Coach Tony Bennett and his Washington State basketball staff have had time to review the game film from their Pac-10 opener with the UW Huskies. The films offered a combination of how to get things done and how things can get away.
It's the latter issue Coach Bennett will focus on after his team suffered a 68-48 loss this past Saturday.
There's little to question about the Cougs in terms of talent. The roster is stocked with the talent needed to win in the Pac-10 and make a deep run into the NCAA tournament.
When it comes to conference play, it takes more than raw talent, though. Suddenly, the Cougs are finding that success isn't coming easy this year.
"The big difference is we don't have the same guys as last year who can create for themselves," said Caleb Forrest, senior WSU forward/center. "We have to start to do things together more as a team, and I don't think we've done that as well as we're capable of yet."
Forrest knows the answer to why it's been a rough ride for WSU when playing tough competition. Forrest understands that if he and his mates play 40 minutes of Bennett Ball, they are likely to earn a victory.
As the Cougs work in practice this week, their focus will be on execution of their offense. That sounds pretty simple, but only becomes reality through hard work.
The talent and skills of the young guns on this team will only result in victory when they act and react instinctively. That is going to happen with this group, no question about it. However, it's going to take mental toughness to maintain the necessary focus to execute at both ends of the court.
"Whether it's at the end of the game or the start of the second half, when those bad stretches come, it's kind of like when it rains it pours," Bennett said.
"A lot of things go wrong, it isn't just a quick shot or a missed shot or a turnover, offensive rebounds. That's tough that we're not capable of sometimes withstanding those kinds of runs when teams put them against us. That's hard.''
Learning Bennett Ball is almost like riding a bike. First, you need help getting the feel of balancing. Your coach will hold you up while you are tentatively pedaling.
After shaking and wobbling, you head off on your own only to discover that stopping the bike is the real trick. Soon, you're on your own following a series of skinned knees and elbows. One day, riding with no hands will seem simple.
The point being made here is that the hard work put in by the Cougar young guns has them looking for a lot of bandages. In time, they will find that playing Bennett Ball is as natural as riding a bike with no hands.
Seriously.
9 comments Last one added 6 months ago — Leave a Comment
Richard DeLancey 6 months ago
I'm not sure Washington State has the guns to get to the big dance this year.
They were picked in the latter half of the pre-season poll.
Losses to Pitt, Gonzaga, Baylor and LSU haven't helped their cause.
I hope I'm wrong but I just don't see it... Nice profile on the team..excellent work as always.
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Lew Wright 6 months ago
Hey Richard,
There's a strong case for you to doubt WSU will make it to the tournament this year. A lot of youth leads to unpredictable play. Anything can happen. That's a part of what makes the college game so great.
Lew
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West Coast Bias 6 months ago
But as all us Pac 10 fans know, you don't find out a lot about your team until conference play.
I'm really interested to see how my Bears play against WSU after showing a lot of promise this past week. From what I've heard, Washington State indeed does have a lot of talent, so maybe they have a season similar to Oregon State in football. Start off slow in non-conference, then pick it up later. We'll see. Good post.
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Lew Wright 6 months ago
Hey Eric,
Anyone who doesn't think the Bears are going to play sound basketball as long as Coach Montgomery is at the helm is crazy. What a great get for Cal! Considering what he was able to do at Stanford, the program at Cal will likely be all that and more in the coming years.
Lew
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Nathan Brown 6 months ago
Washington State has a very methodical and pain-stakingly slow offensive set that is exhausting for opposing defenses. But unfortunately, the Cougars lost too much fire power (Lowe, Weaver, and Cowgill) after last season to be a force in the PAC-10.
Sure they've got the ever-reliable Taylor Rochestie, the surprising Harmeling, and Aron Baynes has stepped up this year as well. But Baynes doesn't touch Cowgill, and Klay Thompson isn't remotely close to Lowe at this point in his career. Lowe was great because he was experienced and smart. Give Thompson a few years of experience and he'll be a great player, but for now he lacks the intelligence to make him a great player.
Perhaps the biggest problem for Washington State is the loss of Weaver. Simply because they have no replacement for him. Weaver was an athletic and energitic player who hustled on every play. His athleticism and play making abilities frequently ignited the Cougars, and a momentum shift often followed shortly there after. WSU doesn't have a single player like Weaver on their roster this year, and because of that they likely won't be competing for the PAC-10 Title or a NCAA Tournament bid.
For my PAC-10 Power Rankings and to see who I believe will be fighting UCLA for the PAC-10 crown check out my blog.
http://sportscapsule.wordpress.com/2009/01/06/pac-10-power-rankings/
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Lew Wright 6 months ago
Hey Nathan,
Weaver was a one-of-a-kind player. You don't replace him. Anyone who thinks that should happen better get over it.
Have to take exception with your comparison between Lowe and Thompson. Both are heady players. A review of the record will reveal that Thompson is not only comparable offensively, his upside will prove to him to be the better all-around player. His size and athleticism make him a much better 2 than Lowe...and don't get me wrong, Lowe is one of my all-time Cougs.
Unless the unexpected happens, you're right about the likelihood of this team making it back to the dance. They will probably head to the NIT. Then again, there's plenty of basketball to be played between now and then.
Lew
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Nathan Brown 6 months ago
Lew - I do believe that Thompson has the attributes to become better than Lowe. However, because Bennett's system focuses on being deliberate and making the intelligent plays to exploit defensive lapses and mistakes, it requires experience and a tremendously smart group of players to make it work.
Lowe was a four-year senior under the Bennett's and was very sure handed and smart. He knew what the game situation and defenses called for. He knew when to drive, shoot, pass, or just hang on to the ball. That's the defining difference between Lowe and Thompson at this point, and because of the system and experience factors I believe that Lowe's void has yet to be filled. I think Thompson will close that gap constantly with each game, but I don't see him making up the entire difference this year.
Being a UA fan, I love the uptempo game and it always drives me nuts when WSU takes the floor against Arizona. When I've watched WSU play someone else, however, I have a great appreciation for their style of play. It creates a lot of problems for teams that are inexperienced or have holes on the defensive end. In a sense it's like trickling water over a glass sheet and looking for a leak. If you are diligent enough you will always find the hole.
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Lew Wright 6 months ago
Nice analogy Nathan. Thought you were comparing the two as freshman, not Lowe after four years and Thompson this season. My bad.
Though Coach Bennett will never go completely uptempo, as the new crop of young guns get the feel for DI basketball, they will take better shots earlier in the clock. For now it's a matter of learning and confidence. He's had to play slow to compensate for the reality that his kids were less athletic than the opposition. That's changing.
WSU will never play Wildcat ball, but they might edge more toward the UCLA style of offense. The evolution of DeAngelo Casto will dictate when that transition is apparent.
Can't believe the start the 'Cats are off to, can you?
Lew
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Nathan Brown 6 months ago
Lew - I'm not utterly shocked by anything except the upset over Gonzaga and the loss to Stanford.
Arizona has a better unit as a whole than they did last year, and the coaching staff is looking to the players strengths rather than their strengths as coaches when determining the offensive and defensive sets that they use. The result of it has been more fast breaks, less foul trouble for Jordan Hill, and the development of Jamelle Horne and Kyle Fogg - please don't remind me of the UAB game, but look at how hard these two kids play and how well they've done since.
A lot of fans and media are reading too much into the sweep in the Bay Area, and claiming it as the edge of the cliff that Arizona is about to fall off of. So long as Budinger can't break out of this ridiculous shooting slump he's in, and become an encourager to the underclassmen again they should be fine.
There is no doubt that the 'Cats have dark days ahead, but I don't suspect that those will come until they finish up in the NCAA Tournament or the NIT (hopefully the former).
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