Pre-Season Q and A Part IV

What else will you be looking for out of this year's team?

JMeeks writes:

Everyone knows the Cyclones will play fast and score a lot of points.  It looks like this team will play even faster and score more points, if that's possible.  The next step is to start playing quality defense.  You can play undersized and shoot threes and try to outscore the other team, but defense is harder.  To play great defense, you need size and pride.  One or the other isn't going to cut it.  ISU has had plenty of prideful players over the last few years, but just hasn't had the size and depth to compete all game in the paint.  This year, they'll have size and depth with Niang, Hogue, McKay, Nader, even Edozie and the Greek.  That should provide them with enough minutes and fouls to bang down low all game.  But will they have pride to play great defense for 40 minutes?  I know Hogue and Edozie do, and Niang tries hard within the constraint of 5 fouls.  It'll come down to the newcomers McKay, Nader and BDJ.  McKay is definitely the most athletic big man ISU has had in a long time, but he isn't Joel Embiid.  He'll need more than talent to make an impact in the Big 12.  Will Nader be willing to use his size to defend big men?  Will he work hard enough to defend guards if he has to?  Being an off the ball defender might be the most demanding position in basketball.  Will BDJ be able to provide stretches of shut down defense like Chris Babb was beloved for?  Team defense is better than no defense, but it's still a compromise.  To make the jump to elite, the Cyclones will have to be able to play great individual defense when it counts.  For what it's worth, I'd be disappointed if they didn't.  Having the transfers practice against the current players every day for a year had to bring out some intense individual battles.  Niang is the on-court motivator and Naz is the on-court mediator.  Since Coach Fred Hoiberg has already called out the ultimate goal, he won't tolerate a lack of effort and has the depth to back that up.

GreenIvy writes:

Because you mentioned defense I’ll stick with the subject because I think they will be significantly improved.  By the time conference season rolls around and for the first time in Hoiberg’s regime, ISU won’t be undersized all of the place on defense.  There will be no more conceding two point baskets in certain spots like we have seen before and in the grand scheme of things hopefully it will help them land a few more calls.  Hoiberg has actually mixed in a zone to disrupt the pace.  Is this something he will employ more this year?  There are certainly some matchups it will come in handy, namely against Texas.  Fred has a lot of length to use so its certainly something to keep an eye on.  Do I think he will use much of it?  No, I don’t because it typically slows down the pace and generates fewer possessions but its something they could have in their arsenal if the time is right.

I’m also looking to see if this year’s team has a Chris Babb defensive force on it.  Abdel Nader could be that guy.  When Babb was here you knew that no matter who the other team’s stud was, he wasn’t getting his points that night.  It was such an advantage to make sure their stud wasn’t the one that was going to go off.  I think they might employ more of this strategy this year with their depth and the fact that their help is down low in Jameel McKay.

A Qualitative Review of the Cyclones 2012-2013 MBB Season

Many games in the 2012-2013 season were disappointing, but the season was anything was not.  This team was the most entertaining to watch that I can remember.  Royce White was special last year, but this year's team changed the way I watch basketball.  'Hoiball' is in full effect.  ISU teams have been uptempo in the past, but they were on the edge of being reckless.  This edition scored a lot of points, but they also did it with efficiency, shooting at a high percentage overall, from three, from the line.  They rebounded and dished assists.  All five players had a green light from anywhere on the court, which made them tough to defend.

I say they changed the way I watch basketball because now when I'm watching other teams play, I see someone left open and yell "SHOOT!"  I wanted ISU's players to take MORE shots.  The Cyclones and Fred got the national recognition they deserved through a couple close games against Kansas, and another good showing in the NCAA tournament.  Other fans took notice.  Talking heads took notice.  Ole Miss heel Marshall Henderson took notice.  Coaches took notice (see Bill Self's 'T' routine, and Travis Ford trying to copy it).  We can only hope recruits took notice.  What shooter or point guard wouldn't want to play in a system like this.

 - Fred is quickly becoming a great coach.  I was worried about the X's and O's, but not any more.  This is the third year he's tailored the team to his talent.  The scoring this year was, in part, a way to mask the limited defense this group could play.  I believe we'll see something different next year (more below).

 - Fred is good for one extra win in the NCAA's.  What do I mean?  He wins one more game than the team is seeded.  Tom Izzo is probably the best example of this, MSU beats expectations every spring.  Winning a game each as a 9 seed and as a 10 is an accomplishment.  Look at the coaches they've beaten - Calhoun and Mike Brey.  The teams - UCONN and Notre Dame.  And they crushed them.  The teams they've lost to haven't been slouches either - Kentucky with Calipari and Ohio State with Thad Matta.  Fred ain't no Jamie Dixon.

 - Tyrus McGee will go down as one of my favorite Cyclones ever.  He was like the Super Jake Sullivan.  Defenses finally figured out Jake, and his team wasn't helping much toward the end, but it wasn't like all Tyrus' shots were wide open either.  Favorite moment was when, after dubbing him "Mc3", Doherty yelled "chalk it up!" as the ball left Tyrus hands for another contested three.  Of course it went in.

 - Chris Babb started both years in the best two year stretch outside of Fred's playing days and Jamaal Tinsley.  Not saying he was the reason why, but I don't think it was a coincidence either.  Tough to watch his college career end the way it did.

 - Melvin Ejim will start 4 years in what could be the best four year stretch since... ever?  Without going into too many numbers, it looks to compare favorably with Orr's last year and Floyd's first three.  Especially if ISU makes a deeper run in the tournament next year.  Again, I don't think it's a coincidence.  Ejim has made a step change improvement every year.  More in my early predictions post.

 - Korie Lucious bought in earlier, and harder than Chris Allen did the year prior.  I dubbed him Chris Allen 2.0 early, because he'd bring the ball down and shoot.  Or turn it over.  But by the end of the year, he was running the offense and taking wide open looks.  All of his numbers improved greatly over the year.

 - I still think we could have seen more out of Clyburn.  Sorry.  Dude has a NBA build, can jump, can get to the rim.  Has shown at times the ability to shoot.  But the ball handling got worse if anything.  He disappeared on offense at times.  Defended all 5 positions, but not real well.  Will had all the advantages (team, tempo, wins) that Craig Brackens didn't.

 - Georges Niang.  Who could have expected so much?  Even Hoiberg had to be pleasantly surprised.  Opposing fans knew all about him, and Jim Nance might have been his biggest fan for one day in March.  I'll write more about what to expect next year, but the transformation this chubby kid who couldn't shoot or run at the beginning of the season to vocal leader and offensive focal point at the end was spectacular.  Which brings me to the final point about this season...

 - Individual improvement.  Last year, you felt like the players progressed into what they could be.  But this year, you feel like everyone became better than they SHOULD be. And that's what makes me the most excited about the Fred Hoiberg era.  We can expect everyone to improve year to year and then also during the season.  The players coming in next year and beyond should be decent NCAA players from the start, but any of them could improve into something truly special by the time their ISU careers are over.  To steal a line from the football team, I'm ALL IN and can't wait until next year.