Mali vs Latvia YouTube highlights: Coulibaly #12 in white
- Thread starter PittMan 72
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I am aware that Capel made that statement some time back regarding Toney.
There is a narrative, however, by those who expect Toney to play PF again that Capel will still play him at PF despite his words because they don't believe Coulibaly will be ready as a freshman to contribute more than Toney would at PF. They also tend to believe that Coulibaly is more needed to play minutes at the 5 because of Chukwuka being out injured and because Brown and Hamilton may otherwise get in too much foul trouble too often.
They also tend to see the wing (3) as over-crowded with Drumgoole and Champagnie and possibly Murphy in 3-guard sets looking for time and Drumgoole likely a better 3-ball shooter than Toney.
"Rebounding" was part of the much bigger problem of..... no inside presence.
We had trouble rebounding on both ends of the court. ACC teams killed us inside.
Our overall inside defense was poor, and we basically had hardly any inside offense.
We had two bigs, one who was a weak forward and the other a Center who
lacked strength, experience, and a motor. So yes, rebounding was/is an issue.
Despite that negative assessment, I really believe we're gonna see improvement
in this area. First of all, I expect to see a much better Brown. He stayed and
committed to the program this summer. He's more experienced, and I would
guess they got him physically stronger. He does have some skills.
His motor?....We'll see, but I expect much better....just my gut feeling.
Hamilton gives us a legitimate second Big. I feel he'll be a force on the boards
and on the defensive end. Most posters on here expect him to back up
Brown, but let's face it...none of us have a clue yet which of the two is
better. So, I'll hold off on who starts....we'll see. Italy will give us an idea.
Coulibaly brings us that third Big that we really need. How much he can help
is hard to tell at this time. Again, Italy will tell us a lot. If he can rebound and
defend that will be a big plus.
Is our inside presence upper ACC level?....Obviously not, but IMO it will be
much better.
I am going to predict now--fall on my sword later when proven wrong that we will be playing 2-bigs together about 3/4 of the time.
Breakdown might be something like this:
Two Big Use (30 minutes)
Brown-Hamilton combo 10 minutes
Brown-Coulibaly combo 10 minutes
Hamilton-Coulibaly combo 10 minutes
One Big Use (10 minutes)
Brown or Hamilton w/ Toney 5 minutes
Brown or Hamilton w/Champagnie 5 minutes
Tell ya what; I have no idea if you're scenario will actually happen.
However I do like it. If Hamilton and Brown split the minutes the
way you suggest, that would appear that they were both playing
on about the same level. Hopefully that "level" will be a good one.
Also, if Coulibaly gets the minutes you suggest, that would mean
he's ready to really contribute. I have no feel for Coulibaly's
minutes at this point, but would be happy if your prediction happens.
Ive posted this before but it's reference to your post.
I think Coulibaly will be useful in the middle against a zone. Im not sure Capel will use him there, but he seems ideal for that slot and that'd get him time.
Last year we really were hurt when facing a zone. Obviously aside from Frame we
had no outside threat. As big, or maybe even a bigger problem was we had
Nobody who could play the middle (high post) against zones.
Being able to hit the jumper from the foul line as you're pointing out is important.
More important though is knowing what to do with the ball when it comes into
the middle. Capel tried all kinds of looks there last year, and none of them worked.
Ellison was a disaster there, Toney also didn't fare well there. Neither could hit
the J, and both wanted to take it to the hoop which the D easily took away
knowing they couldn't hit the J. This is something Jamie's teams did very well
as evidenced by how we destroyed Syracuse's zone on numerous occasions.
Whoever is playing the middle has to be able to catch the ball (that rules out
Brown) and has to be able to make the pass to preferably the weakside or
down low to the baseline. It's pretty easy for a zone to shut off the foul line J.
It's not so easy to shut off the others when the zone collapses. If the man in
the middle can't make those passes, the zone will have a decided
advantage.
Now with all that said (sorry for sounding like a lecture) but can an
untested freshman like Coulibaly come into the middle (high post)
and do all that I just mentioned? If he can, we have a talent in the
middle that will go along way to solving some of our offensive problems
against zones. I hope you're right.
Really what ive liked so far that I've seen, (and i'll need to see more) has been his ability to find an open man.
Ive been impressed with his passing.
I'm not sure how well he'd do as a freshman in this role.
However I do think he'll eventually excel in this role.
He's not hesitant to do 3 things.
Shoot from the foul line.
Face up a man and drive.
Look for the open man.
I'll add Talib Zanna set a lot of picks in DIxon's offense and Coulibaly is definitely used to doing that.
Oh and regarding the play against the zone the were a lot of discussions last year.
And I wrongly thought that we shouldn't be setting picks up top against it.
So I went back and watched Pitt vs Cuse games.
And man was I dead wrong.
We constantly set picks and did other things.
I think we will be much better this year against the zone.
And I wrongly thought that we shouldn't be setting picks up top against it.
So I went back and watched Pitt vs Cuse games.
And man was I dead wrong.
We constantly set picks and did other things.
I think we will be much better this year against the zone.
Picks can work against some zones. But I think the biggest key is quick ball movement. The ball can ALWAYS move faster than any defensive player. But the ball has to be moved quickly. No holding it. No hesitation. So you have to be very prepared and know where to move that ball before you get it. If you hesitate or are indecisive, good zones will stymie an offense.
Dixon's teams were very prepared to carve up the SU 2-3 zone. The players also executed the plan very well. It was fun to watch.
Oh yeah sho much goes into it.
I was just saying setting those high picks is a part that worked in the Dixon system.
Dixon's teams were a literal master class.
I actually agree with both posts. Picks can work, and quick ball movement is essential
because the ball can move faster than the zone. Previous posts also mentioned getting the ball in the middle. Regardless of what attack a team is using, it's crucial to get the zone to commit, and then take advantage. Whether it's getting the ball to the weakside, ball rotation, overload, or whatever...the offense has to get the zone to commit. When it commits, gaps appear and the zone is susceptible.
It sounds easy, but often it isn't. Let's not forget, talent is a major factor and
sometimes it's as simple as who has the horses and who doesn't.
Absolutely. The picks out front helped to break down the zone and enable Pitt to get into the underbelly of the zone.
Against SU in particular, Dixon’s Pitt teams were also experts at making the quick, short extra pass on the interior to finish plays and draw fouls. Can recall some games where 6’6” Ontario Lett just carved up the Cuse zone on the inside. Both dishing passes and receiving them. Then finishing with his old man up and under moves.
Ok, you seem to know a bit about him. I'm hoping you're right.
From what they showed, not a good game. He was most visible in the highlights inbounding the ball after a Canadian basket. He did hit a 3 though. Most of Canada’s missed shots were long 3s, so I imagine most of his rebounds were long rebounds.
As for the game, my impression was Canada thought they could pull away any time they wanted to. They got a big lead, but Mali came back. Then the same thing again. Then Mali got a run triggered by steals and Canada couldn’t come all the way back. Came close, but they missed two dogs in the final 10 seconds. Overconfidence killed them.
Yes. Very much so. Here’s their roster:
Jaden Bediako - Santa Clara
Joel Brown - UC Berkeley
Charles Bediako - 2021 recruit, 4 star
Keon Ambrose-Hylton - 2020, 4 star, top 100
Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe - 2020, 4 star, top 100
Jahcobi Neath - Wake Forest
AJ Lawson - South Carolina
Thomas Kennedy - Windsor (Canada)
Karim Mane - 2021, offers from Kansas, Maryland, Texas, among others
Josh Primo - 2021, top 50 overall
Damion Squire - UC Davis
Tyrese Samuel - Seton Hall
Another thread by the same guy, who calls Coulibaly a better NBA prospect than teammate Oumar Ballo, the four star signed with Gonzaga.
Interesting to watch this U19 FIBA play to assess Coulibaly's skills and play.
On the other hand, at least based on the 2 games I watched a lot of, the overall play (for my tastes) was really ugly basketball. It seemed extremely sloppy--like a cross between completely un-coached playground pick-up games and weakly coached "roll the ball" out AAU games. I wouldn't bother to watch it if I wasn't interested in assessing a particular player on his way to Pitt.
On the other hand, at least based on the 2 games I watched a lot of, the overall play (for my tastes) was really ugly basketball. It seemed extremely sloppy--like a cross between completely un-coached playground pick-up games and weakly coached "roll the ball" out AAU games. I wouldn't bother to watch it if I wasn't interested in assessing a particular player on his way to Pitt.
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Most of his Scotland Prep games were streamed if you want to see him in a more structured system.
I agree. The films shows the level of play. I commented on it a few days ago.
Personally, I'll wait for the Italy trip. We'll undoubtedly play older, experienced
teams and players. How Coulibaly stacks up against that level of players
and teams will tell us much more. It also will show how he fits in with our
team and players. As far as I'm concerned these games are just a warm up
to some more serious Bball that will give us a much better look.
I'll hold my opinion (for what it's worth LOL) of Coulibaly until then
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Coulibaly averaged 15.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 3.0 spg, and 2.0 bpg for the tourney. Pretty impressive performance.
He’s not done yet - this was the last game of pool play, and the knockout rounds start tomorrow. Mali will play New Zealand.
Just playing International basketball is getting good experience no matter how you look at it. Your confidence just grows as a player and when the competition gets a little tougher you won't be scared and you will step up but that's just my opinion.
It works for me when I was playing ball.
It works for me when I was playing ball.
Didn’t realize the game was so early, but looks like Mali is moving on again. With Ballo now playing for Mali, this tournament has really raised Coulibaly’s profile and it could continue to grow.
Also, we can debate level of competition, but Mali had not won a game in this tourney since like 2007 or something like that. I would let it ride in confidence that the incoming 5 will as a whole be better than all that has departed since last year. In Capel I trust.
Considering that we lost Davis, Ellison, Iggy, Stephenson, and N'dir, it wasn't
exactly a great leap in talent replacing that group. Of course N'dir was
a great addition last season, and he was a loss....but the other four?
And yes...I like our incoming recruits.
As far as this thread goes...yes, Mali is doing much better.....but how about
Coulibaly? I think he's a positive addition as a Big. His more recent stats
which were mentioned above....let's take a closer look.
Yes he scored 11 pts.....four on the team scored, 15, 12, 11, and 10.
His shooting however was very poor.....3/15 from the floor, 20%,
(1/8 on twos, 12.5%; 2/7 on threes, 28.6%), 3/4 free throws, 75%.
His 13 rebounds were good, but that was behind Ballo who had 17.
This post sounds negative, but don't shoot the messenger. I like
Coulibaly as a recruit. However, I feel it's gonna take time with him to
develop. I'm guessing he'll get minutes behind Brown and Hamilton,
and maybe a few alongside of them...we'll see.
Again, we'll know a lot more after the Italy trip.
I think you momentarily forgot that we also lost Frame. However, I still believe your argument is valid that our incoming group will be an overall upgrade over what we lost in outgoing players.
No.mand what do you think that it was ?
The biggest issue was hiring Stalings. Lol.
Real only 2 issues depth and no rebounds.
Anything is was a by product of one of those two if not both.
But anyway he helps under the boards. period
That's not really how I saw it.
But of course we need to rebound better.
I really don't feel like breaking it down right now.
Hey I could always be wrong.
Lord knows that's happened a lot in my life.
Thanks for that, I DID forget. Not sure how, as Frame certainly was a loss.
Yup, I do like our current group of recruits. Given the program that Capel
inherited, his recruiting after two years is not elite but definitely on the
rise IMO.
It’s not really a narrative per se. Capel said more than once during the season that Toney was a three, not a four. But he still played mostly the four.
Capel is most likely going to do what most coaches do — that is — get his best players on the floor. If Drumgoole and Murphy prove to be among those best players, I’m sure we still see Toney plenty, if not primarily at the four. If Hamilton or Coulibaly prove to be better than Murphy or Drumgoole, than Toney will be mostly a three.
All I do know for sure is that the staff really likes Audiese. He’s going to play plenty for sure. Where he plays still has to be determined. But I don’t think decisions will be made for the sake of 2 inches or putting a guy into what is proclaimed to be his natural position.
I don't know what Capel said, but Toney is a three IMO. Unfortunately last year we all saw that he had no outside shot. A three has to have a shot. Given what we had last year, he had to play the four, and actually did very well considering his height
disadvantage (led the team in rebounding).
I agree with you that "decisions will"...not... "be made for the sake of 2 inches."
Also, DC made a good point about the "wing (3) being overcrowded."
I don't know how the threes and fours will be decided, but I do know what
I wish could happen. I'd like to see Toney playing both, depending on the
need and the situation. If he develops a shot, he'll be tough to keep off the floor.
I feel that a number of factors will come into play concerning Toney:
- Will Brown and Hamilton get time at the four?
- Will Coulibaly get time at the four?
- How effective will Champagnie, Drumgoole, and even Murphy be as
potential threes?
- Does Capel go with a 1-4 offense again?
- Does Toney develop an outside shot?
I've mentioned it before, Capel will have options that he didn't have last
year.
