Mishandling the Press

[BWRhasnoAC]

Do I think Monte needs tips? No. I did find myself complaining a little about the op's same point during the game. We had 5 TO that i felt we caused and not the pressure.

Lastly we have Custer and Cooke on deck for ball handlers. We are gonna be just fine.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

 

[heitclone]

I've seen him make enough really good passes and grab enough rebounds out of position to prove his basketball IQ is average to above average. The game was played fast. Sometimes too fast for him. That's what WV does. He's still a sophomore and playing pretty well in his role.

Exactly, he gets rushed at times....bc he's a SG, WV's style is designed perfectly for a guy like Thomas to struggle and he held his own. Matt is getting to the point where the biggest knock on him is going to be he doesn't hit enough 3's. That's not knocking him, it just says a lot about the kind of player we expect vs what we got. He is pry not quite the pure shooter a lot of people thought but he definitely has a better floor game than expected. We'll need him to keep hitting shots but its a really positive sign he has been able to have an impact on the game in other ways too.

 

[ILiftWithRoyce]

Morris and Thomas need to stop with this stutter step nonsense when bringing the ball up the court with one man in front of them. They are trying to avoid all contact with misdirection and it makes the one man in front of them way too powerful/effective in slowing the ball down, which helps their press cause way more trouble than it should. Just go at them at an angle to get around and/or draw the blocking foul. Niang did this a few times towards the end of the second half and got the ball forward very effectively. No fanciness needed.

Go tell Fred

 

[Gossamer]

i'm kind of in disbelief the thread has lasted this long...and that it was legitimate to being with. How can the OP genuinely criticize what MM is doing if CFH doesn't? This isn't the football thread where arm-chair quaterbacking might be considered helpful...we are winning in BB.

 

[SouthJerseyCy]

Do I think Monte needs tips? No. I did find myself complaining a little about the op's same point during the game. We had 5 TO that i felt we caused and not the pressure.

Lastly we have Custer and Cooke on deck for ball handlers. We are gonna be just fine.

Don't forget that Monte was in foul trouble the whole game. Part of not forcing it up the floor as much as usual could have been an attempt to avoid contact/fouls.

I think we took exactly what WVU was giving us. I was actually pretty impressed at the job Naz/MT did when MM had to sit. Were there a few forced turnovers/timeouts....sure, but not as much as I would have thought. MVU leads the nation in TO margin and steals. The subjects of this thread had 1 and 2 TO's respectively.

 

[CySmurf]

Unless you're Jamal Tinsley...maybe you're not the best to give advice to Monte Morris. Just saying.

 

[Skyh13]

I've seen him make enough really good passes and grab enough rebounds out of position to prove his basketball IQ is average to above average. The game was played fast. Sometimes too fast for him. That's what WV does. He's still a sophomore and playing pretty well in his role.

This isn't the first game where things have moved too fast for him, otherwise I'd agree with you.

Perhaps that's the better way to put it -- it does feel like everything is moving too fast. The game hasn't slowed down enough for him yet.

 

[madguy30]

If they get the ball over to halfcourt in less than 10 seconds, they've done their job, and followed the rules.

 

[jahfg]

Monte seems to thrive when the other team brings the double team. He's a crafty ball handler and will walk the ball up if it's one-on-one because you're not going to get it from him. Bring the double, and he will make the right pass or hit that next gear the OP desires. There's a difference between uptempo and out of control (see: Dejean Jones). I wouldn't worry at all about draining those precious 8 seconds off the clock if it means a clean possession.

If I'm an opposing coach, I would not double Morris when he has the ball. ISU will get a layup 80% of the time. The guy that needs to pick up his game against the press is Naz. He looked a little rattled; flashes of his freshman season at PG.