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Only one person knows for sure, and he isn't sharing the special dictionary.97cats wrote:I can't believe someone thinks all those National Champs were bad at defense??
am I reading that right??
I was excited until I realized he's not a guard. But, seriously, he has serious skills and a deft touch in the post.HiCat wrote:7th in rotation?
Dusan Ristic catching Sean Miller's eye
Heading into the 2014-15 season, the one freshman on the Arizona Wildcats getting all the attention is Stanley Johnson, and rightfully so. Johnson showed during the exhibition game against Cal Poly Pomona that he will be a part of the main six-man rotation on this team.
But there's one freshman who seems to be making quite the impression on Sean Miller in these early season practices. That guy is Dusan Ristic.
"Dusan Ristic is a guy that works hard every day," Miller said last week. "His offense is actually ahead of his defense, which for a low-post player and somebody his size, it's exciting to think about where he'll be down the road."
His offensive game shouldn't come as a surprise, as Fran Fraschilla had high praise for him this summer. But Miller sees a lot of potential in him, and possibly seeing that sooner rather than later.
"He has a knack and a way of being able to score and a fundamental set of skills that normally you don't see from somebody his size and age come to college with," Miller continued. "Where he's behind is on defense, but playing against Kaleb (Tarczewski) every day, and playing with the effort that he has every day, I really believe he'll get better. Where he's at in early November, he could be a far cry from there in early December just with constant, continual work."
"I'm impressed with Dusan and love his attitude. He listens. He works hard. He stays after practice. He loves the game and like I said, with his size on offense, I think he has a really high starting point."
His play in the game further validated Miller's praise of him.
"I thought Dusan did a good job tonight," coach said after the game. "You could see he has a really nice touch, good hands. He'll get better and better on defense as time moves on. Every day that he practices, and every time he gets game experience, he'll start to do a better job in that area. But there's no substitute for how long he is. And he can catch the basketball and score it."
"I think a lot of teams would love to have a guy like him off the bench. I was pleased with him."
Right now, it feels like Dusan Ristic is sort of the 7th guy, looking to make his way into the main rotation.
"Our seven through ten guys are important, and if we continue to develop them, we'll become a better team," Miller added.
http://www.azdesertswarm.com/basketball ... san-ristic
Gonzaga. Sans the geographical boundary, I'm a Beilein fan. Michigan has been fun to watch. So was WVA when he was there.Longhorned wrote:What if everyone had to choose a second favorite team and had to do it based on nearest Division 1 program to where you live? It would certainly help with appreciating Miller's system.Olsondogg wrote:We are 6 years into the Miller era...his system is well established now. I've always said, if fans have a problem find another team to root for...cause the system ain't changing.
What would yours be? I think mine would be Butler.
I didn't realize until just now that I didn't know what the team name for Valpo was, I just always referred to them as Valpo.Chicat wrote: Valparaiso
Blech....
Give me old "Gonna lose at least one game a year because his system sucks" Sean Miller and his team of Wildcats any day over the Crusaders.
Sorry, my fault. A little side conversation I started up because I thought the thread ended after a page. Nothing to do with the NYCats vs. The Rest of the Board argument.salim'sheadband wrote:Having a great offense is definitely more important than having a great defense, and you need a great offense to win the title (this year's UConn mega-outlier notwithstanding). No one's seriously disputing that. What we're disputing is 1) that systemic offensive changes need to be made, and 2) that defensive changes need to be made to help our offense.
There is NO correlation between high tempo or forced-turnover percentage and having an elite team or an offense. This cannot be said enough. I haven't seen any data yet to suggest that simply creating more possessions is objectively better basketball, and I don't want to hear about the eye test. Losing 90-89 sucks just as much as losing 64-63. If you have some data, I'll keep an open mind.
Again, we just need to make shots. If you look at the years when we've had an elite offense, the shooting splits are north of 50-37-75. That's it. We need to make better shots and our free throws.
Arizona's has 3 seasons in the last 10 years where it shot 50-37-74, all coinciding with elite offenses: 2005, 2011, and 2013. My bad on the last percentage point. You got me.KaibabKat wrote:Arizona has never had a season where the team shot "north of 50-37-75."
I agree, I think the offense is fine too. We don't need macro-level, systemic changes to our offense. Players just need to do the things they're put in positions to do. I think, within our system as currently constructed, if we can hit those metrics I have been pounding on we will have an elite, championship-caliber offense.Olsondogg wrote:I like stats. They help explain a story...but seldom do they tell the complete story.
Arizona's offense is fine, irregardless of what you are told on a message board. Stats will support my comment as we move throughout the year. For now, win please.
Co-signed, and with the usual caveat that offense is a work-in-progress especially through January. It won't always be what it's supposed to be for a little while. Let's not get nuts about it.salim'sheadband wrote:I agree, I think the offense is fine too. We don't need macro-level, systemic changes to our offense. Players just need to do the things they're put in positions to do. I think, within our system as currently constructed, if we can hit those metrics I have been pounding on we will have an elite, championship-caliber offense.Olsondogg wrote:I like stats. They help explain a story...but seldom do they tell the complete story.
Arizona's offense is fine, irregardless of what you are told on a message board. Stats will support my comment as we move throughout the year. For now, win please.
You mean like freaking out about it 10 minutes into an exhibition? Except you're talking about the last 10 years? Except you're really only talking about this season?Longhorned wrote:Co-signed, and with the usual caveat that offense is a work-in-progress especially through January. It won't always be what it's supposed to be for a little while. Let's not get nuts about it.salim'sheadband wrote:I agree, I think the offense is fine too. We don't need macro-level, systemic changes to our offense. Players just need to do the things they're put in positions to do. I think, within our system as currently constructed, if we can hit those metrics I have been pounding on we will have an elite, championship-caliber offense.Olsondogg wrote:I like stats. They help explain a story...but seldom do they tell the complete story.
Arizona's offense is fine, irregardless of what you are told on a message board. Stats will support my comment as we move throughout the year. For now, win please.
Yeah they suck.Bosy Billups wrote:I'm worried about the Lakers.
Chicat wrote:I just really can't imagine anything changing the fact that Sean Miller runs a packline defense and a motion offense at any time in the near or far future.
If Kobe shoots more, they'll be fine.Bosy Billups wrote:I'm worried about the Lakers.
I was thinking someone merged a new thread with the old thread, but they did it in reverse, so that the old thread merged into the new thread, and thus took the new thread's title?Chicat wrote:Why did the thread title change?
I missed it. I always miss the fun.Chicat wrote:Damn... Both here and in the Impressions thread there were epic posts last night bashing everyone and everything from Sean Miller's coaching to the way the ball boys wipe up the court (I'm not exaggerating that much btw - there was even complaints about the floor being too shiny) . . . and now they are gone.
They were long, overtly negative diatribes so harsh in their criticism that you would have thought we had lost to Mount St. Mary's by 23. But then at the same time there was talk of how no one can match up with this team and they'd win 35+ games. I'd say they were late Saturday night drunken ramblings but they were written far too coherently.
These posts were written with such surety and conviction that I am honestly shocked they are gone. Too bad. I was so looking forward to the responses...
I saw them too Chi. Couldn't get back to sleep after I woke up and saw OSU had taken the lead against the Scummies. It was like almost 3AM AZ time. We should have quoted them for posterity.Chicat wrote:Damn... Both here and in the Impressions thread there were epic posts last night bashing everyone and everything from Sean Miller's coaching to the way the ball boys wipe up the court (I'm not exaggerating that much btw - there was even complaints about the floor being too shiny) . . . and now they are gone.
They were long, overtly negative diatribes so harsh in their criticism that you would have thought we had lost to Mount St. Mary's by 23. But then at the same time there was talk of how no one can match up with this team and they'd win 35+ games. I'd say they were late Saturday night drunken ramblings but they were written far too coherently.
These posts were written with such surety and conviction that I am honestly shocked they are gone. Too bad. I was so looking forward to the responses...
Especially since a lot of the issues are specific to November.EastCoastCat wrote:You know, you leave a message board for a little while and you come back and see that some things never change...
*sigh*
The offense just isn't built for March. That just cracks me up after 1 game.
NYCat wrote:Well this thread is irrelevant. This thread was about the slower tempo half court game concerns that was used last year, which it thought for sure was coming back. Early, but looks like the offense is going to have a higher tempo. Defense isn't as good as last year obvs, but the defense will produce more steals (turnovers) which leads to easy fast break points.
But will say this, funny how you can play at a higher level on offense and still have a good defense. I think its no surprise that shooting (not FG%) was better when the offense was sped up. Loved that team was running and playing faster; with the pressure defense and screen switches, the size, athleticism, length, speed will dominate on both sides.
This is a completely different offense than i thought we were going to see, no concerns with it.
Are you inebriated? You might have KON syndromeNYCat wrote:Do I now have Seth Davis syndrome on the board? Where even if I give positive comments, everyone will assume there's some ulterior backhanded sleight/insult. And even if its something really positive, no one will care because there's an automatic negative association. [People's refusal to forget & hold a grudge, take it personal (Grant Jerrett)]. Have I cought and come down with the Seth Davis syndrome that many have had before on the board? Because if so, I fucking love it.
Are you talking to yourself? It might be better to let someone actually respond to you first before complaining about the responses.NYCat wrote:Do I now have Seth Davis syndrome on the board? Where even if I give positive comments, everyone will assume there's some ulterior backhanded sleight/insult. And even if its something really positive, no one will care because there's an automatic negative association. [People's refusal to forget & hold a grudge, take it personal (Grant Jerrett)]. Have I cought and come down with the Seth Davis syndrome that many have had before on the board? Because if so, I fucking love it.
YesCalStateTempe wrote:Should I watch last nights game? I DVR'd it.
I dunno, 3mo old keeps me up at night, while having to author a textbook chapter, and pulling my normal workweek.Olsondogg wrote:Why would you not?
To be sure, Miller's style will not allow for many of Lute’s early tourney exits. His teams play hard, tough, smart and do not beat themselves. The Wildcats dominate defensively and on the glass. Their practices focus on fundamentals and tempo among their points of emphasis.
Defensively, Miller essentially runs the "pack-line" whereby his team rarely extends beyond the 3-point line, but limits penetration and rules the boards while forcing opponents to take contested jump shots with good depth and excellent length.
It's the offensive philosophy that could determine whether this team raises a banner in Indy, or even gets there. Will Arizona ever use its athletes on both ends to expose athletic mismatches? Will Miller let all those athletes get out and run? Does the Wildcats' defensive style limit their ceiling?
Miller's offensive style is straight out of the 80s and 90s with classic motion that either isolates the post, uses high-low action or opens the lane so centers can back-screen passers in order to create driving angles, post-ups and mismatches. Arizona is meat and potatoes. Occasionally they'll run a play for an alley-oop or a 3-point shot, but motion offense, man-to-man defense and "we are tougher and better than you" is the name of the game.
In many ways that style is the same one I've questioned with Syracuse over the years. Sure the Cuse is unique with its 2-3 zone, which is undeniably effective but can also be counterproductive as teams can slow the pace against the Orange. Syracuse has better athletes than 75 percent of its competition, yet uses a defense designed for inferior athletes. The same is true in many ways with Arizona.
[b]Arizona should want more possessions, not fewer, as it has far more talent than most of its opponents, yet doesn't shoot the ball that well in the halfcourt. Picking up full court, engaging the offense closer to the midcourt line and installing a traditional secondary-break offense would all be smart uses of the Wildcats' prodigious speed and length. Even if you miss a quick shot, a likely starting lineup including Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Stanley Johnson or Gabe York, Brandon Ashley and Kaleb Tarczewski would get a whole lot of second shot opportunities anyway. [/b]
HehNYCat wrote:PS: I bet someone will bump this thread ironically during the season
It's your thread. Don't you want people to participate? Or is this an exercise in getting people to recognize your genius?NYCat wrote:The offense is different (what the thread is arguing against isn't applicable anymore) making the thread irrelevant. But I see a lot of you will keep bumping it relentlessly to fill the circlejerk quota.
