Texas Arlington Post-Game Thread

[tolduso]

I am much, much more dissappointed in his ball handling and passing than him not making open looks from 3. Even though he has improved on his TO numbers, it seems like he dribbles a dozen times every time he touches the ball, and I can't help but expect a turnover.

This is the most accurate opinion in the thread. His dribbling takes them out of any offense they might rn while they he is on he court. Not to mention the guy's defense. My grandma could beat him off the dribble. His biggest liability is his D.

[pinstripers]

Agreed. Your grandma probably has a good first step, but even so, you are right on it.

[wsu789]

What I would like to see from Gal is self-awareness. It seems to me that he wants to be the leader and have the ball in his hands at crunch time. I'm sure this comes from a lifetime of being the best player on the floor and doing just that. But it also seems to me that--at this point in his career--the team may not be at its best with Gal leading and having the ball in his hands at crunch time.

He's a great asset to the team. But there are several other assets that are equally valuable and who might do better in the role he sometimes wants to take on.

BTW, even shooting 4-29 from 3, we actually looked much, much better against UTA than we did against Monmouth.

Sub, I think you are right about a shooter's mentality. If a 40% shooter goes Oh for 10, all that means in their mind is that they are going to go 8 of their next ten.

I played with a guy in HS who was a great shooter. One game, he was 0 for 10 in the first half ... and 0 for 9 in the second. In his case, he was a great shooter...just not a great maker. We had some good shooters against UTA. Hopefully, against UMKC, they'll also be good makers!

[melcong4]

I was watching Duke play this weekend and noticed that they shoot the 3 with no hesitation and in one instance missed 4 in a row on the same possession. I found these quotes in regards to Duke's philosophy on 3 point shooting. Interesting I though....and sounds like Marshall is right on track.

''You have to do what you've done to get here,'' Krzyzewski said. ''You try not to be tight. You've got to be yourself and take your shots.''


The clearest way to say it is also the most hackneyed: You live by the 3-point shot, you run the risk of dying by it.

Duke, the top-seeded team in the East, led the nation by draining 347 3-pointers, or 10.5 a game. Three-point jumpers accounted for 41 percent of its field-goal attempts.

''If you have an open shot, take it,'' is how Shane Battier, a nearly 43 percent 3-point shooter, explains Duke's philosophy. ''Instead of playing conservative, the best way to attack is to take the open 3-point shot even if it's after only one or two passes.''

''The most difficult aspect of trying to win this tournament with the 3-point shot is that there's a chance you're going to have one off-night and, if you can't control the inside, you're going to be bounced right out,'' said U.C.L.A. Coach Steve Lavin, whose Bruins took a little more than half the 3-point attempts that the Blue Devils took this season.

''What Duke does so effectively is use the 3-point shot to quicken the tempo and negate any size advantage the other team may have over them,'' Lavin said. ''You saw them do that twice in the last couple weeks to North Carolina. If they can do that six more times, they're going to be very hard to beat.''

[Maggie]

I listened to the game on Friday and it was painful – I cannot imagine what it was like to watch live. I do have a couple of comments:

(1) I like and agree with Marshall's philosophy. If the kids have an open shot – three or otherwise they need to know they are free to pull the trigger. I do not recall Kennedy saying they were taking bad shots on Friday – they were just not going in. Like Marshall stated in his post-game press conference – the kids need to work on their jump shots and he needs to recruit better shooters (which it seems he has started to do);

(2) I was amazed that the team was not only in the game but had the lead that late. The way they were shooting, they could have been blown out. In my opinion, this is a direct result of the team's collective effort on Friday and they should be commended;

(3) Marshall didn't seem to pleased with Mekel after the game and frankly I was not either. However, I think he will learn from this experience and be a better player. But I wouldn't want to be Mekel at practice the next few days;

(4) I don't have a problem with Mekel handling the ball for the last shot either – I don't think it was the first option but Mekel is one of the few WSU players that can create his own shot;

(5) It was nice that Marshall stopped by the post-game show to take questions from fans after the loss. My respect for him just keeps growing – I just hope the guy doesn't stroke out at some point because I think there are going to be more games like Friday's in the future. I did notice that none of the calls were negative while he was on which did amuse me;

(6) Griskenas is driving me crazy – I just know this kid can play. It is funny because even Kennedy is openly rooting for the kids shots to fall. The three point play he had sounded tremendous. The team needs him to play with confidence – I hope he turns the corner soon; and

(6) Despite Friday – I am very happy with this team to date and I think the future is bright. They play solid defense and play with a lot of effort.