stlawus, Saint of Old, kevdog: This is all super. Thanks, SLU crew! Here's hoping for a great season in Canton!

stlawus: Thanks for your recent updates. I always appreciate how plugged in you are to both the soccer and hoops worlds! Since you referred to tactics in a recent message, I'll try to ask a few things I've wondered about for a while.

What's a typical practice like for a team that plays possession? What's the most common—or most useful?—drill that a possession team does during the week, and how does it enforce their style? The obvious follow-up, of course, is about a team that plays more directly. What are they doing at their practices? How do they develop their habits? I realize there are countless approaches to training, and the St. Lawrence version might be similar to the Hobart version to the RPI version, but I guess the thrust of my question is: how do teams implement a possesion approach at practice every day? And how does that evolve between late August and late October?

(Saint of Old: I'm especially curious about your thoughts here. You and I were on campus the same four years and even spent some time in the same circles; you with the soccer guys, me with the basketball guys. Fish was our mutual acquaintance  )

Over the years, I've watched lots of Saints' games and notice their style. They string together plenty of passes, and sometimes I cringe when that slow-roller is headed to a back or the GK. They also build some lovely sequences, and every season, some of their goals are really impressive. But their opponents are no slouches, and even the prototypical example—someone like Amherst—imposes plenty of possession on their opponent (right?), though it might not look quite as...polished? Is that the correct word?

So I'm guessing this next question has a subjective answer, but how does a serious fan classify a team? Is it just the Eye Test? Do you watch enough games and get a sense for a style of play? There's no metric for this distinction, right? None of this is meant to doubt or second-guess. I'm just genuinely curious!

Finally, how do coaches recruit for their tactical preferences? Do possession coaches only recruit from possession clubs and HSs? Or do coaches go in search of skill, fitness, and athleticism and trust that they can mold the player to fit the tactics?

Thanks!

Hi stlawus. I think you're dwelling on the 3s this season, and the zone defense isn't the only story for the Saints. Yes, they've given up a lot of 3s. But look at tonight's box score: SLU turned the ball over 20 times to Clarkson's 7. That's 13 extra possessions in a three-point game! (And 12 total since SLU had one more OREB than Clarkson.) Through 7 games, the biggest problems for SLU are their turnovers, their negative OREB margin, and their FT shooting. The truth is even after tonight, the Saints shoot it at a better clip than their opponents, both from 2FG and 3FG (and thus defend at a better rate, too). But they've taken *way* fewer total shots because they're getting out-rebounded--those early injuries hurt--and they're turning the ball over. Between OREBs and TOs, they've given their opponents 76 (!) extra possessions through seven games. They've shot worse from the FT line, too. Against Plattsburgh, they missed 9 FTs and lost by 5. Ouch.

Not sure what the reasons are, but after two months of practice, the Saints' staff has chosen zone for a reason. Isn't it possible they'd have a harder time matching up? I do think the 3 has become so integral to the game that most teams can knock down a bunch on any given night; in fact tonight, if Clarkson had made 13, the Saints would have won. But would 13 be an acceptable number? You claim that an average of 13 is too high. The problem isn't only the 3s but rather the extra possessions that lead to the 3s. 

Back in 2016-2017, when the Saints won 20 games, six of those wins came in games where they gave up 10 or more 3s to the opponent. Across those six games, they committed 15 fewer turnovers while surrendering 12 extra offensive rebounds. They won all six games with only three extra possessions. This season, through seven games, they've allowed 76 extra possessions and lost six of those games. Sounds about right. And to be honest, I don't remember if that group a few years back played mostly zone or man. But they were solid four-year players who took care of the ball on offense and could probably defend well in either system. 

I think we're seeing a young team trying to find its way. Every single minute of the season has been played by FR, SO, or JR players. They've been in six of seven games, and after the Oswego win, there was no doubt these guys can both play well and grind with good teams. Maybe they don't need to do it differently; maybe they just need to do it better. We'll see.

Go Saints!