I know Self just wanted to experiment but I think we would have won if we would have done these few things differently:
-Only played KJ and Flory at the 5 and split the minutes between just them two. They both looked good playing inside but not always together. Clemence was terrible and contributed more to Arkansas then he did KU.
-our starting backcourt unit with Harris, Mayo and Storr got subbed out every time they started showing signs of clicking together. Storr and Mayo just need to find their confidence and stay aggressive (which they will)
- Passmore and Coit could have been solid as bench pieces for stretches but McDowell and Clemence just flat out need to get better or they aren't gonna play. McDowell likely redshirt anyway.
-Not concerned with athletic ability or shooting once the top 7-8 gets 95% of the minutes and learns to play together, takes the right shots, and runs sets designed to maximize individual strengths. Open shots will be there once HD is back in the middle. Hope we play a lot of 4 out 1 in, because we have the pieces to do it.
-Think about the upside of Flory and Passmore and how they can contribute later on defensively and athletically. Passmore can even knock down a few outside shots perhaps. Wish they could have taken all of Clemence and McDowells minutes.
- Coit has moxy and will surely help us but he will need to learn when to not play hero ball. Love his confidence and wish we would have played some 3 guard lineups with him, Harris and Mayo for a few just to see how fast we could play. I'm sure Self will try this at some point, because that will be hard to defend.
- How did they shoot 5 times as many free-throws as us? My guess, Storr and Mayo weren't as aggressive as they will be later on, and Moore should be able to help draw fouls as well.
NEGATIVES:
-Gonna take awhile to find the right combinations of guys I'm afraid and a lot is riding on Storr and Griffen buying in defensively in my opinion. Their scoring will come along as they have proven it at the highest levels already. Defense is my main concern right now, but I'm encouraged by what Flory can do as a paint protector in time..
-Mayo has to stay aggressive, if he loses confidence while trying to adjust to playing at this level we will NOT play at our peak until it clicks for him. Thankfully, I saw enough personally that I think he will get there and I don't believe there's a Timberlake type problem with him. More like a Remy problem, where he's got so much adjusting to do that I hope he can get there by February??
-Only played KJ and Flory at the 5 and split the minutes between just them two. They both looked good playing inside but not always together. Clemence was terrible and contributed more to Arkansas then he did KU.
-our starting backcourt unit with Harris, Mayo and Storr got subbed out every time they started showing signs of clicking together. Storr and Mayo just need to find their confidence and stay aggressive (which they will)
- Passmore and Coit could have been solid as bench pieces for stretches but McDowell and Clemence just flat out need to get better or they aren't gonna play. McDowell likely redshirt anyway.
-Not concerned with athletic ability or shooting once the top 7-8 gets 95% of the minutes and learns to play together, takes the right shots, and runs sets designed to maximize individual strengths. Open shots will be there once HD is back in the middle. Hope we play a lot of 4 out 1 in, because we have the pieces to do it.
-Think about the upside of Flory and Passmore and how they can contribute later on defensively and athletically. Passmore can even knock down a few outside shots perhaps. Wish they could have taken all of Clemence and McDowells minutes.
- Coit has moxy and will surely help us but he will need to learn when to not play hero ball. Love his confidence and wish we would have played some 3 guard lineups with him, Harris and Mayo for a few just to see how fast we could play. I'm sure Self will try this at some point, because that will be hard to defend.
- How did they shoot 5 times as many free-throws as us? My guess, Storr and Mayo weren't as aggressive as they will be later on, and Moore should be able to help draw fouls as well.
NEGATIVES:
-Gonna take awhile to find the right combinations of guys I'm afraid and a lot is riding on Storr and Griffen buying in defensively in my opinion. Their scoring will come along as they have proven it at the highest levels already. Defense is my main concern right now, but I'm encouraged by what Flory can do as a paint protector in time..
-Mayo has to stay aggressive, if he loses confidence while trying to adjust to playing at this level we will NOT play at our peak until it clicks for him. Thankfully, I saw enough personally that I think he will get there and I don't believe there's a Timberlake type problem with him. More like a Remy problem, where he's got so much adjusting to do that I hope he can get there by February??
