Attended Practice with an NBA couch on Tuesday. Portland notes

Basketball
1

It certainly was a highlight to attend practice and talk to all the coaches. I fish with retired Memphis Grizzly coach Barry Hecker and mentioned to him that I would like to attend a practice a while ago…he calls on Monday and says, We’re in on Tuesday

Many of the players/ coaches came up and talked with us. Spent most of our time talking to Terry LaComb and Quincy Lewis. Just some quick observations.

Coach Rose showed up after stretches, Nick Emery is a team captain and ran the warm ups. Terry Nastif runs the offense and worked with 3 deferent squads (keeping the blue team, starters intact).

Quincy worked the defense and a great deal on pic and roll and iso plays. NBA coach took notes and gripped every time our defense allowed a player come down the middle. Really worked the big men defending guards one on one driving from the top of the key…NBA Coach really liked that.

Yeoli Childs’ ankle is really sore, worked the bike, 50/50 he plays at Portland. Dastrup ran with the Blue team, NBA Coach," Why have we not seen that guy, he’s got some game". Go figure.

Offense, Terry worked high pics with guards setting the pics. NBA coach gripes that a big man has to set the pic so that the defense has to run their big out, makes for tons of rebound opportunities and easy dunks. All of our bigs catch and dribble once to collect themselves, NBA calls it a big no-no, need to catch and shoot.

Beo did not look for his shot “ever” while on live action, NBA Coach pointed that out without any of my input. Frampton was aggressive and made numerous shots, too bad he was injured for so long, he would be helping a great deal right now.

NBA Coach, after practice, discusses with Quincy defenses allowing guys coming down the middle (allows the offense to throw the ball anywhere vs. forcing the offense towards the sideline, acts as a sixth man). I don’t know how much will it helps but it is being talked about so we will see. NBA coach pointed out that defenses that are reactionary always get beat vs. denying that first pass and making an offense do something other then what they want to do.

Got to shoot some with Mika. NBA coach worked Mika on footwork.

Practice was loose, the entire team has good comradery but NBA coach was shocked at how quiet it was, he is used to a lot of talk out there. Rose did not say 10 words all practice and it may be that the team takes after his quiet demeanor.

As far a Portland goes. Both Dastrup and Emery did not play last time, I expect both of them to play a big role in this game. For Portland, 6’8 Taylor had 20 points…Center Borreno had 10 rebounds on 12 total minutes. Those things can’t/wont happen in this game.

BYU has far more the fire power, just play solid defense and be patient on offense, make possession value a priority.

1 Like
2

Great report! I heard Mika say how much fun he’s having this year despite the losses. He really enjoys playing/practicing/hanging out with these guys. Great camaraderie as you said.

Regarding the defensive coaching by Lewis, too bad it was the NBA coach rather than Rose telling Lewis to funnel the penetration to the sideline rather down the middle of the key. Your report doesn’t give me much hope that Rose can spot and correct areas that need to be addressed/emphasized but maybe you can’t judge by just a single practice.

It sounds like Beo practices the same way he plays. Its hard to believe that he was a big scorer in HS based on his FT% and FG% and shooting volume. Great to hear that Dastrup is coming along. Maybe he’ll be the most improved player going into next season. I can’t believe Terry isn’t yelling at the bigs for dribbling before a shot. Isn’t that big-man coaching 101?

Thanks again for your report. It sounds like the assistants could use some help with technical aspects of coaching. I don’t know how they improve their coaching technique but good coaching requires attention to detail. I think it starts by being a student of the game and being teachable, even when you’re a coach. Did you see Lee Cummard? He strikes me as an up and coming coaching talent. Maybe he’ll work his way into a coaching job soon.

3

Talked to Lee for awhile, he says he wants to get into coaching. He was on the floor the entire practice as a player to help out because they are so thin due to injury

4

It’s a facade… I don’t believe the chemistry is there. They look lost so much of the time and that can’t be good for “comradery”. The LP3 may feel this way because they are all back together again, but the bench is going through the motions in practice and trying hard to have it too. If they are at all competitive, it can’t sit well with them.If they are loose and have good comradery, then they are delusional as well about where they are as a team.

Yeah… like I have been saying this since early in the season. By far the biggest coaching mistake with this team among so many. Grasshopper didn’t believe it, but he is a coach and apparently a lot of coaches are clueless so it stands to reason.

The team has been a disappointment this season in spite of the fact that they are “young” and “inexperienced”. There has been little evidence of improvement from the first game, the loss to UVU, then the wcc losses to USD, SCU and Pepperdine and the home loss to St. Mary’s. They just don’t look any different than they did to start the season except Davis and Rose are gone. Also, I think Childs has improved, but that is it.

5

Says you; I have seen plenty of improvement and I will name 3 guys. Haws, Guinn and as you pointed out, Childs. Mika started out amazing and has stayed about the same…Emery not so much. You also have to consider that every other team BYU plays improved and now we are just talking semantics. Pomeroy started BYU’s team ranked #67 and after BYU beat Colorado I think we jumped all the way up to #47 but BYU has settled south from that point to where we are ranked #84 but that has to do with BYU playing WCC teams so even if we win, nationally, we sink south.

These guys just need to get the mission rust out and that takes a good year.

6

OK, Coach, whatever you say. Tell you what, why don’t you attend practice and you give me a report back…Geez.

The problem with this team is not chemistry. They all get along fine and they are upbeat. There are a number of problems systemic of a young team without leadership, which is what happens when both of the senior leaders get injured and are sitting, healing.

  1. above all, poor Coaching- can’t paint it any other way. If Rose ran a structure the way every other successful coach did, you could plug in guys, even freshmen, and have the offense run. I see none of that. I don’t see pic and rolls, I see dump it into big guys and stand around. I see Bryant or Haws drive and shoot or pass.

  2. I see young guys get frustrated and taking poor shots, because of a lack of a system.

Rose looks tired to me

7

Even so, when we win nationally, we go down in rankings. We go down in the rankings because we lose to terrible teams in the WCC.

Roses coaching is a huge issue. But I agree that team chemistry stinks. I also am tired of the senior leadership excuse at this point. LJ was not an important leader. He was not a big impact player either. Davis was a loss, but he wouldn’t have made this team markedly better… If he were playing, Childs wouldn’t be.

8

Fish,. I don’t think Guinn has improved that much… He has just been allowed to play more and show that he can play… Only because Rose had no other option I might add. Mika is a true talent that still has a number of areas that need lots of work. Passing out of doubles, looking for open 3 shooters, pick and roll defense, and putting the ball on the floor too much on offense. But he certainly has the up side. IMO, Emery has gotten everything he can put of his potential. Not a super high IQ player with average jumping and quickness. Can shoot from deep occasionally but 50% of the time… Shouldn’t shoot when he does. Haws will be a roller coaster ride will high potential on offense but lots of inconsistency and unfortunately very little defense. I don’t believe he can improve that aspect of his game. The puzzle that is BYU BB just doesn’t fit together.

9

Really? So you are saying a graduate Point Guard senior is not an impact player, someone the new players can’t learn from? You are confusing leadership with point production on the floor.

John Stockton never led his teams in points but he was the leader. There are a good many things you and I agree on about Rose’s issues but this is a point we don’t. Leadership on the floor is just about the most important component I can think of

10

now you are just spouting baloney…Davis was a double double guy in 2016, He completes a 3 man rotation of Mika, Childs and Davis. BYU would have won 3 or 4 more games with Davis healthy and that puts BYU in the NCAA conversation. Now you just sound like an angry BYU fan

11

LJ is no Stockton! Nice guy sure, but only an average point guard. He hasn’t even averaged more than 5 assists a game. He won’t shoot when he needs too…Although coach Rose may not be giving him the green light either. lJ defense is below average. Heck, he wasn’t even going to be a starter this year without the Bryant injury. Stockton, no way. Houston, during LJ’s tenure wasnt even a very good team. If he was that good of a on court performer, he would have gone to a better BB program than BYU. No one else, good, wanted him.

12

Actually, Davis didn’t complete a 3 man rotation. Davis is a 4 not a 5. He and Childs would share minutes. You don’t think both of them would average a double double do you? Childs is a better rebounder and interior defensive force. Davis had a bit more refined offensive game but he was much slower than Childs. This year is a write off for BYU. The only good that can come from it is more experience for the young guys. Childs getting more playing time is a blessing. Davis will be gone and so will LJ. next year. So why not let the young kids play? Davis would never have allowed BYU to make the NCAAs. We might have won 1 more game with him but, maybe not.

13

What 3 or 4 games would we have won with Davis paying, Fish??

14

I might be confusing leadership with lack of defense, unwillingness to shoot, slowing the game down, not nearly as many assists as you would expect a senior, starting point to have, etc. He was second string back up for heaven’s sake. We lost many games with his senior leadership on the floor.

15

Interesting report, but it would make me feel better if coach Rose had communication with the ex NBA coach. I would think he would want to pick his brain… Or at least take advantage of his experience. I agree that Rose looks tired. Probably tired of the TO’s, lack of defense, poor shot selection, non passing of his star players etc

16

Fish, Not sure why Jim picks on the LP3, but he seems to hate anything and anybody from Alpine.

What is ironic is that if Haws, Emery and Mika went to another school who had good coaches (Like Coach K at Duke), Jim would be whining about not getting all the best LDS athletes…

I think if both Haws and Emery were at Duke… they would be on the national radar…

Thanks for the report…

The main issue is Rose, he simply is not setting up a structure on both offense and defense to sustain the program.

17

In the WCC, Davis was the key to spelling Mika and/or Childs all day. Only Gonzaga with 3 seven footers would have validated your argument. So who comes in for Mika now when he goes out? Shaw has been the guy and you are arguing that Davis with his team high percentage of .590 would not have made a huge difference?

If you look at BYU’s rebounding without Davis, we are running around 39 rebounds per game. We are way down in the rebounding game and that equates to more baskets and more wins. I am not going to get into woulda-shoulda’s but the numbers don’t lie.

18

I can agree in Childs but the other 2? No… Guinn has only seen more playing time because Rose finally realized that he needed at least one guy out there who could play defense. The only thing that improved is his playing time, nothing else. Haws? How has he improved? His defense is still as bad as ever and his offense is about the same… he isn’t doing that much better, perhaps a tad but not enough to mention.

19

I don’t pick or hate on anything. Apparently you don’t believe in accountability. It isn’t hate, it’s holding people accountable. I will leave it at that.

And it is statements like this that perpetuate the crazy belief that the LP3 were going to take BYU to the final four. People still believe those two are elite players and I want to know why. They are good players that are not getting that much better. The progress is slow to non-existent… why does everyone in Utah think these guys are the second coming in basketball?

So because they don’t perform at the elite level everyone believed they would, now it is the coaches fault? Jimmer, Davies, Haws senior, etc. what is the reason for their success?

20

This is not a new concept… I have seen it so many times with the Jazz… Jerry Sloan system would allow players to shine and become pretty good ballers… Only to have them think they are better than they were… Sheldon Anderson, Bryon Russell, Wesley Mathews, are just a few examples…

I have stated that I believe that Coach Rose system needs to change in order for BYU to get to the top of the WCC or go far in the Tourney… I am not the only person that believes coaching is what holding these guys back.