Post by bennyskid on Jan 23, 2017 11:16:46 GMT -8
Scott Rueck's does not get enough credit for his unusual offensive and defensive schemes. Personally, I can't tell with my eyes on each play exactly what our girls do that is so different, but over the course of a game and a season it eventually becomes clear, even to a layman like me. SR isn't just coaching to win a particular game with a particular set of players. He's coaching to build a *program* that will win year-after-year, no matter who we have on the court.
What do I mean? There are some clues in the statistics.
1. OSU ranks #3 im the Pac in Total Assists/Game, just barely behind #1 (Cal) and #2 (UO). But our top individual is just #8 (Syd), and no other girl is in the top 15. Syd brings the ball down the court and starts the offense, but every girl is an assist machine. Four of the five starters average 2+ per game, as does Katie. Defenses can't key on one or two playmakers, and when Syd graduates whatever drop-off there may be won't kill us.
2. OSU is dead last in steals, and it isn't even close. But we're #1 in Defensive FG Pct and we're second in blocks. The defense isn't about takeaways, it's about making teams take lousy shots under pressure. (We're also #2 in Def. Rebounding Pct., so we clean up after the shot, too.) You can't coach just any girl to get steals (Gabby (1.4 s/g) is our only player that averages more than one a game.) But you can coach almost anyone to position themselves properly, keep the arms up, and close on the shooter. It's great to have a proven stopper like Gabby on the team, but the system doesn't rely on her.
3. Just as Scott doesn't rely on one or two girls to distribute the ball, every girl is a scoring threat. Our superstar is only #10 in the conference in scoring average. Look at this rundown: Syd 15.2 ppg , Marie 10.8, Bre 8.7, Mik 7.7, Kat 6.8, Gabby 6.3, Kolbie 6.2, Katie 5.8, Taylor 5.3. Every one of these NINE girls has led the team in scoring in at least one game! (The only girls that haven't are the three freshmen who have struggled with injuries.)
Most coaches don't think like Scott. They scheme and plan game-by-game, not thinking in the long-term, and they just want to exploit whatever match-up advantage they can find each night. Which is why most coaches just ride their stars as hard as they can. (And who is going to criticize the coach for giving a National POY Candidate like Kelsey Plum the rock 30+ times per game? If you lose, no one blames the coach - folks just say that the star had a cold night.) It takes a lot of self-assurance for a coach to go the other direction and scheme to just take what the defense gives, trusting that your players can adjust and exploit whatever weaknesses they find on the court. But that's the attitude of a coach that isn't just trying to win this particular game, but is building a program for consistent success.
What do I mean? There are some clues in the statistics.
1. OSU ranks #3 im the Pac in Total Assists/Game, just barely behind #1 (Cal) and #2 (UO). But our top individual is just #8 (Syd), and no other girl is in the top 15. Syd brings the ball down the court and starts the offense, but every girl is an assist machine. Four of the five starters average 2+ per game, as does Katie. Defenses can't key on one or two playmakers, and when Syd graduates whatever drop-off there may be won't kill us.
2. OSU is dead last in steals, and it isn't even close. But we're #1 in Defensive FG Pct and we're second in blocks. The defense isn't about takeaways, it's about making teams take lousy shots under pressure. (We're also #2 in Def. Rebounding Pct., so we clean up after the shot, too.) You can't coach just any girl to get steals (Gabby (1.4 s/g) is our only player that averages more than one a game.) But you can coach almost anyone to position themselves properly, keep the arms up, and close on the shooter. It's great to have a proven stopper like Gabby on the team, but the system doesn't rely on her.
3. Just as Scott doesn't rely on one or two girls to distribute the ball, every girl is a scoring threat. Our superstar is only #10 in the conference in scoring average. Look at this rundown: Syd 15.2 ppg , Marie 10.8, Bre 8.7, Mik 7.7, Kat 6.8, Gabby 6.3, Kolbie 6.2, Katie 5.8, Taylor 5.3. Every one of these NINE girls has led the team in scoring in at least one game! (The only girls that haven't are the three freshmen who have struggled with injuries.)
Most coaches don't think like Scott. They scheme and plan game-by-game, not thinking in the long-term, and they just want to exploit whatever match-up advantage they can find each night. Which is why most coaches just ride their stars as hard as they can. (And who is going to criticize the coach for giving a National POY Candidate like Kelsey Plum the rock 30+ times per game? If you lose, no one blames the coach - folks just say that the star had a cold night.) It takes a lot of self-assurance for a coach to go the other direction and scheme to just take what the defense gives, trusting that your players can adjust and exploit whatever weaknesses they find on the court. But that's the attitude of a coach that isn't just trying to win this particular game, but is building a program for consistent success.
