(10-28-2022 09:39 PM)RamyEMU Wrote:  

(10-28-2022 03:38 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  You simply don't go from being the consensus #1 recruit in the nation to a bum in 1 year. There is no way ALL the experts were wrong about Emoni Bates. As others have mentioned, we have 4 outstanding offensive weapons with Emoni being the best player in the conference! You've got an outstanding, experienced coach in Stan Heath. What are people out there missing? This has got to be the year. Let's not overthink this, EMU has to be the favorite to win the MAC.

Very good point and posts.

Agree with the posts, but would add the following:

Emoni has an extraordinary high offensive skill-set. But as a young player he needs to improve his decision-making so he doesn't turn the ball over excessively, his on ball defense, and his offensive and defensive rebounding.

One thing he should do offensively is to continue to shoot three's when on, but not settle for shooting at from long range as he will convert them at lower percentage. He's tall enough to shoot them, if necessary, off his dribble without having his shot blocked from closer to the 3-point line.

Even though the EMU roster is very good, the outcome of games are often not like decided by which teams has the better scorers, but rather by which team makes the fewest mistakes. This applies to all sports.

The two biggest mistakes are committing more turnovers and fouls than the opponent does. I consider a turnover or foul no more than once every 15-minutes a player is on the floor as acceptable. No more than once every 20-minutes is very good. Last season, EMU had some players who committed a turnover or foul once every 8-minutes or so.

EMU is a young reconstituted team. As such, players need to work on reducing both turnovers and fouling. There are techniques that the EMU coaches can teach. As fans, we need to keep our eye on these stats when watching a game or reading a box score.

Heath is aware of the turnover problem as he expressed post-exhibition game that he wanted to see EMU it's turnover to assist ratio.

In the game, some players turned the ball over excessively and when blitzed and did not make passes to open players. Some players fouled excessively. Some young EMU players did neither.

Making more steals than opponents do is one way that helps teams win the turnover margin. Making steals can be taught. One technique is anticipating and intercepting passes to your man when he doesn't have the ball.

All teams must make a priority of limiting opponent three-balls and scoring at the rim. To cut down on made three's perimeter defenders need to force shooters further out. One defends the rim by having a player responsible for doing so.

An inside defender must learn to stay between the basket and his man inside and give ground so his man doesn't go around him and release ball at hoop as an uncontested shot.

The other is when his man has the ball and to have the mindset to know when the player he's guarding is taking a bad shot so he doesn't foul him. For me all jump shots away from the rim and when player is shooting off his dribble and realeSes the ball 4 feet from hoop is a bad shot. The reason such is a bad shot is that the offensive players shooting percentage will usually be far less than I'd he goes to the foul-line.

These are some suggestions for fans to look for as we watch EMU bb games.

As for what's missing is experience playing together and players demonstrating they have a high bb IQ.

We need to see if EMU lack of height in the starting front-court can keep opponents from shooting a high percentage on two-point shots. Does look like Legend will be a beast on the boards.

Heath has to have his players defend the three-ball.

Players need to work on their foul shots and not hit the back iron. Can work on their accuracy by not counting their foul shots as made when they make one in practice and ball goes in to one side or another. Must be dead center.