No one is talking about Golding change of defense for this game. No switching or hedging. Just stay between your man and the basket. Got more rebounds and we we didn't turn them over very much but we won the game.
OPT UTEP vs NMSU Part II
- Thread starter utep2step
- Start date
I wasn't able to watch the game, but I definitely saw the 30% FG defense. It's that was the case that is a HUGE change for Golding, but I think very reasonable.
Yes consistency will be a big key come tournament time.
Yeah Herb is burning it up!
Agree. I thought Golding's defensive adjustments paid dividends against NMSU, especially the move to not switch off the guys at the 4 spot (Filipovity and Carpenter). That spot has given UTEP issues all year, in particular. Having a versatile defender like Frazier to defend that spot, despite giving up considerable length, is a big luxury. I thought Jones also provided some good minutes as well, and hopefully he continues to develop.
UTEP was also better at limiting the NMSU guards from driving down the middle of the lane for most of the game, unlike the first meeting where their guards were able to drive at will. Jackson (NMSU) began to penetrate late against Camper, but overall it was a good effort. It doesn't hurt when the opponent shoots 30% at home. NMSU has been struggling offensively lately which is likely due, in part, to adjustments that have been made by opposing coaches. It is a win that Golding really needed.
I do like Hebb’s hustle. He gives max effort. He has two major limitations in my opinion. First he’s not explosive enough to keep up with a good athlete’s first couple steps. Now, I have seen him try to adjust by playing a little off the man, but he still gets beat off the drive to the bucket, sometimes bad. The second, he makes really good cuts to the hoop so he gets fed the ball but he can’t do ANYTHING with it when he’s near or under the basket. Like fvckn NADA. I think the best he can do is draw a foul here and there. I will admit, his 3 point shooting is slowly coming along. Looking back, he had 20+ minutes last night. I know it was cuz Bynum was out, but TWENTY!
Twenty minutes is way too much court time for a guy like Hebb, for all the reasons you mentioned. Maybe some of that was due to Terrell’s foul trouble in the second half, but it is definitely not optimal. The reason Hebb wasn't exposed defensively against NMSU was he was defending Cook, who although is a knockdown shooter, is not a penetrator like McHenry or Landers (in fairness, alot of guys would get exposed by those two). At the same time, Bynum hadn't been playing well the previous few games, so I can kind of see why Golding turned to Hebb. Also, Horton, who I was hoping for some good things this season based on how he played late last season, has been pretty much MIA this season.
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