Post by nittanystag on Feb 28, 2015 10:14:21 GMT -5
Cluess is spot-on. Too many caches today harness their players hoop instincts. Most entertaining basketball I can remember involved those Loyola Marymount teams. I recall going to see Marymount with Bo Kimble/Hank Gathers play at the Civic Center in Philly against Lasalle with Lionel Simmons/Doug Overton. Score was something like 120-115. Even the fans were exhausted. The electricity in that building could have powered a small city.
Post by stagshoops3 on Feb 28, 2015 10:28:35 GMT -5
Just an incredible hire by Iona. It just proves that you don't need a high profile name to grow a program. It is all about recruiting and attitude. I hope we consider Grasso as ahead coach. He's the top recruiter for Iona and can bring an up tempo game here.
“The product stinks,” he said. The scoring average in Division I is as low as it has been since the 1950s, and Cluess has about a dozen theories why. He can be cagey about issues surrounding his team, like injuries and the daily particulars, but on the topic of basketball in general, Cluess is not reticent about letting off a little steam.....
But mostly, his blame for the trickling pace of the game focuses on too-zealous coaches unwilling to loosen the grips on their players, which is why Cluess might be considered college basketball’s resident libertarian. The Gaels (24-6) are the only Division I team to average 80 points a game in the last four seasons. And their record over that span is 91-39.
I agree with Cluess when he said players need to "make plays on the fly".
Cluess is also a vigilant observer of the flow of the game, and part of harnessing that is allowing his players the space to make plays on the fly.
Basketball is an instinctive game, and cannot be robotic or work off plays..... that just don't work. Each player is confronted with an instinctive decision every 5 seconds.... and has many options to choose. Those options have to be made quick, and based on an empirical knowledge after hours and hours of real time practice that simulates game situations.
...He can be cagey about issues surrounding his team, like injuries and the daily particulars, but on the topic of basketball in general, Cluess is not reticent about letting off a little steam...
I can't deny Cluess has had a great deal of success in the MAAC with his uptempo offense. But I view the article more as Cluess marketing himself for a BCS position. He knew there would be media attention for the Iona-Manhattan game so he chose to emphasize his love of playing uptempo, playgroundish style basketball; knowing full well that ADs at BCS schools with losing records and dwindling attendance are looking for a coach who's devoted to playing entertaining uptempo ball that audiences enjoy watching.
I doubt any coach dreams of reaching no height greater than the MAAC in his coaching career. It'll be interesting to see which BCS school hires Cluess after this season. With the right players, a fast paced uptempo approach on offense can be very successful in mid to low major conference. People remember the Gathers/Kimble team at Loyola Marymount but if a fast paced, uptempo offense solved everything then why did Westhead go 38-70 at George Mason from '93-'97 after his career at LMU?
...His (Cluess') vexations include N.C.A.A. rules restricting summer workouts (“Let them play as much as they want”), the nap-inducing 35-second shot clock (“Go 24, don’t go 30”) and the declining skills of players coming out of Amateur Athletic Union leagues (“How many guys can shoot the ball nowadays?”)...
Can someone explain why AAU leagues prevent players from becoming accurate shooters?
Post by Stagophile on Feb 28, 2015 15:06:41 GMT -5
I'll second that nittanystag...Cluess is spot on. Overcoaching is killing the game and has killed the Fairfield program. There is a renaissance in free flowing basketball going on and coaches like Brad Stevens in Boston, Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta, Shaka Smart at VCU and Cluess at Iona are leading the movement. Grasso for Coach!!!
Does this quote resonate with anyone? ... In the college game today, though, “everything is handcuffed,” he said. “Guys are so worried about ‘where I need to be’ they’re missing the whole picture — having that freedom just to learn how to play basketball and learn the game, learn how to make decisions.”
Last Edit: Feb 28, 2015 17:06:40 GMT -5 by Stagophile
Post by nittanystag on Feb 28, 2015 19:10:14 GMT -5
If anyone watched the Wichita State-Northern Iowa age today, THAT'S the way the game should be played. Exciting up-and-down basketball, yet still included some defensive toughness as well as strategic coaching. The Stags really need a center like UNI's Seth Tuttle. Play him straight up and he'll kill you inside. Double-down and he instinctively finds the open man on the perimeter. Great court vision. Would have had Tyler, Marcus and Smitty drooling.
Just what I've been saying all along, we need a dominant big man which we are severely lacking. That's where our one scholarship for next year should be going!
Just what I've been saying all along, we need a dominant big man which we are severely lacking. That's where our one scholarship for next year should be going!
