tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640778288989151924.post5040016309332356446..comments2023-11-03T04:07:19.586-05:00Comments on Vanderbilt Sports Line: Bobby's Thoughts on The Cincy LossSeamus O'Toolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11811017078765515449noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640778288989151924.post-79363433092195300072009-11-24T12:04:03.268-06:002009-11-24T12:04:03.268-06:00Bobby, I agree largely with what you said, and do ...Bobby, I agree largely with what you said, and do not in fact believe the sky is falling, but it most certainly will be if the Dores can't find some intensity and effort. I think in large part we made Cincy look better then they are, and gifted them points by sticking to the press, their offense went as cold as ours when we actually played half court defense. That however leads me to Jenkins and Beal who were killing our press. It was their man who was regularly getting rid of the ball and then beating them down court only to get it back and convert easy points. If they aren't athletic enough to rotate over and get back, then we shouldn't press and that's on K-Stall, who i think should have given up on the press early regardless. What seemed more the case though was that those two forced the initial pass figured their job was done and loafed back, which lead to points for cincy. You can give Jenkins the benefit of the doubt and say maybe he doesn't get it yet, but Beal doesn't get that free pass as far as I'm concerned. My particular point about Jenkins giving up on plays though was highlighted by the play where he got stripped on the wing, and started pouting even though it was a loose ball which eventually got saved in to exactly where he should have been had he been trying. He made similar plays after getting beat on defense when he should have been boxing out. He may not get all of the schemes yet, but I'd rather see someone hustling and getting after it and making mistakes in the process, then what I saw last night. Side Note: I don't think I called out AJ after last night's game, if anything I thought AJ played better, and warranted more playing time, and was confused when K-Stall sat him down after he hustled to get that block. It wasn't what we'd love to see from him yet but he at least looked like he wanted to be out there and not out at the luau or beach.Colinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640778288989151924.post-28707394585905163342009-11-24T08:44:01.204-06:002009-11-24T08:44:01.204-06:00Although there were a lot of things last night tha...Although there were a lot of things last night that weren't pretty (i.e. poor shooting, bad turnovers, an ineffective press), the most disconcerting aspect of Vandy's performance was the inability to rebound. While we are more athletic than Vanderbilt teams have historically been, we aren't going to out-jump teams like Cincy (or UK, UT, etc.). These guys have to learn how to box out. Unfortunately, that is tough to do when you are pressing and/or running a half-court zone. As long as we try to press and run the zone, athletic teams are going to continue to get a lot of second chance shots. If we are going to run the zone, then Taylor needs to get involved in the rebounding efforts. Putting him at the top of the zone is great if we are getting steals and giving him an opportunity to get out and finish on the fast break, but last night that didn't happen. Instead, Taylor sat at the top of the zone and watched the other team throw up ugly shots until they got the offensive rebound close enough to dunk the ball back in. 2 defensive rebounds from Taylor isn't enough.cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06940105530338733318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640778288989151924.post-18450285820003540252009-11-24T08:41:40.567-06:002009-11-24T08:41:40.567-06:00Here's to hoping we blow out Chaminade. We nee...Here's to hoping we blow out Chaminade. We need to get our confidence back by posting a huge win.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16562798842160215153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640778288989151924.post-43363214134829117822009-11-24T06:10:32.978-06:002009-11-24T06:10:32.978-06:00Bobby - Great insight, and so glad to find this si...Bobby - Great insight, and so glad to find this site. I'm a Vandy fan for 15+ years, and was in the stands for both the loss to Georgetown at the Meadowlands in the Sweet 16 and in Tampa for the NCAA Tournament loss to Siena.<br /><br />Looking at Vandy's non-conference schedule it is clear we'll know if this team has what it takes to compete in the SEC and beyond by the 1st of the year. That's a major departure from years past when I'd be disappointed if, in the course of first 10-11 games, Vandy lost more than 1. <br /><br />You're absolutely correct on the rebounding issue. What concerns me is that last year both lack of rebounding and turnovers were issues throughout the season. They don't seem to have solved those problems in the off-season. Another disturbing habit that reared its ugly head yesterday was the tendency (for large chunks of a game) to allow the opponent to drive the lane at will. A couple of times, sure, but were talking 4-5 minute intervals at a time. No adjustments were made, and as you pointed out, the press didn't generate turnovers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com