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Dun-da-da-daa-da dun-dun-dun-dun-da-da-daa-da dun-dun-dun-dun-da-da-daa-da dun-dun-dun-dun-da-da-daa-da....
(supposed to be James Bond background music)
@jayhawk-007 where have you been hiding? In a Russian oil tanker in the Persian Gulf?
Out of the blue... James Bond has come up with the new tag descriptor for our offense.... gone is BAD BALL... and it's inverted step child GOOD BALL.
Dun-da-da-daa-da dun-dun-dun-dun-da-da-daa-da dun-dun-dun-dun-da-da-daa-da dun-dun-dun-dun-da-da-daa-da....
The proper term now is SMART BALL! And SMART BALL accounted for a 95-ppg average while on the island of Maui.
That is a lot of points. BAD BALL represented the concept of slowing down the point total so the game became a "grind game." We all know Self loves grind games. GOOD BALL... seemed to be more a dream concept for many in here to counter BAD BALL.
I don't think any of us saw this coming. This wasn't the offense we ran in Korea.
Self seems to have finally realized that he can't create an artificial definition for his team. This team is FIRST about offense! And there is nothing wrong with that, even for a coach that hangs his hat on defense. For our players, offense is dessert. Self has been the proverbial "father" enforcing strict eating rules for his boys. "Can't eat your pudding until you eat your meat!"
What Father Self may have discovered... what really matters is his boys must "clean their plates." And if that means wolfing down their pudding before their meat, so be it.
What Self realized is all 5 of his current starters can DRIVE THE BALL! He may never be like the Mayor, and be gifted at developing mismatches. Truth is... maybe he doesn't need to be gifted there. When we put all 5 of our guys out on the perimeter with eyes on driving (or popping the 3), mismatches will become quite apparent and will be seized upon!
Dribble-drive. That's what I saw. Our guys on the perimeter looking to drive first, pass second. Finish first, pass second.
We should become the toughest out in America. No other team in D1 has the defense to match up with us. If we play this right, we basically force all those zone teams into M2M defense. In those scenarios, you can just about say we have a sure win. Playing M2M on Kansas as a newbie will not yield good results, especially against this team! Or they can stay in a zone and have their seams ripped through like it's an eight-lane freeway!
SMART BALL, Self's version of dribble-drive, will impact this team even more than adding Cheick (and that says a lot!). This offense doesn't rely on 3-pt shots, but naturally, this is one of the most-effective methods for opening up shooters on the trey line. Penetrate and create. Penetrate and finish at the rim or a pull up. Penetrate and draw the foul. Penetrate and feed the perimeter for an open 3. Penetrate and feed the low post for an easy dunk.
This offense also feeds right into the stricter compliance with the rules. Let the refs call it tight. We will live at the FT line this year. And our opponents will be scrambling with foul trouble instead of focusing on their execution to victory.
Gosh... I'm glad Perry has become a solid threat from trey! Gosh... I'm glad Jamari has great foot speed and can drive the ball and score or feed! Gosh... I'm glad Wayne has really fixed his julie from trey!