The Gamecocks responded fashionably to the short layoff by playing well against North Carolina A&T tonight. Well, all but the last seven minutes of the game. The guys did a very good job up to that point. I thought they took some uncharacteristic shots early in their offense. Whereas, before, they passed up good shots to get great shots. When you're a team that's trying to take that next step or turn the corner, you, as a coach, can't let those things go. Which is why Frank showed his disdain on the bench.
It's very neat sitting in the stands most of the time. Tonight, fans didn't understand why Frank appeared unsatisfied with the Cocks up by 30 points. This is why. Building a good team is all about having good habits and because USC doesn't have that one dynamic game changer, they have to play with discipline. Something the Cocks didn't play with down the stretch. As a coach, you make sure your team finishes the game the "right" way by playing the game in its entirety with good habits.
If your team is good enough, you might be able to relax and let some of those things go. But when you're on the cusp, you can't let it go. For example, as good as Alabama's football team is, Nick Saban coaches to the end of every game. He does this because he doesn't want his guys getting away from the things that help you win games. As a matter of fact, I remember Saban getting mad at his guys for dousing him with Gatorade before the time ran out in the National Championship Game. You don't think that's coaching to the end?
I've been so impressed with how the Cocks have played defense. I've been equally impressed with how this team shares the basketball. It's exciting to watch the unselfishness and the rationale behind what the team is trying to do. This style is a far cry from what we saw under the previous coaching regime that focused on shooting quickly as opposed to getting good shots.
Something else that has impressed me mightily is the way these guys are communicating on both ends of the floor. Whether it's offense or defense, these guys are collectively talking and helping each other out. This is a direct correlation to how they've been able to play with such defensive intensity. I absolutely love it. And they're not relying on one guy to do all of the talking.
Coach K of Duke once said that not talking is one of the most selfish acts in basketball. This is so true.
Also, I think it's time to give our Bigs their props. Laimonas Chatkevicius and Demetrius Henry have both taken a gigantic step. Chatkevicius's jump could be directly attributed to the fact that for the first time in three years, he stayed in Columbia the entire summer. This helped his conditioning.
Go back to the end of last season. Big Chat played his best basketball because he was in better shape. Also, he has the green light to shoot the three ball because he's doing his job in the paint defensively. Frank made that clear with him by saying, if you take care of the paint, I'll reward you by letting you shoot the three.
Henry's jump can be attributed to two things: he's now a sophomore and he's stronger. Many people forget that Henry was a four star kid that chose us over the likes of Miami and Missouri amongst others. He stronger so he's able to sustain his positioning on the floor and isn't as rushed once he catches the ball because he has his balance.
All in all I was happy with the way they played against themselves tonight for 33 minutes. It was good to see Sindarius Thornwell play with an aggressiveness, unlike the previous few games or so. Again, the Cocks will need him from this point forward.
I shared dinner with the broadcasting team tonight, Andy Demetra and Casey Manning, and we talked about how this team isn't just beating teams but they're dominating teams, in particular, Clemson and Okie State. While this team could very easily be 10-1 or 11-0, I think losing those games in Charleston was great and it made guys accept some things and vow to improve.
Now, on to the next one against Iowa State, one of the toughest match ups for any team in the country because of its versatility at all five positions. A challenge for the Cocks but a very good one.
It's very neat sitting in the stands most of the time. Tonight, fans didn't understand why Frank appeared unsatisfied with the Cocks up by 30 points. This is why. Building a good team is all about having good habits and because USC doesn't have that one dynamic game changer, they have to play with discipline. Something the Cocks didn't play with down the stretch. As a coach, you make sure your team finishes the game the "right" way by playing the game in its entirety with good habits.
If your team is good enough, you might be able to relax and let some of those things go. But when you're on the cusp, you can't let it go. For example, as good as Alabama's football team is, Nick Saban coaches to the end of every game. He does this because he doesn't want his guys getting away from the things that help you win games. As a matter of fact, I remember Saban getting mad at his guys for dousing him with Gatorade before the time ran out in the National Championship Game. You don't think that's coaching to the end?
I've been so impressed with how the Cocks have played defense. I've been equally impressed with how this team shares the basketball. It's exciting to watch the unselfishness and the rationale behind what the team is trying to do. This style is a far cry from what we saw under the previous coaching regime that focused on shooting quickly as opposed to getting good shots.
Something else that has impressed me mightily is the way these guys are communicating on both ends of the floor. Whether it's offense or defense, these guys are collectively talking and helping each other out. This is a direct correlation to how they've been able to play with such defensive intensity. I absolutely love it. And they're not relying on one guy to do all of the talking.
Coach K of Duke once said that not talking is one of the most selfish acts in basketball. This is so true.
Also, I think it's time to give our Bigs their props. Laimonas Chatkevicius and Demetrius Henry have both taken a gigantic step. Chatkevicius's jump could be directly attributed to the fact that for the first time in three years, he stayed in Columbia the entire summer. This helped his conditioning.
Go back to the end of last season. Big Chat played his best basketball because he was in better shape. Also, he has the green light to shoot the three ball because he's doing his job in the paint defensively. Frank made that clear with him by saying, if you take care of the paint, I'll reward you by letting you shoot the three.
Henry's jump can be attributed to two things: he's now a sophomore and he's stronger. Many people forget that Henry was a four star kid that chose us over the likes of Miami and Missouri amongst others. He stronger so he's able to sustain his positioning on the floor and isn't as rushed once he catches the ball because he has his balance.
All in all I was happy with the way they played against themselves tonight for 33 minutes. It was good to see Sindarius Thornwell play with an aggressiveness, unlike the previous few games or so. Again, the Cocks will need him from this point forward.
I shared dinner with the broadcasting team tonight, Andy Demetra and Casey Manning, and we talked about how this team isn't just beating teams but they're dominating teams, in particular, Clemson and Okie State. While this team could very easily be 10-1 or 11-0, I think losing those games in Charleston was great and it made guys accept some things and vow to improve.
Now, on to the next one against Iowa State, one of the toughest match ups for any team in the country because of its versatility at all five positions. A challenge for the Cocks but a very good one.
