Pitt basketball coach Kevin Stallings mulls some different options for slumping offense
Most coaching changes come with a dash of optimism that invariably breeds certain buzzwords and go-to phrases, whether it?s how the team discusses itself internally or how it presents itself to the public.
It took only a few months into Kevin Stallings? tenure as Pitt?s coach for a particular theme to regularly arise ? offensive freedom. Players spoke glowingly about it in the summer and preseason, often contrasting it to what they saw as an overly meticulous, sometimes suffocating system employed by former coach Jamie Dixon. It was one thing, among others, that helped the new coach endear himself to his team.
That freedom, while far from being taken away, might soon be getting curtailed a bit. With the Panthers mired in a five-game losing streak and the most recent defeat coming by 55 points, Stallings has continued what already was an ongoing search for answers. After spending much of the season fretting about his team?s defense, Stallings has turned his attention to his team?s subpar offensive execution and what can be done to change it.
?That?s kind of been something that?s being discussed,? Stallings said Tuesday of potentially taking away offensive freedom. ?I?m OK with give and take. I really am. I want to give these guys freedom and I want to let them play. I?m not OK with take and take. I feel like that?s what we?ve got going right now. No give and take; just take and take. That?s been something that has been bantered about and something we?re going to take a look at. We?re going to have to take a look at everything because this just isn?t acceptable.?
What seemed like such an enticing proposal entering the season ? what player, after all, doesn?t want more freedom ? has devolved into something almost unrecognizable the past two weeks. In two of Pitt?s past three games, it averaged fewer than one point per possession, only the second and third time that happened this season.
Part of that is due to a relatively hampered team, with sixth man Ryan Luther out with a right foot injury and forward Michael Young still adjusting to playing with a mask protecting a fracture in his orbital bone. Many of the team?s problems, according to Stallings, can be tied more to a lack of trust between players on a short-handed team.
?They?re saying to me we have to trust each other more,? Stallings said of his players. ?I know it and I know it before they say it. It?s things that they know, we all know, we all see them, we all feel them. Now, it?s just a matter of executing.?
Pitt players were not made available for interviews after the Louisville loss Tuesday or before a game today against Clemson.
That lack of trust and viable scoring options sometimes can prompt players, especially stars such as Young and guard Jamel Artis, to overwhelm themselves and try to shoulder too much of the scoring burden, effectively forgoing more a motion-based offense for one-on-one opportunities.
In the 106-51 loss to Louisville, that was readily apparent. The Panthers averaged just 3.5 passes per possession, with 28 of their 70 offensive possessions featuring two passes or fewer. A high number of passes always does not equate to a good shot; a Chris Jones corner 3-pointer that hit the side of the backboard in the second half, for instance, came on a possession with nine passes. Ball movement, however, can often lead to better, cleaner shots, something Pitt didn?t get many of against the Cardinals. Of its 51 field-goal attempts, of which it made just 13, 35 were contested.
What exactly Stallings might do to improve those shortcomings and tighten his offense is uncertain, as a number of different options exist. He could call more specific plays or at least sets where players have to do exactly what he?s asking. There?s also the chance he could de-emphasize transition play, opting instead to work the ball up court deliberately and have his team get set.
The desired final result is much clearer.
?We can?t say ?Well, if I don?t do it, it?s not going to get done,? ? Stallings said. ?Our approach has to be and our mindset has to be ?I have to do my part and help my buddy do his part. If we all help each other then there will be a good result.? We?ve proven when we do that, there?s a good result. It?s just when things get more difficult, it?s easier to bail a little quicker and lose that trust, when you don?t score, when you?re having trouble scoring.?
Most coaching changes come with a dash of optimism that invariably breeds certain buzzwords and go-to phrases, whether it?s how the team discusses itself internally or how it presents itself to the public.
It took only a few months into Kevin Stallings? tenure as Pitt?s coach for a particular theme to regularly arise ? offensive freedom. Players spoke glowingly about it in the summer and preseason, often contrasting it to what they saw as an overly meticulous, sometimes suffocating system employed by former coach Jamie Dixon. It was one thing, among others, that helped the new coach endear himself to his team.
That freedom, while far from being taken away, might soon be getting curtailed a bit. With the Panthers mired in a five-game losing streak and the most recent defeat coming by 55 points, Stallings has continued what already was an ongoing search for answers. After spending much of the season fretting about his team?s defense, Stallings has turned his attention to his team?s subpar offensive execution and what can be done to change it.
?That?s kind of been something that?s being discussed,? Stallings said Tuesday of potentially taking away offensive freedom. ?I?m OK with give and take. I really am. I want to give these guys freedom and I want to let them play. I?m not OK with take and take. I feel like that?s what we?ve got going right now. No give and take; just take and take. That?s been something that has been bantered about and something we?re going to take a look at. We?re going to have to take a look at everything because this just isn?t acceptable.?
What seemed like such an enticing proposal entering the season ? what player, after all, doesn?t want more freedom ? has devolved into something almost unrecognizable the past two weeks. In two of Pitt?s past three games, it averaged fewer than one point per possession, only the second and third time that happened this season.
Part of that is due to a relatively hampered team, with sixth man Ryan Luther out with a right foot injury and forward Michael Young still adjusting to playing with a mask protecting a fracture in his orbital bone. Many of the team?s problems, according to Stallings, can be tied more to a lack of trust between players on a short-handed team.
?They?re saying to me we have to trust each other more,? Stallings said of his players. ?I know it and I know it before they say it. It?s things that they know, we all know, we all see them, we all feel them. Now, it?s just a matter of executing.?
Pitt players were not made available for interviews after the Louisville loss Tuesday or before a game today against Clemson.
That lack of trust and viable scoring options sometimes can prompt players, especially stars such as Young and guard Jamel Artis, to overwhelm themselves and try to shoulder too much of the scoring burden, effectively forgoing more a motion-based offense for one-on-one opportunities.
In the 106-51 loss to Louisville, that was readily apparent. The Panthers averaged just 3.5 passes per possession, with 28 of their 70 offensive possessions featuring two passes or fewer. A high number of passes always does not equate to a good shot; a Chris Jones corner 3-pointer that hit the side of the backboard in the second half, for instance, came on a possession with nine passes. Ball movement, however, can often lead to better, cleaner shots, something Pitt didn?t get many of against the Cardinals. Of its 51 field-goal attempts, of which it made just 13, 35 were contested.
What exactly Stallings might do to improve those shortcomings and tighten his offense is uncertain, as a number of different options exist. He could call more specific plays or at least sets where players have to do exactly what he?s asking. There?s also the chance he could de-emphasize transition play, opting instead to work the ball up court deliberately and have his team get set.
The desired final result is much clearer.
?We can?t say ?Well, if I don?t do it, it?s not going to get done,? ? Stallings said. ?Our approach has to be and our mindset has to be ?I have to do my part and help my buddy do his part. If we all help each other then there will be a good result.? We?ve proven when we do that, there?s a good result. It?s just when things get more difficult, it?s easier to bail a little quicker and lose that trust, when you don?t score, when you?re having trouble scoring.?
