They're developing an identity and it's on the defensive end. Now I wouldn't call it incredible or even one of the best in the country, but it's a pretty hard nosed defense and the pressure, when certain combinations are in the game (Pat, Dwayne, Derrick), can cause damage. Still a long way to go defensively though, but they are visibly progressing which is vital.
And even though that might end up being the identity of the team, they've run pretty good offense and ate light years ahead of where they've been versus a zone. That's in large part to Zimm and Ben. When you add IQ to zone offense it clicks better. I'm not going to point fingers here, but zone offense is going to be directly proportional to the team and individual IQ. Certain combos are going to work better with it.
With the offense, I really like some of the sets. There's an unselfishness going on and when you combine that with execution, the game is easier to watch, that's for sure. The ball screens and action from it has been good. The bigs are setting good screens. When the Rebs have gone one on one, the offensive player has been aggressive instead of settling and it's working.
Jerome had an easy drive and layup in the second half - if you noticed, Ben cleared the way and sealed the path. Smart, unselfish basketball. It's winning basketball. And Ben does so many little things that don't show up on the statsheet. He's a vital cog and I can see his PT ramping up a bit. I'm hoping we see more of him against UCLA because the Bruins have size, but Ben has savvy. I keep flashing back to Gorman vs Findlay when Ben might have been the 6th or 7th most talented guy on the combined rosters, yet he was a monster that didn't back down against far better players.
... I can see it now. People all over the place are going to be making arguments for more minutes for X, Y, Z. And they'll have valid points. It's the beauty of depth, but also the curse. It'll be nonstop second guessing. It's part of why I think it'll take Rice's best coaching effort. And because of the minute distribution, I'll always worry about the sourpusses.
... UNLV passes the early eye test, and that's with a couple guys not playing well. The Rebels have been able to absorb that pretty well. You're not going to have many games where 1-9/10 all play well anyway, it's not the way the game works. What has helped is that when guys haven't been great in one area, they've helped out in others. See Jordan tonight. See Dwayne's rather pedestrian overall stats and then compare it to his actual game impact.
... Jones. What can you say. Incredible. I still want him coming off the bench, love his spark and current role.
... We still haven't faced a "real" opponent yet but that happens next time up. If this team stays unselfish, defends and rebounds, they'll find success.
... Any weaknesses this team may have are not overwhelming weaknesses. In fact, I haven't seen anything "broken". I see a lot of things that need tightening up, but they've got the tools. Precision and timing have been just a little off at times (some interior passing), but they're making the proper play. Just not fully executing it. That comes with time and practice. The hardest part is understanding and recognizing those plays. This team does that part of it, now it's time to refine.
This team can be pretty good this year. They're further ahead at this point of the season than any of Rice's other teams by my naked eye. No illusions of grandeur, they're still gonna take some lumps, but I like the current situation and direction. It's going to come down to focus on the day to day, game to game... It's going to take players continuing to accept thier roles... That happens, we're gonna have a good year.
And even though that might end up being the identity of the team, they've run pretty good offense and ate light years ahead of where they've been versus a zone. That's in large part to Zimm and Ben. When you add IQ to zone offense it clicks better. I'm not going to point fingers here, but zone offense is going to be directly proportional to the team and individual IQ. Certain combos are going to work better with it.
With the offense, I really like some of the sets. There's an unselfishness going on and when you combine that with execution, the game is easier to watch, that's for sure. The ball screens and action from it has been good. The bigs are setting good screens. When the Rebs have gone one on one, the offensive player has been aggressive instead of settling and it's working.
Jerome had an easy drive and layup in the second half - if you noticed, Ben cleared the way and sealed the path. Smart, unselfish basketball. It's winning basketball. And Ben does so many little things that don't show up on the statsheet. He's a vital cog and I can see his PT ramping up a bit. I'm hoping we see more of him against UCLA because the Bruins have size, but Ben has savvy. I keep flashing back to Gorman vs Findlay when Ben might have been the 6th or 7th most talented guy on the combined rosters, yet he was a monster that didn't back down against far better players.
... I can see it now. People all over the place are going to be making arguments for more minutes for X, Y, Z. And they'll have valid points. It's the beauty of depth, but also the curse. It'll be nonstop second guessing. It's part of why I think it'll take Rice's best coaching effort. And because of the minute distribution, I'll always worry about the sourpusses.
... UNLV passes the early eye test, and that's with a couple guys not playing well. The Rebels have been able to absorb that pretty well. You're not going to have many games where 1-9/10 all play well anyway, it's not the way the game works. What has helped is that when guys haven't been great in one area, they've helped out in others. See Jordan tonight. See Dwayne's rather pedestrian overall stats and then compare it to his actual game impact.
... Jones. What can you say. Incredible. I still want him coming off the bench, love his spark and current role.
... We still haven't faced a "real" opponent yet but that happens next time up. If this team stays unselfish, defends and rebounds, they'll find success.
... Any weaknesses this team may have are not overwhelming weaknesses. In fact, I haven't seen anything "broken". I see a lot of things that need tightening up, but they've got the tools. Precision and timing have been just a little off at times (some interior passing), but they're making the proper play. Just not fully executing it. That comes with time and practice. The hardest part is understanding and recognizing those plays. This team does that part of it, now it's time to refine.
This team can be pretty good this year. They're further ahead at this point of the season than any of Rice's other teams by my naked eye. No illusions of grandeur, they're still gonna take some lumps, but I like the current situation and direction. It's going to come down to focus on the day to day, game to game... It's going to take players continuing to accept thier roles... That happens, we're gonna have a good year.
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