Half-Court Press Virginia:
(Although we have some salty full and 3/4 court looks) Beard's "packline" defense is a half-court monster. Zhaire, Niem, Culver, Gray, and Francis are big and/or long, great athletes and incessant pests when guarding ball handlers. Nothing is easy against this team. Getting the ball across half court. Entry passes from out of bounds or into the post. Token early shot-clock dribble hand-offs at the top of the key. Beard's teams -- particularly when equipped with the right athletes -- take those things personal and don't give an inch. It will look like a scene from Gangs of New York when we play the full-court Press Virginia.
Baylor and Kansas set records last week, 2014-2015 Texas Tech defense type records. One assist. Fewest points scored in first half. Sixteen straight 3 pointers missed. And we've done this without the soon-to-be greatest rim protector in Tech basketball history (yes, Zach breaking Tony Battie's block record gives him that title in my book).
Beard and his defensive brain trust are a force to be reckoned with.
Self's Post-Game Comments:
Self thought Kansas defended our "action" or our motion offense really well, but they had no chance "guarding the ball." We haven't had this many guys that can create their own end-of-the-shot-clock looks in a longggg time.
Norense is more than a Bully:
Biggest question preseason for me was whether Tommy could be our bully, or whether Norense could regain his bully ways. Some games just require one to win and, while Temple served admirably in this role last year, we really missed Norense, who has completely transformed his body.
Old Norense was a liability outside the paint on defense. He's still pushing, elbowing, boxing out, scrapping in the paint -- normal bully stuff -- but his overall activity has increased 10 fold. Anyone see him guard Lecomte on a switch about 30 feet from the basket? Norense stayed in his pocket and forced him to give it up. He was already the starting center on a tourney team, but he's really added to his game.
(Although we have some salty full and 3/4 court looks) Beard's "packline" defense is a half-court monster. Zhaire, Niem, Culver, Gray, and Francis are big and/or long, great athletes and incessant pests when guarding ball handlers. Nothing is easy against this team. Getting the ball across half court. Entry passes from out of bounds or into the post. Token early shot-clock dribble hand-offs at the top of the key. Beard's teams -- particularly when equipped with the right athletes -- take those things personal and don't give an inch. It will look like a scene from Gangs of New York when we play the full-court Press Virginia.
Baylor and Kansas set records last week, 2014-2015 Texas Tech defense type records. One assist. Fewest points scored in first half. Sixteen straight 3 pointers missed. And we've done this without the soon-to-be greatest rim protector in Tech basketball history (yes, Zach breaking Tony Battie's block record gives him that title in my book).
Beard and his defensive brain trust are a force to be reckoned with.
Self's Post-Game Comments:
Self thought Kansas defended our "action" or our motion offense really well, but they had no chance "guarding the ball." We haven't had this many guys that can create their own end-of-the-shot-clock looks in a longggg time.
Norense is more than a Bully:
Biggest question preseason for me was whether Tommy could be our bully, or whether Norense could regain his bully ways. Some games just require one to win and, while Temple served admirably in this role last year, we really missed Norense, who has completely transformed his body.
Old Norense was a liability outside the paint on defense. He's still pushing, elbowing, boxing out, scrapping in the paint -- normal bully stuff -- but his overall activity has increased 10 fold. Anyone see him guard Lecomte on a switch about 30 feet from the basket? Norense stayed in his pocket and forced him to give it up. He was already the starting center on a tourney team, but he's really added to his game.
