BYU-UNLV: Rebels Scouting Report

This is a big game for the Cougars tonight because UNLV was picked to win the league, and a big game for me personally; living in Las Vegas right now, there’s no team I like to beat more than UNLV! Go Cougs! By the way, if the MWC tournament was in Provo, we’d win the thing every year too.

Scouting Report

Wink Adams No. 3

This is UNLV’s star guard and best player. We need to get to him on the three-point line, then control his penetration and make him hit difficult shots. He goes left to pull up and shoot and goes right to get to the rack. Don’t foul him! 13.3 PPG, 4 reb, 3 asst

Tre’Von Willis No. 11

Good athletic guard who transferred from Memphis. Keep him out of the lane and make him shoot contested shots, and we’ll be fine. Similar to Wink Adams, don’t foul him when he drives; make him shoot over the top and make shots. 11 PPG, 3 asst

René Rougeau No. 24

Engine of the team, their leader. KEEP HIM OFF THE OFFENSIVE GLASS! He loves to roam around and get his hands on a lot of balls, very active. Limit his catches, keep him out of the paint on penetration. Loves 15 ft. pull-up going left. 12 PPG, 8 reb

Joe Darger No. 45

NO OPEN THREES! Don’t help off him and make him drive. Catch and shoot player. 9.4 PPG, 4 Reb

Darris Santee No. 44

No low post catches; push him away from the basket to 12-15 feet and he can’t score. No offensive rebounds; keep him off of the glass. 7.3 PPG, 4 Reb

Bench

Oscar Bellfield: Play off of him and make him shoot; he wants to get right to the rim. If he hits his first couple, then get on him tighter.

Kendall Wallace: Good shooter, no help off of him.

X's and O’s

We will be guarding ballscreens all day and must do a good job of this if we want to win the game. There are four ways to guard this, and how we guard it is determined by the player coming off of the ballscreen and who’s guarding it, as well as the screener.

1) Trap until the pass: When the guard comes off of the ballscreen, the player guarding him and the player guarding the screener trap the player hard until he passes.

Why you’d do it: You have an extremely quick guard coming off a ballscreen; he’s a good scorer, but he’s not a good passer. The guy setting the screen is not a great player. You trap hoping to get a turnover forced or to ensure the guy coming off the screen doesn’t kill you.

2) Go under it: Easiest way to guard it because the post man is staying on his guy; the guard just slides under the ballscreen and cuts off penetration.

Why you’d do it: You have a guard coming off the ballscreen who’s not a great shooter or prefers to penetrate.

3) Go over it: No help from the post who’s guarding the man setting the screen; the guard has to get over the top.

Why you’d do it: You have a great defender who is strong enough to get over the top of the screen and stop penetration and defend the jumpshot, all without help from a post stepping out. This is hard to do if a good screen is set and the guard comes right off it rubbing shoulders. Mike Hall was the only one who could do this I’ve ever seen. You’d also do it if there’s a good post player rolling after he screens.

4) “Red” two dribbles: Stay with the guard coming off the screen for two dribbles so he can’t turn the corner before scrambling back to our men.

Why you’d do it: This is the way we usually guard ballscreens. It’s kind of a combination...so you stop the guard’s shot, his penetration, and then get back to your man. It’s difficult because it creates a scramble mode as people struggle to get back to their men and the other post or the weakside guard help on the screening post rolling down the lane while the post and guard are “redding” the man for two dribbles.

We will “red” Wink Adams and Willis and probably go under on Bellfield.