I'm not a basketball coach. But I'm a very intelligent human being.
1) Illinois is running a ball screen offense while being suicidally bad at the 1 and 5 positions -- funny how these are the most important positions in a ball screen offense. Why are we running this offense again?
2) Malcolm Hill is not very effective as the ball handler in a ball screen. He isn't quick enough. He was best this year in space on an iso or facing up after a catch in the post. How did Ohio St. utilize Evan Turner? They iso'd him, having him catch it all over the floor, threw him in the post, and had him initiate offense. Funny how we ran Hill off ball screens all year. Neutralized his effectiveness. Why were we running Hill off of ball screens all year?
3) 230-pound Rayvonte Rice is crafty with the ball, but does not see the floor well off of ball screens and isn't fast enough to create off of them consistently. Yet he was running ball screens with offensive non-threat Egwu all year instead of getting post touches where he could use his size to score or create for others. He was only iso'd at the end of shot clocks or halves. Why were we running Rice off ball screens when he's much better in isolation or in the post?
4) Kendrick Nunn is a smart enough player to be running ball screens, but his lack of right hand makes him not very effective at running them. He has a weak right hand and can generally only go one way out of those screen actions. Big Ten defenses aren't stupid. Groce ran him off curls and screens off the ball as much as possible to mask this, but you can only do that so many times. Nunn should have been the benefactor as a slasher of looks created by Rice and Hill. Why were we running Nunn off of ball screens when his skillset doesn't make it his strength?
5) Nnanna Egwu being a screener led to dead offense all year. Egwu never tried to score and when he did he was bad at it, so teams would just double team our ball handler. Ball screen neutralized. Why were we running a ball screen offense with Egwu? It's impossible.
6) Ahmad Starks never had the size nor playmaking ability to create for others off of ball screens. He had the craftiness to get into the lane off of the screen, but then he would be too short to shoot and since he didn't see the floor well, wouldn't have any idea what to do with the ball. Why were we running a ball screen offense with Starks as our point guard?
7) Jaylon Tate is one of the only players on the team with the vision, craftiness, basketball IQ and size to be a threat off of ball screens. The problem? He can't shoot, so defenses go under the screen and he can't reliably create offense.
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Illinois's most effective ball screens were between Nunn/Hill and Leron Black. Black would constantly get wide open looks, and if he'd knock them down, defenses would adjust and Nunn/Hill would have room.
This roster had no business running so many ball screens. Illinois would have been much better just running motion sets for spot up shooting and iso's all year for Hill and Rice and letting them create offense one-on-one.
Groce's unwillingness to run an offensive scheme that fits his personnel will be his undoing.
That being said, Jalen Coleman-Lands is one of the best offensive players off of ball screen actions in his class. As soon as he steps on campus, he will instantly be our most effective ball handler in a ball screen. He, Leron Black, and Finke are guys you can point to and say, "Groce is recruiting to the system that he wants to run." The problem is he is too stubborn to wait and implement that offense until those guys are playing big roles for his program.
This post was edited on 3/12 9:52 PM by saltygrapes
1) Illinois is running a ball screen offense while being suicidally bad at the 1 and 5 positions -- funny how these are the most important positions in a ball screen offense. Why are we running this offense again?
2) Malcolm Hill is not very effective as the ball handler in a ball screen. He isn't quick enough. He was best this year in space on an iso or facing up after a catch in the post. How did Ohio St. utilize Evan Turner? They iso'd him, having him catch it all over the floor, threw him in the post, and had him initiate offense. Funny how we ran Hill off ball screens all year. Neutralized his effectiveness. Why were we running Hill off of ball screens all year?
3) 230-pound Rayvonte Rice is crafty with the ball, but does not see the floor well off of ball screens and isn't fast enough to create off of them consistently. Yet he was running ball screens with offensive non-threat Egwu all year instead of getting post touches where he could use his size to score or create for others. He was only iso'd at the end of shot clocks or halves. Why were we running Rice off ball screens when he's much better in isolation or in the post?
4) Kendrick Nunn is a smart enough player to be running ball screens, but his lack of right hand makes him not very effective at running them. He has a weak right hand and can generally only go one way out of those screen actions. Big Ten defenses aren't stupid. Groce ran him off curls and screens off the ball as much as possible to mask this, but you can only do that so many times. Nunn should have been the benefactor as a slasher of looks created by Rice and Hill. Why were we running Nunn off of ball screens when his skillset doesn't make it his strength?
5) Nnanna Egwu being a screener led to dead offense all year. Egwu never tried to score and when he did he was bad at it, so teams would just double team our ball handler. Ball screen neutralized. Why were we running a ball screen offense with Egwu? It's impossible.
6) Ahmad Starks never had the size nor playmaking ability to create for others off of ball screens. He had the craftiness to get into the lane off of the screen, but then he would be too short to shoot and since he didn't see the floor well, wouldn't have any idea what to do with the ball. Why were we running a ball screen offense with Starks as our point guard?
7) Jaylon Tate is one of the only players on the team with the vision, craftiness, basketball IQ and size to be a threat off of ball screens. The problem? He can't shoot, so defenses go under the screen and he can't reliably create offense.
~~~
Illinois's most effective ball screens were between Nunn/Hill and Leron Black. Black would constantly get wide open looks, and if he'd knock them down, defenses would adjust and Nunn/Hill would have room.
This roster had no business running so many ball screens. Illinois would have been much better just running motion sets for spot up shooting and iso's all year for Hill and Rice and letting them create offense one-on-one.
Groce's unwillingness to run an offensive scheme that fits his personnel will be his undoing.
That being said, Jalen Coleman-Lands is one of the best offensive players off of ball screen actions in his class. As soon as he steps on campus, he will instantly be our most effective ball handler in a ball screen. He, Leron Black, and Finke are guys you can point to and say, "Groce is recruiting to the system that he wants to run." The problem is he is too stubborn to wait and implement that offense until those guys are playing big roles for his program.
This post was edited on 3/12 9:52 PM by saltygrapes
