DeCourcy: Can Princeton-based scheme win a title?

Basketball junkies will enjoy this entry from The Sporting News. I found the following quote pretty interesting:

Georgetown needs to look hard at its approach. I’ve long been suspicious about whether a Princeton-based scheme can produce national championship-level teams, and the Hoyas’ two most recent experiences against elite competition didn’t erase my doubts. Against Ohio State in last year’s Final Four, star forward Jeff Green took only five shots in 40 minutes. In this season’s loss to Memphis, center Roy Hibbert shot eight times and didn’t get to the foul line.

When your best players are reduced to peripheral roles in the biggest games, there might be something wrong with the system

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NCS Basketball Quotes of Note

53 Responses to DeCourcy: Can Princeton-based scheme win a title?

  1. packgrad93 01/09/2008 at 10:34 AM #

    Ced played in the post & the O looked to Ced first. How many 3’s did Ced take?

    like i said earlier, coaches tweak their scheme year to year based on personell.

  2. TNCSU 01/09/2008 at 10:53 AM #

    On a different note….it looks like Bullock (the sophomore SG from Kinston) is going to commit to UNC. At least that’s what Rivals is reporting.

    http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/barrier_noentry.asp?sid=&script=content.asp&cid=759625&fid=&tid=&mid=&rid=

  3. TNCSU 01/09/2008 at 11:04 AM #

    Scout is actually reporting that he already has verbally committed. That seems a little early for UNC to offer this soon, but we’ll see. I’m still wondering whether we’re going to get a commit or two this Spring from some ’09 guys. I think Wall is waiting until next year to commit. Not sure about Kelly, but we’re also looking at some other top SG’s and SF’s. Favors would be nice, but he definitely sounds like he’s a one and done…

  4. TNCSU 01/09/2008 at 11:07 AM #

    In football news, did everyone see where Geron James is back on the team? He’s the receiver who had the great game against FSU last year, and then disappeared the rest of the season and left the team last Spring. Evidently, he’s recommitted himself and is back with the team. IMO, he will be a GREAT addition to the receiving corps if he applies himself.

  5. VaWolf82 01/09/2008 at 11:07 AM #

    “we relied on the three exclusively.”

    false

    Looks like mebane/cedar has a new log-in.

  6. TNCSU 01/09/2008 at 11:24 AM #

    Has anyone seen this pile of garbage on Packpride? He prefaces by saying it’s computer generated, but no way we only win 4 games in the ACC. Good thing computers don’t play the games. I guess that’s one reason I dislike the BCS. How ’bout that #1 defense in the nation of Ohio State? 🙂

    NC State (10-3)
    RPI: 61 Pomeroy: 98
    Pomeroy Prediction: 15-15, 4-12 ACC

    In short, the Pomeroy system kind of hates the Wolfpack. And, honestly, can you blame it? As previously stated, Pomeroy cares more about how you played than your overall win-loss record, and the Pack just hasn’t played well at all. The Pack does two things really well – get to the line and keep opponents off the line. They are basically the best team in the nation at it. They also do a good job of forcing bad shots, as opponents shoot under 40 percent against them. Of course, they are basically the worse team in the nation at forcing turnovers and they rebound like a team of 5’10” guys even though they are the tallest team in the nation. So, maybe a little more aggressive play would be a good thing even

  7. RAWFS 01/09/2008 at 11:53 AM #

    ^ On the other hand, the team has won consistently of late without playing well. I can be as pessimistic as the next guy, but one thing is for sure: we’ve not seen the best our team can play and if Lowe is following V’s style, he’ll experiment less with stuff like lineup combos in the ACC schedule and only if necessary in the tournament.

    4-12? Possible. But highly unlikely. I still think that our team can make the Dance.

  8. MattN 01/09/2008 at 12:05 PM #

    Princeton offense is a gimmick. A neat gimmick, but still a gimmick. It’s the knuckle-ball of college basketball. When it’s time to get serious, neither the knuckle-ball nor the Princeton offense are going to get the job done.

  9. zahadum 01/09/2008 at 12:25 PM #

    Pomeroy does some interesting stuff, but his system is definitely far from perfect and should be taken with a grain of salt. (which he admits himself) Its major weakness is that it attempts to draw conclusions from data that is far from sufficiently complete. (a lot of NFL statistics have the same problem.)

    As an example, his system takes no account at all of the concept of mismatchs, which of course is a key element in any BB game. So questions like who does Duke have that can possibly guard Hansbrough don’t even come into play.

  10. redfred2 01/09/2008 at 12:33 PM #

    “one person will always rush to defend anything even remotely related to Herb.”

    true

  11. TNCSU 01/09/2008 at 12:41 PM #

    ^^^^So questions like who does Duke have that can possibly guard Hansbrough don’t even come into play.

    Nice one!

    Hey ShootingGuard or Primacyone, either of you have any recruiting inside info you want to share???

  12. redfred2 01/09/2008 at 12:44 PM #

    “I’ve always thought that if Sendek had been able to ink a very good PG, the offense would have been almost unstoppable.”

    Chop, that is where I loose it when talking about ” “. How many players left early for the NBA over that ten year period? By that I mean ” ” had four full seasons to mold and develop a PG in just the way he wanted one to play for him. If was into developing the kids he had recruited as much he was into developing his robotic system, then he shouldn’t have needed a complete package straight out of HS. But we all know that wasn’t the case, so I guess he did.

  13. packgrad93 01/09/2008 at 1:29 PM #

    “either of you have any recruiting inside info you want to share???”

    I’ll ignore ^ & try to add some recruiting info:

    Top wanted recruits:
    Favors, Johnson, Wall/Brown

    Next tier:
    Howell, Wood, Kelly, Marhold, Hibbert, Ross, more probably

  14. Dr. BadgerPack 01/09/2008 at 1:44 PM #

    I always enjoy statistical prognostications, like Pomeroy’s. Especially when they provide amusing little nuggets like the ACCs projected 95-97 record in conference games. Of course it’s probably due to rounding, but it’s still funny in the sense that it readily demonstrates how much programming/formula work needs to go into getting a computer to “think” about sports properly.

  15. TNCSU 01/09/2008 at 2:30 PM #

    ^^^Top wanted recruits:
    Favors, Johnson, Wall/Brown

    Next tier:
    Howell, Wood, Kelly, Marhold, Hibbert, Ross, more probably

    I think definitely Favors would be great, but from what I’ve heard, he could go pro now, so I feel certain, he’s a one and done. Not that that’s a bad thing, but you just have to plan for it. Just like I’m sure the staff is planning that J.J. won’t be around for 3 or 4 years (maybe 2). There’s another name that I would put in Tier one that we are recruiting, but I can’t mention as I’m not sure if it’s public knowledge, and was told to me in confidence. I think we’re definitely going to need a PF/C in 2009, as I doubt JJ will be here and Big Ben will have graduated.

  16. MrPlywood 01/09/2008 at 2:35 PM #

    LOL at “weave and heave”. So true. How many games did I see when State was in a position to win with a last shot, but couldn’t get a shot off? Too much system, not enough playmaking. That said, at least the PO was identifiable. Sometimes I have no idea what is being run these days, and the resulting play is equally frustrating.

    Six of one…

  17. TNCSU 01/09/2008 at 2:52 PM #

    Not sure where he’s predicted to go, but Dejuan Morgan just declared for the draft:

    http://northcarolinastate.scout.com/2/718417.html

  18. packgrad93 01/09/2008 at 2:54 PM #

    “There’s another name that I would put in Tier one that we are recruiting, but I can’t mention as I’m not sure if it’s public knowledge, and was told to me in confidence.”

    Stewart? Nixon?

  19. packgrad93 01/09/2008 at 3:03 PM #

    BTW, just saw this:
    “NC State junior DaJuan Morgan will forego his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. Morgan confirmed his decision with Pack Pride this afternoon.”

  20. TNCSU 01/09/2008 at 3:04 PM #

    ^^Neither of those two….

  21. RAWFS 01/09/2008 at 3:09 PM #

    Herb was expected to use the “Tumbleweave and Heave” out in the desert but went in another direction.

    As for DaJuan Morgan, he would probably be better served by another year of college. I felt like he was moving quickly towards the Greg Golden type of breakdown for a while, but he turned it around and got better later in the season.

  22. Rick 01/09/2008 at 3:35 PM #

    “Herb was expected to use the “Tumbleweave and Heave” out in the desert but went in another direction.”

    Even he knew it was not working.

  23. BillyVest 01/09/2008 at 3:39 PM #

    I think we’re definitely going to need a PF/C in 2009, as I doubt JJ will be here and Big Ben will have graduated.

    Unless Costner comes alive all of a sudden, he’ll be here and so will Smith and Horner, who can all play the PF position. We will lack a true center though.

  24. packgrad93 01/09/2008 at 4:11 PM #

    “Herb was expected to use the “Tumbleweave and Heave” out in the desert but went in another direction”

    different type players there already too

  25. beowolf 01/09/2008 at 4:55 PM #

    I have to think that somewhere, poor Mike DeCourcy is wondering why someone from Arizona was spamming his inbox with so many declamatory, dull-as-dishwater e-mails proclaiming themselves as “facts,” and what the hell a “BCA Invitational” is.

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