Basketball recruiting: USF is really struggling

[usfgrad84]

vega, you do bring it up all the time and the answers are still the same.  Yes, Heath wants to run an uptempo game, but you can't run an uptempo game when you are only playing with 6 or 7 able bodies.  If he did, we would be completely dead 7 minutes into the second half. 

As much as we would love to have had a full complement of players ready to play, Gilchrist was hurt for a good part of the season.  Crater wasn't available until halfway through the season, Dumars left, Leemow left, Rivas could barely walk for half the year.  Jones already plays almost every minute of every game anyway.  You want to run an uptempo offense and be forced to give significant minutes to freshmen, Burwell, Noriega, and Fitzpatrick and then less talented players like Kardok? In BE play you want to give that many minutes to kids that aren't ready?  That's what you would need to do to run an uptempo offense when you have only have so many healthy, BE caliber players available.  What you are saying isn't wrong, but you fail to take into account the reality that the players are human and won't physically be able to play at that pace for a full 40 minutes without getting worn down midway through the second half.

[DELdaBull]

You build depth by playing guys on your bench. Especially when you OOC schedule is basically cupcake city. You play your freshmen so that when Big East play comes along you know who your players are.

[usfgrad84]

Playing an uptempo game and giving your underclassmen playing time experience with a full bench is far different from playing an uptempo game and being forced to rely on your freshman to win the game.  I recall there being a game early in the year, when Leemow was still on the team and he left to visit his grandfather and because of all the injuries that we played the game with 8 total players available.  It would be ridiculous to run the floor all game being able to rotate only 3 players and expect to win against any team.  Jones performance suffered in some games when he was clearly getting tired and had no legs at the end of the game. 

I am not concerned about the recruiting.  The team has shown growth and improvement each year that Heath has been here.  Next year will be pivotal.  The foundation is still being laid.  We aren't going to be a top tier team anytime soon, but we are showing constant improvement which is a good job for our program at this point.  We all want more, but it won't get done with the flip of a switch.

[NormalBull]

The real problem for USF and uptempo is Chris Howard was our best ball handler, bar none.  Chris is not a thoroughbred.  You have to have at least one great ball handler and two or more is even better.  The Big East is NOT an uptempo league.  If you cannot run a half court offense and score, you are going to lose in the BE, plain and simple.  Trust me, with the exception of Providence, every other good team in the league will not allow an uptempo game.

Playing the freshmen is a nice idea, but it was not realistic.  Noriega was not physical enough to play man defense and Burwell was not skilled enough to play in key situations.  there is a reason that Kardok played more minutes than them.  Do you think Coach Heath WANTED to play Kardok more than them?

I agree with Vega, we were a better team when we COULD play uptempo and played that style.  But I do not think we have near enough ball handlers or scorers to play that way game in and game out in the BE.  We have to shorten the game to win in our conference.  No, I don't think Coach Heath is dumb or stubborn as has been stated.  He won 20 games in the toughest league in America with a team with some obvious short comings.  That is pretty darn good coaching to me.

Normal

[Triple B]

You don't have to have 5 star payers to win but make no mistake you still have to have talented players that buy into the coaches system.

Speaking of which what kind of system does Heath have? You know I bring this up all the time but for good reason. He promises these recruits that he wants to play fast, uptempo, pressure basketball but when the games are actually played we see the opposite. I promise you that the opposing coaches use Heath's lies against him on the recruiting trail. The proof is in the stats and it shows everybody that we are a team that ranks near the bottom of the league in scoring offense.

And you wonder why some would get the impression you're not overly fond of Stan .... 

I'm sorry Triple B but I don't sugar coat things and say everything is alright when it's not. I'm really concerned about the recruiting and the other things I've said and have harped on for weeks now. The facts are that Heath promises a system to get the athletes he likes even if he didn't want, but then he forces guys to play a way in which they are not comfortable or was never prepared to do. The recruiting business is cut throat and I'm telling you that opposing coaches pull out that stat sheet showing recruits what USF is really about, not what Heath talks out loud about.

The thing is I don't know why he's afraid to open things up more. Coach K and Tom Izzo are 5 times the coaches Heath is and both of them have changed their approach to offense. Jim Boeheim di it also but yet Heath seems to stubborn to change.

That's fine ... You do what you have to do ... but when you flat out call him a liar, don't act surprised when someone questions how you feel about him.

[Paisa el Toro]

vega, you do bring it up all the time and the answers are still the same.  Yes, Heath wants to run an uptempo game, but you can't run an uptempo game when you are only playing with 6 or 7 able bodies.  If he did, we would be completely dead 7 minutes into the second half. 

As much as we would love to have had a full complement of players ready to play, Gilchrist was hurt for a good part of the season.  Crater wasn't available until halfway through the season, Dumars left, Leemow left, Rivas could barely walk for half the year.  Jones already plays almost every minute of every game anyway.  You want to run an uptempo offense and be forced to give significant minutes to freshmen, Burwell, Noriega, and Fitzpatrick and then less talented players like Kardok? In BE play you want to give that many minutes to kids that aren't ready?  That's what you would need to do to run an uptempo offense when you have only have so many healthy, BE caliber players available.  What you are saying isn't wrong, but you fail to take into account the reality that the players are human and won't physically be able to play at that pace for a full 40 minutes without getting worn down midway through the second half.

I think USFGrad has hit the nail on the head with his posting. I think Heath would like to play more uptempo, he just hasn't had the thoroughbreds to do so. USF has had, in my non-expert opinion, a really high transfer/attrition rate in basketball the last three years. Compound that with the injuries, and we just haven't had the depth on the bench to run an uptempo game.

[Velcro]

agreed... depth is the reason for a slow game plan... and despite our lack of offensive ability, we were able to do pretty well.  If we actually had some offensive complements to Jones' game... we could be scary good.  But we don't... and if/when he leaves... we are even more short handed offensively.

Pray he doesn't leave and that we find someone ready to step in right away to help out.  Jones/Gilchrist/and one other offensive weapon would go a LONG way to having a successful year next season.