Let’s get it (re)started!

We are just past the half-way mark in the Wolfpack’s 2012-2013 ACC Basketball season. While the season hasn’t gone quite as swimmingly as we all would’ve liked, things could be a lot worse.

Sheesh! How weird is it that things have changed so much where we can accurately characterize a Wolfpack performance that is ranked #17 in the RPI (having played the 8th toughest schedule in the country) as not going so well?

The six day break before Saturday’s home game against Virginia Tech kind of feels like a ‘mid-season break’ and provides an opportunity for the team and fans to catch our breath. It also times itself well to help Lorenzo Brown get back to 100% healthy. As we turn this page towards the stretch run, I am hoping that Coach Gottfried realizes that he actually has (at least) a seven man rotation instead of the exhausting six man rotation to which he had previously been so married. (Newsflash — we could play Jordan Vandenberg more strategically and potentially expand to a limited eight man rotation. I just hope that Gottfried doesn’t have to have an injury to a post player to have the realization like unfortunately had to happen to show everyone that Tyler Lewis should’ve been getting more playing time).

The final seven games on the schedule also provides a catalyst to kick the season back into gear as every remaining game is winnable, with the toughest test of the home stretch coming on February 23rd’s visit to North Carolina.

It looks like the good folks at NC State also used the six day break to get ‘re-freshed’. The video below updates State’s introduction video with highlights from this season.

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12-13 Basketball

51 Responses to Let’s get it (re)started!

  1. Blackfish 02/14/2013 at 9:19 AM #

    twelve and six, if the holes play good at home. win ACC tournament. we played MIMAMMY “tough” without Zo and we will run dough boy in the dirt during the tourney if Zo stays healthy. CJ, is the man no other player gets double teamed as much as CJ not even PLum boy from Duke. we need to learn the double pick.

  2. LifeLongWolf 02/14/2013 at 9:22 AM #

    You know, I like Vandy. He seems like a nice person and a good kid (as much as a fan like me can know these things). But I have to disagree strongly about him getting more playing time. My assessment at this point is that he is really of limited usefulness. His primary value is when the other team is playing a similarly tall, but less skilled player. He doesn’t seem to be particularly agile, is not a great shooter, isn’t quick, and frankly, doesn’t seem to know what to do while he’s out there.

    I would LOVE to see him come in and start to dominate the inside. He has the size, but I just haven’t seen anything from him to impress me this season. If he were to suddenly “get it” and show improvement, that would be a huge bonus for us, but I ain’t counting on it.

  3. StateFans 02/14/2013 at 9:44 AM #

    Clarification – I don’t think Vandy deserves ‘a lot of playing time’. I think he should get more playing time than he gets and could/can be used more strategically than he is used in possessional situations

  4. PoppaJohn 02/14/2013 at 9:46 AM #

    ^^ Disagree
    Just put JV on the court for Richard at the 10 minute mark in the first half, and again midway through the second half. Just 2-2.5 minutes of game time each time, which translates to a 4-5 minute break for Rich in each half.
    That coupled with the TV timeouts should keep him fresh all the way to the end.

  5. ryebread 02/14/2013 at 9:46 AM #

    I think that Zo’s injury could be the best thing for long term that could have happen. We’ve gotten Lewis in the rotation enough to get comfortable and prove his competence. This should prove to the staff that we actually have a guard we can sub in, and hopefully prevent a good kid like Lewis from potentially transferring (dad’s Twitter comments were telling).

    If the staff goes with a 7 man rotation over 6, we’ll be much better off because it will help us run more, which favors us. Heck, with our style of play, we’re better off going 8-9 deep as long as we have the talent and depth. I’ve always argued that the more talented team should force as many possessions as possible because it will allow that superior talent to win out. We’re cramped a little this year due to transfers, but I’d really like to see us going 9-10 deep in the future if possible given the talent we’re pulling in.

    I’d also argue that Vandy can be an 8th man off the bench. The key is to play 2-3 when he’s in, stick him in the middle of the zone and tell him to keep his arms up. Everyone else gets a little more rest on the defensive end and we suddenly become very tall (particularly if Lewis and Purvis are out) which is quite formidable in a zone (see Syracuse, oh the past 20 years). On offensive end, tell him to camp in the lane (ACC refs aren’t calling 3 seconds anyways) and hit the boards. I think we could get about 4 minutes a half out of this setup which would allow us to play with more intensity in the other stretches.

  6. xphoenix87 02/14/2013 at 9:50 AM #

    I agree with LifeLongWolf, and this is coming from someone who really liked Vandy as a freshman. I don’t think he should be seeing the floor unless we’re really desperate. He’s just not good. He’s a total non-entity on offense, doesn’t rebound well, and doesn’t move his feet on defense.

    Vandy seems to have inexplicably gotten worse over his time here. I remember when we played Arizona his freshman year and Derrick Williams was killing us, and Vandy came in and really smothered him. He just seems to have lost quickness, or he isn’t focusing like he should, or whatever it is. He’s never going to be an offensive threat, and his hands aren’t good enough to be a great rebounder, but I thought he’d at least be a plus defender, and he just isn’t.

  7. Ed89 02/14/2013 at 9:56 AM #

    ^^^Clarification – I don’t think Vandy deserves ‘a lot of playing time’. I think he should get more playing time than he gets and could/can be used more strategically than he is used in possessional situations

    I agree. Vandy could provide useful minutes just to clog up the middle, rebound, and provide some fouls. We are just too short…Howell is a beast, but he’s only 6-7. We’ve lost on 2 last second tap-ins (MD & Miami). IMO, having Vandy in on those plays would have helped. Teams know darn well, they can crash the boards against us because although Rich is a rebounding machine, TJW and CJL are both average (at best) rebounders for their size.

  8. NJpack 02/14/2013 at 9:57 AM #

    The thing that drives me crazy about Vandenburg is every time on defense he runs out 20+ feet to try and pressure the guard, which of course doesn’t faze the opposing guard at all, and leaves our 7ft player who could in theory get a rebound or a block 20+ feet from the basket. If I was coach for a day, I would say “you – stay in the paint. Period.” I think the only strategic point to have him in the game is the last 2 minutes of the 1st half so Howell or Leslie won’t pick up a silly foul.

    In theory Josh Davis would be a senior this year. He would have been a great addition to the front court rotation. I realize Tulane is not the ACC, but he’s had rock solid numbers the last two years. Oh well.

  9. PackerInRussia 02/14/2013 at 10:13 AM #

    I think Vandy’s strength has been his height down low on defense. Although it doesn’t necessarily produce blocked shots or anything, he clearly alters shots when he’s down there. Teams have gone from being able to score with somewhat ease to having to loft up shots too high to be accurate or just pass out of the post. He also plays with energy; he just needs to devote that energy to the things h does well and not get carried away.

  10. Rochester 02/14/2013 at 10:16 AM #

    Josh Davis would have been perfect for this team. Good kid. Wish he had stayed.

    I’d seriously like to see what Jevoni Robinson could do in a couple minutes. Really can’t be worse than Vandy. Way more athletic. And I agree with the comment above about Vandy seeming better as a freshman. I was optimistic the kid would be a useful part this year, but he looks totally lost. His hands are awful. He gets near some balls but doesn’t often corral them. The only time he’s looked even mildly competent was against Wake, when we decided not to use him in the second half for some reason after he had the stretch of his life in the first. Maybe his glass slippers broke on the way to the locker room at halftime.

  11. Pack Mentality 02/14/2013 at 10:29 AM #

    Is there anyone on the bench after Vandy (positions 9 -12) that would be willing to sit out the remainder of the season for a suspension for laying that fat dude from Miami out when he goes up for a layup and making sure he doesn’t get up?

  12. Rochester 02/14/2013 at 10:32 AM #

    You couldn’t add all our walk-ons together to make someone big enough to flatten Reggie. He sat on a BC player’s head last night and the kid had to be helped off the court.

  13. Ed89 02/14/2013 at 10:35 AM #

    ^ What Rochester said. Maybe if Thomas Teal or T.Y. McGill played basketball….maybe

  14. old13 02/14/2013 at 10:36 AM #

    “Just put JV on the court for Richard at the 10 minute mark in the first half, and again midway through the second half. Just 2-2.5 minutes of game time each time, which translates to a 4-5 minute break for Rich in each half. That coupled with the TV timeouts should keep him fresh all the way to the end.”

    MUCH agreed! Contrary to Gott’s comments about young players not getting tired, I think the short rotation has cost us games this year due to the consistent late-game fades we’ve all seen. It’s impacted both the D and shooting from having “heavy legs.” The kids may not be “tired” in Gott’s mind. But they are certainly less fresh than a team playing an 8- to 10-man rotation. JV may not be the most athletic player in the world. But he has provided quality minutes as a lane defender and low post player who can pass reasonably well. Having an 8-man rotation including JV would keep our bigs and shooters so much fresher for sustaining the fast break and for end-game situations IMO.

  15. Rick 02/14/2013 at 10:44 AM #

    Wouldn’t Davis have graduated by now? He is a senior and had to sit out a year after the transfer right?

  16. Dogbreath 02/14/2013 at 10:45 AM #

    Vandenburg is Steve Norton with an extra inch. It ain’t ever gonna happen.

  17. Thinkpack17 02/14/2013 at 10:47 AM #

    “The thing that drives me crazy about Vandenburg is every time on defense he runs out 20+ feet to try and pressure the guard, which of course doesn’t faze the opposing guard at all, and leaves our 7ft player who could in theory get a rebound or a block 20+ feet from the basket.”

    He’s hedging screens. I’m sure how hard he is showing has to do with the fact that early on every team we played had a career night from the 3 point line. Any shooter that was in a slump got well against us simply by dribbling over a screen.

    My biggest gripe with Vandy is that when we put him in the position to score he never has his hands ready to catch the ball. He either fumbles it or just plain misses it. Concentrate big man!

  18. Rochester 02/14/2013 at 10:54 AM #

    Davis was a freshman in 2009-10. He’s a redshirt junior at Tulane right now. He sat out 2010-11 after the transfer. He’s averaging 17.6 points and 10.0 rebounds this season. Not ACC competition, sure, but those are nice numbers.

  19. BJD95 02/14/2013 at 11:17 AM #

    The Steve Norton comp is apt. Vandy will only be used in near-emergencies. He barely played even when Zo was inactive.

    I also disagree with the notion that WBS should have played more (at least not much more) earlier. MG had a chance to observe him in November and December, and the results were very discouraging. I am sure they had no doubt he would improve over time, but it would be hard to put that to the test in tight ACC games.

  20. JohnGalt78 02/14/2013 at 11:29 AM #

    Vandy tip: Tip the ball out on defense. Don’t try to two hand it and bring down or make a move. Extending just one arm instead of two probably gets you another 6 inches. Reach with one arm and give us your best 3 inch vertical leap and just tip it out as hard as you can. We’ll stand a good chance of picking it up for a fast break or reset the defense. I believe the Cheats have relied on this strategy in the past.

  21. PoppaJohn 02/14/2013 at 11:40 AM #

    I disagree on Lewis.
    Even in the Miami game Gott started Rodney instead of him, but after Rodney gave the ball away a few times he tried Tyler – and the rest is stuff of legend.
    Maybe he just shows up in games, or needs more time on court to be effective, but I think Gott somehow missed it with him. Don’t know why, but he didn’t improve that much in the last month or two..

  22. Pack Mentality 02/14/2013 at 11:51 AM #

    Steve Norton was much better than Vandy in every aspect of the game.

  23. Pack85EE 02/14/2013 at 11:55 AM #

    Old13 mentioned what those who are for Vandy getting more minutes have implied, – Do our big guys need more rest to be strong at the end? I think finding the minutes for Vandy in the first half – he blocks shots and leans on the other teams bigs, and maybe a couple mintes in the 2nd – but not many when things are tight- Could help us be stronger at the finish.

  24. LifeLongWolf 02/14/2013 at 11:57 AM #

    Regarding Lewis, he’s a freshman. This matters more to him than it does to Purvis and Warren, because they have different games. Purvis and Warren have games that primarily rely on instinct and pure skill. That’s something that can translate to any game at any level. Lewis’ game relies on understanding the offense and getting the ball to the right place at the right time. Certainly, some pure skill is required, but it takes a long time to learn the offense and figure out how to do what needs to be done. I suspect that it really did take this long for him (remember he’s fresh out of high school) to pick up this more complicated offense and for ALL of the players to learn how to play better with him in the game. Lo’s injury was, for lack of a better word, fortuitous in that it allowed him to prove that the switch had flipped.

  25. MP 02/14/2013 at 12:21 PM #

    ^ Totally agree with LLW. The McD AA suggests he has the talent to play in this league. But I would guess many college basketball losses are littered with Freshman point guards over the years.

    I don’t think it’s certain that you would have the same results of the past 3 games if he would have started in January, i.e. I don’t know if you can somehow use the ‘transitive property’ to question Gott’s rotation prior to Lo’s injury.

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