All for one and one for all - Utah vs the Xavier Muskateers

[U-Ute]

I'm starting this thread early because I thought it was pretty cool to see an ad for it during the NFL sunday afternoon game. Full screen promo.

[LA Ute]

Thanks for starting this thread, U-Ute. Here's a very good Kyle Goon article about the game.

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/4693895-155/utah-basketball-no-13-xavier-poses


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[justaute]

Our defensive fundamentals are not good.

[LA Ute]

Our defensive fundamentals are not good.

Xavier 18-8 on rebounds. Their big has 9 already. It looks like we are pretty badly outgunned. Maybe when Barefield and Collette get here we will be more of a match for teams like this.


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[justaute]

Barefield/Collette or not, without decent fundamentals, it will be tough -- on top of fundamentals, we also are not a good shooting team. It's going to be a long season.


Xavier 18-8 on rebounds. Their big has 9 already. It looks like we are pretty badly outgunned. Maybe when Barefield and Collette get here we will be more of a match for teams like this.


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[SeattleUte]

Devon Daniels is a really good freshman. A future star.

[sancho]

I'm glad we could keep it close in the 2nd half after being so clearly outmatched in the first.

Still a lot of questions for this team.

[chrisrenrut]

PVD is too easy for the other team to guard. He only seems willing to shoot wide open 3's. He isn't a thread to drive or shoot off of screens at all. I think he struggles to find minutes once Barefield begins playing.

[SeattleUte]

I'm glad we could keep it close in the 2nd half after being so clearly outmatched in the first.

Still a lot of questions for this team.

For what looked like a massive rebuild, such a young team, and having our starting center and another rotation guy out, I'll take this team. It's got two very good freshmen, including one who's going to be a bright star in the Pac 12. Watching Daniels I'm impressed by how LK finds these under the radar guys with so much developed talent, like Kuzma and Daniels.

I had zero expectations for this game. Xavier is super experienced, talented, and from a really strong conference. Good game.

[Mormon Red Death]

Our 1s more than hung with theirs. We can beat this team with collete and barefield

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[LA Ute]

Devon Daniels is a really good freshman. A future star.

Yes. He already plays like a very good upperclassman.


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[LA Ute]

I'm glad we could keep it close in the 2nd half after being so clearly outmatched in the first.

Still a lot of questions for this team.

I like the grit and resilience. I'm still hoping for improvement and that the addition of Barefield and Collette will move them up a couple of competitive notches. If these guys become a bubble team that will be a great season, IMO.

[Old Standing ute]

Jayce Johnson also played well---in 2 years he will be a beast.

Rawson is just not big enough to play 5---especially against big bodies.

Barefield & Collette are worth 20 points & Collette 8 rebounds---makes this a winnable game.
Love the fact Utes did not fold.

Refs did not make the difference, but call on Zamora when down 6 & driving was horrible---looked like a Pac-12 call.

[Ma'ake]

Xavier is big, strong, long, athletic. This was a great game for us to play. We got rocked a bit, but kept fighting and made it interesting. Overall, a step forward.

Zamora and Daniels are the biggest surprises - if Devon can find a credible outside game, he could be *really* good. For a true freshman to be making the plays he does is pretty impressive. Very high BB IQ.

Zamora is still getting things figured out, but he's better that I thought he'd be. Good length for a small, good athlete, can handle the ball, shoots well, can finish.

Rawson is obviously better than expected when we signed him. His 3 game left him later today, but I think there's pretty good upside, as a 4. If he can learn to bang, with that long game he could turn into something pretty good. Not a bad athlete.

Kuzma is really good, but not an elite athlete. Bonam struggled a little vs Xavier's defense, but it was designed to stop him. The biggest thing with Zo so far this year is where did his outside game go? Last year he was very selective on 3s, but his percentage was impressive. Tweaking the ankle doesn't help, but it seems like he's not quite himself, although he's uncanny about when to take it to the rack, and is effective against any level of competition we've faced.

Bealer has disappeared altogether, and Van Dyke is playing a smart floor game, but he's hesitate to launch 3s. He's not long, which is a problem at this level of basketball, but he's built and I think if he can find his outside game, he could be solid.

Jayce Johnson seemed to have just a little bit of a break out game, against stiff competition. He's going to have to scrap to maximize his talent, but he seems to be figuring that out.

While everyone's waiting for Barefield and Collette, Zamora has become more than a placeholder. We'll have 4 good guards, and Van Dyke, if he can find his groove. Barefield seemed to be significantly better than Zamora at NWTRU, but I don't think we can assume that's still the case. Zamora was hesitate earlier, but he's finding his game, and he's pretty good.

Collette will probably have the biggest impact, I think. When Jayce got fallen into by Xavier's big and his leg bent a little, I cringed. We need Collette's body, right now.

[DrumNFeather]

Devon Daniels is a really good freshman. A future star.
Yep. Hard not to get excited about his potential.

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[Utebiquitous]

I join in the optimism on Daniels and Johnson as young players already contributing and with great potential. Both are going to have to learn how to be offensive threats so we'll see how they do as individuals and the coaches do as a staff in the development arena. It's an area that worries me a little particularly from the staff side.

Daniels must learn how to shoot. He doesn't even need to become a three-point shooter. With his athleticism if he gets a pull jump shot in the 12 to 18 foot area on the wings and straight away he'll become deadly.

I was extremely frustrated with our inability to get back after MADE BASKETS to stop Xavier fast breaks in the first half. Just unbelievable that you can't get back in those instances. We were better in the second half and we were tougher so that's a positive.

[sancho]

How often do players develop a shot in college? Seems like 99% of shooters come in as shooters. I'm sure kuzma shot 10,000 threes this summer, but it's just not his thing.

Anyway, it would be great if Daniels turns into a shooter. But even if he doesn't, he's athletic, he can finish, he rebounds, and he might develop into a strong defender.

[SeattleUte]

I like the grit and resilience. I'm still hoping for improvement and that the addition of Barefield and Collette will move them up a couple of competitive notches. If these guys become a bubble team that will be a great season, IMO.


How often do players develop a shot in college? Seems like 99% of shooters come in as shooters. I'm sure kuzma shot 10,000 threes this summer, but it's just not his thing.

Anyway, it would be great if Daniels turns into a shooter. But even if he doesn't, he's athletic, he can finish, he rebounds, and he might develop into a strong defender.

Probably non-shooters rarely become great shooters, but all the most athletic ones incrementally improve their shoooting. Jordan Loveridge did. Andre Miller was never a great outside shooter, but he went from no threat to threat from outside.

[SeattleUte]

Daniels hit a three in this game.

[Utebiquitous]

It's interesting Seattle - I think we're seeing more players in the NBA develop into shooters than we do in college. It probably has something to do with more coaches devoted to player development on NBA staffs now as well as simply the time professionals have for their craft. That said, I sometimes pine for the Majerus days when Rick, of course, focused so much on fundamentals and had coaches (particularly Judkins) who took a lot of time to work with players on their shooting. Interestingly, that time came before or after practice. There wasn't time for skill development in practice. Your point about Loveridge is spot on although Loveridge's development was almost singularly at the three-point line. I watched his workouts a time or two (one of the more recent Utes who really devoted a lot of time besides practice to working on his game). What I saw of his routine was very exclusive to three-point shooting. I guess I'm both impressed with and critical of his approach. With the time he put in I think he could have developed a better all court game.

[SeattleUte]

It's interesting Seattle - I think we're seeing more players in the NBA develop into shooters than we do in college. It probably has something to do with more coaches devoted to player development on NBA staffs now as well as simply the time professionals have for their craft. That said, I sometimes pine for the Majerus days when Rick, of course, focused so much on fundamentals and had coaches (particularly Judkins) who took a lot of time to work with players on their shooting. Interestingly, that time came before or after practice. There wasn't time for skill development in practice. Your point about Loveridge is spot on although Loveridge's development was almost singularly at the three-point line. I watched his workouts a time or two (one of the more recent Utes who really devoted a lot of time besides practice to working on his game). What I saw of his routine was very exclusive to three-point shooting. I guess I'm both impressed with and critical of his approach. With the time he put in I think he could have developed a better all court game.

The 3 is in vogue right now. The GS Warriors taught us, if you can shoot 40% from 3, just do that. Simple math: it's like 60% form 2.

I miss Majerus's emphasis on fundamentals. Overall, Kodiak is a better recruiter; maybe with the Pac 12 membership he has more to work with. But he lacks Majerus's rigor and genius. I've noted how our football team almost never gets blown out. In contrast, the basketball team has gotten absolutely slaughtered in games that should have been competitive or the Utes were favored to win. E.g., see the Pac 12 championship and second round NCAA game last season. And the football and basketball teams play the same kind of ball control offensive game. I think attention to fundamentals is the difference. I'm not saying Kodak can't coach. Clearly players and the team play hard and improve under him. And he has some impressive achievements. But Majerus was peerless.

Judkins was a tremendous shooter, and as a coach had a great rapport with the players. His fallout with Majerus was very sad.

[Utebiquitous]

Well said Seattle.

[LA Ute]

Well said Seattle.

Ditto. There'll never be another Rick.


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[SeattleUte]

In retrospect I'd say Majerus missed Judkins's role as a buffer with the players as much as for coaching shooting fundamentals.