Seniors Locking In?
by Nestor on Mar 2, 2009 5:09 AM PST
in Basketball
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Printglassbruin articulated below what many of us have been talking about this entire season: it all starts with our defense. During our tough losses we read number of opinions (not from here) from around the internets and the traditional media about how Coach Howland's offense was letting us down. Yet time and time again we talked about defense and how the lack of a lock down defensive presence has hurt us in number of key situations this year (including in our two frustrating losses at home). So I completely agree with him in the sense that instead of depending on luck it has to start with our defense. Hopefully what we saw during our Bay Area trips - the defensive intensity following slow starts - will be the norm in our next game leading to a strong homestand to close out the regular season.
I wanted to note something else though. Let's revisit the play of the season to date IMO:
And then he made these comments after the game: "Nobody remembers who wins the conference. Let's be real," Collison said. "Everybody's memory is who wins the national championship." UCLA can earn a share of the title by sweeping Oregon State and Oregon next weekend, and if Washington loses. "I remember when we did win the Pac-10 Conference, we lost in the Final Four and that's all we thought about," Collison said. "We didn't think about winning the Pac-10 Conference. We thought about losing the Final Four. It's nice to win the Pac-10 Conference and congratulations to (Washington) coach (Lorenzo) Romar and his staff, but at the same time we understand what's No. 1. "We want to win this whole thing outright."
I thought those comments were interesting if not revealing. I believe DC has been giving everything he has this season but still I sensed a different sense of urgency from him that I hadn't felt from him our our team the entire season.
I have to tell you while we have seen DC make clutch plays a number of times as a Ben Ball warrior, I don't remember him leading the team the way he did on Saturday night. I don't remember a DC yelling encouragements at a team-mate (at least watching on TV) like he did with DG, after the kid took a really bad shot. I also saw DC pulling in JH and talking to him (in what appeared to be firing him up) after the kid had a bad possession on offense. I also don't remember DC doing the Earl Watson routine.
Something felt different on Saturday night. After losing close games against Texas, Washington, ASU (twice), and WSU, I wasn't feeling very confident during those closing mins on Saturday ngiht. Then once I saw that shot from DC, things felt different. For some reason I could feel the vibe of this entire season changing. I felt as if FINALLY the whole team led by their floor general was locking in.
Going back to DC's post game comments, while I respect his desire to win it all, I am not naive. I appreciate his and his team-mates UCLA level expectations (that's how it should be). But what I am excited about is to find out whether we will see the same focus, the same sort of locking in mentality from DC and rest of his team-mates on Thursday night.
Perhaps DC, JS and PAA are taking their game to another level with their magnificient UCLA careers coming to an end. We know PAA has been playing at that level for the entire season as he has been the only player who has lived up to the billing of a "Ben Ball warrior" in every game. But now it seems like DC and JS might be ... just might be ... waking up ... and getting ready to provide that Ed O/AA like "fiery" leadership we all have been pining for this entire season. I can't wait till the next game to find out how they come out. Let's hope we get to see some senior barn cats on the lose, enjoying every remaining moments in their last games at Pauley.
GO BRUINS.
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To Revisit a Theme: The Key is Consistency
We need them to step up from the tip-off and maintain the fire for an entire 40 minutes.
We need to be Barn Cats for an entire 40 minutes.
As we enter the Pac 10 Tournament, and the Dance, we can be assured that there will be teams and players that have not delivered 24/7 that will step up their games, too. The message — bring it hard or go home — is not just a Bruin mandate, it is nation wide.
Falling behind from the get go, or going soft for long stretches will not work against those teams.
We need to play shut down D from the first moment until the last.
Heroic stretches will lose to consistent, high end play.
sjh
Role Models
On the video, after making that shot, DC walking to the bench, wipes his brow (can’t see his face but he must have been smiling) and embraces a fired up JA.
One part of leadership is mentoring the kids, and DC has been doing that all season. We don’t talk much about the important role our seniors are playing in setting standards for the new guys — but their examples are exemplary.
PAA, the all out all the time player who has worked hard in practice to up his game, and has.
DC, nothing more need be said.
JS, has not had the easiest path to a senior year, yet here he is, there when needed with a consistent confidence and drive. And, more than most players I’ve seen, he seems to have basketball in perspective — I love his smile when things get tough and he gets going.
sjh
I had that same feeling...
…on Saturday night. It’s that feeling that I love and frankly, missed a little.
Jay Bilas has always given DC respect – which is something I appreciate about him (although I tend to disagree with some of the other things he says). And I’m glad DC made him look really good for calling him the best PG in America two years running. But more importantly, I’m looking at this moment as a potential light bulb – DC is the MAN on this team and if he puts forth full effort and both the defensive and offensive end, not to mention encouraging others, etc… then I think this team can make some serious noise. More than any game in the last several weeks, this one was telling. Not because Cal is a dominant team (though they are certainly solid) but because it looked like a switch flipped.
Here’s to being just about the only guy at work (in a terrible snow storm here on the east coast) but enjoying BN through it all.
When JH was about to go to the FTLine near the end, Cal called a TO
It was DC who took JH solo behind the normal on the floor huddle and whispered about 10 seconds of wisdom to him. Who knows what was said but JH did go out there after the TO and nail both of the critical free throws.
formerly known as popopapa
Technological Help
Love the videos. I noticed after I play the video, there is a button that says “share”. How does that work? Can I e-mail it to someone? Any help, greatly appreciated.
Click the button
Which gives you three links. Use the first link for emails. The other two are two sizes for embedding, like in blog posts. Click on the one you want and it should automatically copy, so you can paste.
This was the DC I remember
from last season, especially. I’ve read other posts on other boards that have echoed this sentiment, and it really came home during the last few minutes of the Cal game. I’ve felt he’s been going through something in the last few weeks that has hampered his playing, somehow. Whatever it was, it dissipated Saturday night and we got the DC we all know and love. Now, as you all say, he’s got to keep that fire burning from here on out, and make sure his teammates do the same.
Hot damn, Saturday night was a beautiful time to be a Bruin!
Welcome back, DC.
THIS was the PG I was waiting for.
Not shying away from contact.
Not taking off 8 feet from the basket for an underhanded layup.
Not pulling back out at the first sign of defensive rotation for 4-5 minutes at a time.
Working the teardrop from 12 feet.
Working the teardrop from 2 feet, geez.
Pedal to the metal, but watching the turns at slow speeds and finding where all the traffic was going and making the SMART passes.
Long time no see, DC. How you keeping?
M
"In this program your passion bucket must be full to play SC." -- CRN, to Dan Patrick, 1/2008
When the games on the line....
I’m always yelling at the TV, telling our team to get DC the ball (I know they can’t hear me, but it makes me feel better). DC is an amazing athlete who can contort his body through the lane and defenders to get a beautiful easy bucket during crunch time, stop on a dime and hit a midrange jumper, smoothly through up a tear drop and hit nothing but net, nail a three pointer with incredible consistency, get out of double and triple teams to find the open man, the list goes on and on….! As long as DC stays aggressive on both sides of the floor, we can make a serious run through tourney time. I love March, let the madness begin….(not overlooking the Oregon schools of course).
Go Bruins, F the trojans.
DC is the key
After all these posts about defense and leadership, I think we saw what we were hoping to see. DC taking the reins of the team through his actions (scoring the key baskets), his statements (to JH and (emphatically) to DG), his intensity (chest beating), and his ball-pressue defense. As I said last week:
Our coach calls DC the leader of the team and has entrusted him with the offense. If DC wants his senior season to be successful (In Coach’s meaning of the word), he needs to look in the mirror and say “Enough.” He needs to tell his teammates that he’s going to bring his A-game on both ends and demand that they do so as well.
DC accomplished all of that on Saturday. I like it.
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