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Well, we can't fault the effort tonight, though our intensity is not consistent. These are two different things. We can play with good effort, but we need to play smarter, and by smarter I mean no forced shots and value each possession.
What Bradley needs to do from here on out is not impossible. For the players returning next year (and that includes the new recruits coming in), they first need to "bottle" this game (and season) and remember the lousy feeling of losing a game they could have won had they just made 3 three point shots.
Second, they need to learn how to value each possession, and maybe an offseason gives the players the time for this point to sink in, and something the coaches need to emphasis to the players before they begin the offseason. By valueing each possession, that means the players need to understand that they should play EACH and every possession like they are down by one point with 30 seconds left in the game. Not one quarter of the time, and not two-thirds of the time. ALL the time. If they can do that, they will win some games they have no business winning. If they can't, then it's time for more aggressive weightlifting and conditioning during the summer.
Finally, each and every player coming back next year needs to hit the court for one to two hours of nothing but shooting drills at least five or six days per week during the offseason. That includes 3 point and FT shooting in particular, along with some layup drills. If the players put in this kind of honest practice during the summer, even players who are hindered by shooting issues can improve. Even people who have never picked up and shot a basketball in their life would become at least decent shooters just by sheer repetition, the same type of technique that people use to learn new languages. So there's no doubt in my mind that even a small improvement in shooting will probably be good for no fewer than 4 or 5 more wins next year.
I hope the players can put in that kind of work ethic so they can put these bad times behind them.
What Bradley needs to do from here on out is not impossible. For the players returning next year (and that includes the new recruits coming in), they first need to "bottle" this game (and season) and remember the lousy feeling of losing a game they could have won had they just made 3 three point shots.
Second, they need to learn how to value each possession, and maybe an offseason gives the players the time for this point to sink in, and something the coaches need to emphasis to the players before they begin the offseason. By valueing each possession, that means the players need to understand that they should play EACH and every possession like they are down by one point with 30 seconds left in the game. Not one quarter of the time, and not two-thirds of the time. ALL the time. If they can do that, they will win some games they have no business winning. If they can't, then it's time for more aggressive weightlifting and conditioning during the summer.
Finally, each and every player coming back next year needs to hit the court for one to two hours of nothing but shooting drills at least five or six days per week during the offseason. That includes 3 point and FT shooting in particular, along with some layup drills. If the players put in this kind of honest practice during the summer, even players who are hindered by shooting issues can improve. Even people who have never picked up and shot a basketball in their life would become at least decent shooters just by sheer repetition, the same type of technique that people use to learn new languages. So there's no doubt in my mind that even a small improvement in shooting will probably be good for no fewer than 4 or 5 more wins next year.
I hope the players can put in that kind of work ethic so they can put these bad times behind them.
...but I predict that our football team will not lose a game
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