🏀 Hoos in the NBA 2024-25

I think we’re nitpicking a bit here. The larger point still stands. If the offense you have implemented or the manner in which you run your offense does not instill confidence within your players, or you as a coach don’t instill confidence within your players, then it’s going to become very difficult to score consistently. If you want to eliminate a player I mentioned from the list, that’s perfectly fine, but it doesn’t change the overarching idea, which I believe has enough data points (poor shooting performance and March losses) to prove is correct.

2 Likes

I forgot about Hall. Great memory. I’ll list him as my third.

Beekman was reluctant/scared to shoot when he got there and still was when he left. Brogdon went from 37% his first year as a starter to 39% his third year as a starter. I just don’t think of those guys and say to myself, “Wow, they improved so much as a shooter at UVA.”

Hard to respond to your argument, which is a pretty sweeping statement that Tony’s offense doesn’t instill confidence in his players and you use two data points to back it up— only two players improved their three point shooting under Tony and lack of March success. Other posters here identified 4 additional players who played a lot and improved their three point shooting considerably, which you dismiss as nitpicking or marginal. And as for your other data point, lack of March success, that’s much more of a recent phenomena since 2014 to 2019 saw three seasons end with a national championship, final 8 and sweet 16. I think there’s lots of contrary data to your argument as well, including several players who played in Tony’s system who exuded offensive confidence such as Mike Scott, Joe Harris, Brogdon, Hunter, Guy, Jerome and Sam Hauser. Not sure you’re convincible at this point though.

2 Likes

Haha relax buddy. I didn’t dismiss anything. I just respectfully disagreed. I don’t think you’d disagree there’s been a stark contrast in offensive success since 2020. We’ve had two different seasons outside the top 200 in KenPom offensive efficiency (another data point for you). And data can be misleading, whereas the eye test usually isn’t. Three consecutive years (and 4 of the last 5) we’ve had teams with more players scared to shoot than players who aren’t. How is that not a reflection on the coaching and offensive system in place? Hard to blame the players when it’s different sets of players but the same system and staff.

And I didn’t even mention the FT shooting the last few seasons. Yikes…

1 Like

I look forward to the day when we can be happy for former players’ success without turning into a referendum, positively or negatively. Not everything is about where they went to college.

Dunn’s offensive issues were mostly about Dunn, he just never found his feet in college. When a player isn’t comfortable, shooting is where it shows up most. Different game in the NBA, less thinking…the spacing helps him too…in a weird way, you don’t need to be as skilled with the ball to make plays in the NBA as you do in college. His problems may have been exacerbated at UVA where the style is a bit more collegey, but doubt it would have been a lot different elsewhere.

23 Likes

Instead of blaming TB, I’m giving Dunn credit for working his ass off to get better, simplify his form, and overcome the “Chuck Knoblauch yips” that he had last year.

12 Likes

Yeah I mean if I spent a couple months working out with KD and Devin Booker fresh off Olympic gold, I bet I’d shoot better too

3 Likes

Wonder if RD didnt fair well in NBA pre draft stuff if he would have come back to Virginia. Imma guess no

Please start new tangent and discuss safely

2 Likes

Depends. How do you shoot now?

2 Likes

It was a hypothetical, just making the point that it’s not too hard to understand RD shooting better now that he can focus strictly on basketball (no school) and workout with the likes of Book and KD

1 Like

Yes, but how do you shoot now? Hahah

2 Likes

There was that Kentucky rivals smoke from their insider that someone in the Dunn Camp or his agent was putting out feelers at other schools. And I think some of that smoke was maybe confirmed on the UVA side.

THAT BEING SAID; Dunn hopefully being solid along with Murphy and Hauser will help keep UVA’s presence in the NBA news. Jerome too hopefully.

8 Likes

I don’t/can’t. I don’t wanna dig into my many health issues on here but have a lot of chronic pain including a lot of hypermobility in both shoulders. Last time I shot hoops was years ago and legit thought I tore something I was in so much pain.

2 Likes

Ah my bad but thanks for letting me know. My point was I care about you not the thing of shooting and getting better at it if that makes sense

3 Likes

Anyone remember the comparisons of Ryan Dunn to DeAndre Hunter? Looking better now.

3 Likes

Honestly, probably going to be when we win a tournament game again. Everybody’s been on edge for years. Not saying it’s right or fair, but man we need a win. Then everybody can chill a little.

6 Likes

Dunn is better

4 Likes

Dunn was straight up told, as verified by him when he left the program, and described by CTB paraphrased, but close, to the media,

“If it’s wide open, take it, but focus on your rebounding and your defense.”

Post players have been told on film review after missing wide open jumpers, paraphrased, “not a bad shot but maybe you could swing it to (player x perceived as a better shooter).”

I’m not sure how one could make the argument that doesn’t have a negative impact on shooting because the communication is, not subtly, this isnt your strength or your role and that’s reinforced on misses.

If you’re a player who wants to play his role dutifully and care about the program, as most we recruit are, that’s going to be in your mind when you shoot in a game.

It’s absolutely something we should reflect on. Maybe we don’t need to have so many defined shooting/non-shooting roles (anyone remember that video of Caffaro working out/shooting threes after transferring out? That one was wild). Or maybe bigs with developing jumpers when they’re wide open could be told these are good shots and encouraged to take them rather than the underlying tone of “if you have to.”

I know one recruiting pitch other programs make to players who have left us is showing them video of shots they don’t take and telling them “if you DONT shoot that for our program we pull you.”

Just a thought, and not absolving the players entirely but this is kind of psych 101 stuff and it also explains why not all players have this happen to them because some do just have the green light. When conscientious players think you don’t want them to shoot, they are less likely to… shoot. Or shoot it well when they do.

8 Likes

I agree with you on everything else but at the same time there has yet to be a transfer out of UVA that thrived elsewhere outside maybe Shayok (and that was worth DeAndre Hunter’s minutes). Maybe Igor at Tennessee surrounded by better players and better coaching we’ll see. Morsell as a 5th year sorta counts but his efficiency was meh and he’s not NBA bound

Yet to lose much sleep over our transfer outs.

1 Like

It’s one thing if a player is a bad shooter and has no conscience to reign them in because other guys aren’t getting opportunity - but that’s a far leap from discouraging guys who maybe take 1-3 wide open jumpers a game within the flow of an offense, especially one that may struggle to generate open looks to begin with.

That point isn’t about losing transfers out - it’s about the empowering shooting mindset being communicated elsewhere as a sharp contrast.

4 Likes