Sometimes you have to walk before you can run.
The Boston University men’s basketball team has played two games. Its first game, against Iona College, featured 76 offensive possessions per team ‘- its second, against George Washington University, was played at a 74-possession pace. For players whose fastest regulation-length game last year was limited to 70 possessions (a 75-59 win at Harvard), the present tempo approaches warp speed.
Faster play speeds everything up. It’s more than just taking earlier shots ‘- it’s getting the ball up the court faster, running plays designed to create quick scoring opportunities and acting decisively. As events occur at a faster rate, decision points are squeezed closer together. There’s no time to stop and think.
Adapting to a new offensive system, though, is not a seamless process. The intermediate results of that process were on display at Agganis Arena Tuesday night.
While the Terriers have become more comfortable executing BU coach Patrick Chambers’ system with each passing day, the decision-making process has not yet completely absorbed. This leads to players thinking instead of just playing.
On Tuesday, the Terriers suffered from 18 turnovers, ending more than 24 percent of their possessions without taking a shot. That figure can be compared to BU’s 20.3 percent turnover rate from last season, or the 21.5 percent national average as of yesterday. Tuesday’s turnover total, despite being elevated, represented an improvement from last Friday, when nearly 29 percent of Terrier possessions were prematurely terminated.
Part of the benefit of a properly executed uptempo offense is derived from lower turnover rates. Since taking a quick shot guarantees that the possession generates at least one chance for points, in theory, the Terriers should commit fewer turnovers than last year once all of the players are fully comfortable executing the new offense.
But make no mistake, BU is making progress ‘- it’s just coming slower than many had hoped. The short bench is partially to blame, but the on-court issues aren’t solely the product of fatigue.
Consider a point guard bringing the ball upcourt. As the guard crosses half-court, two defenders attempt to initiate a trap, forcing the ball toward the sideline. Due to the double-team, someone is left open ‘- it’s the ball handler’s responsibility to find his free teammate and break the pressure.
The above is a common situation that offenses face, but the details of the solution are dependent on more than the defense employed by the other team. Different offensive sets place players in different positions. This in turn dictates whom the defending team will choose to leave open and where that player will be located.
If the ball-handling guard in question is a freshman, learning how to read and react to the given scenario is merely a matter of learning the offensive sets ‘- the rest is handled by instincts and ‘basketball IQ.’ The Terriers’ guards, however, are not freshmen ‘- they are seniors who have spent three years in a different offensive system, making different reads in different offensive sets at a different pace. Their instincts mislead them.
Before the BU backcourt can truly be comfortable and effective in Chambers’ system, its component players must first unlearn many of its behaviors. The same process appears for any of a wide array of potential game situations occurring all over the court.
At the Division-I level, small errors are magnified ‘- even the smallest of hesitations can be costly. When Corey Lowe holds the ball a split-second too long before identifying the correct pass, a player shows up in the passing lane just in time to steal the ball and create a transition opportunity going the other way. When John Holland takes slightly too long to make a decision before attacking the rim in transition, a defender establishes position and a relatively easy scoring opportunity becomes much more difficult.
Small changes in execution can lead to major changes in the outcome. This can be observed from game to game, or even from the first half of a contest to the second. The Terriers committed 11 turnovers in the first half of Tuesday’s game. In the second half, that figure dropped to seven. The Colonials continued to apply heavy pressure on the defensive end, but little by little, BU made progress in solving it. An inability to hit open shots prevented the Terriers from making a run, but opportunities were being created in the second half that were not present in the first. That, in itself, is progress.
Don’t expect change to happen immediately. The Terriers face a difficult upcoming schedule, beginning with tonight’s game against Kansas State, continuing through the weekend and beyond. An extended losing streak, difficult to bear though it may be, is a distinct possibility. The key, as before, is to improve from day to day and from game to game ‘- if the Terriers can improve faster than their opponents, eventually close losses will become close wins.
At some point, this team is going to have to win games ‘- but we’re not at that point yet, not by a long shot. A couple of deep breaths are in order. Watch BU go to Puerto Rico, then observe the Thanksgiving weekend games and reassess.
Until then, the best ‘- and only ‘- remedy for a fan’s frustration is patience.
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