There has been an air surrounding Simon's first game - We would have done the same with Rice.
While I had a long leash for Rice, and love his dedication to UNLV, there were some definitive differences that may have lead to the tweaks we've needed to live up to our potential - and the win against NM.
Here's what I saw that hope we'll see moving forward.
1) Simon was not an attention magnet on the sideline. As my father-in-law observed, Simon took a much more "let them play as they have been coached" approach. The team felt more fluid, and able to concentrate on seeing the court - not seeing what the coach wanted while coming up court.
2) "The first 10 seconds are yours". This coincides with the previous observation, and utilizes the IQ, athleticism, and the "fun" of the team. We are one of the best teams in efficiency while in transition in the nation. This concept gives some freedom where we can take advantage of such, but then demands a point of structure, where we must set up the offense, and hopefully work to take good shots.
I find it interesting that the above strategies yielded a much lower rate of turnover. Let's see if this holds.
3) Entrapment - I loved our traps! They had purpose. They had consistency. With Kruger, I knew when trapping was likely. They often yielded 2 or 3 "extra" turnovers per game (SDSU does the same), and, when utilized properly, they impede the ability for them to set up their offense. This positive effect can be magnified against teams that like to "grind it out" when combined with the 30 second shot clock - give them less time to get comfortable. Air Force will be a good team to observe.
Simon had a few back court traps, and then often sent a trapper out just before the opposing pg reached half court. Then, he sometimes pulled a Kruger-esque top-of-the-key-trap on the ball handler. One difference however... Kruger would use the 5 to come up for the trap... Simon did not, that I remember. I remember Cornish coming up, in one instance.
4) Pace and Quality of substitutions - The subs were well timed, paced, and there was a good balance between recognizing the hot hand, vs keeping legs fresh. Poyser had a much longer run in the 2nd half, I believe, vs. bringing JS back in due to the fact the Poyser was producing. But... Simon did not wear Poyser out. Kruger was great at match-ups. I didn't get a grip on Simon in this regard, but it's something I'm watching for.
5) Timeouts - Again... I used to know exactly when and how Kruger would call a timeout. The following play usually yielded unique scenarios, and results. With Rice... i didn't feel the same. Simon, again, seemed to follow more structured patterns. The number of timeouts was managed, and timing seemed well-done. We did not have a close game at the end... I'm watching to see how things move forward, but I have reasonable hope that things will improve.
6) 1500 Free Throws - The players seemed concentrated and deliberate at the line. Of course, this may just be due to the fact they made the shots. However, I heard Simon made the team MAKE 1500 free throws the day before. If there is one thing we need more than anything... If we continue to hit at 82%... We may just win this league yet.
While I had a long leash for Rice, and love his dedication to UNLV, there were some definitive differences that may have lead to the tweaks we've needed to live up to our potential - and the win against NM.
Here's what I saw that hope we'll see moving forward.
1) Simon was not an attention magnet on the sideline. As my father-in-law observed, Simon took a much more "let them play as they have been coached" approach. The team felt more fluid, and able to concentrate on seeing the court - not seeing what the coach wanted while coming up court.
2) "The first 10 seconds are yours". This coincides with the previous observation, and utilizes the IQ, athleticism, and the "fun" of the team. We are one of the best teams in efficiency while in transition in the nation. This concept gives some freedom where we can take advantage of such, but then demands a point of structure, where we must set up the offense, and hopefully work to take good shots.
I find it interesting that the above strategies yielded a much lower rate of turnover. Let's see if this holds.
3) Entrapment - I loved our traps! They had purpose. They had consistency. With Kruger, I knew when trapping was likely. They often yielded 2 or 3 "extra" turnovers per game (SDSU does the same), and, when utilized properly, they impede the ability for them to set up their offense. This positive effect can be magnified against teams that like to "grind it out" when combined with the 30 second shot clock - give them less time to get comfortable. Air Force will be a good team to observe.
Simon had a few back court traps, and then often sent a trapper out just before the opposing pg reached half court. Then, he sometimes pulled a Kruger-esque top-of-the-key-trap on the ball handler. One difference however... Kruger would use the 5 to come up for the trap... Simon did not, that I remember. I remember Cornish coming up, in one instance.
4) Pace and Quality of substitutions - The subs were well timed, paced, and there was a good balance between recognizing the hot hand, vs keeping legs fresh. Poyser had a much longer run in the 2nd half, I believe, vs. bringing JS back in due to the fact the Poyser was producing. But... Simon did not wear Poyser out. Kruger was great at match-ups. I didn't get a grip on Simon in this regard, but it's something I'm watching for.
5) Timeouts - Again... I used to know exactly when and how Kruger would call a timeout. The following play usually yielded unique scenarios, and results. With Rice... i didn't feel the same. Simon, again, seemed to follow more structured patterns. The number of timeouts was managed, and timing seemed well-done. We did not have a close game at the end... I'm watching to see how things move forward, but I have reasonable hope that things will improve.
6) 1500 Free Throws - The players seemed concentrated and deliberate at the line. Of course, this may just be due to the fact they made the shots. However, I heard Simon made the team MAKE 1500 free throws the day before. If there is one thing we need more than anything... If we continue to hit at 82%... We may just win this league yet.
