Davidson's big outside shooters could be a real problem for VCU
How do you defend a team where everyone on the floor is capable of scoring from behind the 3-point arc?
That's the dilemma facing Vir- ginia Commonwealth coach Jeff Capel and his Rams in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament tonight (7:30) against Davidson at the Siegel Center.
The Wildcats (21-8) average 24 treys a game (making 8.7), and it doesn't matter who's on the court. Even 6-8 Logan Kosmalski (73 attempts), 6-9 forward Ian Johnson (43) and 6-9 forward Conor Grace (35) will trigger 3-pointers.
"What makes it really difficult is their post guys step out and shoot [3-pointers]," Capel said. "Most post guys aren't used to defending guys out there like that."
VCU's defenders will have to play the kind of in-your-face, man-to-man pressure they applied in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament, where they finished runners-up to Old Dominion.
"You have to have an awareness. . . . You have to track the ball at all times," Capel said. "You have to communicate well on defense. They don't have a lot of wasted dribbles. They really move well without the ball. They pass it. They cut and screen."
The Wildcats' best 3-point marksman is 6-5 swingman Brendan Winters, the Southern Conference player of the year who has made nearly 42 percent from behind the arc in averaging 16.6 ppg. Johnson, who is from Ruckersville and attended Albemarle High before going to Oak Hill Academy, is hitting 39 percent, while Kosmalski is at 31.5.
Another long-range gunner is guard Jason Morton (38.7 percent), who spent 1? years at the University of Richmond before transferring to Davidson.
"Your style of play is dictated by the players you have, and clearly we have been able to shoot the ball well for a number of years," said Davidson coach Bob McKillop, whose club has made 36.3 percent of its 3-point attempts. "We have a team that has a couple of guys who can really knock it down."
Capel feels the Rams are somewhat prepared for the long-range bombing.
"One of the things that hopefully will help us is that in our last game, against Old Dominion, we played against post guys [that shoot 3s]," Capel said. "[Alex] Loughton can do that. [Arnaud] Dahi can do that. [Valdas] Vasylius can do it. Hopefully that will be fresh in our guys' minds and they'll do a good job. But these guys are better shooters than Old Dominion's big guys."
The Wildcats won't be intimidated by coming to the Siegel Center, since their non-conference schedule included the likes of Duke, Missouri, Saint Joseph's, Georgetown, Charlotte, Seton Hall and Princeton.
"When you bring those kind of people into your arena or visit those kind of people on the road, immediately you put yourself on a Broadway stage," said McKillop, who is 260-201 in 16 seasons at the small North Carolina school. "As hard as our players work, I want them to be on a Broadway stage as much as possible.
"It exposes your strengths and it exposes your weaknesses. It lets you know what you need to work on to compete at the highest level. You can't replicate that or similate that in practice. So you're getting a laboratory of strengths and weaknesses, which forces you to make some adjustments as you prepare for your conference schedule."
Davidson went 16-0 in the SC and had a 16-game winning streak snapped in the semifinals of the tournament.
How do you defend a team where everyone on the floor is capable of scoring from behind the 3-point arc?
That's the dilemma facing Vir- ginia Commonwealth coach Jeff Capel and his Rams in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament tonight (7:30) against Davidson at the Siegel Center.
The Wildcats (21-8) average 24 treys a game (making 8.7), and it doesn't matter who's on the court. Even 6-8 Logan Kosmalski (73 attempts), 6-9 forward Ian Johnson (43) and 6-9 forward Conor Grace (35) will trigger 3-pointers.
"What makes it really difficult is their post guys step out and shoot [3-pointers]," Capel said. "Most post guys aren't used to defending guys out there like that."
VCU's defenders will have to play the kind of in-your-face, man-to-man pressure they applied in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament, where they finished runners-up to Old Dominion.
"You have to have an awareness. . . . You have to track the ball at all times," Capel said. "You have to communicate well on defense. They don't have a lot of wasted dribbles. They really move well without the ball. They pass it. They cut and screen."
The Wildcats' best 3-point marksman is 6-5 swingman Brendan Winters, the Southern Conference player of the year who has made nearly 42 percent from behind the arc in averaging 16.6 ppg. Johnson, who is from Ruckersville and attended Albemarle High before going to Oak Hill Academy, is hitting 39 percent, while Kosmalski is at 31.5.
Another long-range gunner is guard Jason Morton (38.7 percent), who spent 1? years at the University of Richmond before transferring to Davidson.
"Your style of play is dictated by the players you have, and clearly we have been able to shoot the ball well for a number of years," said Davidson coach Bob McKillop, whose club has made 36.3 percent of its 3-point attempts. "We have a team that has a couple of guys who can really knock it down."
Capel feels the Rams are somewhat prepared for the long-range bombing.
"One of the things that hopefully will help us is that in our last game, against Old Dominion, we played against post guys [that shoot 3s]," Capel said. "[Alex] Loughton can do that. [Arnaud] Dahi can do that. [Valdas] Vasylius can do it. Hopefully that will be fresh in our guys' minds and they'll do a good job. But these guys are better shooters than Old Dominion's big guys."
The Wildcats won't be intimidated by coming to the Siegel Center, since their non-conference schedule included the likes of Duke, Missouri, Saint Joseph's, Georgetown, Charlotte, Seton Hall and Princeton.
"When you bring those kind of people into your arena or visit those kind of people on the road, immediately you put yourself on a Broadway stage," said McKillop, who is 260-201 in 16 seasons at the small North Carolina school. "As hard as our players work, I want them to be on a Broadway stage as much as possible.
"It exposes your strengths and it exposes your weaknesses. It lets you know what you need to work on to compete at the highest level. You can't replicate that or similate that in practice. So you're getting a laboratory of strengths and weaknesses, which forces you to make some adjustments as you prepare for your conference schedule."
Davidson went 16-0 in the SC and had a 16-game winning streak snapped in the semifinals of the tournament.
