questions about your team

[qwe013]

Looking forward to a good game. Couple of fantastic teams and some solid fan bases who tend to show a lot of respect to opponents and the game. Should be good.

Question 1:
Breakdown your back court (include forward roles)

Question 2:
Breakdown your front court (include forward roles)

Question 3:
Most common offensive sets/formations

Question 4:
Most common defensive sets/formations

Question 5:
Biggest strength(s)

Question 6:
Biggest weakness(es)


Thanks

 

[wartdog]

Nice try coach Wright!

 

[hawkeye54545]

If it's close at the end I like your chances. We have beaten some really good teams soundly.

But as I'm sure you noticed yesterday we are bad at crunch time.

 

[Im4Iowa]

Iowa's season can be summed up perfectly from yesterday's game. Look at the first 8-10 minutes and that was the Iowa team from January. They knocked down shots, moved the ball well and played good defense.

Look at the remainder of the game and that's the Iowa team since the win on Super Bowl Sunday. No movement, a lot of standing around, poor rebounding out of the zone and too many threes that aren't falling. The only difference was the shot at the end finally went our way.

The big question is, how much of that January Iowa team will you see Sunday? finally winning a close one has to be big for their confidence, which has been low the last few weeks. Iowa is a good team, despite what you read on these boards. How good will depend on which team shows up.

 

[DavenportHawk8]

We really only play 1 post player at a time. Woody and we don't use him very much. He is more on the floor for defense and rebounding. You will not see him get the ball on the block very often, he is out by the 3pt line setting screens. He will not shoot from outside, so you don't have to worry about that. Tough rebounder and will battle for the boards no matter what.

Uthoff is more of an outside player than an inside player. He likes to chuck it from deep and when he's on it goes in. He will try and post up, but he will fade away every time he gets the ball down low. He shoots a lot and if its going in, that's good.

Jok Is another scorer who has now added the dribble drive to his game. He has a very quick shot and when he is on, he is on. He can take over a game in a hurry and score lots of points. Your best defender will need to be on him. He is a 6-6 guy, so if he gets a mis-match he "tries" to exploit it in the post.

Clemmons/Gessell are our two guards who are somewhat hit and miss. Some nights they are on and can score, other nights they are WAY off. They are the leaders both offensively and defensively. Clemmons will be assigned to guard Nova's best player. He can score at times, but lately has struggled to find the basket. I don't know why.

Like other posters stated, this team is a jekyl and hyde type team. They can come out and play strong and get hot and bury a team, or they can play lazy ball and get beat. They have not been "blown" out this year yet, (had 3-4 game where they were trailing by 10+) but in each game came back to make it a game. Yesterdays game was the exact same scenario we have witnessed for the last month. They come out on fire and get a lead, only to lose it right before half. Then they go on a little run and get up by a few baskets only to see if fade away in crunch time.

Basically it come down to 2 things for Iowa to be competitive in this game:

1. Have to have 3rd-4th options for scoring. Iowa relies too much on Jok & Uthoff. Have to have someone else step up in the scoring column.

2. Defense, Iowa has to limit Nova's chances to score. Our 3pt defense has been horrible as of late and if Nova's shoots like they did in their first game, it will be over.

 

[HeRKeYHoPeFuL]

We almost exclusively run a free flowing motion offense with guys curling off screens until someone has enough separation for an open catch and shoot.

 

[wartdog]

Ok Ill seriously try to answer your question though. It would be great if you could do one on Nova either in here or make a new post too using your own questions. I really don't know much about them besides they have that guard whos name is impossible to pronounce.

We generally go 7-8 deep getting solid minutes with a 9th (true Frosh PG) getting more lately. Mostly we rely on our starters for buckets though. I'm not gonna list stats as you can just google our team and find them on ESPN or something.


Question 1:
Breakdown your back court (include forward roles)
We have 2 starting Senior guards. They are really both point guards so either one of them are comfortable with the ball in their hands. On the downside they are both below average at shooting FT's so that kind of sucks.
STARTER 6'0" Senior PG Mike Gesell is the white ginger kid. He cant shoot for a lick outside but will occasionally hit open shots anywhere inside the arc, but his 3 game is an afterthought. He keeps our team in check and running smoothly. When he is out of the game we tend to get out of sync and have bad possessions. He is a pass first guy and is athletic and strong enough to drive but is really bad at finishing. He doesn't turn it over a lot but will have a few dumb ones. He generally plays decent defense but taller guards shoot over him all day.
STARTER 6'1" Senior SG Anthony "Sapp" Clemmons is the other guard. He is our best back court defender and can really get after it. Clemmons can occasionally hit the outside 3 if he is open but usually only shoots if he is really open, not a lot of forced shots. He is pretty similar to Gesell as he can get to the rim decently but is a lot better at finishing. He will have some dumb turnovers too but is overall a pretty good ballhandler. He is the guy who fouled the Temple guy at the end of regulation shooting the 3.
6'7" Frosh PG Christian Williams is a curious case. Unlike most true freshman he actually didn't see much PT at all the first half of the year but Fran has started giving him more minutes lately. He has the most upside of any of our guards really. Besides his obvious size advantage we really don't know a ton about what he can do. He seems to be able to drive and finish pretty well and as weird as it sounds is probably our best guard at creating his own shot. He has shown flashes and we are all pretty excited about him for the future. He might get 5-10 minutes depending on foul trouble is my guess.

Question 2:
Breakdown your front court (include forward roles)
Our 2 main scorers are our 2 forwards. When we need points we go to them. They essentially have the green light at any time, anywhere. Senior and Junior.
STARTER 6'6" Junior SF Peter Jok (2nd team B1G) on most teams would probably be the SG. He really is mostly a spot up 3 point shooter. He will occasionally drive but is not super athletic even though he may look it. He is our best pure 3 point shooter and when he is on he can light it up. Also an excellent FT shooter. Used to be a major defensive liability but worked on it and is maybe average now, likes to try to jump into passing lanes for steals. Unlike Uthoff he is not afraid to take the big shot but his problem is he is a guy that cant create his own shot very well so he comes off a lot of screens and lately he has been getting held, bumped, etc to throw off his cuts and deny him open shots.
STARTER 6'9" Senior PF Jarrod Uthoff (3rd team AA, 1st team B1G) is your typical stretch 4. He is rail thin so does not play a physical game, relies on finesse. He can score from anywhere but hangs out beyond the arc a lot. He will post up smaller guys if they try to guard him. Also an excellent FT shooter. Defensively he blocks a lot of shots on and off the ball. He will also try to get steals by jumping passing lanes. Serviceable man to man defense. His main problem in my opinion is he lacks the killer instinct and defers in clutch situations to other guys when the game is on the line even though he is our best player.
STARTER 7'1" Senior C Adam Woodbury is a guy I'm sure you have heard of. Other teams like to call him dirty, goofy, etc but in reality he is really just a hard working, albeit athletically deficient, center. His offensive game is pretty much non-existent besides wide open layups and the occasional short jumper. He is a decent FT shooter for a 7 footer. Defensively he plays old man ball and does a lot of the dirty work that gets unnoticed. He cant jump but is smart and uses "other" ways to get rebounds AKA pushing, holding, nudging and all the stuff that guys that cant jump do under the basket. Honestly I really don't think he is a dirty player he just looks goofy and ppl hate him because he is bangs a lot down low. He wont block many shots but surprisingly when he is in the game our post defense is a lot better than the alternative.
The next 3 guys will be our main subs and get most of the non-starter minutes.
6'9" PF Soph Dom Uhl is usually our first guy off the bench. I guess you would also call him a stretch 4 because he can come out and hit a 3 at a decent clip. Fairly athletic and can get to the rim but not a great finisher. Average FT shooter. Usually either taking a 3 or something close to the basket not a lot of in between shots. Defensively probably average depending on who he is guarding. If Woody is out and he is guarding a big center can get exposed.
6'7" PF True Fresh Ahmad Wagner is our other post player. He is not a project but needs a lot of refining. Probably our most athletic guy. Anchor leg on his 4x4 100m HS state champ relay team (biggest class in Ohio) so he can get out and run and pretty decent at finishing around the rim. At this point probably a below avg FT shooter. Does not really have much of an offensive game besides offensive putbacks and the occasional move around the rim. Mostly in there because he is a good athletic defender, but not really tall enough to guard real post players. Lot of potential but still raw.
6'7" SF True Fresh (walkon) Nicholas Baer is a pleasant surprise to our team. Is pretty skinny but not afraid to mix it up. Real hustle player and will do the things that gets the announcers to go crazy (floor burns, laying out, etc.) Can hit the open 3 and is probably our 3rd best 3 point shooter after Jok and Uthoff, well either him or Uhl. He will shoot an open mid range too if he is open. Doesn't force much and plays within the flow of the game. In your face kind of defender but only average athleticism.

Question 3:
Most common offensive sets/formations
We run a motion offense that tries to mainly get Uthoff or Jok good looks with the other guys secondary options. Really after those 2 our scoring is pretty random. If those 2 are off then were pretty much screwed unless you guys are ice cold or our defense is bringing it.

Question 4:
Most common defensive sets/formations
We switch up our defense a lot. Like all the time. Man one possession, then 2-3, then 3-2. Depends on what is working and our opponents strengths. Lately we have been getting litten up by other teams with a combination of lapses and good shooting. We will occasionally set up a 1-3-1 press that is mostly designed to have you waste half of your shot clock but we will get some turnovers from it. I wish we would press more because we are pretty decent at it but it probably wears our scorers out too much.

Question 5:
Biggest strength(s)
Don't turn the ball over a lot. Veteran team. Surprising to most teams looking at us we like to get out and run. A lot of our offense comes from fast breaks after misses and made baskets for a clean shot. If your guy throws down a dunk and is standing there flexing bad idea next thing you know we will already be running up the court. Uthoff and Jok can take over a game if they are on.

Question 6:
Biggest weakness(es)
Not a very physical team besides Woody and maybe Wagner to an extent. Our shooters can get a little rattled if they get bullied up. We have a tendency to have 1-2 long stretches every game where we are absolutely frigid cold and cant make a basket, so I guess we go on runs to the extreme. This veteran teams most glaring weakness though is their inability to finish games. They are bad, almost putrid, at the end of games. The guys go into shells and none of our scorers turn on the killer switch to close it out. Our end of the game play is always let Gesell go iso even though he is probably 0/infinity on actually succeeding with it. The Temple game winner was our first game winning shot since 2007. We wont fold if we get down, but we will also give up a big lead as well. If Uthoff and Jok cant get their offensive games going we will most likely lose to a good team because after that our scoring options are inconsistent to say the least.


Good luck on Sunday and I hope we win an exciting game!

 

[qwe013]

Thanks for the info.

Here is our breakdown:

We have an 8 man rotation.

Back court (I am going to do the wing forwards separate)

PG: Archi. He's the senior leader. He's rock solid. Doesn't turn the ball over streaky shooter. Smart defender. Strong, but not quick.

PG2: Brunson. This kid was the #1 high school pg in the nation last year out of Chicago. Not a one and done athlete, more of a crafty player. Solid shooter, smart player.

PG3: Booth. Sophomore from Baltimore.

We usually run 2 of the 3 at the same time. The can all dribble penetrate and kick out to the wing for a shot and they all shoot when open. None are super athletes, but they are all solid.

Perimeter forwards.

Wing forward1. Josh Hart, Jr from DC. First team all big east. Offensive game is a lot of cutting to the hoops, incidental put backs, or catch and shoot jumpers.

Wing forward2: Kris Jenkins, Jr from DC. Catch and shoot jump shots is his thing, but he has diversified his offensive portfolio and will post guys up or utiliizae a mid-range game as well. Not as athletic as hart, but more fundamental.

Wing forward3: Mikal bridges; frosh. A lightweight but a great athlete with nba potential. Not as pure a shooter as the other two wing forwards, but plays a similar role. Lurks the perimeter waiting for his chances.

Front court:

Ochefu, sr from baltimore. The big man plays solid defense. Offensively he is the inside man on the 4 out, 1 in offensive set. He's been hurt lately so not as effective. If he is healthy he can create real problems in the post.

Reynolds, Jr. He has really come along the second half of the season as part of the rotation, but still a bit raw. Not nearly the intimidating force that ochefu is in the post, but he is more athletic. He is a huge defensive downgrade from chef, and offensively he is less likely to be a factor as an inside force. But he has a better midrange game and moves pretty well.


Offense:
Our best offense is really our transition game off turnovers.
In the half court it is the 4 out 1 in offense. Plant four players on the perimeter, move the ball around the perimeter, dribble drive and kick out to the perimeter, sometimes chuck one from the perimeter, sometimes drive after catching the ball on the perimeter, and sometimes feed the big man if he is left in single coverage. Our half court offense actually kind of sucks. But we don't turn it over often and are among the top free throw shooting teams in the nation


Defense:
1-2-2 three quarter court trap. This is jay's signature defense. I heard your coach on a radio show say he uses this too, he said he learned it from rollie massimino as well (that's where jay got it too). This is really a strength of the team, but more in a slow it down/burn shot clock rather than a turnover creator. Half court it is man to man with a lot of switching and trapping. Could be a problem for us if it leaves open guys for you on the three point line. Nova is a top 5 defense according to ken pom.


Greatest strength:
Defense
Toughness on rebounding and defense
Kids tend to play poised
Versatile/interchangeable offensive parts
Free throw shooting
Taking care of the ball
Unselfishness
Experience

Weaknesses:
Too reliant on 3 ball
Not a great 3 point shooting team
Not a big team
Not a super athletic team
Haven't had a lot of close games to know how we will react
The switching aggressive defense can lead to guys getting open on the perimeter
The aggressive defense might over commit to the perimeter and leave guys open who slip to the post
Ochefu commits dumb fouls 30 feet away from the hoop, and without him our look drastically changes

 

[SotaHawk87]

Iowa doesn't like tough teams.. I think that'll be a big deal tomorrow!

 

[kmill14]

See...ncaaball isn't all troll. That was a solid write-up.

 

[lovedwatchingLester]

This thread was great thanks to all who contributed, what a breath of fresh air from many threads that just get silly

 

[qwe013]

Nova fans tend to be a classy bunch.

I imagine you probably had a serious troll infestation going on with the temple game. Those temple fans are the worst.

 

[DavenportHawk8]

Kind of sounds like both teams are some what similar in certain ways. Iowa is the same that we try to run a 4 around 1 set up, but our guys don't really don't move and don't really post up Woody. If your players are physical on the defensive end, that usually spells trouble for the hawks.

The thing was both Gessell & clemmons were off against Temple, me thinks that those two will get it going vs Nova. Archy vs Gessell match-up will be a good one. Both are leaders and neither of them are athletic freaks, so that is probably a draw. The rest of the line-up probably a slight edge to Nova.

Iowa's bench will have to come up BIG tomorrow. They will have to contribute at least 20pts and play solid minutes. The issue with playing a game on short time, is hard on the legs. Iowa will need all hands on deck to win this one.

I can't make a prediction, I just do not know what team will show up.

 

[wartdog]

I feel that if Nova shoots over 40% from deep we are toast. We usually get burnt trying to double and trap on defense leaving someone open from 3. We are going to have to get some points from Woody/Uhl/Baer/Wags if we want to win. Excited to see Brunson. Heard a lot about him and read an article about him and his ridiculous overbearing father in Sports Illustrated.

Win or lose if its a close game at the end for once I would like to see Uthoff come and demand the ball and put the game in his hands.

 

[qwe013]

Classy posts guys.

Must be nice to have those temple trolls off the board

 

[Pepperman]

If Nova plays gritty and tough, the Hawks are probably toast or will be shooting a lot of FTs. I'd say toast is more likely.