On pressure and shooting
These were my thoughts after the Terps missed 26 of 27 three-point shots spanning the Morgan State loss and most of the first half of the Georgia Tech win.
First, Maryland is missing a lot of open looks. As Gary Williams said after the Georgia Tech game, the Terps rotated the ball effectively but missed from beyond the arc. Often they missed badly -- the sort of shot that elicits a spontaneous groan from the home crowd.
Second, the Terps simply aren't that bad. They should be shooting better than they are.
So why was Maryland missing?
I think it's due to pressure and nerves. Look at how many three-point attempts came up long. Good shooting is a delicate process, and pushing a ball deep is often a sign that the shooter isn't calm. These are open shots that the Terps can make when they take the time to set, square up and focus on the rim. I know this sounds rudimentary, but what other conclusion can you draw when you watch miss after miss?
I think Gary Williams can outcoach many of his rivals -- look at how effective the press has been this season. But somehow he's got to get his guys to relax and focus. I think they are particularly prone to nerves in games they are expected to win.
Everything is contagious on a basketball court. Missed shots lead to lost confidence, which leads to more missed shots.
Note: Don Markus will cover Maryland's Florida road trips, and then I'll pick up again with the Virginia game on the Jan. 20.
Comments
The reason why Maryland misses so many three's is pretty simple. They don't have any shooters outside of Hayes and a lesser degree Dave Neal.
Their outside "shooters" on this team are Hayes, Neal, Vazquez, Bowie, Milbourne, Tucker and Mosely.
Only Neal and Hayes have a decent looking shot in terms of mechanics. The others are and were all scorers at the HS level. That is different from being a shooter.
Gary seems to love to recruit mid-size players who have a ton of athletecism but can't hit the broad side of a barn. His history is loaded with them.
In all the years that Gary has been in charge, there have only been a handful of actual really good strokers from the perimeter.
Dixon (who started out as a mainly 3-ball shooter but became a master of the mid-range shot)
Drew Nicholas - flat out could shoot from deep
Mike Jones - yes, Gary crushed his soul because he couldn't defend, but he could light it up. I remember one game when he hit 9 consecutive 3's. Sick, but psycho.
Hayes - good stroke that doesn't always fall, but he has great mechanics, as evidenced by his sick career FT percentage
Neal - another good shooter, probably more effective mid-range rather than deep, but can sink the 3 when needed.
I'm sure I'm leaving out some other players.
Posted by: Chop | January 14, 2009 10:47 AM
Wow, some people just don't get it. Dave Neal is not a three point shooter, period. In his three years prior to this year he made 7 of 24 three pointers or 29.2%. This is the kind of person MD wants to take 3 point shots. Not in my lifetime. I was at the GT game and he was 1-7 from 3 point range and some of the shots almost missed the rim. His shot is also to flat, not enough arch. He does well at moving his weight underneath but should never be considered a three point shooter or a good shooter at any range. I for one am glad he is a senior so I don't have to watch him take any more horrible shots. The 3 point shooters on this team are Hayes, Bowie, Vayquez and Milbourne. Tucker and Mosley need work on there shot.
Enough said.
Posted by: Bruce | January 14, 2009 1:35 PM