WICHITA STATE (4-0) vs. LIBERTY (3-0) Game Thread

[forevershockerfan]

Not a good match up for the Shocks tonight. Thought we might try a zone or two? We need to get out of here with 2 wins. Hoping Beverly is okay soon, very soon.

[Stickboy46]

That was anything but the Mills offense. That was a bunch of players not running the offense. Maybe they were tired. Maybe they just haven't come together well enough to maintain discipline when challenged the way they were tonight.

The part of the "Mills offense" I thought was missing was the kickout to open shooters when driving the lane doesn't result in a point blank shot. It seemed the guys driving the lane were focused on the basket and not on how the defense was adjusting to the drive and leaving vulnerabilities that could be exposed by good court vision and passing out of the lane to exploit those vulnerabilities. This was the first game this year where that was mandatory. There will be some "learning opportunities" when the film of this game is reviewed.

This has been VERY similar to all the games before this though. I've commented multiple times in other game threads about how much we go one on one. This IS the offense we have run all year. Maybe they have been running wrong all year. That's definitely possible. It just worked better against lower level teams.

Maybe this is the wake up call the coaches need to make a real adjustment.

[RoyalShock]

This doesn't diminish just how bad we were on offense, but defensively that Liberty team is virtually impossible to prepare for in 12 hours.

[Singeril]

18-3 in Assists. That speaks volumes.

[asiseeit]

Absolutely pathetic ! If HCPM is going to allow that STYLE of basketball we are not only going to play losing ball but very boring ball. Liberty passed for open shots while we constantly dribbled into two and three man coverage. Coach has a lot of coaching to do. Very disappointed in Rogers shooting fade away baseline shots over a 5'9 guard. Our ball movement was non existent. Fools gold was an understatement if serious adjustments are not made. I am not as mad about losing as I am with our SELFISH streetball style.

[Aargh]

Embarrassing performance and the Mills offense exposed big time

That was anything but the Mills offense. That was a bunch of players not running the offense. Maybe they were tired. Maybe they just haven't come together well enough to maintain discipline when challenged the way they were tonight.

The part of the "Mills offense" I thought was missing was the kickout to open shooters when driving the lane doesn't result in a point blank shot. It seemed the guys driving the lane were focused on the basket and not on how the defense was adjusting to the drive and leaving vulnerabilities that could be exposed by good court vision and passing out of the lane to exploit those vulnerabilities. This was the first game this year where that was mandatory. There will be some "learning opportunities" when the film of this game is reviewed.

[Shock Top]

Seven players deep and no (true) PG was always going to lead to some stinkers; this one was beyond stinky.

I had liked what I had seen from the Shox before tonight. I’m going to try and remind myself to enjoy the little moments and wins as they happen this season, because the rebuild is in the early stages.

How they come back and adapt and grow from this is what will be telling; both players and coaches.

[Dan]

Sure IB wasn’t our guest coach tonight?

I couldn’t tell if the coaches were in attendance

[Rize Ballz]

Sure IB wasn’t our guest coach tonight?

[forevershockerfan]

Was able to pinpoint 2 problems. 1. Offense 2. Defense

[Stickboy46]

Liberty had a good game plan. We did not. I am okay with the under control drives into the lane but PASS the fricking ball to the open man. We did not use our inside strength at all. Hopefully we can learn from this. We were definitely exposed.

Did we throw a lob the entire game? Well i think we had one that was called off by an illegal screen but not sure i remember another. How do we have that big of size advantage and not find a single way to get a lob to a big man going down the lane or just down low.

[jcdshocker]

Liberty had a good game plan. We did not. I am okay with the under control drives into the lane but PASS the fricking ball to the open man. We did not use our inside strength at all. Hopefully we can learn from this. We were definitely exposed.

[Stickboy46]

Mills has his work cut out for him. Especially if Beverly is out for any length of time.

This game we were utterly unprepared and outcoached. There were no adjustments made. That combined with hero ball and, lack of effort on rebounding, and just bad BBIQ = a blowout. We have to find a way to do something besides whoever brings the ball up gets to drive the line and throw up a shot or get a Turnover.

3 assist on 24 made baskets
16 Turnovers
ended up equal on rebounds to a team that is drastically undersized.

About the only positive I can come up with is we shot FTs decent.

[Singeril]

Truly, badly played. There were some good minutes…but nothing more than that. You saw what a real offense looks like tonight. You saw a team get out of its game (whatever that is) by a few bad first half calls. You saw a disciplined team against a team with no stability. Hope some lessons were learned…or else the wheels won’t even have enough air in them to fall off.

[LoneStar48]

I apologize to anyone who's feelings I hurt with my emotional posts tonight.