I remember Calipari saying...

Apr 2, 2009
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I'm still trying to figure out what that "simplest" offence is. Is it the dribble drive or what? Maybe he needs to get smarter players that can learn a more complicated offence or learn one himself.
 

anon1751545683

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Sounds like something Cal would say. Pitino too. Pitino always said he will give you freedom on offense if you play defense.

Cal has always been a defense first coach. And his teams have always been good, if not great, defensive teams.

The ones that weren't good on defense, '13 and '16 come to mind, weren't good teams. Once Nerlens got hurt in '13 that team couldn't guard anything. That was an NIT team.

'20 was a great defensive team. That team only had to score 70 points on offense to win.

'21 was the worst defensive team Cal has ever had and the record shows it. Last year was just marginally better but still very bad. Only defender we had was Tyty.

This year is just as bad as last year. maybe even worse? Only defender we have is Cason.

Cal's offense has always looked bad. Especially the first half of the season. But defense has carried the offense until they get going. The '12 team is Cal's best defensive team of his career. But early that year we lost to IU scoring only 65 points or so. We almost lost to ODU, (I think that's who it was?), up on the reservation.

MKG didn't start the "breakfast club" because things were rolling.

This team just cannot play defense the way Cal wants to play defense. It's not a teaching problem. They simply do not have the ability. Nor do they have the natural instincts to play help defense. They do not know where help is needed. Wheeler is the lowest basketball IQ point guard I've ever seen. Anywhere. Not just here.

Cal needs to stop trying to get them to play his desired defense. He has loosened up some as you see guys gambling in the passing lanes sometimes. Cal's defense is totally opposed to gambling. It's predicated on first shot defense and then rebound the misses.

Bottom line, this is a zone team. I know Cal doesn't want to zone but these guys can't play man. At least with a zone you stop straight line drives and you keep Oscar in the paint on defense. Yes you would lose some box outs with a zone but Oscar is not a box out rebound guy anyway.

Cal is just too stubborn to admit these guys can't play man to man defense.
 
Feb 14, 2007
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I know the supposed guru of the dribble drive was having dinner with Cal, and the crazy bastards where using salt and pepper shakers to diagram the offense 🤣
 

anon1751545683

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Yeah, he was a high school coach, wasn't he. So we are using an outdated high school system.
If we used the DDMO, yes. But we don't use it. Nor has Cal ever used it. Cal is a Larry Brown disciple. No way Larry or Cal would ever give players the freedoms of the DDMO.

It was always a marketing gimmick. Only college that would ever give the DDMO a fair shot would have been Paul Westhead. Maybe Nolan Richardson?

But the Hank Iba tree coaches, Knight, Sutton, Larry Brown, Cal, K, etc., no way ever!
 

Elliott Tim

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Dec 10, 2005
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years ago, that he taught the simplest possible offence that players could learn in the short time that they are here.
Most coaches are professional people who are hired via an agent. They are salesmen that hope to get you to buy into their system. If they offer a good product it works. If they offer faulty product it eventually stasrts breaking down and no one can get any use out of it. Times have changed and the Model C is no longer a viable option unless it's willing to change with the times. I suspect the cloud of dust on the horizon is the visionaries passing up Fred Flintstone.