Saturday, December 01, 2007
Fairfield: Does the Fast Break Detract from the Princeton Offense?
During today's Fairfield game, for the first time I can remember, a JT3 coached team worked to push the ball up the court at every opportunity. There was a concerted effort to look for fast break opportunities and to get into the front court quickly on offense. This is a sharp departure from the Hoya offense that we are accustomed to watching and it may take some getting used to by the players as well.
Some noticeable results were early turnovers (Sapp dribbling out of bounds) and rushed shots (Ewing for 3). This aggressive pace also left Hibbert with even fewer touches as the team was slow to settle into their offensive sets.
It seems Hibbert featured even less in the offense because of the pace. He found himself in foul trouble which didn't help things, but the reduced minutes for Roy (as PT is spread more evenly) means that for the fewer offensive possessions he's in the game, the big man needs touches in the post. Speeding up the game today meant on a number of possessions the Hoya offense looked to shoot before finding him.
It looks as if Georgetown is still finding its way around JC3's offense and, if they decide to run more than last year, it may be in these early games where the team learns to integrate that tempo into the offense without losing focus of Princeton principles. These are the games to try out new wrinkles. Expect the Hoyas to settle into its established offense by the time conference play comes around.
Some noticeable results were early turnovers (Sapp dribbling out of bounds) and rushed shots (Ewing for 3). This aggressive pace also left Hibbert with even fewer touches as the team was slow to settle into their offensive sets.
It seems Hibbert featured even less in the offense because of the pace. He found himself in foul trouble which didn't help things, but the reduced minutes for Roy (as PT is spread more evenly) means that for the fewer offensive possessions he's in the game, the big man needs touches in the post. Speeding up the game today meant on a number of possessions the Hoya offense looked to shoot before finding him.
It looks as if Georgetown is still finding its way around JC3's offense and, if they decide to run more than last year, it may be in these early games where the team learns to integrate that tempo into the offense without losing focus of Princeton principles. These are the games to try out new wrinkles. Expect the Hoyas to settle into its established offense by the time conference play comes around.
