The quit started showing very early in this one.
This program needs a shooting coach in the worst way. The fundamentals are inconsistent, pretty much up and down the roster:
- Taylor has the best and most consistent shot, but has a long, slow release, meaning he has to be very open to be open enough to shoot. I'm not a fan of the guide hand being on top of the ball, but I'm also not a fan of completely re-working his shot since he has shown it is effective. The time he needs is more concerning and would be where I would choose to have him focus his work during the offseason.
- Bell's first two shots today show two entirely different sets of mechanics. 1. Curls into a jumper from the left elbow, on which he elevates high and releases high with significant arc (although he was leaning away from the basket - this is a problem on his threes, also). 2. Corner three, on which he basically shoots a set shot, hardly elevating (almost on tiptoes) and releasing more of a line drive starting from in front of his face. His stroke on 3's works, but he needs to focus on going straight up and staying vertical. He tends to lean back, leaving them short.
- Mintz still has the odd rotation on his shot. He has good backspin on his release, but it is about 30 degrees off being straight, usually from one o'clock to seven o'clock. It not only affects his 3's, but when he misses foul shots, they almost all come off the same way, spinning off the inside edge of the rim.
- Pretty sure Starling has a hitch in his release on 3's. I'll have to pay more attention to him in warm-ups the next game I cover.
- Williams - 0/5 today, all jumpers, including three 3's.
I understand he is supremely confident in his ability, but it would certainly help Mintz to keep his head up and look for his teammates. He missed wide open teammates on back-to-back possessions in the first half, seemingly trying to bring the team back by himself.
The basketball IQ is missing from this team a lot of the time and it's not just on the poor defensive rotations. When UNC used their press after foul shots early in the first half, they looked completely befuddled. Starling forgot the most basic thing for a guard on a pressured inbounds pass - come to the ball - and Taylor lobbed it over his head while Starling was moving away from him for a steal that turned into an easy lay-up.
I think the players respect Autry, but they absolutely do not fear him.