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| IntelliGym™ - 'Smart Player of The Week' |
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| Feb. 25, 2007 |
Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown.
A defense effort is always worth mentioning,
and when it helps No. 12 Georgetown beat Pitt (No. 8 ESPN/USA
Today; No. 10 AP), it's even more fun to honor the Smart Player of the Week
on a defensive decision.
Jonathan Wallace had a great game with 17 points and
2 asst, meaning that at least 33% of the team's points are somehow related to
him. But his situation reading and stealling the ball 3:03 min to the end of the
game, made the win for the Hoyas. Up 2 points 3min to the end of the game Pitt
took a very important offensive rebound, at the stage of the game, a bad
decision on defense or a gutsy decision on offense can create a momentum that
can win or loss the game.
Well this is exactly what happened; Pitt took the
offensive rebound but then trying to pass the ball outside and set a new
offense, Wallace intercepted the pass and went for the easy lay-up. The Hoyas
never looked back and received a well deserved regular season championship title
of the Big East. Jonathan Wallace is the Basketball IntelliGym™ 'Smart Player of
the Week'.
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| Feb. 25, 2007 |
| Does your coach need to "sell" his defense to you? Well, if he does, don't
be surprised if you are seating next to him in the game… DEFENSE is the reason
teams win - not offense.
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| For previous weeks' Smart Player of the Week - see below.
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| Feb. 12, 2007 |
Jason Holsinger, Evansville.
10 Assists and not a single TO(!) that 's what
Jason Holinger did yesterday. It's so impressive to me that even with out his
average 10.3PT, he is the main reason Evansville won the game. And also he
receives the IntelliGym™ 'Smart Player of the Week'.
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| Feb. 12, 2007 |
| Everyone wants the glory and the fame but only few are willing to work hard
to get there. Bob Knight said once "The will to succeed is important, but what's
even more important is the will to prepare".
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| For previous weeks' Smart Player of the Week - see below.
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| January 28, 2007 |
Antanas Kavaliauskas, Texas
A&M.
Kavaliauskas has many skills; he can shoot, he can post up, and
he can drive. But above all he can pass. Furthermore the pass, for him, is the
first option not the last. It makes him so dangerous that the Aggies ranked
as #6 is no surprise to me.
Last night Kavaliauskas' contribution to the team wasn't only with his 20 PT
6REB and 4 AST. The biggest difference is what he means to the team. When the
Lithuanian star is on the court the team plays together, they pass the ball,
look for the open man and try to create for each other. When Kavaliauskas had to
seat out due to foul trouble, the set offense didn't move, and the team had to
rely on Acie Law IV one-on-one skills. Don't get me wrong, Law is a heck of a
player, his versatility going right and left combined with his speed and fine
touch make him a great player. However, on Saturday night game, for me,
Kavaliauskas' performance was more important to the team than Law's. He
contributed in finding the open man and forcing the defense work much harder,
what made Law penetrations much easier since the defense was concentrated on
Kavaliauskas. 12 min to the end of the second half, Kavaliauskas made his third
foul and went to the bench; in the next 5 min the Aggies didn't score a field
goal (!), until Law took over the game. In fact, Kavaliauskas seating on the
bench showed his importance to the team and awards him the 'IntelliGym™ Smart
Player of the Week' . |
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| January 29, 2007 |
Average players care only about how much they score and how much time they
play.
Great players care about the team's wins and losses. Are you an
Average player, or a Great one?
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| For previous weeks' Smart Player of the Week - see below.
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| January 14, 2007 |
Aaron Brooks, Oregon.
This week the decision was tough. I had two
candidates who sparked my eyes. First, Jamon Gordon from Virginia Tech. He beat
the no.
1 ranked team in the country, North Carolina, with 17 PT and 6 AST. Adding
the win itself he is a good pick. But then came Aaron Brooks from Oregon as the
second choice.
The Ducks are having one of their best seasons in recent years, and the good
news is that they are just getting better and better. Last week they beat UCLA
and lost by 2 pt to USC at home. Aaron averaged 28 PT. However, I didn't like
his 3 TO against UCLA so I didn't choose him for the IntelliGym™ player of the
week. This week Oregon played on the road. Two very tough away games, against
Arizona State and Arizona. The Ducks won twice, with Aaron Brooks scoring 16 and
21, respectively. Add to this his winning shot over Arizona, 6 AST with only one
TO, that's what it takes to award him with the IntelliGym™ 'Smart player of the
Week'.
One last word should be said about the tremendous work Ernie Kent and his
staff are doing. Coach Kent is doing a great job with his players. Winning two
games like these on the road is a reflection of his work ethics and passion for
the game and for winning. His players have to keep up - and they do. Remember
this weekend when March will come. The Ducks will be a strong force in this year
dance. |
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| January 15, 2007 |
| When you practice your shot try to focus on one aspect at a time. Master the
off the dribble shot and then move on to practice your off the screen shot.
Being GOOD at one thing beats being just OK in several.
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| For previous weeks' Smart Player of the Week - see below.
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| January 1, 2007 |
Darren Collison, UCLA.
One can argue that if you have Arron Afflalo on one
side and Josh Shipp on the other, it is not hard to hand-out 13 assists. Well,
that argue is wrong! Darren Collison stepped into Jordan Farmer's very big
shoes. Although the presence of Afflalo and Shipp helps taking the pressure and
the attention away from him, when you are ranked #1 in the country - the
heat is on everyone, especially the Point Guard. Three weeks ago while playing
against Texas A&M Collison had his first real test of the season; he had 4
AST and 6 TO, not something to write home about… His huge potential was there
but his performance wasn't. His next big test was yesterday against Washington
(Ranked
#13 in the AP Poll and #14 in the ESPN/USA Today). Collison in short time
stepped-up, he adjusted his game to the required level and had a great game. Now
UCLA found the missing link, the Bruins are more dangerous and look ready for
this year Title run. Collison's improvement gave UCLA, 15 PT with 50% for 3, 13
AST and only 2 TO (!) and rewards him the IntelliGym™ 'Smart Player of the
Week'. |
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| January 1, 2007 |
| Make sure you are the best at least at one thing. Be the best rebounder, the
best passer, the best blocker, the best defender, or the best 3pt shooter on the
team. Now when your coach needs something he knows where to find it.
"A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off
to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals" -
Larry Bird |
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| For previous weeks' Smart Player of the Week - see below.
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| December 24, 2006 |
Duke Crews, Tennessee.
When a team is down 7 with 1:48 on the clock,
something very special needs to happen for them to win the game. Crazy shots can
help, gutsy decisions, taking advantage of the other team mistakes and above all
make stops on defense. On Saturday's game Tennessee did all of those. Chris
Lofton's 3PT shots were incredible, and were a crucial part of the team forcing
an OT and then winning the game. But the thing that catched my eye wasn't
Lofton's crazy 3PT shot over Durant; it was the efforts of freshman Duke Crews.
Let me list the good actions Crews did in the last 1:48 min of the game. First
was the Offensive rebound and a follow-up reverse lay up. Second, a one-on-one
with Kevin Durant ending with a block! Then he stopped AJ Abrams' penetration
after a Pick & Roll, and finally he forced, with his big arms, a 5sec
violation for getting the ball in from the side-line (although here a big credit
goes to coach Bruce Pearl who made the switch). Altogether we are talking about
5 good and smart actions that worth to the team 8PT. And even more important,
they spark a momentum that led to the team's great victory. Those are exactly
the decisions coaches talk about when referring to smart players and that is why
Duke Crews is the IntelliGym™ 'Smart Player of the Week'. |
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| December 25, 2006 |
| Coaches like players who can create a shooting situation for themselves. It
makes their job easier. Taking offensive rebound and putting it back to the
board will make you shine, especially if one of your teammates made the bad shot
and YOU 'saved' the position. |
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| For previous weeks' Smart Player of the Week - see below.
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| December 17, 2006 |
Jeremy Crouch, Bradley.
Although Bradley made the sweet-16 last year,
every time a MVC team is going against a Big 12 team on the road, we tend to
think that the Big 12 is going to win the match. But when I looked at the stats
of the teams before the game, and I saw that Bradley had 18.7 AST per game while
Iowa St. had only 12.6 - I knew this game is going to be interesting.
Specifically, I was curious to see Jeremy Crouch's performance. Last year the
junior from Illinois had only 4.6 PT per game and 21% from the 3pt range while
this year he moved to 16.3 PT with 63.2% from behind the ark (leading the
country!).
Bradley controlled the game from the start and all the attempts
of Iowa St. to get close didn't help. Eight minutes to the end of the game, Iowa
St. made another run at Bradley, this time cutting the lead to 5 PT. Bradley had
the ball and ran a play to Crunch who was 1 of 7 for 3pt at the time. Then
Crunch made the best play of the game, as I see it. He was wide open to take
another shot for 3, but since he was 1-7, he knew that if he misses again this
will give Iowa St a big momentum. So instead of taking the shot he pumped fake
and drove inside. Then, he passed the ball to the open man for an easy two. This
play stopped Iowa St. charge and later on brought the win for Bradley.
Although Will Franklin had a great game with 26 PT, Jeremy Crouch receives
my 'Smart Player of the Week' award. |
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| December 18, 2006 |
| Know what you can do and what you can not do on the court. The number one
reason for players to sit on the bench is trying to do things on the court they
can't. Take only shots you can make. |
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| For previous weeks' Smart Player of the Week - see below.
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| December 11, 2006 |
Jay Tunnell, Indiana
State.
Basketball is a game of Guards; they hold the ball most of the
time and hence, make most of the decisions. The Guards make the right decisions
and the wrong ones. When a big man can help passing the ball and create for his
team, he becomes much more valuable and the team becomes much more dangerous.
Jay Tunnell scored last week against Ball State 20 PT and had 12 REB. He had a
great game, but the team lost to Ball State, a team with a 1-5 record. Against
Butler (9-0 at the time) Tunnell scored only 9 PT and grabbed 7 REB, but the
team won. The difference was that Tunnell also had 5 AST. I love Centers who can
pass. It opens the lane. It creates a lot of opportunities for the guards, and
it change the way big guys defend. When playing against a Center who can pass,
Centers need to press the ball on the perimeter - a place they are not used to
be. This gives the team a huge advantage, and eventually the win. Gabriel Moore
scored 24 PT in Indiana State upset over Butler, but scoring a lot of point
doesn’t necessarily win games. Playing together and passing the ball - does.
This is why Jay Tunnell is the IntelliGym™ 'Smart Player of the Week'. |
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| December 12, 2006 |
| Take better shots! How? It's very simple. Don't shoot when you want to -
shoot when your team needs you to. Then if you miss, it's part of the game and
no coach will send you to the bench. |
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| For previous weeks' Smart Player of the Week - see below.
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| December 3, 2006 |
Derek Raivio, Gonzaga.
Texas didn't have a chance beating Gonzaga. Why?
Because they forced shots, as simple as that. During the first half both
coaches, Mark Few and Rick Barnes, tried the zone, the deference was simple, the
young (and wild) team from Texas forced their shots, player didn’t think before
they shot, they were open and they shot the ball. The problem with taking those
shots is that this is exactly what the defense wants… on the other hand Gonzaga
led by Derek Raivio played smart, they were patient; they passed the ball and
waited to the right moment, to an open shot that they wanted to take, not a shot
that the defense gave them. The shot selection of the team was so unbelievable.
All the players knew the shot is coming and all were ready to go back on
defense. Raivio was the main executer and the reason the team executed the
offense in a perfect way. All Mark Few guys deserve the credit (and of course
coach Few) for a great Smart game that gave them a tough on-the-road win. Raivio
seven out of 14 3pt shots were great. Why? Because all of his shots were a part
of the team game, all of his shots were a part of the coach game plan. That is
why Derek Raivio receives our IntelliGym™ 'Smart player of the week' award.
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| December 4, 2006 |
| Coaches like to play effective players. Becoming more effective does not
mean that you should score more, it means you should help your teammates score
more. |
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| November 26, 2006 |
A.J. Graves, Butler.
This week the choice was simple. When a player is
the leading scorer of his team with 18.2 PT, it's easy not to pay attention to
his other contributions and by that I mean, 2.9 AST and 1.9 ST with only 1.3 TO.
When you add the attention of Butler's opponents every time Graves gets the
ball, you see his huge contribution to his team. Then you add wins over Indiana,
Notre Dame, Tennessee and Gonzaga… A.J. Graves is the IntelliGym™ 'Smart player
of the week'. |
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| November 26, 2006 |
| Want to make the team? Watch your favorite team, but do not focus on their
shots or dunks. Pay attention to the small things, watch how they pass the ball,
defend their men, box out etc. The small things are what makes the players
better. |
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| For previous weeks' Smart Player of the Week - see below.
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| November 22, 2006 |
Sean Singletary, Virginia.
This week, the IntelliGym™ 'smart player of the
week' title goes to Sean Singletary, the junior guard from Virginia. Sean
started the season in full speed; the summer vacation did not slow him down, he
looked sharp and in focus as if it is mid-March. His performance in the Arizona
upset was outstanding, 25 PT is OK, but the 6 AST and only 1 TO make his
performance GREAT. Then, during the same week, although playing on an easier
schedule, he kept his 7 AST per game rhythm with only 1.8 TO, that performance
has earned him the IntelliGym™ 'Smart Player of the Week' title. |
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| November 22, 2006 |
| Smart players learn how to use their body to protect the ball whenever
possible. Your body should be between the defender and the ball. Less TO's equal
more playing time. It is as simple as that. |
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