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A Dummy’s Observations on the Pitt Johnstown – WLU Game
I was really worried about this game. We had trouble for most of the game last year before finally pulling away. They had 7 of 8 players back, an All-American center and they have an outstanding coach. On paper, this could be a tough matchup.
Pitt- Johnstown
- Extremely well coached. No heat check or forced shots. Every shot is a good shot. Good ball movement in the half court.
- Experienced, veteran team, but they only play 7, which is a risk against WLU.
- All American center plus at least 3 outstanding 3-point shooters is a great composition for a strong half court team, as they make you pay if you double team the center.
- I really like their PG Shull. Has a great repertoire of step back and fade away 2-point shots and is very accurate. I only saw last year’s athletic point guard (Mulbah) play once against WLU, but I thought he called his own number and took difficult shots a little too frequently even though he was effective in breaking a press. I think this PG, although a different style, will fill the gap nicely as he was 9 for 14 FG and 1 for 3 from three for 19 points.
- Focus Jakubick on fronting and denying the ball to Butler inside. Kromka will guard Sarson, but serve as backup as needed, should Bryce get the ball. This was very effective for the most part.
- Sag on defense, rather than play Butler up close to deny the 3-point shot.
- When breaking the press, attack and don’t hesitate to take an open corner three in a 3-on 2 advantage in transition.
- Maintain composure against the pressure.
This game illustrated the cumulative mental and physical effect of the WLU pressure, even on experienced, talented, fundamentally sound, and well coached teams. Game was roughly even for the first 13 minutes. Then WLU had a spurt that got them ahead 8-10 points. WLU led 47-38 at the half, even though PJ was shooting 62% from field and 57% from three. WLU shot 47% and 39% from three, but got 12 more shots.
In the second half, WLU jumped on PJ and extended the lead to 15 points in the 1st 1:40. PJ, being well coached, got the lead down to 7 with 14:30 remaining. However, their 3-point shooting was cratering (25% for second half), which I attribute to fatigue, as they were throwing up bricks from wide open corner looks. In the next 4 minutes, WLU created organized chaos in the PJ offense. They sped PJ up, and it became a classic 90 mph WLU open gym game. PJ was scoring quickly, and WLU was making layups on the other end within seconds. Turnovers were occurring all over the court and the lead ballooned to 14. Even though PJ was scoring, their coach knew that a track meet with WLU would not end well and smartly called a timeout. The lead varied from 12 to 19 points for the rest of the game.
WLU outscored PJ on turnovers 31-13. The key was WLU forced 23 turnovers, of which 17 were steals or live ball turnovers that often result in points. That is 74%, which is incredible, as 40% live ball turnovers is a great stat.
WLU had great ball movement, which resulted in open looks. Two players shot 60% from three, one shot 50%, and two shot 33%. Our 3-point shooting is good, if one excludes the extended slumps of some players due to mechanics issues that are resulting in relatively flat, low rotation (almost knuckleball) shots. I am sure that they will recognize and fix those issues.
Another factor in success against PJ is the quality depth of the team. There is no drop-off in athletic ability between the 1st and 2nd platoon. The second platoon is getting more and more comfortable each game. There is no respite for a team that plays just 7 players.
One other observation is how many WLU players can play the point – McKinney, Montague, Cannady, and West all have prior experience and Spadafora is a natural there. Butler is also comfortable playing the point, if needed.
Final Score WLU 93 PJ 76
I think Pitt-Johnstown will win quite a few games against traditional half-court teams.
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