Thoughts across the Division 1 college basketball landscape with a little extra attention discussing mid-major programs, especially those in the Northeast.
This write-up seems as if the author had pre-conceived opinions and then looked for stats and numbers to support those opinions.
First, steals is not a good way to measure how well someone plays defense. It’s even worse for Montana where DeCuire emphasizes a “stay in front, stay in position” defense. Many high steal guys are awful defenders. They gamble constantly which causes them to get out of position and creates disadvantages for the backline defense. Second, DeCuire and others believed Whitney was the best defensive guard in the conference and hyped him for conference DPOY. His steals per 40 was 1.1, but he stays in front of guys and plays within DeCuire’s team defense concepts.
Offensive rebound percentage is also not really applicable to Montana as DeCuire mostly prefers getting back on defensive and not giving up easy baskets. I have never seen anyone bash a guard, particularly point guards for being poor offensive rebounders. The PG’s primary responsibility is getting back on defense.
To claim Parker and Whitney caused problems for the offense due to lack of 3Pt shooting is also incorrect. Parker led the conference in assists, A/TO and shot 65% at the rim with high volume and very few assisted (https://barttorvik.com/playerstat.php?year=2022&p=Cameron%20Parker&t=Montana) and was Big Sky 6th Man of the Year. Whitney also had a very high volume of shots at the rim (https://barttorvik.com/playerstat.php?year=2022&p=Brandon%20Whitney&t=Montana.) Out of the rotation players, Parker also had the highest offensive rating at 114.1, which means the offense was best while he was on the court (https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/montana/2022.html). Furthermore, using the on/off feature at hoop-explorer.com you can actually see that the offense was better when Whitney and Parker were on the court, not worse. I assume the name of your website shows an affinity for the 3pt shot, but its not always a difference maker. In fact, there are plenty of teams and players that should actually be shooting the 3 a lot less.
I would also encourage you to review the Montana team page on evanmiya.com.
You stated that Bannan (1.6apg) Martin (0.8), Whitney (2.1) and Moody (0.9) had low turnover rates. They combine for only about 5 assists a game. They should have low turnover rates. You are also overvaluing Moody. He was fortunate to play with some outstanding guards and playmakers at SUU. According to Torvik, 90% of his 3’s were assisted. Who is getting him the ball at Montana? The 4 other guys you listed as starters averaged a total of about 5.5apg. Also, do you think his defense is good enough to be a starting guard for DeCuire? Other than shoot, what else does he bring to the table? If he is such a difference maker why did he only average 15.8, 13.8 and 19.0 minutes per game his last 3 seasons? Plus, this is his 6th college season, so its not like he is going to make huge jump.
First off: THANK YOU for reading the Montana piece. Your points are fair and I'll be honest, I am much more comfortable on KenPom than I am on BT or EM, which would diversify my statistics awareness, especially when I haven't seen a team as much in person or on TV as Montana. Anywho, I root for them from afar (from CT) and try catching Big Sky games when I can...go Griz!
Appreciate the grind of following so many teams and conferences! I am also a big KenPom fan. Just so many resources out there that it’s hard to keep up. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteThis write-up seems as if the author had pre-conceived opinions and then looked for stats and numbers to support those opinions.
First, steals is not a good way to measure how well someone plays defense. It’s even worse for Montana where DeCuire emphasizes a “stay in front, stay in position” defense. Many high steal guys are awful defenders. They gamble constantly which causes them to get out of position and creates disadvantages for the backline defense. Second, DeCuire and others believed Whitney was the best defensive guard in the conference and hyped him for conference DPOY. His steals per 40 was 1.1, but he stays in front of guys and plays within DeCuire’s team defense concepts.
Offensive rebound percentage is also not really applicable to Montana as DeCuire mostly prefers getting back on defensive and not giving up easy baskets. I have never seen anyone bash a guard, particularly point guards for being poor offensive rebounders. The PG’s primary responsibility is getting back on defense.
To claim Parker and Whitney caused problems for the offense due to lack of 3Pt shooting is also incorrect. Parker led the conference in assists, A/TO and shot 65% at the rim with high volume and very few assisted (https://barttorvik.com/playerstat.php?year=2022&p=Cameron%20Parker&t=Montana) and was Big Sky 6th Man of the Year. Whitney also had a very high volume of shots at the rim (https://barttorvik.com/playerstat.php?year=2022&p=Brandon%20Whitney&t=Montana.) Out of the rotation players, Parker also had the highest offensive rating at 114.1, which means the offense was best while he was on the court (https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/montana/2022.html).
Furthermore, using the on/off feature at hoop-explorer.com you can actually see that the offense was better when Whitney and Parker were on the court, not worse. I assume the name of your website shows an affinity for the 3pt shot, but its not always a difference maker. In fact, there are plenty of teams and players that should actually be shooting the 3 a lot less.
I would also encourage you to review the Montana team page on evanmiya.com.
You stated that Bannan (1.6apg) Martin (0.8), Whitney (2.1) and Moody (0.9) had low turnover rates. They combine for only about 5 assists a game. They should have low turnover rates. You are also overvaluing Moody. He was fortunate to play with some outstanding guards and playmakers at SUU. According to Torvik, 90% of his 3’s were assisted. Who is getting him the ball at Montana? The 4 other guys you listed as starters averaged a total of about 5.5apg. Also, do you think his defense is good enough to be a starting guard for DeCuire? Other than shoot, what else does he bring to the table? If he is such a difference maker why did he only average 15.8, 13.8 and 19.0 minutes per game his last 3 seasons? Plus, this is his 6th college season, so its not like he is going to make huge jump.
First off: THANK YOU for reading the Montana piece. Your points are fair and I'll be honest, I am much more comfortable on KenPom than I am on BT or EM, which would diversify my statistics awareness, especially when I haven't seen a team as much in person or on TV as Montana. Anywho, I root for them from afar (from CT) and try catching Big Sky games when I can...go Griz!
DeleteAppreciate the grind of following so many teams and conferences! I am also a big KenPom fan. Just so many resources out there that it’s hard to keep up. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDelete