Coaching changes at Washington Huskies have changed the faces at both coaching and player level. Now, the team is a blank slate in terms of expectations. Here are five ways to unlock the Washington Huskies Men’s Basketball Team’s tremendous potential
The 2017 Washington Huskies Basketball team is an enigma to the Washington Huskies fans, the PAC-12, and universe of NCAA basketball teams across the nation. Some know the potential of head coach Mike Hopkins, and the hustle he brings to every moment in his day. Some know the potential of some players, perhaps from last season or from their high school programs. But right now, how that all blends together is somewhat of an unknown.
Potential. Tremendous potential. But that potential is uncertain.
And so, the future is obscure. Locked in the light of what we knew, but shrouded in a foggy vision of what we can expect. Still, we can point out actions the team can take to help optimize this situation.
Plenty of Talent
This is not a pickup playground team. In many ways, the talent on the roster is now finally matched by basketball’s best in the coaching staff. But after a forgettable season, and after losing the mirage of nationally renowned ranking of the 2017 recruiting class, it’s time to point upwards.
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The fall from lofty expectations is over. Now. the Washington Huskies fans have reached bedrock. And so, we can begin to take inventory of the team’s assets. This Washington Huskies Men’s Basketball team continue to boast a very talented group of players. In fact, they can compete and win in the PAC-12. Now, the team simply needs a scheme to do so.
Coach Hopkins likely has already implemented that scheme. But for those observing, here are five steps the team can take next season to turn this ship around.
STEP ONE: Three Point Shot
The Washington Huskies Men’s Basketball Team will not “outbig” anyone this season. As such, they’ve got to plan accordingly.
Busting Brackets
One statistic that jumps off the page is the fact that the Washington Huskies can rework their three-point shooting. In the 2016-2017 season, opponents were 39.9 percent accurate at three-point range, while the Huskies sank just 35.4 percent of their shots.
That needs to change.
Three-point Shooting Helps Team
Shooting 40 percent at three-point range is the equivalent of 60 percent within the arc. For a team hoping to change their fortunes, that seems like a logical place to start.
Matisse Thybulle and David Crisp are two players who are most familiar with that long range shot. However, that does not preclude other players proficiency. And to win the battle of long range, the Huskies must challenge perimeter shots.
There are two ways to win the battle from the arc. Shoot better than your opponent, or force them to shoot worse.
STEP TWO: Improve Defense
The Achilles Heel of the Washington Huskies basketball team has been team defense. But that’s been a puzzler. The team could score, but had to out of necessity. No matter what the lead, the expectation in the bleachers was that it was never enough.
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When you watch the team, there is plenty of burst. The Huskies have great wingspan, good height. There is no reason why the team cannot play good defense. In fact, nobody is more energetic on the court than David Crisp.
Nobody.
Defense Starts With Coaching
It’s as though it was never valued by the coaching staff. In actuality, defense is a far higher level of basketball than offense. From high school on, teams score. But it seems to require an NBA veteran before defensive skills truly manifest.
Now, those skills must manifest in the Washington Huskies this year. Coincidentally, the team has the right guy to turn up the heat on defense. That is Coach Mike Hopkins, whose specialty is the 2-3 zone defense.
The 2-3 zone is the bread and butter of the Syracuse Orangemen, and it has allowed that team to win over 1,000 games under Jim Boeheim. We can discuss how that east coast version of the 2-3 will work for the Washington Huskies. But for now, we’ll just stick a pin on the defense and move on to step three.
STEP THREE: Get Big Men Involved in Offense
The Washington Huskies may not have a height advantage, but the team has incredible upside talent with Matisse Thybulle, Noah Dickerson, Sam Timmins, and Devenir Duruisseau. In fact, after Markelle Fultz’s injury, it was the big men who stepped up and contributed a larger share of the offense.
The team has added point guard Michael Carter III and point guard Nate Pryor to the 2017 roster. 6-foot-1 Pryor will compete for point guard duties, which should restore guard David Crisp to his more natural shooting guard role.
The wild card in the 2017 season is how the team will make use of Michael Carter III. He has the skill sets of a point guard but that height of 6-foot-5 truly makes him a ripe prospect for the front court. If he makes the switch, the ball movement on the Huskies team can truly be sensational.
Secret weapons
Now, place Pryor and Carter onto the floor with David Crisp, Matisse Thybulle, and Noah Dickerson and you’ve got something.
But this Washington Huskies team needs more. They will have it if they can unleash the power of full roster. Both Carlos Johnson and Sam Timmins have the potential to be solid basketball players. Their offense could mean the difference maker to a surprisingly successful season.
STEP FOUR: Motivate From Last Year’s Tribulations
There is nothing wrong with a little tribulation in life. In fact, it’s a necessary component to great achievement. The path to scientific discovery lies in failing, but then learning why the results did not meet expectations. So too, military service begins by setting impossibly difficult conditions to individuals. That shared consternation builds teamwork purely from the survival of shared adversity.
So, it’s no leap of faith to assert that the University of Washington Men’s Basketball Team is as much a family as it is a group of athletes. These young men had to endure and embrace the struggles of last season in the belief that this year will be better.
It will.
Matter of Huskies’ Pride
Pride emanated throughout the University and fan base as David Crisp, Carlos Johnson, Matisse Thybulle, and Noah Dickerson reiterated their commitment to the University of Washington. That recommitting has weeded out the weak hearted. Now, this is a group of young men whose passion to achieve is fully aligned.
This is not a team of one and done’s. In fact, this may very well be the start of full four-year basketball players with the University of Washington Huskies.
Coach Mike Hopkins is more than just a coach who wants to win short term. He recognizes the responsibility entrusted to him as the head coach of a major NCAA basketball team. His style will encourage players to remain in the NCAA.
That is a very good thing.
STEP FIVE: Pick And Roll
The University of Washington has no shortage of talent. But talent can be neutralized on the basketball court. The most infamously effective plays is the pick and roll. That play is awfully difficult to defend, and very productive offensively,.
The pick and roll was a thorn in the Washington Huskies side. USC used the pick and roll incredibly effectively against the Huskies.
But defending the pick and roll is something the Washington Huskies can improve. In fact, it’s something the team must focus upon to get better next season.
Defense Drills
It can be done, as there are plenty of instructional websites and videos on the defense.
As it so happens, the drills to defend the pick and roll also improve the execution of the team’s pick and roll offense as well.
Plenty remains to be done to prepare the Washington Huskies to step onto the basketball court once more. But the time to languish over the what ifs is past. This team has the making of a winner in the PAC-12.
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In the end, the Washington Huskies can be a much improved team if they can accomplish these five steps.