Its the ball and frankly, stupids that their isnt a standard ball across the sport.
The B1G needs to switch to the Wilson ball
- Thread starter Franisdaman
- Start date
I mean I'll certainly list all of them. You just seem unusually defensive about this for something that more people agree on than not...............you work for a sporting goods store that sells Wilson balls or something?Ha! Good one! (Thanks!) I didn’t think you would.
It's college athletes giving their opinion of a basketball they use to play college basketball. The NCAA/whoever decides what ball to use should probably listen to its athletes.
Try not to take it so personally.....
I don’t think the ball caused the Hawks to lose.
That said…if they use a Wilson ball in the tournament that matters it’d probably be smart to switch to the Wilson ball. If there’s any validity…at all…to the balls being different.
That said…if they use a Wilson ball in the tournament that matters it’d probably be smart to switch to the Wilson ball. If there’s any validity…at all…to the balls being different.
It's an issue that should go away. Play with one ball - the money from the winner will be huge.
In football, you get to play with your own ball - I get that. But do baseball teams use different balls? Do soccer teams ( I really don't know)? Obviously the NBA uses a standard ball.
In fact, the NBA tried to switch balls a few years ago, and the players dam near boycotted, so they changed back. I guess it must make a difference.
In football, you get to play with your own ball - I get that. But do baseball teams use different balls? Do soccer teams ( I really don't know)? Obviously the NBA uses a standard ball.
In fact, the NBA tried to switch balls a few years ago, and the players dam near boycotted, so they changed back. I guess it must make a difference.
That's exactly what was being said 11 years ago yet nothing has changed.
What follows is from the March 1, 2012 article I posted on the first page of this thread. And note what Jay Wright was saying 11 years ago.
“It is funny that we don’t use the same ball everywhere we go,” said Scott Garson, an assistant at U.C.L.A. “You’ve got enough things to fight on the road; the last thing you need to fight is the ball.”
This lack of uniformity makes college basketball unlike other major American sports. In the professional ranks, the N.B.A. has an official basketball (Spalding), the N.F.L. an official football (Wilson) and Major League Baseball an official baseball (Rawlings). In college football, each offense uses its own footballs, meaning there is no comparable level of unfamiliarity when, for instance, Ohio State plays at Michigan.
The difference in basketballs from brand to brand is not insignificant. Finicky shooters and ball-handling point guards might complain if they think certain brands are too slick or too rough, or that a certain basketball’s grooves are too deep or too shallow.
“It’s definitely a difference, and I think that’s something that goes under the radar sometimes,” Pittsburgh guard Ashton Gibbs said. “It affects a little bit of everything: the handle, the gripping of it and the shooting of the ball. You just have to get used to it.”
Even though teams may practice with the basketballs used before trips, coaches are reluctant to discuss the issue with their players. They say they fear such a conversation could effect players mentally, leading them to worry more about the basketballs than about playing the game.
When Villanova Coach Jay Wright was a wiry guard at Bucknell, he preferred basketballs that had deep grooves. The Spalding Top Flite 100 was his favorite, he said. But he would shoot poorly if he had to play with a MacGregor X10L.
“That used to really affect me as a shooter,” Wright said. “I probably should give more credence to that with my guys. Shooters are like pitchers or golfers. It’s feel. If they don’t have a good feel with the ball, it can affect them mentally.”
Whether it is a psychological or a physical phenomenon, a feel for a particular basketball could help explain a player’s performance.
The full story:
Home-Court Edge Begins With Ball (Published 2012)
The home team in N.C.A.A. basketball plays with its preferred ball during the regular season, and because each brand has a distinct feel, it is another reason it is hard to play on the road.
HHAHA! Yes! I've been saying it looks like they're playing with a playground ball.
Or just use one ball… wilson/ UA/Nike/Adidas… who gives a fvck…just a universal ball… teams will adjust.
Exactly. It's like saying a pro golfer should be able to perform flawlessly regardless of what clubs or balls he uses.That's exactly what was being said 11 years ago yet nothing has changed.
What follows is from the March 1, 2012 article I posted on the first page of this thread. And note what Jay Wright was saying 11 years ago.
“It is funny that we don’t use the same ball everywhere we go,” said Scott Garson, an assistant at U.C.L.A. “You’ve got enough things to fight on the road; the last thing you need to fight is the ball.”
This lack of uniformity makes college basketball unlike other major American sports. In the professional ranks, the N.B.A. has an official basketball (Spalding), the N.F.L. an official football (Wilson) and Major League Baseball an official baseball (Rawlings). In college football, each offense uses its own footballs, meaning there is no comparable level of unfamiliarity when, for instance, Ohio State plays at Michigan.
The difference in basketballs from brand to brand is not insignificant. Finicky shooters and ball-handling point guards might complain if they think certain brands are too slick or too rough, or that a certain basketball’s grooves are too deep or too shallow.
“It’s definitely a difference, and I think that’s something that goes under the radar sometimes,” Pittsburgh guard Ashton Gibbs said. “It affects a little bit of everything: the handle, the gripping of it and the shooting of the ball. You just have to get used to it.”
Even though teams may practice with the basketballs used before trips, coaches are reluctant to discuss the issue with their players. They say they fear such a conversation could effect players mentally, leading them to worry more about the basketballs than about playing the game.
When Villanova Coach Jay Wright was a wiry guard at Bucknell, he preferred basketballs that had deep grooves. The Spalding Top Flite 100 was his favorite, he said. But he would shoot poorly if he had to play with a MacGregor X10L.
“That used to really affect me as a shooter,” Wright said. “I probably should give more credence to that with my guys. Shooters are like pitchers or golfers. It’s feel. If they don’t have a good feel with the ball, it can affect them mentally.”
Whether it is a psychological or a physical phenomenon, a feel for a particular basketball could help explain a player’s performance.
The full story:
Home-Court Edge Begins With Ball (Published 2012)
The home team in N.C.A.A. basketball plays with its preferred ball during the regular season, and because each brand has a distinct feel, it is another reason it is hard to play on the road.www.nytimes.com
And that's fine. But if you're gonna go with one, wouldn't you want to go with one that the majority of players prefer?
Like someone else said, the Wilson ball is only under contract for one more year.
Oh totally agree… but even if the balls shitty, team will get a full offseason and season of use and get used to it.
I get that. I'm just saying if a product is bad, why would they force players to use it?
Let's say Iowa football players are constantly griping that the new helmets they got are way more uncomfortable and tighter around their head, and are constantly requiring maintenance, and are no safer as far as preventing injury/concussions, but the school is under contract with the supplier to use that brand of helmet................wouldn't the University do the smart thing and try to get out of it as soon as possible?
Or should they just tell the players to get use to it?
That's all I'm getting at.
Yeah....Rawlings, Nike, UnderArmor and the rest don't want their top of the line basketball's getting any free advertisement............This is the world we live in Fran....it ain't happening. That is why these "contracts" between universities and manufacturers are so important......Wilson won this contract the good old fashioned way........they bought it!
No it is not. There have been several people speak out against the Wilson ball. Although maybe they figured the right inflation tonight in the S16.
Looks like everyone except for Arkansas and FAU has figured it out tonight thus far.............
The head coaches of Gonzaga & Wake Forest now speaking out. Note Mark's comments about the ball not being properly inflated.
There is enough data now across both the mens and womens NCAA and NIT tournaments since Wilson ball was forced upon participants that show the ball does in fact decrease shooting.
I was originally in the it’s just mental camp but the stats are pretty overwhelming. That said in the days of advanced metrics I will never understand why any team wouldn’t use the tournament ball all year. Does Iowa have some type of contract with another ball company?
I was originally in the it’s just mental camp but the stats are pretty overwhelming. That said in the days of advanced metrics I will never understand why any team wouldn’t use the tournament ball all year. Does Iowa have some type of contract with another ball company?