As the college game has become an almost completely focused on the 3-point shot, it is amazing to me, as I peruse team stat sheets, how little discipline some teams have from the arc, since that is where many (most?) games are won or lost these days. Either players are taking bad shots, or players are taking shots who ought not to be taking shots. When at this point in the season I see players with percentages below 30% taking a good portion of their team's 3-point shots, I wonder what it going on. Where is the coach? The rules of basketball are grossly skewed toward taking the long shot, but even given that advantage, it does not mean that it is smart to blast away regardless, and that appears to be what some teams do. I repeat - where is the coach? I see teams that are getting pounded on the boards, but whose big men are taking lots of 3-point shots and not making very many of them, and I wonder what is going on.

Throw them shots against the wall and see how many stick. Love the three point shots. Well, I love them when we make them. I don't care so much for when the other team is making them against us.

(01-22-2013 10:28 AM)outsideualr Wrote:  Throw them shots against the wall and see how many stick. Love the three point shots. Well, I love them when we make them. I don't care so much for when the other team is making them against us.

I was a big ABA fan growing up, and most NBA folks thought the 3 point shot was just a ridiculous gimmick that the ABA used to get some attention. Still amazing to me that it is now used at all levels of basketball around the world. I know many purists believe it has ruined the game. I think most fans enjoy it. Like you, I don't like to see teams jacking up 3's with no other rhyme or reason to their offense. But it does add excitement to the game overall.

I agree I don't like a kid to dribble down the floor and just jack up a shot under normal circumstances, but if there is continuity to an offense and a kid receives a pass and can get the shot off, I hate for them to hesitate, and then have to pass up the shot. Of course I'm referring to someone who can shoot at least .333 from the arc. We pass us a lot of three pointers. Of course when you're 3 of 14 from the arc, that doesn't encourage the coach to want you to shoot the three.

I am talking about kids shooting 27% or thereabouts.

(01-22-2013 07:56 AM)Scotto Wrote:  Obviously, not all coaches agree with your contention. And since they are getting paid to make those decisions, and we're not, I'm going with there is more than one way to be successful.

+1. That's my train of thought when people belittle our coach and our division championships.

Well that's what makes being a fan interesting. Everyone has a different idea of success. Some think Division championships are special. Others think that only conference championships are special. Others believe only trips to the postseason make a successful season. And other a combination of some or all of these. It's good to have high aspirations, but it also helps to be somewhat realistic. UALR is still a baby in tradition and winning when it is compared to programs like Western Kentucky, and probably a few others. We've made real strides in our program when you think back to playing games in our old field house to where we are now. Attending games at the Jack is a first class experience, whether we win or lose. Would I like to go to the NCAA every year? Who wouldn't. But I realize we're just one of a lot of schools in our conference fighting for that one spot.
And it's a crapshoot. So I just appreciate what we have, and hope each year we can achieve greatness, but realize most of the time we'll be lucky to win 17 or 18 games, and every once in awhile win 20 or more. I also appreciate you guys who are on the board who are dedicated fans, and certainly have the right to have your own opinions as to how you believe the program should proceed. If we all had exactly the same opinions, there wouldn't be much to talk about, would we. If someone disagrees with the coach, no big deal. If someone things everything the coach does is right, great. If everyone bet on the same horse, there would be no need to run the races. We need a little good natured differing of opinion. And sometimes changing opinion, as in my own case. Looking forward to games tomorrow and Thursday nights. I hate weeks when we have no games.

It just doesn't seem to be brain surgery to me to say that guys who can't shoot shouldn't be doing the bulk of the shooting.

Who can disagree with that? Of course my opinion is that guys who can't shoot shouldn't even be playing. No platoon system in basketball. You have to have skills at both ends of the court. That's been one of my criticisms through the years. Don't sign guys who can't shoot the ball. No designated shooters (hitters) in basketball.

Duquesne is a case in point, Doc. Derrick Colter is a 5-11 freshman who has attempted 109 threes on the year. No one else on the team has attempted more than 89. He is taking about 1 in 4 of their attempts. But he shoots only 31.2% for the year. It is not like they do not have other options, because the other three primary options all shoot at least 25 percentage points better than he does (33.7% and up), and they shoot 32.5% as a team.

Well if he keeps shooting his percentage might go up.

(01-24-2013 06:15 PM)Scotto Wrote:  Maybe he just likes to shoot.

Apparently so.

I hate how the "shoot your way out" axiom has been mangled. The idea was that a shooter can't be afraid to take a shot if its there, even if he's missing that night. What it DOESN'T mean is that if your shooter is ice cold keep working him the ball to take more and more shots. That's an asinine line of thinking but sadly seems to be what more and more people think these days.

And if by halfway through the season he has proven he can't shoot, why let him keep doing it? That is what puzzles me.

Maybe his mother is the coaches girlfriend! That would certainly explain it.