Our Offense

[Wildcatcrazy11]

A lot has been said about the defensive side of the ball after the loss and I just wanted to hear what everyone's thoughts were on our offense.

Personally, I don't see what it is accomplishing. Rick Scruggs was smart in discovering that if he took the lob to the post away from us that we would be forced out of our offense and forced to create shots individually. The high/low offense we are running right now relies heavily on two things:

1) quick movement of the ball allowing posts to seal off their man (something tubby never preached and I can see some players struggling)

2) looking for passes from high post to low and from low to high and to the perimeter (this was open a few times last night when our high post was not at the top of the key waiting to lob it down low against a double team). Patterson, IMO has shown that he sees the floor well and can play in this style.

I don't feel we are accomplishing either of these right now. I also feel that Billy G thinks he will not have to rely on our half court offense as our ability to run the break and create points off turnovers and rebounds becomes better. Clearly last night exploited many of our weaknesses, one of which at this point is the lack of a half court offense. Much like last season at times, we look confussed and are forced into individuals making plays. This will improve over the course of the season and the improvement of the two things listed above will be the reason why.

[RaleighCat]

The UK team that played against GW was not the same team that played the previous three games. It just wasn't. Both ends of the court included.

The GW game saw us go back to old bad habits on offense- plus we just flat out missed a bunch of early shots. Some of that has to be blamed on fatigue and frustration.

I really liked the effort and movement against C Ark, and it sounded like we moved/shot very well in the exhibitions. I'm chalking up the poor offense on Wednesday night to Murphy's Law. If it could have gone wrong, it did.

[Gunsmoke]

It is a difficult task to discipline the undisciplined in such a short time when the backup is not any more talented. I am speaking of the posiiton that is the key in any and all of Coach Gillispie's offenses, the point guard. Ramel is not a true point guard and has never exhibited the skills needed to run a high caliber team such as ours and UNC, etc. etc. etc. We have no quality backup who can step in at the point either. That is why Coach is recruiting the socks off of point guards because that is the posiiton he relies on to run the offense the way he means it to be done. We can talk about it being the proverbial so-called "Tubby-bashing" all we want the bottomline truth is Coach was left with absolutely ZERO. NILL NADA NO quality point guards on this team. Bradley cannot run the show the way a true lead guard is supposed to and when the going seems to get tough to him he starts forcing things on the offensive side of the ball rather than calming everybody down and running Coach's set plays. Then you throw in our other senior, Joe, who should be a leader on the court also and what does he do when things get tough on the court? He reverts back to the Joe we have seen for three years on the court and that is try to do it all by himself by throwing up three after three after three and/or try to drive to the basket with his head lowered like a bull no matter how many people are surrounding him. He couldn't pass it even if the thought ever even flashed through his mind with his head down. Heck he can't even see how many defenders are closing in on him. Then you start factoring in what Coach G inherited in the paint and it is plain what is going on out on the court or put another way, what is not going on out on the court.

[Rockober]

It is a difficult task to discipline the undisciplined in such a short time when the backup is not any more talented. I am speaking of the posiiton that is the key in any and all of Coach Gillispie's offenses, the point guard. Ramel is not a true point guard and has never exhibited the skills needed to run a high caliber team such as ours and UNC, etc. etc. etc. We have no quality backup who can step in at the point either. That is why Coach is recruiting the socks off of point guards because that is the posiiton he relies on to run the offense the way he means it to be done. We can talk about it being the proverbial so-called "Tubby-bashing" all we want the bottomline truth is Coach was left with absolutely ZERO. NILL NADA NO quality point guards on this team. Bradley cannot run the show the way a true lead guard is supposed to and when the going seems to get tough to him he starts forcing things on the offensive side of the ball rather than calming everybody down and running Coach's set plays. Then you throw in our other senior, Joe, who should be a leader on the court also and what does he do when things get tough on the court? He reverts back to the Joe we have seen for three years on the court and that is try to do it all by himself by throwing up three after three after three and/or try to drive to the basket with his head lowered like a bull no matter how many people are surrounding him. He couldn't pass it even if the thought ever even flashed through his mind with his head down. Heck he can't even see how many defenders are closing in on him. Then you start factoring in what Coach G inherited in the paint and it is plain what is going on out on the court or put another way, what is not going on out on the court.

I disagree with no quality point guards. Jasper is a good one and obviously this team needs him to get back in the line-up soon. The recruiting in the past has not been very good-that I agree with. Jasper and a healthy Meeks will help this team a great deal but there is nobody to fill in down at the basket. Patterson will be a great one but he needs a counter-puncher to allow him to shine.

[Gunsmoke]

I didn't include Derrick because I doubt he plays this year. He would be the closest player to a true point guard on this team who can play at this level. My statements about big men had to do with the 5 position. It is obvious Pattersonwill be great with time.

[Rockober]

[QUOTE=Gunsmoke;349238]I didn't include Derrick because I doubt he plays this year. He would be the closest player to a true point guard on this team who can play at this level. My statements about big men had to do with the 5 position. It is obvious Pattersonwill be great with time.[/QUOTE

I understood what you meant by not having a 5 position. Patterson would really shine if we had a decent 5. I agree with you on this and I also agree with lack of overall talent the last few years in needed positions.

The only thing I don't agree with is that Tubby did recruit Jasper and you can not leave him out because of an injury. That's not Tubby's fault. Not having other quality talent is.

[Gunsmoke]

I can't argue with your last statement either, not that I would argue anyway. Everybody should have their own thoughts and opinions. I also cannot blame Tubby, whom I really liked and respected and will continue to cheer for where he is now, for the complete lack of a successful 5 man as he tried with Carter and he just stays injured. Now Carter is back and he is tentative at best out on the court. I hold out hope that maybe he becomes somewhat what we need at the 5 by the start of conference play. (fingers crossed)

[westtncat]

I had already told myself it would take two to three years for us to get back on track like i think we should. In saying that..its very hard waiting on it. I want it now and its just not there.

[reggis]

Our offense was terrible, why have a post player out front with ball that could not shoot the ball and allow opponents to sag big time in lane to keep from giving to low post. It would not have taken a genuis to play 4 guards and then let them pop out top so defense could not sag in the paint.

[ukwebfan]

For the past 2+ years, we've been playing Cincinnati Bengals defense. If we don't force turnovers, we stink. Nothing about this scenario has changed unfortunately.

Until this changes, our offense will struggle when Joe, Ramel and Jodie struggle.

[poodoo]

I can't argue with your last statement either, not that I would argue anyway. Everybody should have their own thoughts and opinions. I also cannot blame Tubby, whom I really liked and respected and will continue to cheer for where he is now, for the complete lack of a successful 5 man as he tried with Carter and he just stays injured. Now Carter is back and he is tentative at best out on the court. I hold out hope that maybe he becomes somewhat what we need at the 5 by the start of conference play. (fingers crossed)

A very nice post, Gunsmoke, and I must thus respond. :)

I knew that you were NOT "bashing" our former coach, FWIW. :) You're just too kind-hearted to bash, as I see it. :) Also, to me, merely criticizing in a respectful, fair manner is far different than what fans call "bashing," the stuff that is REPEATEDLY said, often in a seemingly mean-spirited, rather obsessed way. Based on what I've read here, I truly believe most everyone here wants to focus on SUPPORTING our CURRENT coach. I surely hope that is the case. I know it is the case for me.

Rockober is so right that Derrick Jasper is a TRUE pont guard. We so need him to get healthy and at least play after the Christmas break. We also so need for Jared to become confident and contribute in the post. May these things happen! :) GO CATS! GO COACH G!

[kyjohn]

When the shots don't fall,and they were'nt in the GW game,teams look bad.Then throw in the fact the defense could'nt stop anyone that night,you have a recipe for desaster.And thats what happened.If UK scores on those early posessions you have an entirely different game.

[Wildcatcrazy11]

When the shots don't fall,and they were'nt in the GW game,teams look bad.Then throw in the fact the defense could'nt stop anyone that night,you have a recipe for desaster.And thats what happened.If UK scores on those early posessions you have an entirely different game.

I agree that shots didn't fall and that always hurts. However I feel like we still get beat allbeit a much closer game even if some shots do fall. Part of this is attributed to what I feel at this point to be an offense that is not doing the two things I mentioned in the OP. I feel like even if our defense shows up we are going to have a hard time puting points on the board unless the team can buy into what Gillispie is teaching. I hope we do so over the course of the next 10 days.

[Wildcatcrazy11]

Our offense was terrible, why have a post player out front with ball that could not shoot the ball and allow opponents to sag big time in lane to keep from giving to low post. It would not have taken a genuis to play 4 guards and then let them pop out top so defense could not sag in the paint.

Patterson can hit that shot. Having a post player out front (in an uptempo type of offense), IMO is a positive. It spreads the defense out. The offenses success is going to come from faster ball movement and quicker and smarter decisions. No one is quite used to this as this is the near inverse of Tubby's offense.