drgnslayr said:
@justanotherfan
Thanks for the response, and your response makes sense.
However...
I'm not satisfied with our development program. Love Hudy... but I think everything else falls short.
Our players.. mostly 5-star players... can't perform the fundamentals. This is what really chaps my backside.
I would start a Mitch Lightfoot over another Q. Q's stat line was so pathetic that it almost looked like he intentionally ran away from the ball. BTW, I like Q! I just want to kick him in the backside and have him for a week in practice.
I'm so sick of 5-star guys that spend all their practice time on fancy dunks, but don't have the slightest clue on how to seal off under the basket. Those fancy dunks lead to... ZERO WINS!
We live in one of the more competitive leagues, and most of our competition thrives on lower recruits. I'm not exactly totally thrilled with their development abilities either.
Under your premise... you are right. As long as we fail in developing players to a higher level, we best keep after recruiting top shelf talent.
I so miss seeing the game played at a higher level. I realize Naismith never experienced basketball near what it is today, but I have a feeling he is doing cartwheels in his grave over how much game we leave in the locker room because our guys fail on the fundamentals.
I think you and I feel the same way. I'm just venting frustration of the direction of D1 and our program.
Your statements are correct!
The big difference is that in order to play D1 P5 basketball today, you must have X level of athleticism. If you do not meet X level of athleticism, you simply cannot play at that level, regardless of how skilled you are.
Once you surpass X level of athleticism, let's pick a random number, say 50, then you are on the scale. Now, you also have to be a minimum skill level. Let's say that's a 50, too.
At that point, your ability to perform at the D1 level is your athleticism charted against skill, but in order to play at the P5 level, you need to be better than 115 total. If you are extremely athletic, you can be less skilled. If you are extremely skilled, you can be less athletic (provided you are above 50).
So we have already eliminated all of the people that are 1-49 on the athleticism scale and the skill scale, as well as a good portion of the 50-65 or so because their skill level did not make up for their athletic limitations or vice versa.
The problem, however, is that because you have to have X athleticism to make it to the D1 level, the kids that make up D1 players are largely kids that have never had to be fundamentally sound because they were so much more athletic than their peers. They were 60+ when most HS players are 30 or less. Their athletic ability was far and away better than anyone they played against (one reason its hard to judge how a non-elite player will translate to the college game).
Take a guy like Conner Frankamp. He was a dominant HS player. Could score from anywhere. Quicker than most anyone that guarded him in HS. Able to get any shot he wanted, any time he wanted.
Skillwise, Conner was probably something like a 65. Athletically, he was probably like a 55. Against most HS players, that's blowing them away. Against a D1 P5 player, that's towards the bottom of the scale.
These are just random numbers, obviously, but you get the point. Conner Frankamp wasn't a mind blowing athlete, but he was a much better athlete than just about anyone he faced in HS. He could have bad footwork defensively and still stay in position. He could ball watch a bit and still recover.
Now move up to someone like Zion Williamson. Athletically, Williamson is probably more like a 90 or better. If Frankamp was overwhelming most HS players, imagine how easy it was for Zion Williamson. I bet Zion Williamson didn't box out more than 5 times in his entire HS career. He was just so physically talented that it didn't matter. He could run around guys, jump over them, etc. He's in the 1% of the 1%.
How do you teach a guy like that fundamentals when he's so much faster than everyone else that he can be a little careless or sloppy and it doesn't show up because he gets the rebound anyway. He blocks the shot anyway. He scores anyway. You can't emphasize fundamentals until he gets to the NBA where he suddenly encounters Kawhi Leonard or Jimmy Butler and he ends up traveling or getting an offensive foul because they are quicker and more talented than anyone he's ever seen before, or until Joel Embiid grabs the rebound because he didn't box him out, or until someone gets a tip dunk on him.
Then suddenly, he has to get back to fundamentals. He has to really box out, not just pretend to. He has to really rotate all the way to the shooter, because Klay Thompson doesn't care that you closed out to within four feet of him. He has to really get into a defensive stance because Damien Lillard is too quick to just bend at the waist. Those guys are 75's and 85's athletically. He can't just half do things.
But you have to hit that wall because most kids don't even realize they aren't doing it properly because their athleticism covers it up.
And there is the rub, huh? As I have all but said (a good series here or there aside) the constant influx of not-ready-for-primetime players into the NBA has all but killed the league compared to what it used to be. None of them can play D and all want to be stars rather than just playing the game. The me, my, mine aspect of today's NBA is, if you think about it, a very microcosm of America.
