazy, since we were essetially switching into 53 (3/4 court straight 2-2-1 Zone press --- aka, John Wooden's go-to) off Man, then back again.

 

[gary-7]

“Most years (especially with this many frosh) we would've been stubbornly sticking with 22 come hell or high water --- Nuh-uh, not today. We went 32 on their first OB, then 42 (thank you, Jesus!) several times and (wait for it) 44 several times. Go ahead with yore badd self, Roy! And y'all saw it, forced TO after TO.”

@gary-7, would you do a very brief synopsis on these defenses, if it not too much trouble?

No worries.
"20" is our base man-to-man, with the second digit of the call indicating the "pickup point".
Thus, 21 is basic "gap" man, and staying "below the ball".
22 (Roy's default, as well as Dean's once the 3-point line came in) means aggressive man in the half-court, using "hard" sideline/baseline forces on the ball and denying passing lanes when possible.

"30" is Dean's classic "run-and-jump", typically with the ball-side one-pass-away defender leaving his man and "jumping" the ball-handler for a high trap, as the remaining defenders rotate (clockwise if the trap's on our right side, counterclockwise on our left) to the trap. Thus, 32 is the half-court version.

"40" is similar to 30, but more sophisticated, in that while the traps can come in the same areas, 40 is triggerd either by a force into a wing trap or more often, a trapper coming from the backside. Essentially, it's 22 that morphs into 2-2-1 Zone trap principles, with the one-pass-away defenders being "interceptors" and the guy two-passes-away being the "goal-tender" with a foot always in the paint.
42 is the half-court version
44 is full-court. In 44 we typically do a "hot" deny leaving the inbound passer unguarded (his defender becomes the goaltender) and everyone else face-denying on the inbounds. Depending on the call, sometimes we retreat off a successful inbound, but otherwise we try to spring an early trap (again, with 2-2-1 principles), before retreating into 20 (or, it's possible to keep it on at the next level).

Note: Dean used to run 43 a lot (which I dunno if I can remember Roy ever doing) which used to drive teams crazy, since we were essetially switching into 53 (3/4 court straight 2-2-1 Zone press --- aka, John Wooden's go-to) off Man, then back again.

 

[chickenhunter]

As someone alluded to earlier, I hope Brooks was nervous and felt pressure last night. He didnt play as well as he should have as a senior player. I absolutely LOVE Sharpe's work and hustle. He made some mistakes but he looked a lot more comfortable than Brooks or Bacot.

 

[Tarheel75]

No worries.
"20" is our base man-to-man, with the second digit of the call indicating the "pickup point".
Thus, 21 is basic "gap" man, and staying "below the ball".
22 (Roy's default, as well as Dean's once the 3-point line came in) means aggressive man in the half-court, using "hard" sideline/baseline forces on the ball and denying passing lanes when possible.

"30" is Dean's classic "run-and-jump", typically with the ball-side one-pass-away defender leaving his man and "jumping" the ball-handler for a high trap, as the remaining defenders rotate (clockwise if the trap's on our right side, counterclockwise on our left) to the trap. Thus, 32 is the half-court version.

"40" is similar to 30, but more sophisticated, in that while the traps can come in the same areas, 40 is triggerd either by a force into a wing trap or more often, a trapper coming from the backside. Essentially, it's 22 that morphs into 2-2-1 Zone trap principles, with the one-pass-away defenders being "interceptors" and the guy two-passes-away being the "goal-tender" with a foot always in the paint.
42 is the half-court version
44 is full-court. In 44 we typically do a "hot" deny leaving the inbound passer unguarded (his defender becomes the goaltender) and everyone else face-denying on the inbounds. Depending on the call, sometimes we retreat off a successful inbound, but otherwise we try to spring an early trap (again, with 2-2-1 principles), before retreating into 20 (or, it's possible to keep it on at the next level).

Note: Dean used to run 43 a lot (which I dunno if I can remember Roy ever doing) which used to drive teams crazy, since we were essetially switching into 53 (3/4 court straight 2-2-1 Zone press --- aka, John Wooden's go-to) off Man, then back again.

Just a note from the past..., at one time during my playing days, there were even 2 additional variations of the half court jump known as 32 fist and 32 hand, which was discontinued by coach Smith due to the evolution of the game and the increased athleticism of players over the years. Trying those defenses today would lose you some games, thus, the reason we stopped using those in 1970. Just a trip down memory lane for me guys....Ok, you may continue with the important stuff now.

Oh, and by the way...., the explanations on the various defenses were very good Gary.

 

[Steat]

Surfing the net over the last several hours, some are saying that Sharp has a Moses Malone type of game for all you older guys. That's quite a compliment. Here is a You Tube ....

 

[gary-7]

Just a note from the past..., at one time during my playing days, there were even 2 additional variations of the half court jump known as 32 fist and 32 hand, which was discontinued by coach Smith due to the evolution of the game and the increased athleticism of players over the years. Trying those defenses today would lose you some games, thus, the reason we stopped using those in 1970. Just a trip down memory lane for me guys....Ok, you may continue with the important stuff now.

Oh, and by the way...., the explanations on the various defenses were very good Gary.

Thanks, and I love that nuance, 75! That was way before my coaching time but I've heard it mentioned and I've aways wondered about it. Was "fist" the old jump-switch with the forcer trying to rotate back to the jumper's man?

 

[kc2525]

I wasn’t able to watch the game, but from your write up and the highlights I did see, this sounds like one of those teams that will lose to a team they shouldn’t early on, beat a team maybe they shouldn’t early on, and then hit their stride about midway through the conference slate. I like those type of young Carolina teams, because they are dangerous come postseason time.