It will be very interesting to see what this team plays like on Saturday.
I have said from the beginning of the season that we would struggle at times, because of the leadership of Peter Jok. Don't get me wrong, Peter brings some really strong skills to the table for this team. However, leadership isn't one of them. In addition, defense is also not one of those things.
Even knowing what we knew about Peter's defense, I never imagined our zones could look as good as they do without Peter in the lineup. When you have Jbo and BE or IM up top in the 2-3, it just looks so much quicker. Likewise, the 3-2 with Baer and any two of our guards looks fantastic as well.
It is obvious to everyone that our offense even looks better, likely for two reasons:
1. The ball just moves so much more right now...
2. Everyone seems to feel the freedom to attack with their normal tendencies...
I don't think that was happening before. Guys were hesitant to do what they have done for years, wanting to make sure they didn't take a shot away from our "scorer".
With that said, I think it might be really exciting to see an IMPROVED offense on Saturday. If 1 & 2 remain the same, and you insert an all-american level shooter into the offense, it should be measurably better than what it was 2 weeks ago. Peter just needs a renewed sense of ball movement, and I am hopeful that he has seen and learned in that area from these past 2 games.
However, I don't think the same is true of our defense(s). Unless we can play man to man, and find someone weak that Peter basically doesn't have to guard, there is simply no way the defense goes any direction but down. Hopefully, at a minimum, at least PJ has had the opportunity to watch these 2 games, and see what good individual and team defense looks like. If he is truly an AA level of player, then the onus is on him to figure out how to fit in now.
It should be fun to watch.
Go Hawks!
I have said from the beginning of the season that we would struggle at times, because of the leadership of Peter Jok. Don't get me wrong, Peter brings some really strong skills to the table for this team. However, leadership isn't one of them. In addition, defense is also not one of those things.
Even knowing what we knew about Peter's defense, I never imagined our zones could look as good as they do without Peter in the lineup. When you have Jbo and BE or IM up top in the 2-3, it just looks so much quicker. Likewise, the 3-2 with Baer and any two of our guards looks fantastic as well.
It is obvious to everyone that our offense even looks better, likely for two reasons:
1. The ball just moves so much more right now...
2. Everyone seems to feel the freedom to attack with their normal tendencies...
I don't think that was happening before. Guys were hesitant to do what they have done for years, wanting to make sure they didn't take a shot away from our "scorer".
With that said, I think it might be really exciting to see an IMPROVED offense on Saturday. If 1 & 2 remain the same, and you insert an all-american level shooter into the offense, it should be measurably better than what it was 2 weeks ago. Peter just needs a renewed sense of ball movement, and I am hopeful that he has seen and learned in that area from these past 2 games.
However, I don't think the same is true of our defense(s). Unless we can play man to man, and find someone weak that Peter basically doesn't have to guard, there is simply no way the defense goes any direction but down. Hopefully, at a minimum, at least PJ has had the opportunity to watch these 2 games, and see what good individual and team defense looks like. If he is truly an AA level of player, then the onus is on him to figure out how to fit in now.
It should be fun to watch.
Go Hawks!
