Mooney looking to change D?

[sdspider]

Direct from RTD yesterday. He's at least taking a closer look at the D. That's the first step. Let's see if anything changes

"Spiders coach Chris Mooney said after the loss at Rhode Island that he would examine all aspects of UR’s defense, which has allowed more points this season (72.9 per game) than in any of his previous 10 years. Opponents are shooting 46 percent, the highest since 2006-07.

Mooney’s defensive analysis will include scheme. UR has played a match-up defense almost exclusively during his tenure. Richmond (8-6, 0-2 A-10) has lost three consecutive games. That happened about this time last year, too (Wake Forest, Northeastern, Davidson). The Spiders finished 21-14 (12-6 A-10). They play at Fordham on Sunday."

 

[Eight Legger]

I look forward to seeing the changes that he implements sometime in 2018.

 

[97spiderfan]

I saw this took it to mean he wants to find out what's wrong (which is alarming that he doesn't know) so that he can fix it. Not that he is going to actually change the defense.

 

[fan2011]

Defense is a serious issue. In our last three losses we have let opposing teams shoot 23-38 from 3 (60%) 26-46 from 3 (57%). During this stretch teams are scoring from range at an unbelievable rate and we simply cannot win if we let this continue.

It is incredibly rare for a team to go through a whole season without a lineup change, usually fewer than 10 teams a season make it all the way through the year without a starting lineup change. I think we are going to see a lineup change soon, perhaps against Fordham. I would expect the change will be adding KF to the starting lineup, but I don't know who will be coming out.

 

[fatherspider]

Defense is a serious issue. In our last three losses we have let opposing teams shoot 23-38 from 3 (60%). During this stretch teams are scoring from range at an unbelievable rate and we simply cannot win if we let this continue.

It is incredibly rare for a team to go through a whole season without a lineup change, usually fewer than 10 teams a season make it all the way through the year without a starting lineup change. I think we are going to see a lineup change soon, perhaps against Fordham. I would expect the change will be adding KF to the starting lineup, but I don't know who will be coming out.

I don't see that happening. Loyal to his thinking and doesn't change much of anything ever.

 

[SpiderFan26]

Not saying he will change starting 5 but either TD or DT would come out. You wouldn't bench Terry or TJ or Shawndre. Whoever was left in would play the 3 with KF and SDJ at the guards

 

[fan2011]

Not saying he will change starting 5 but either TD or DT would come out. You wouldn't bench Terry or TJ or Shawndre. Whoever was left in would play the 3 with KF and SDJ at the guards

Not saying it will happen but Mooney has benched Geriot and ANO in the past. They weren't the offensive threats that TJ and TA are (especially ANO) but it has happened.

 

[SpiderHoops32]

He has been saying that he needs to get the freshman more minutes all season long. Look at how that has turned out

 

[SpiderK]

I really don't care who starts, but would like to see TD and DT's minutes cut in half. Tired of seeing TD chasing the guard that just blew by him to the basket and DT doing a round house missed block swat from behind the forward that just beat him to the corner or the basket. We need KF's & Pistol's energy and enthusiasm on the floor. They will make mistakes, but will get better, which the two previously mention have not in 4 years.

 

[I-M-UR]

Ok i'm temporarily suspending my self suspension from posting to offer one option. You can play a match up zone instead of a switching man to man. It keeps the bigs low and the guards out front. We won't get the mismatches everybody uses against (did you read the article someone posted about the NBA and rebounding Jason Kidd had a comment in there about setting up and using mismatches on teams that switch. Ok I'm suspended again.

 

[keefusb]

I predict little to nothing will change, perhaps CM will tell the guys to "play better defense".

 

[Eight Legger]

He has been saying that he needs to get the freshman more minutes all season long. Look at how that has turned out

Yeah..and honestly at this point, I don't really want to see much more of them. They were both supposed to be great shooters, but they seem timid and are not shooting well. And neither of them (Jesse or Julius) seems to have any other offensive ability besides shooting. So if that's not working....well. I know they are young and only get sporadic minutes, but it's not encouraging halfway through the season.

 

[Spideroldie]

At this point ANY effort to teach one or two new defenses simply cannot hurt. Can our opponents possibly shoot better than 57% from 3-point range? Very unlikely. My bet is that some form of zone, or even the alternative match-up zone proposed earlier in this thread, is very likely to be a better fit for our current team's skills. If we are capable of one or two defensive "wrinkles" at least we can throw them at a team, at a critical time. More often than not other teams do not initially adapt well to changes in the D. My position is that if it is working, don't change it. If it is failing miserably, you HAVE to try changes, or you are not doing your best to win games. And, as stated before, if Will Wade can teach a new defense to is squad, mostly made up of newcomers, in a couple of months, why can't we? Does anyone believe that our kids are slow learners, compared to VCU? I hope not.

 

[fatherspider]

Yeah..and honestly at this point, I don't really want to see much more of them. They were both supposed to be great shooters, but they seem timid and are not shooting well. And neither of them (Jesse or Julius) seems to have any other offensive ability besides shooting. So if that's not working....well. I know they are young and only get sporadic minutes, but it's not encouraging halfway through the season.

They have played a total of like 30 minutes all season. When they play 15 minutes in a game maybe we can judge.

 

[Spider B]

I think Julius looks quick and athletic. He has a low release on this jump shot, but he does have a quick release. He hasn't made many shots, but he hasn't shot many. I would like to see him get more time and see what he can do.

 

[SpiderGuy]

I don't see that happening. Loyal to his thinking and doesn't change much of anything ever.

X2

The more things change, they remain the same.

I hope for change but expect status quo.

It will be interesting to revist "change" at the end of the season & to examine what types of changes were put in place during the season, or for that matter, distinguishing this year from prior years.

 

[97spiderfan]

Not saying it will happen but Mooney has benched Geriot and ANO in the past. They weren't the offensive threats that TJ and TA are (especially ANO) but it has happened.

Mooney's been coach for 11 years and he has benched a total of 2 entrenched starters in his time. I don't see it happen from a straight odds perspective but couple that with the fact that Trey has been an entrenched starter for 3 years, which would require for Mooney to possibly acknowledge some type of mistake. Plus Trey is one of his favorite players, Mooney called him something to the effect of an epitome of what it means to be a Spider.

My epitome of what it means to be a Spider is Kevin Anderson, but to each his own.

 

[spider fan]

Getting in the face of 3 point shooters would help while at the same time being alert for the offensive player jumping into you after the shot and getting a free throw call. Too many times this year 3 point attempts by the opposition have drawn only token pressure.

 

[CarolinaSpider]

Mooney's been coach for 11 years and he has benched a total of 2 entrenched starters in his time. I don't see it happen from a straight odds perspective but couple that with the fact that Trey has been an entrenched starter for 3 years, which would require for Mooney to possibly acknowledge some type of mistake. Plus Trey is one of his favorite players, Mooney called him something to the effect of an epitome of what it means to be a Spider.

My epitome of what it means to be a Spider is Kevin Anderson, but to each his own.

I think from a character standpoint, Trey is certainly a model for all Spider Student Athletes. If there is such thing as a slump
on defense, I think Trey is in one, for he does not look the same to me as last year.

 

[97spiderfan]

Carolina, I agree and am pretty sure this was what CM was referencing. Khwan referred to Trey as a father figure in an interview the other week. No doubt Trey is a great person, hard worker, and fantastic mentor and teammate.

I know this all makes it really tough for CM to take him out of the starting line up and is probably the reason he starts tomorrow. Just feel at some point, sports at this level is a bottom line exercise, either you get it done on the court or you don't. We need far more productivity out of his minutes than he is able to give us. Khwan is giving us much more impactful minutes.

 

[The Vault]

I agree our defense is lacking obviously, our perimeter defense especially. However, I do want to say in that Rhode Island game a few of those shots especially in the opening 7 for 7 streak were tightly contested and difficult shots. We still need improvement but not quite as bad as it seems.

To be honest, I have two thoughts on Mooney looking to change. Feel like since Charlotte debacle he hasn't been the same guy. A T against URI (thought he might get a very poorly timed one right before the half) could have only helped. It's like his fire is not as obvious to his players. We don't need a passive coach for a passive team. Secondly, although it speaks to the same root problem, all the bitching about him cussing early in his tenure. F*** you whiners. You know what our guys even our stars, especially our stars, needed a blistering rebuke from the coach in the second half. If he can do it without cuss words great, if chooses to do it with them. Who cares? Not everybody is Roy Williams. Coach K does pretty good too with the worst potty mouth in the south. I'd rather hear a couple of f bombs then have a team not competing.

I want the old Mooney, not this fangless guy. The team needs a dose of that and our fans, sports amin, and alumni need to give him the latitude to be that old guy.

 

[97spiderfan]

Well said Vault. Never understood why CM came out with the public apology after the game. The refs costs us the game, a postseason bid and frankly his reaction to that was not that drastic for the circumstances. His apology made it seem like he went Bobby Knight on them.

His sideline coaching has completely changed this year. Even last year he would do the whole cup his hand and deliver some curse instructions to a player if they screwed. Now everyone gets a pat on the back when they come out, good or bad. He is like a professor observing a scientific experiment on the sidelines.

 

[3genspider]

I agree our defense is lacking obviously, our perimeter defense especially. However, I do want to say in that Rhode Island game a few of those shots especially in the opening 7 for 7 streak were tightly contested and difficult shots. We still need improvement but not quite as bad as it seems.

To be honest, I have two thoughts on Mooney looking to change. Feel like since Charlotte debacle he hasn't been the same guy. A T against URI (thought he might get a very poorly timed one right before the half) could have only helped. It's like his fire is not as obvious to his players. We don't need a passive coach for a passive team. Secondly, although it speaks to the same root problem, all the bitching about him cussing early in his tenure. F*** you whiners. You know what our guys even our stars, especially our stars, needed a blistering rebuke from the coach in the second half. If he can do it without cuss words great, if chooses to do it with them. Who cares? Not everybody is Roy Williams. Coach K does pretty good too with the worst potty mouth in the south. I'd rather hear a couple of f bombs then have a team not competing.

I want the old Mooney, not this fangless guy. The team needs a dose of that and our fans, sports amin, and alumni need to give him the latitude to be that old guy.

So a dose of the former marine with his name on the court---sounds good to me

 

[Eight Legger]

He is like a professor observing a scientific experiment on the sidelines.

lol, that is funny. And true. I think he felt like he embarrassed the university and himself and the team after the Charlotte game, and I applaud him for caring that much and taking it so seriously. But frankly, had he NOT reacted that way, I would have been more upset. All of us would have been tossed too, had we been the coach, and a few of us probably would have ended up in jail facing assault charges after that screw job. But I agree that he has changed his tone since then, and I think the impact has been rubbing off on the team, in a negative way.

 

[keefusb]

I had a post in another thread about Tarrant going all Gunnery Sergeant on CM and the team, but I know that will never happen (especially the part about Dick breaking his foot off in CM's backside).

But seriously, there is a distinct lack of fire coming from CM and the players, and I find it baffling. I began to notice the more mellow CM last year, and he has cranked down his own intensity even more this year. I do recall two years ago, TA threw an errant pass that was intercepted for a dunk. CM yanked him, and as TA walked by, CM said "That was f***ing embarrassing" (I was close enough to hear it). I have not seen or heard any of that this season, not even the hand over the mouth variety.

Again, I think it speaks to the sense of complacency that CM, the players and the Athletic Department have regarding the 2021 contract. It would take a scandal, cancer, a total multi-year collapse, or God forbid a deep NCAA run to impact the contract. I think had the contract been a five year deal, CM would be feeling a lot more warmth under his butt right now, and he might even show some emotion. I hope the school learned it's lesson about 10 year deals.

 

[CarolinaSpider]

Well said Vault. Never understood why CM came out with the public apology after the game. The refs costs us the game, a postseason bid and frankly his reaction to that was not that drastic for the circumstances. His apology made it seem like he went Bobby Knight on them.

His sideline coaching has completely changed this year. Even last year he would do the whole cup his hand and deliver some curse instructions to a player if they screwed. Now everyone gets a pat on the back when they come out, good or bad. He is like a professor observing a scientific experiment on the sidelines.

97 going from cursing with a cupped hand to a handshake and pat on back is not bad. It depends on what motivates his team the best. When he pulled MW and stood explaining
something to him, showed a side many of us have not seen. I think being less stoic on the sidelines and show some emotion when a big play takes place or pace the sideline a little more. CM can be an imposing figure out there and he needs to show a little of that intimidation factor. Right now he is very even keel but again it may depend on the personality of the players where they actually more relaxed when he is relaxed. A good coach channels his emotions to match what motivates his teams. I am very competitive but rarely would I show my competition my emotions regardless whether I was winning or losing. His showmanship on the sidelines is not for the fans benefit but what helps the team best. I can tell you that as a coach if I jumped on certain kids for screwing up, their play got worse cause it got in their head.

 

[keefusb]

It really depends on the player/person. My son hates it when his coach jumps down his throat for a bad play, and it is demotivating for him. When I was a competitive athlete, an a$$-chewing from the coach almost always made me play better, I had the "I'll show him how wrong he is" attitude. Good coaches know what motivates each player, and act accordingly.

Still doesn't mean CM should be so professorial on the sidelines.

 

[spiderman]

different kids need different motivational techniques, but in general fear (the whip) isn't the best way long term. it's unhealthy. but you do have to get loud sometimes to make sure they have your attention. I'm sure CM still does that.
profanities in a game setting with families there? uncalled for. in practice? whatever it takes.
and CM lost control in that Charlotte game. it cost the team.
In my opinion, to think that he's complacent because of his contract is way off base and insulting.

 

[97spiderfan]

I get that different players respond differently. But when the house is on fire, I want someone yelling fire. And when your getting your a** handed to you like we did at Florida, Texas Tech, and URI, a little emotion is not only a bad thing, I would think it is a necessary thing.

 

[fan2011]

I always though that a big reason Mooney went off at the end of the Charlotte game, besides anger and outrage at what may have been the worst reffing decision I have ever seen ending our season, was to take the blame of the loss off of DWill and put in on himself. DWill was very very upset, you don't want that kind of guilt consuming your players, especially when what happened wasn't their fault.

 

[spiderman]

interesting take, 2011. hadn't thought of that. heck of a move if so.

 

[keefusb]

I don't think the idea of contract-based complacency is insulting, it's human nature.

When employees know that all they have to do is show up and mail it in, and they won't be fired or demoted, they tend to not be very motivated to do more. I don't think it's a character flaw, it's just the way most people are.

 

[97spiderfan]

The game was over after the technical on D-Will, Mooney losing his cool and getting tossed for walking on the court was after the game had already been decided by the officials.

I don't see tossing a couple f bombs, your jacket, and walking to center court to yell at the referees losing control given the situation of what they just did. I think that was a natural coaching reaction by having not just a win, but your postseason aspirations taken away from you by the officials.

That game was the lead on Sportscenter not because of Mooney's reaction but for the officials changing the outcome of the game. Also don't think he was protecting D-Will, it was spur of the moment, he was pissed off. Personally, I would given him a pass if we would thrown a haymaker at the ref. But that is the Philly fan talking in me.

 

[spider fan]

Marines know when to give it the yes sir approach particularly in public and how to dish it out usually in the field and/or away from public ears. The analogy to think of here is game day versus practice time. Fire and intensity is one thing but public cursing is a poor representation of the school.

 

[Ulla1]

Thought Chris Mooney's reaction at the end of the Charlotte game was outstanding and showed him protecting the back of his player. Anything less and I would have been disappointed. OSC

 

[AnnapSpider]

Maybe CM should get off of the meds and start being his old self.

 

[SpiderK]

Marines know when to give it the yes sir approach particularly in public and how to dish it out usually in the field and/or away from public ears. The analogy to think of here is game day versus practice time. Fire and intensity is one thing but public cursing is a poor representation of the school.

TJ and SDJ are the only two with any fire whatsoever on this team. KF is developing it. 3 seniors have NONE!!!

 

[Spideroldie]

I would say that Jesse, the Pistol, should be added to the group that has shown fire. We just have not seen enough of him so far. And, I would have to nominate TA also, whenever he is driving the lane, or dunking, or getting the offensive rebound. Also, DT and TD have shown it from time to time. Agree, however, that more "fire" would only help our "W" column, from everyone, including our bench.