10 Years A Felon: Roy Williams, Terrell Owens And The Birth Of The Horse Collar
Showing posts with label roy williams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label roy williams. Show all posts
Friday, December 19, 2014
Friday, April 25, 2014
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Anatomy of a Meltdown: Poor Coaching, Poor Foul Shooting, Poor Decision-Making
With 2:38 remaining in the first of two meetings between Duke and North Carolina, the Tar Heels held a 10-point lead on their home court and looked to have the game in hand. After a slow start, they stormed back to take the lead before halftime and led for every single moment of the second half … until this happened:
So how exactly did this happen? A combination of poor coaching, poor foul shooting and poor decision-making on the part of Roy Williams and his squad. Just take a look at the key plays in the final 2 minutes and 38 seconds of the game. Following a jumper by Harrison Barnes to give the Heels an 82-72 lead, Williams took a timeout to set up his defense, and at the same time, he took out his team's second-leading rebounder, Tyler Zeller, who had four fouls. Williams had to make the choice between risking Zeller picking up a 5th foul on defense and being lost for the final moments or risk taking out one of his best rebounders when possessions were at a premium. He chose to sit Zeller so he'd have his big man on offense.
It's definitely hard to argue with that line of thinking, but it didn't help that following a block by John Henson on a Ryan Kelly three, Duke nabbed the ball and then got a surprising three by Tyler Thornton to make it an 82-75 game.
Roy then used another timeout, bringing Zeller back and presumably setting up a play that would both bleed the clock a bit and get a good shot. Instead, the normally sure-handed Kendall Marshall, who had only turned the ball over twice all game up until that point, turned it over immediately. That's when Duke took advantage of a break the way North Carolina seemingly couldn't all game long, even as they were leading by double digits for most of the second half.
Thornton threw a skip pass to Seth Curry, who blatantly walked but was not called for it and then proceeded to drain a huge three, 82-78, 1:48 remaining.
To compound that, Harrison Barnes, who had exploded in the second half to help UNC surge to a double-digit lead, made a boneheaded decision, trying to drive through the teeth of the Duke defense, essentially going it alone way too early in the shot clock, and turning it over with a deadly charge. I didn't want to even talk because you could see what was coming. North Carolina was choking after controlling things for more than half the game, and Duke was feeding off it.
Ryan Kelly then followed his own miss, hitting a jumper to suddenly cut a lead that was once as big as 13 points down to 2, 1:10 remaining.
And the meltdown just continued. Zeller, who was a man's man in the first half turned forgotten man in the second half — something of a regular occurrence for UNC — was fouled. The normally excellent free-throw shooter missed the first, ensuring the game remained a one-possession contest. After making the second, the Heels held a three-point advantage with 44 seconds remaining.
Duke used its remaining timeout and executed, with Kelly hitting yet another big shot, making it 83-82 with 14 seconds remaining. Once again, Zeller was fouled, and once again, he went just one of two from the line, now not only leaving the door open yet again for Duke, but giving them a huge opportunity given the way Duke was shooting the ball from deep.
And finally, to cap things off, Reggie Bullock, who had been making Austin Rivers work hard for every incredible bucket he hit, switched off on a screen, handing Rivers over to Zeller. Zeller never stood a chance, and even though he did all he could, putting his hand in Rivers' face, Doc's son drilled the game-winning three to cap off his dominant, impressive night, scoring a game-high 29 points and only turning the ball over three times, to give Duke the stunning 85-84 win.
It was a meltdown of epic proportions: missed free throws, rushed shots, horrid turnovers and a coach just sitting there on the sidelines watching it all unfold.
Truth of the matter is, the Tar Heels could have put this game completely away earlier in the half, as both Jay Bilas and Dick Vitale mentioned. Out of the break, Barnes and Marshall took over and helped UNC build a 13-point lead. But as Barnes began to cool a bit and uncharacteristically struggled from the foul line — missing four freebies on the night — and Marshall's driving lanes weren't quite as gaping as before, the Heels failed to get it to Zeller. It's something that's driven me crazy for years now with Roy. As things start to go south, most coaches will call a timeout or at least drive the point home that things have to run through the best, most reliable player on the team. For Carolina, that is Zeller, no matter how good Harrison Barnes is. When Zeller is getting the touches and making things happen, UNC is nearly unbeatable. And while he did have 23 and 11, Zeller was ignored for much of the second half. By the time Carolina remembered the big guy was on the floor, the game was close, Zeller was cold and he was not able to convert critical free throws in the waning seconds.
Conversely, Mike Krzyzewski got the ball in his best player's hands time and time again. Austin Rivers was simply remarkable last night, so Coach K kept making sure Rivers got his looks. He put the ball in his best player's hands and lived and died with the results. That's what you expect a coach to do. Krzyzewski did, and he stole a victory. Williams didn't, and he gave away what looked like a sure win.
That's the most maddening part. This was an ending that never should have been allowed to happen. It's an embarrassment. And surely, it is on guys like Zeller, Barns and Marshall for coming up small in the final three minutes, missing free throws and turning the ball over at the most inopportune times, but it's also on the coach who failed to rein in his players and make sure they put a very good Duke team away.
Don't get me wrong, Roy is a great coach. He was incredibly successful at Kansas, and since he's returned to his alma mater, he's won two national championships and reestablished the Tar Heels as the cream of the crop along with Duke in the ACC. But he is no Mike Krzyzewski. He showed that last night. And Duke showed its mental make-up, led by a fearless freshman who was cherishing the moment.
Hats off to Austin Rivers for his brilliant performance and stunning buzzer-beater. But it should have never come to that had it not been for some poor coaching, poor foul shooting and poor decision-making by the Tar Heels.
So how exactly did this happen? A combination of poor coaching, poor foul shooting and poor decision-making on the part of Roy Williams and his squad. Just take a look at the key plays in the final 2 minutes and 38 seconds of the game. Following a jumper by Harrison Barnes to give the Heels an 82-72 lead, Williams took a timeout to set up his defense, and at the same time, he took out his team's second-leading rebounder, Tyler Zeller, who had four fouls. Williams had to make the choice between risking Zeller picking up a 5th foul on defense and being lost for the final moments or risk taking out one of his best rebounders when possessions were at a premium. He chose to sit Zeller so he'd have his big man on offense.
It's definitely hard to argue with that line of thinking, but it didn't help that following a block by John Henson on a Ryan Kelly three, Duke nabbed the ball and then got a surprising three by Tyler Thornton to make it an 82-75 game.
Roy then used another timeout, bringing Zeller back and presumably setting up a play that would both bleed the clock a bit and get a good shot. Instead, the normally sure-handed Kendall Marshall, who had only turned the ball over twice all game up until that point, turned it over immediately. That's when Duke took advantage of a break the way North Carolina seemingly couldn't all game long, even as they were leading by double digits for most of the second half.
Thornton threw a skip pass to Seth Curry, who blatantly walked but was not called for it and then proceeded to drain a huge three, 82-78, 1:48 remaining.
To compound that, Harrison Barnes, who had exploded in the second half to help UNC surge to a double-digit lead, made a boneheaded decision, trying to drive through the teeth of the Duke defense, essentially going it alone way too early in the shot clock, and turning it over with a deadly charge. I didn't want to even talk because you could see what was coming. North Carolina was choking after controlling things for more than half the game, and Duke was feeding off it.
Ryan Kelly then followed his own miss, hitting a jumper to suddenly cut a lead that was once as big as 13 points down to 2, 1:10 remaining.
And the meltdown just continued. Zeller, who was a man's man in the first half turned forgotten man in the second half — something of a regular occurrence for UNC — was fouled. The normally excellent free-throw shooter missed the first, ensuring the game remained a one-possession contest. After making the second, the Heels held a three-point advantage with 44 seconds remaining.
Duke used its remaining timeout and executed, with Kelly hitting yet another big shot, making it 83-82 with 14 seconds remaining. Once again, Zeller was fouled, and once again, he went just one of two from the line, now not only leaving the door open yet again for Duke, but giving them a huge opportunity given the way Duke was shooting the ball from deep.
And finally, to cap things off, Reggie Bullock, who had been making Austin Rivers work hard for every incredible bucket he hit, switched off on a screen, handing Rivers over to Zeller. Zeller never stood a chance, and even though he did all he could, putting his hand in Rivers' face, Doc's son drilled the game-winning three to cap off his dominant, impressive night, scoring a game-high 29 points and only turning the ball over three times, to give Duke the stunning 85-84 win.
It was a meltdown of epic proportions: missed free throws, rushed shots, horrid turnovers and a coach just sitting there on the sidelines watching it all unfold.
Truth of the matter is, the Tar Heels could have put this game completely away earlier in the half, as both Jay Bilas and Dick Vitale mentioned. Out of the break, Barnes and Marshall took over and helped UNC build a 13-point lead. But as Barnes began to cool a bit and uncharacteristically struggled from the foul line — missing four freebies on the night — and Marshall's driving lanes weren't quite as gaping as before, the Heels failed to get it to Zeller. It's something that's driven me crazy for years now with Roy. As things start to go south, most coaches will call a timeout or at least drive the point home that things have to run through the best, most reliable player on the team. For Carolina, that is Zeller, no matter how good Harrison Barnes is. When Zeller is getting the touches and making things happen, UNC is nearly unbeatable. And while he did have 23 and 11, Zeller was ignored for much of the second half. By the time Carolina remembered the big guy was on the floor, the game was close, Zeller was cold and he was not able to convert critical free throws in the waning seconds.
Conversely, Mike Krzyzewski got the ball in his best player's hands time and time again. Austin Rivers was simply remarkable last night, so Coach K kept making sure Rivers got his looks. He put the ball in his best player's hands and lived and died with the results. That's what you expect a coach to do. Krzyzewski did, and he stole a victory. Williams didn't, and he gave away what looked like a sure win.
That's the most maddening part. This was an ending that never should have been allowed to happen. It's an embarrassment. And surely, it is on guys like Zeller, Barns and Marshall for coming up small in the final three minutes, missing free throws and turning the ball over at the most inopportune times, but it's also on the coach who failed to rein in his players and make sure they put a very good Duke team away.
Don't get me wrong, Roy is a great coach. He was incredibly successful at Kansas, and since he's returned to his alma mater, he's won two national championships and reestablished the Tar Heels as the cream of the crop along with Duke in the ACC. But he is no Mike Krzyzewski. He showed that last night. And Duke showed its mental make-up, led by a fearless freshman who was cherishing the moment.
Hats off to Austin Rivers for his brilliant performance and stunning buzzer-beater. But it should have never come to that had it not been for some poor coaching, poor foul shooting and poor decision-making by the Tar Heels.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
For the Love of God, Get Tyler Zeller the Ball
Roy Williams is an excellent basketball coach and his North Carolina Tar Heels are a very good basketball team. However, there is one thing that has been bothering me for quite some time when it comes to Roy and his UNC teams, and really it's about coaching.
Since returning to his alma mater in 2003, Williams has certainly done a masterful job, winning two national championships and maintaining the historic excellence Dean Smith created. However, there are spells where Roy's teams have bafflingly and inexcusably ignored their best, most efficient interior players — Tyler Hansbrough excluded.
For instance, take Williams' first national championship team from 2005, a team that included Jawad Williams, Rashad McCants, Raymond Felton, Marvin Williams and Sean May. We all remember the controversial one-point Sweet 16 victory over Villanova in the NCAA Tournament and the infamous phantom traveling call on Allen Ray.
What everyone seems to forget is that that game should have never been that close to begin with. Don't get me wrong, Villanova played incredibly well with an awesomely talented team that included Ray, Randy Foye, Mike Nardi and Kyle Lowry, and there was no way they were going to make things easy for the Tar Heels. However, if you recall, Sean May was literally dominating inside, scoring every time he touched the ball on the extremely undersized Wildcats. No one on Nova could stop him — yet May only managed to hoist 9 shots despite making six of them, hauling in 10 boards and completely abusing Villanova inside.
The entire game, I was screaming at Felton and Roy Williams to demand May get a touch inside on every position, and each time my pleas went unanswered. As a result, Villanova played their tremendous perimeter defense and almost pulled off the upset. In that game, had Roy simply demanded his players to feed May the ball, that game most likely would not have been as close as it was, seeing as Nova had absolutely no answer inside for May. But Williams didn't, and it nearly cost his talented team the national championship it ultimately won.
Fast-forward to last season. All the hype that surrounded the Tar Heels was in large part due to the highly touted freshman Harrison Barnes, a freshman so highly regarded that he was the first-ever to be named Preseason All-American. As we know, it took Barnes a while to fulfill that promise, but he did eventual turn into the player people expected. However, as the Tar Heels had a bit of a roller-coaster season, the one steady hand had been Tyler Zeller.
Plain and simple, Zeller has been without question UNC's most efficient player, if not its best, for the past few years. As great as Barnes is, no one has been more reliable on a nightly basis than Zeller. If you've watched North Carolina the past few seasons, you know that if Zeller has a big game, the Tar Heels win.
And yet, there were stretches of games where Zeller would be ignored for large portions in the first half of last season. It wasn't until Kendall Marshall took over at point that Zeller really began to get the ball consistently, and uncoincidentally, that's when UNC took off.
I was hopeful that the late-season surge from last year would make Roy Williams and the Tar Heels realize that Tyler Zeller has to get more touches more consistently for this team to realize its full potential — much like everything ran through Tyler Hansbrough during his days in Chapel Hill. Yet in this early season, Roy's blind eye toward demanding his players to feed his talented, efficient center has already cost the preseason No. 1 team to lose embarrassingly to UNLV and allowed Wisconsin to keep the game close throughout last night.
In the 90-80 loss to the Runnin' Rebels, Zeller took just six shots. And while he only made one of them, you know that low percentage wouldn't last. Zeller is a career 52 percent shooter from the field and coming off a career-best season of 54.7. The man knows how to score and score efficiently. Yet in that loss, he was essentially ignored.
And last night, as Wisconsin did an incredibly effective job of slowing down the pace and making the Tar Heels play Badger basketball, Zeller was largely ignored again. He only had five field goal attempts — though he did get to line six times — despite this being a half-court game for the most part. That makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever, and it really comes down to coaching.
I know Roy likes to push the pace and have his team get as many offensive possessions as possible. He likes to score quickly and make it a track meet. But when the opposition effectively slows the pace and your squad isn't the best shooting bunch, you go down low to your most reliable player. That guy is Zeller. The game flow dictated him getting a lot of shots, yet it didn't happen. And that's why Wisconsin was able to keep it close and actually take a second-half lead before Harrison Barnes took over with some remarkable shot-making and Dexter Strickland shut down Jordan Taylor with tremendous defense.
But like in that Sweet 16 game in 2005, last night's contest should not have come down to that, just as the loss to UNLV probably should have never happened. Those games were the pressure-cookers they were because Williams and his Tar Heels ignored their efficient big men who very rarely could be stopped.
It is his one coaching flaw that I have noticed over the years, but a big one. I'll concede that at a school with so much talent, it can be difficult finding enough shots for all the McDonald's All-Americans on the roster. But it's the job of the coach to put his team in the best position to succeed. For the most part, Roy Williams does that. But when his teams ignore their big men, especially when those guys are as good as Sean May and Tyler Zeller, he's not doing his job.
If North Carolina wants to hoist its third national championship banner under Roy Williams this season, they have to stop ignoring their big man and — for the love of god — get Tyler Zeller the damn ball.
Since returning to his alma mater in 2003, Williams has certainly done a masterful job, winning two national championships and maintaining the historic excellence Dean Smith created. However, there are spells where Roy's teams have bafflingly and inexcusably ignored their best, most efficient interior players — Tyler Hansbrough excluded.
For instance, take Williams' first national championship team from 2005, a team that included Jawad Williams, Rashad McCants, Raymond Felton, Marvin Williams and Sean May. We all remember the controversial one-point Sweet 16 victory over Villanova in the NCAA Tournament and the infamous phantom traveling call on Allen Ray.
What everyone seems to forget is that that game should have never been that close to begin with. Don't get me wrong, Villanova played incredibly well with an awesomely talented team that included Ray, Randy Foye, Mike Nardi and Kyle Lowry, and there was no way they were going to make things easy for the Tar Heels. However, if you recall, Sean May was literally dominating inside, scoring every time he touched the ball on the extremely undersized Wildcats. No one on Nova could stop him — yet May only managed to hoist 9 shots despite making six of them, hauling in 10 boards and completely abusing Villanova inside.
The entire game, I was screaming at Felton and Roy Williams to demand May get a touch inside on every position, and each time my pleas went unanswered. As a result, Villanova played their tremendous perimeter defense and almost pulled off the upset. In that game, had Roy simply demanded his players to feed May the ball, that game most likely would not have been as close as it was, seeing as Nova had absolutely no answer inside for May. But Williams didn't, and it nearly cost his talented team the national championship it ultimately won.
Fast-forward to last season. All the hype that surrounded the Tar Heels was in large part due to the highly touted freshman Harrison Barnes, a freshman so highly regarded that he was the first-ever to be named Preseason All-American. As we know, it took Barnes a while to fulfill that promise, but he did eventual turn into the player people expected. However, as the Tar Heels had a bit of a roller-coaster season, the one steady hand had been Tyler Zeller.
Plain and simple, Zeller has been without question UNC's most efficient player, if not its best, for the past few years. As great as Barnes is, no one has been more reliable on a nightly basis than Zeller. If you've watched North Carolina the past few seasons, you know that if Zeller has a big game, the Tar Heels win.
And yet, there were stretches of games where Zeller would be ignored for large portions in the first half of last season. It wasn't until Kendall Marshall took over at point that Zeller really began to get the ball consistently, and uncoincidentally, that's when UNC took off.
I was hopeful that the late-season surge from last year would make Roy Williams and the Tar Heels realize that Tyler Zeller has to get more touches more consistently for this team to realize its full potential — much like everything ran through Tyler Hansbrough during his days in Chapel Hill. Yet in this early season, Roy's blind eye toward demanding his players to feed his talented, efficient center has already cost the preseason No. 1 team to lose embarrassingly to UNLV and allowed Wisconsin to keep the game close throughout last night.
In the 90-80 loss to the Runnin' Rebels, Zeller took just six shots. And while he only made one of them, you know that low percentage wouldn't last. Zeller is a career 52 percent shooter from the field and coming off a career-best season of 54.7. The man knows how to score and score efficiently. Yet in that loss, he was essentially ignored.
And last night, as Wisconsin did an incredibly effective job of slowing down the pace and making the Tar Heels play Badger basketball, Zeller was largely ignored again. He only had five field goal attempts — though he did get to line six times — despite this being a half-court game for the most part. That makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever, and it really comes down to coaching.
I know Roy likes to push the pace and have his team get as many offensive possessions as possible. He likes to score quickly and make it a track meet. But when the opposition effectively slows the pace and your squad isn't the best shooting bunch, you go down low to your most reliable player. That guy is Zeller. The game flow dictated him getting a lot of shots, yet it didn't happen. And that's why Wisconsin was able to keep it close and actually take a second-half lead before Harrison Barnes took over with some remarkable shot-making and Dexter Strickland shut down Jordan Taylor with tremendous defense.
But like in that Sweet 16 game in 2005, last night's contest should not have come down to that, just as the loss to UNLV probably should have never happened. Those games were the pressure-cookers they were because Williams and his Tar Heels ignored their efficient big men who very rarely could be stopped.
It is his one coaching flaw that I have noticed over the years, but a big one. I'll concede that at a school with so much talent, it can be difficult finding enough shots for all the McDonald's All-Americans on the roster. But it's the job of the coach to put his team in the best position to succeed. For the most part, Roy Williams does that. But when his teams ignore their big men, especially when those guys are as good as Sean May and Tyler Zeller, he's not doing his job.
If North Carolina wants to hoist its third national championship banner under Roy Williams this season, they have to stop ignoring their big man and — for the love of god — get Tyler Zeller the damn ball.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
How Do You Shoot the Devil(s) in the Back?
Well, one way is to come back from a 2-0 deficit and to win 3-2 not once, but twice. For the second time in as many games, the Flyers fell behind the Devils 2-0 only to rally by scoring the next three goals to win. This time, things started out even worse than the game on Monday, when just 45 seconds in Michael Leighton gave up one of the weakest goals I've ever seen.
Travis Zajac fired a seemingly harmless shot from above the circle, yet somehow the puck trickled through Leighton's legs and slowly crept in over the goal line. The most maddening part — besides the fact it was an incredibly shitty goal and should have been a more than routine save — was that Leighton never looked behind him, sure that he had it gobbled up. Michael Leighton never knows where the puck is, he's never sure that he has it, and he always, ALWAYS looks behind him on those types of saves. Yet this time he didn't, and it resulted in a goal. The puck was moving so slowly when it got through him that had he looked back, which he seemingly does all the damn time, he would have had plenty of time to cover it up and pull it back. But he didn't and the Flyers fell behind for the second straight game, this time just 44 seconds in. It sucked.
A garbage goal off of Leighton, then Timonen and then in put the Flyers in a 2-0 hole yet again. But they responded strongly with a goal by Arron Asham just 32 seconds later, and the Flyers had visions of another comeback. Though the game was pretty ugly the rest of the way, with penalties, unsustained pressure and limited opportunities for the Orange and Black. Though it did look like the Flyers tied things up:
When it happened live, I was simply amazed and stunned that Brodeur was able to get across and completely rob Scott Hartnell. I didn't even question whether or not it has crossed the line or not. In my mind, it was simply a great save. But Hartnell immediately pointed and asked the ref if it was in. Upon further review, it certainly looked as though the puck had crossed the line, but Brodeur's glove made it difficult to see conclusively. After watching it numerous times, however, I'm sure the puck was in. Positive. But I also was pretty sure they wouldn't overturn it and allow it, because the video evidence wasn't 100 percent clear. Unlucky break for sure, and after that, the Flyers looked slightly deflated, though not altogether inferior.
The Devils were getting the better of the play for sure. But knowing he owed it to his team after that softy he surrendered, Leighton blanked the Devils the rest of the way.
Jeff Carter, who has been the best skater for the Flyers in the new year, and arguably all season long, tied the game on a great shot to beat Marty.
The third period saw some chances by both teams, but not a whole lot happened. Then in overtime, while Simon Gagne was in the midst of by far the single most dominant shift of any player last night, Adam EatShit, who has been on Gagne's case for a while now, was letting him have it, especially after he fired a shot wide off a great give and go with a wide open net. "If he can't bury those chances, then he's worthless," he decreed. I disagreed, saying he was snakebitten for sure, but not playing altogether awfully like he claimed, plus it seemed like an inopportune time to call him out, seeing as we was completely killing it on that shift. Literally seconds later, Gagne threw it right back in Adam's face, ripping a patented Simon Gagne shot by Brodeur to end the game and give the Flyers the 3-2 victory and the two points they desperately needed (fast-forward to the 6:05 mark for the awesome shift):
That's how you shoot the Devil(s) in the back. Spot them two goals, then rip their hearts out. If you can get a historically potent goal-scorer out of his scoring slump in the process, all the better.
But what happens if you miss? Well, then you drop to an embarrassing 13-11 on the season and an even more embarrassing 2-7 in conference play just one year after being National Champs and winning the conference with ease. That's what happened to North Carolina last night, who stayed with Duke all night long … until crunch time. That's when the Blue Devils stepped up, specifically that rotten Jon Scheyer (who scored a game-high 24 points despite shooting just 7-20).
When it mattered, Scheyer snapped out of his funk and nailed some lethal shots, putting away an inexperienced, immature and flat out bad North Carolina team. Despite holding Duke to just 31.4 percent shooting, and keeping them under 30 percent shooting for most of the game, Carolina still couldn't pull out the victory. Despite Nolan Smith not scoring a single bucket in the first half and finishing with just 10 on 4-14 shooting, UNC still couldn't find a way to win. Despite playing at home and keeping pace with a far better Duke team for 37 minutes, UNC still couldn't even keep the score within single digits.
The reason? This team sucks. And Roy Williams is doing a horrible job coaching them, which he's admitted. First thing's first: Larry Drew II sucks. The Carolina backcourt sucks as a whole, but Drew really stands out because as the point guard, he has the ball in his hands all the time.
Saying he is a dropoff from Ty Lawson is the understatement of the century. It's like falling off the Grand Canyon. Sure, he's quick and fast, but he also can't shoot, can't dribble and can't pass. That last part is the most enraging part.
Ed Davis is UNC's best player. There is no disputing this. None. Yet last night he attempted just four shots (yes, an injury to the left-hander's left wrist certainly played a factor in the second half to that) and is averaging just 8.3 shot attempts a game. 8.3. For the team's best, most talented player. On a team that lacks any other reliable scorer, any real shooter and anyone else who converts at such a high rate (57.8 field goal percentage). I'm sorry, but that's just terrible. It's a terrible job coaching, a terrible job by his teammates and a terrible job by Davis. The sophomore should unquestionably demand the ball more, even if that goes against the Carolina unselfish way. There's no question about that.
But I lay more of the blame on Williams and the guards, Williams especially. Don't get me wrong, Roy Williams is a truly great, great coach. Hell, he's won two national championships and been to a ton of final fours. And I'm thrilled he's UNC's coach. But he should be running this team around its strengths, and this team's strength is unquestionably its front line. Davis is the best player. Deon Thompson is the team's second best player and also shoots over 50 percent from the field. Yet Davis is averaging just 8 shots a game and Thompson just 10. This makes no sense. None at all.
Routinely last night, Thompson and especially Davis were fighting for position down low, often getting it early. Yet time and time again, Drew and company failed to see them or failed to make the pass, instead passing around the perimeter or making foolish drives. It happened all night long. Davis and Thompson had position, wanted the ball, but it never came. The guards couldn't get the proper passing angles, didn't look for the bigs enough and basically played keep-away from their best teammates. Sure, that's on Drew and Dexter Strickland and Will Graves. They seem to lack the ability and/or basketball IQ to get those guys the ball in prime scoring positions. But it's more on Williams, and it's not the first time he's gone away from his most effective big man/men.
Everyone, especially here in Philadelphia, remembers the Allen Ray "Walk" game against UNC in the NCAA tournament in 2005. What they remember most is that Villanova pushed the No. 1 seed Tar Heels to the brink but ultimately came up short, thanks in large part to the phantom walk call on Ray. What seemingly no one recalls is that Sean May was absolutely murdering an undersized Nova team down low, scoring literally every time he touched the ball. Yet May only ended up with 14 points on nine shots because the Tar Heels went away from him. The game would have never even been that close, rendering the "walk" call either moot or nonexistent, had Roy Williams simply used his head and demanded his players to keep running the offense through May.
Of course, Roy and company learned their lesson from that game and went on to win the whole damn thing. But this season, he has yet to make that adjustment, and as a result Davis and Thompson are getting freezed out by their own teammates and the young Tar Heels, who were 11-3 just a few short weeks ago, now sit at 13-11, losing 8 of their last 10 games, and sit tied for dead last in the ACC, with the only chance of making the big dance now residing in an ACC Tournament victory that most assuredly won't come.
When your best two players combined to take just 11 field goals against the Blue Devils, you end up dead. And that's where UNC is now, left on the side of the road completely and utterly dead. Harrison Barnes and 2010-11 can't get here soon enough.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Wayne's World, Party Time
After the final seconds had ticked away and North Carolina had cut down the nets in a dominant 89-72 championship victory, it was a player from the Philadelphia area that stood above the rest. Episcopal Academy graduate Wayne Ellington, fresh off a performance that ended Villanova's run, hit a barrage of shots in the first half, helping North Carolina build an insurmountable lead. And when it was all said and done, the kid who ventured down to Tobacco Road as a skinny freshman with nothing more than a sweet jump shot found himself as the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four in Detroit.
And boy did he earn it. In his first season at UNC, Ellington proved he could shoot it with the best of them, but honestly, he showed little more than that. Last season, as a sophomore, he upped his scoring, developed a bit more of a well-rounded game, but seemed to disappear in the big games. That was the knock on him, fading away in the spotlight.
Well, in his junior season, he put all those criticisms to rest. This year, Ellington became much more than a shooter. He became a legitimate slasher, a confident ball-handler, and, yeah, he still shot the lights out of the ball. He used his length to become a better defender, his wit to take better shots. And most important of all, when the season began to wind down, about a month left to go, Ellington took his game to another level. He became not just a reliable scorer, but a lethal one.
Heading into the NCAA tournament, he was playing as well as any shooting guard in the country, and he didn't slow down one bit. In the opener against Radnor, Wayne scored a game-high 25 points, efficiently shooting 11-16 from the floor, 3-5 from three and nabbing 8 rebounds. In the second-round battle with LSU, Ellington again scored with ease, dropping 23 on 9-16 shooting and 3-6 from beyond the arc, and he followed that up with 19 points against Gonzaga. He did have a quiet game against Oklahoma in the regional final, but turns out, Wayne was just saving his best for last.
There is no bigger stage in college sports than the Final Four. None. Naturally, given Ellington's past, it would have been no surprise to see him come up small. After all, before his torrid stretch heading into the tournament, that was his M.O. So all Ellington did was come out and hit 5 three-pointers against the Wildcats, crushing the hopes of Villanova right off the bat, finishing with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists.
Last night, he simply did it again. From the start, Ellington was scorching hot, hitting virtually everything he put up, helping North Carolina jump out to a 22-7 lead. The Spartans didn't know what hit them. Ellington finished with 19 points on 7-12 from the field, nailing all three of this three-point attempts, and his breakaway dunk in the closing minutes was the capper on a tremendous season for Ellington and the Tar Heels.
When the season began, UNC was the unquestioned favorite to win the whole damn thing. After all, every major piece of last year's Final Four team was back: Ellington, Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, Marcus Ginyard, Deon Thompson. Plus, Carolina was adding talented freshmen Tyler Zeller, Ed Davis and Larry Drew, not to mention getting the versatile Bobby Frasor back in the fold. There was no reason to believe this team wouldn't get back, and most likely, win the whole thing this time around, using the embarrassing loss to Kansas as motivation.
Things started off swimmingly for UNC. They roared out of the gates, even without Ginyard, who was sidelined due to injury, destroying ranked opponents right from the start. Then, Zeller broke his wrist, and after a brief 3-game comeback, Ginyard was done for the year. The Tar Heels got knocked off by Wake Forest, dropped a few games they were expected to win, and suddenly people began to question just how good this team could be.
At times, North Carolina looked disinterested defensively, and there was a large crop of talented teams to challenge them. Then, Ty Lawson became the best point guard in the country, perhaps the best player this side of Blake Griffin. UNC regained its footing, won the ACC with ease, earned its No. 1 seed in the tournament. But again, with Lawson's toe ailing, people questioned just how far North Carolina could go, and really, no one trusted their defense.
Well, Roy Williams got his guys ready. Of course, the Tar Heels scored points at an alarming clip, but, after a 101-58 rout in the first game of the tournament over Radford, sans Lawson, the floor leader returned and solidified the Heels on defense. His quick hands and tough on-the-ball defense seemed to ignite the rest of the team, and North Carolina suddenly became not just a great scoring team, but a great defensive team too. And that gave no one else even a remote chance at beating them.
North Carolina put on one of the truly epic, dominating tournament performances off all time, winning all six games it took to cut down the nets by at least 12 points, winning by an average of 20 points. Ty Lawson was the best player period in the tournament, averaging more than 20 points, 6.8 assists and 3.2 steals in his five games, including an NCAA Final record 8 steals last night. He turned the ball over just 7 times in 5 games, putting up a ridiculous 4.8-to-1 assist to turnover ratio. I know he's small, but for the life of me, I can't figure out why he won't be a lottery pick. The guy is a flat-out star point guard.
Last night, in the culmination of a very decorated career, Tyler Hansbrough got his championship, scoring 18 points in the process. And really, everyone had a hand in it. Deon Thompson was owning the paint early on, Ed Davis snatched up every rebound near him, Bobby Frasor did all the little things Bobby Frasor always does, Larry Drew and Tyler Zeller had cameos, and Danny Green, Mr. do-it-all and my favorite player on the team, hit two big three pointers.
Coach Williams joined the illustrious ranks, winning his second national title since taking over in Chapel Hill, and I couldn't have been happier for the seniors, Green, Frasor and Hansbrough. Oh, and Marcus Ginyard too. It was really great to see Green and Tyler give Marcus big old hugs when they came to the bench, and even better to see Ginyard climb the ladder and take his piece of the net. Even though he played in just three games his senior year, he was as big of a part of this team climbing the ranks from freshmen to seniors as anyone. Although for him, it's not over yet. He'll be granted a redshirt and be back next season. For Green, Frasor and Hansbrough, most most likely Ellington and Lawson too, this was their last game, and they have come a long way.
The year after UNC won the title with Sean May, Rashad McCants, Raymond Felton, Jawad Williams and all the rest, North Carolina had to start all over again. All those players left, meaning it was rebuilding time. Well, Tyler Hansbrough and Bobby Frasor started for the young Tar Heels, and Danny Green and Marcus Ginyard quickly became the top two subs.
A year later, stud freshmen Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington joined the fold, along with a talented, if slightly overweight, power forward by the name of Deon Thompson. Hansbrough quickly became the best player in the ACC, Frasor accepted his fate and moved to the bench, and Danny Green became one of the best bench players in the country while Ginyard established himself as the best defender on the team.
Lawson and Ellington showed incredible promise, but both went through the natural growing pains. Ellington needed to develop into more than just a shooter, and Lawson, with his blazing speed, needed to learn to harness his talents. As a freshman, Tywan was very turnover-prone and simply tried to do everything too quickly.
That all changed last season, as finally, with Hansbrough in his third season at Chapel Hill, North Carolina looked to be the best team in the land. The Heels made it all the way to the Final Four, but were humiliated by the eventual champions, and there was a chance this crop could be disbanded before the ultimate goal was achieved. Green, Ellington and Lawson decided to test the NBA waters. Luckily for UNC, they eventually decided to come back to school, and the rest is history.
For Green, Frasor and Hansbrough (Ginyard too), they put together the best 4-year record in North Carolina history. And last night, they capped that most impressive run with a championship. Green, for all his efforts, became the winningest player ever to don a North Carolina jersey. And he's the player I was happiest for. The player I'll miss the most.
Honestly, I'll think he'll make a terrific sixth man in the NBA, with his versatility, size and athleticism. He can rebound, defend, shoot, block shots, pretty much give you anything you need.
While I'll be sad to see him and the rest of the NBA-bound group go, it was one hell of a fun a ride.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
My Trip to Boston
Well I made a trip to Boston this past weekend and have just arrived back. So I will tell you the story of my trip to Boston. Before I start, let me first say that DJ Gallo is not very funny. Thank you. Also, the Detroit Lions should be eliminated. What a pathetic team of idiots. Fock you for trading Roy Williams to them. Are you even allowed to have two Roy Williams on a team? Is that even legal?
So this was my trip to Boston. I left Friday. I got there at 4. I watched the Phillies pound the Dodgers. I played Lavar's Love Child's(LLC) Xbox360 and got ready for Saturday. Saturday, I woke up sick, took the T to a CVS, and found Cheers. They did not have the same shirt I had when I was 11 that I was going to buy and I was not happy about it. Went back to LLC's played Xbox and watched football and then went to "The Greatest Bar" in downtown Boston.
This bar had a few floors rented out by the local Penn State Alumni Association members for the game. They do that every weekend for the Penn State game. It was full of PSU fans wearing blue and white. I estimate at least 130 Nittany Lions fans, including a girl that my old roommate used to sleep with, whom is quite attractive, which led to some awkward conversations. Penn State took a dump on Wisconsin and is leading people around the country to wonder, "Is Penn State good?" Yes, yes they are. Derrick Williams and his gigantic head are bowling over people and the jerks of Michigan are next. Penn State won, we all drank, we went to bed. Sunday, I woke up, went to IHOP, played Xbox, and watched the Eagles game at Champions Bar.
The bar had a great setup with every game on and a list under every tv of which game was going to be played on that television. There was an entire section for the Eagles fans, which we did not sit in due to an error on LLC's part. We did however sit in a section with a loud, heavy-set African American fellow, who was probably one of the top 5 people I have ever encountered. This man was watching about 5 games at once and rooting for every team playing. He held conversations with everyone in the room and I wish him the best in life. A great man. Champions had great clam chowder and the worst nachos I have EVER eaten in my life. Do NOT BUY NACHOS from that bar. You will just get sick. Either way, the Eagles won, then we sprinted back to LLC's aptartment for the Phillies game. They lost. It dampened my mood.
Monday came and I woke up and played some XBOX(college football to be exact). At ten o'clock we met two of my old roommates from college and went to breakfast. Three of us, Buckfutter, LLC and myself, wore our Phillies shirts with pride that day. We went to downtown Boston and did some site-seeing and made our way towards Fenway. We walked around the park and got a feel of the "Redsox Nation" and went into Cask and Flanigans, the number 2 voted sport's bar by ESPN. Here is my take on "Redsox Nation" and Cask and Flanigans. They both stink and are wayyyyyyyyyy overrated. If it wasn't for the attractive waitress, I would have peed in the corner of the bar. We left about an hour before game time and went back to play some Xbox, watch Jeopardy, and watch the Phillies. (It is necessary to know that LLC is probably the greatest at home Jeopardy player of our generation.) The Phillies won. Matt Stairs is cool. Shane, everything I ever thought about you, I am sorry. I am so sorry. My bad, dawg.
I went to bed and drove home. That was the trip and here are some more random thoughts from the weekend. Boston is the worst city I have been in to drive around. It would help if every time you drove into the city, you were not forced to pay a toll. There were no street signs on some of the streets and roads went in every directions. It made no sense. Piss poor at best. I woke up Saturday and found an Expedition had parked ON my bumper. Not near, but ON. Fuck that guy. LLC needs to key his car tonight. Tim McCarver is not my kind of guy. I tried to like him because of Lefty. I really did. But it is just not possible. Just cause I am wearing a Phillies or Eagles shirt, does not mean I want everyone to talk to me on the subway. Manny is a piece of trash. Take your overreactions and dreads and stick them straight up your candy ass. It is nice to see how baseball is a team sport and one man can not win every game for you. Thank you Phillies for proving that point. I like sandwiches. I have been smiling since 12 o'clock last night and show no signs of stopping.
So this was my trip to Boston. I left Friday. I got there at 4. I watched the Phillies pound the Dodgers. I played Lavar's Love Child's(LLC) Xbox360 and got ready for Saturday. Saturday, I woke up sick, took the T to a CVS, and found Cheers. They did not have the same shirt I had when I was 11 that I was going to buy and I was not happy about it. Went back to LLC's played Xbox and watched football and then went to "The Greatest Bar" in downtown Boston.
This bar had a few floors rented out by the local Penn State Alumni Association members for the game. They do that every weekend for the Penn State game. It was full of PSU fans wearing blue and white. I estimate at least 130 Nittany Lions fans, including a girl that my old roommate used to sleep with, whom is quite attractive, which led to some awkward conversations. Penn State took a dump on Wisconsin and is leading people around the country to wonder, "Is Penn State good?" Yes, yes they are. Derrick Williams and his gigantic head are bowling over people and the jerks of Michigan are next. Penn State won, we all drank, we went to bed. Sunday, I woke up, went to IHOP, played Xbox, and watched the Eagles game at Champions Bar.
The bar had a great setup with every game on and a list under every tv of which game was going to be played on that television. There was an entire section for the Eagles fans, which we did not sit in due to an error on LLC's part. We did however sit in a section with a loud, heavy-set African American fellow, who was probably one of the top 5 people I have ever encountered. This man was watching about 5 games at once and rooting for every team playing. He held conversations with everyone in the room and I wish him the best in life. A great man. Champions had great clam chowder and the worst nachos I have EVER eaten in my life. Do NOT BUY NACHOS from that bar. You will just get sick. Either way, the Eagles won, then we sprinted back to LLC's aptartment for the Phillies game. They lost. It dampened my mood.
Monday came and I woke up and played some XBOX(college football to be exact). At ten o'clock we met two of my old roommates from college and went to breakfast. Three of us, Buckfutter, LLC and myself, wore our Phillies shirts with pride that day. We went to downtown Boston and did some site-seeing and made our way towards Fenway. We walked around the park and got a feel of the "Redsox Nation" and went into Cask and Flanigans, the number 2 voted sport's bar by ESPN. Here is my take on "Redsox Nation" and Cask and Flanigans. They both stink and are wayyyyyyyyyy overrated. If it wasn't for the attractive waitress, I would have peed in the corner of the bar. We left about an hour before game time and went back to play some Xbox, watch Jeopardy, and watch the Phillies. (It is necessary to know that LLC is probably the greatest at home Jeopardy player of our generation.) The Phillies won. Matt Stairs is cool. Shane, everything I ever thought about you, I am sorry. I am so sorry. My bad, dawg.
I went to bed and drove home. That was the trip and here are some more random thoughts from the weekend. Boston is the worst city I have been in to drive around. It would help if every time you drove into the city, you were not forced to pay a toll. There were no street signs on some of the streets and roads went in every directions. It made no sense. Piss poor at best. I woke up Saturday and found an Expedition had parked ON my bumper. Not near, but ON. Fuck that guy. LLC needs to key his car tonight. Tim McCarver is not my kind of guy. I tried to like him because of Lefty. I really did. But it is just not possible. Just cause I am wearing a Phillies or Eagles shirt, does not mean I want everyone to talk to me on the subway. Manny is a piece of trash. Take your overreactions and dreads and stick them straight up your candy ass. It is nice to see how baseball is a team sport and one man can not win every game for you. Thank you Phillies for proving that point. I like sandwiches. I have been smiling since 12 o'clock last night and show no signs of stopping.
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