I am not a big fan of Soccer, but I did watch some of the World Cup. And what stood out for me was the outstanding Passing of the German squad, and how much it related to Basketball. Some of the things that stood out were:
- No Look passes - Knowing where to pass the ball, even before the ball got to the passer. - Having eyes in back of their head - Quick Decisions on passing
I am sure that I saw all 4 of those qualities in John Ryan, Joey Desantis, and Joh Han. And while I don't think any of next year's Stags will be those type of players, I do hope that we have some players that can approach the Passing capabilites of Needham, Wade and Nickerson. All three with a High number of assists, and a >1 assist- to-turnover ratio. Unfortuantely, last year we had only KJ Rose that had those type of numbers. However, one of the strengths of our newcomers is their passing. Nelson, Segura, Threatt and Degnan all seem like players that could Pass. I would like to see 2 of those get starter type of minutes...... one at 2G and Degnan at PF.
Post by runningman on Jul 15, 2014 12:35:19 GMT -5
JS. I am a soccer fan and I appreciate your comments. What was great about Germany was its ability to play as a team. No superstars on this team. No Messi, no Ronaldo, no Suarez. A very disciplined unit with great skills and understanding of tactics. Better to have guys who know how to play together, rather than a star who destroys the chemistry of your team.
Post by nashvillestag on Jul 15, 2014 12:37:01 GMT -5
Interesting you brought up soccer JS. But you're right, there is a lot of comparison to passing the ball in both sports. And speaking of comparisons, the German squad was able to defeat the team with supposedly the greatest player in the world (Argentina and Lionel Messi) with the foundation of better passing and teamwork, sort of like the Spurs were able to conquer Labron and the Heat one month earlier with the same type of team makeup. Yes passing is a very important ingredient which unfortunately was sadly lacking with the Stags last season. So I am hoping and praying that problem will be corrected quickly for this coming year, and having seen Degnan and Nelson in person I think they will both bring improvement in this area of the game, and based on reputation I would like to think that Threatt and Segura will do the same.
Post by ctghostman on Jul 15, 2014 13:03:41 GMT -5
The team to look at for passing is the Spurs. Their passing is "old school". Most importantly, they buy into their system. Last year for FU, numerous players didn't do so - they're gone. If this year's group buys in, the Stags could surprise some. If they don't, they're in trouble - our talent level/youth can't overcome a lot.
The team to look at for passing is the Spurs. Their passing is "old school". Most importantly, they buy into their system. Last year for FU, numerous players didn't do so - they're gone. If this year's group buys in, the Stags could surprise some. If they don't, they're in trouble - our talent level/youth can't overcome a lot.
Excellent point Ghost of "buying in" to the system. So important and overlooked when you evaluate the talent of certain players. And while the departed players may have had some talent and were I'm sure good kids, the fact is they were probably never going to flourish with the system of Sydney Johnson. Maybe they will find success somewhere else, but not here. Of course it's too bad that it has taken one complete year to find out this problem, even if our new guys turn out to be successful.
I agree that everyone has to buy into the system, but IMO, Passing is not just a "task" that you tell a player to do..... its a skill and talent, that can be perfected with a lot of Practice. Not 2 weeks of Practice, nor 2 Months, nor 2 years..... it has to be a mindset that some players have done their entire Basketball career. I do think that players have to buy in to the concept that Passing is quicker that Running.
I feel Marcus Gilbert has made some good strides in his passing after 2 years. And since he will have the ball in his hands a lot this year, his ability to to continue to improve will be key for this team.
I agree with RM that Chemistry is important, and Germany had the majority team with superior passers. I was amazed at how the German players did not have to "control the ball" and think about it before they passed. They just did a touch pass. Very basketball like.
We had very little chemistry last year..... mainly due to the merry-go-round at 2G. IMO, Chemistry got better when StevieJ played consistently at 2G. Its not how good our best passer is, its more like how many passers do we have on the court at any one time. Last year we were a 1-passer team, 2 years ago we were a 3 passer team with Needham/Wade/Nickerson. I hope we can be a 4-passer team this year when we go with 3 guards (Rose, Threatt, Nelson/Chappell) and Degnan.
Post by bridgeport on Jul 15, 2014 21:02:32 GMT -5
Js You are correct in that passing is the soul of the game. In mentioning ryan, desantis and han in the same sentence you have described Some of stag basketball greatest moments.
While I appreciate the sentiments as they relate to basketball... I'm not sure the comments about Germany and teams with stars have much basis in reality.
Argentina may have had the best player - but Germany had a significantly more acclaimed and talented roster. Having said that... Argentina did make the final with their star player and did have several reasonable chances to win the game.
What I'm getting at is this: in basketball, it's good to have star players. You don't want an a-hole, but star players can make up for a lot of skill deficiencies in the other 4 guys.
What I'm getting at is this: in basketball, it's good to have star players. You don't want an a-hole, but star players can make up for a lot of skill deficiencies in the other 4 guys.
I agree 100% that in Basketball we do need a Star. But I would term it Go-To-Guys rather than Stars. One big difference between Soccer and Basketball, is that Basketball has a shot clock. And there are many occassions when a team is playing against a superior defensive team and they can't get a good shot off and the time clock is running down. And the Go-to-Guy(s) needs to make a play. That scenario happens a lot.
However, for a Go-To-Guy to be good, he has to be equally adept at Shooting, Driving and Passing....... the ultimate Triple treat. I think we all would agree that Needham and Terrance Todd could do that. Last year, Mo, Marcus and KJ were our Go-To-Guys and they were not a triple threat. The lack of passing skills hurt Mo and Marcus. And KJ's lack of an outside shot hurt him.
It's my understanding that Marcus is working on his Handle/Passing, and if so, we could have a special player. If KJ develops an outside shot, he can also be special. I would like to see him pull up from 12 feet and bank it in. I think the excpectation is that Demarcus Threatt will be a Go-To-Guy
