Film Room with Coach Theo
Coach Theo is a Providence alum, who has been a coach at the Division 1 high school level and was employed by two D1 college programs. This is what he saw against Georgetown:
Croswell surprising us all
"I didn't think he could be THIS." - Steve Lappas on Ed Croswell
I agree with coach Lappas, Croswell has surpassed my expectations. His unique contribution is doing all of the little things well. At 9:22 of the 1st half, he gets in great position on a box out, which draws a Georgetown foul.
Little thing? Sure. But when a team relies heavily on getting to the free throw line, stacking up fouls makes a difference.
On Bryce Hopkins
For as good as Hopkins is - and I believe Cooley said this in an interview - he can be so much better. At 16:48 of the first half, he's guarding Akok when Murray puts gets by Carter and drives the lane.
Hopkins needs to take a full step up, in help position, to stop that drive. Ultimately it was an empty possession for Georgetown but it's an area that he could improve upon.
What I liked: patience and ball movement
The PC possession that starts at 10:23 of the 1st half is a great example of patience and fluid ball movement. Croswell starts with the ball on the block, recognizes he doesn't have an angle and kicks out to Hopkins at the point.
What follows is penetration from Hopkins, drawing the defense, and kicking out to Breed on the wing, followed by Breed penetrating and kicking back to Hopkins for an open 3.
Hopkins doesn't convert but it's a great look and the possession ends with Floyd getting fouled after an offensive rebound. Strong possession - and even though the shot wasn’t made - it was winning basketball.
"Where's the help?!" - Lappas at 9:22 of the 1st half
It's often difficult to determine whether the result of a play was "good offense" or "bad defense", but for the PC possession that starts at 9:22 of the 1st half, I think it’s more that "good offense" wins.
Hopkins attacks, starting with the ball at the point and finishes with a nice spin move in the lane. But what about the help Lappas is looking for? Well, Locke and Pierre are both in high wing positions so their defenders aren't help options.
Floyd is in the left corner and his defender is in decent help position, as Hopkins comes down the left side of the lane. If Hopkins decided to, he could have kicked out to Floyd mid-spin for an open 3.
Croswell starts the play at the foul line extended on the right side (and credit to Hopkins for reading that he had a "help free" lane to drive), but he creeps down far enough that his defender can't leave him alone or he'll get a wide open look for a dunk.
Hopkins spin is too quick for a real adjustment to be made. So in this instance, good spacing and Hopkins reading the floor means that "good offense" prevails.
Adjustments out of timeouts
Good coaches make adjustments out of timeouts. PC switched to the zone "press" (I use the word "press" generously here - it's usually just designed to slow the pace) after the 8:00 timeout and caused a Georgetown turnover. Nice defensive wrinkle by PC.
Bynum stands out
Want to know one reason why Bynum stands out at the point vs. other PC guards? Watch his entry passes. Both Carter and Breed missed entry passes into the post that resulted in turnovers. Bynum? Tends to put it on a plate for Croswell, Hopkins, etc.
What was that Ezewiro dunk party?
I have no Xs and Os explanation for that. Providence just simply didn’t pay enough attention.