Game thread - ODU @RC Sat 12/6 at 12:30PM USA

[SpiderRick]

I am giving Player of the Game to Mike Walz. Good effort and aggression all game. Battled on defense and for rebounds. Attacked the basket. Very good game.

He plays so much better when he's aggressive, I wish he was more consistent with his scoring. Too often he is near or under the basket and passes it out without even looking at the basket. Go strong young man you're 6'11", slam that rock home!

 

[RichmondNative]

Too often he is near or under the basket and passes it out without even looking at the basket. Go strong young man you're 6'11", slam that rock home!

Yell at the TV and at RC all the time to take it to the hoop. Has to be my most frequent comment.

 

[vt4700]

So this isn’t a hill I’m going to die on, but why in the world would you not start out with your strongest five? Literally makes no sense.

We are winning, so maybe there is a reluctance to change things yet

 

[Spiderguy]

He plays so much better when he's aggressive, I wish he was more consistent with his scoring. Too often he is near or under the basket and passes it out without even looking at the basket. Go strong young man you're 6'11", slam that rock home!

Some of us have been screaming for 2 years for Waltz to do this and play like he did against ODU. He has it in him. On balance, I don't think it's a game to game thing how he plays. We need him to be consistently aggressive. It can't be a once in a few games thing. He has it in him & will be needed once we hit A10 play.

 

[KE Spider]

Shouldn't the need for aggressiveness been addressed by the coaching staff by now? He has been in the program for four years.

 

[Urmite]

So this isn’t a hill I’m going to die on, but why in the world would you not start out with your strongest five? Literally makes no sense.

Not sure this applies with this group…but a stabilizing group could be helpful at the start.

 

[Fatherspider]

2024–25: lost at Charlotte, Bucknell, Auburn, and W&M
2023–24: lost at BC, Wichita, and UNI
2022–23: lost at Charleston, Toledo, and W&M
December 5, 2021: win at UNI

And not too many road games.

 

[sman]

Walz has a great game and the board criticizes him for not doing it every night. he was great. but I think it was more of a coaching decision than Mike playing different.

almost all of his baskets came on pick and rolls. he didn't take one 3. have we ever pick and rolled that much in a game? coaches must have seen something they liked there for this game. hopefully they go back to it. we have two big strong guys to pick with. it's tough to handle. make teams stop it.

 

[32REDIPS]

Walz has a great game and the board criticizes him for not doing it every night. he was great. but I think it was more of a coaching decision than Mike playing different.

almost all of his baskets came on pick and rolls. he didn't take one 3. have we ever pick and rolled that much in a game? coaches must have seen something they liked there for this game. hopefully they go back to it. we have two big strong guys to pick with. it's tough to handle. make teams stop it.

On the heels of us hitting 14 3s vs, Belmont, ODU hedged the ball screen more towards to the shooters than Walz. That left the curl pass open. If you listened to the post game, Coach discussed this. At the same time, in the ODU game, the guards did a much better job throwing the ball into the post vs. other games, when he (along w/ Beagle) were open. If they don't get it, the cut to anothe spot on the court (usually toward top of key). Walz will never be a shot hunter like G Golden, but he needs to do all 3 (inside, 3 pt and passing) for us to be at our best on offense.

 

[97spiderfan]

To me with Walz it is 2 things that interact with one another that leads to some games where we see a really dominant aggressive Walz and other games where he is not nearly as much of a factor.

1. His aggression. Twice early in ODU game he got a rebound under the basket and had he just turned around he would have had an easy lay-up or dunk but he has been so conditioned to pass that he didn't even turnaround and take the easy points. As the game progressed though, Walz felt correctly that he had an advantage over the ODU bigs and then he dominated.
2. Our offensive system: Once we realized Walz had an advantage, we got him down on the block more versus where he normally sits in our offense at the top of 3 point line with his back to the ball. Mooney wants Walz to be Grant Golden, a facilitating big.

These 2 things interact with each other extensively. Yes, the coaches should tell Walz to be more aggressive but if there system puts him more frequently 30 feet from the basket, you really don't want him being aggressive out there. And yes, Walz just needs to be more assertive when he is on the blocks and try and bully ball himself for easy buckets.

If I were the coaches, I would run a few more post-ups plays for Walz to try to get him in the right frame of mind earlier in the game. This is also dependent on opponent and who would be guarding Walz down low. Walz does better with bigger, slower big men, than undersized quicker big men has been my observation of him.

 

[fan2011]

Walz has a great game and the board criticizes him for not doing it every night. he was great. but I think it was more of a coaching decision than Mike playing different.

almost all of his baskets came on pick and rolls. he didn't take one 3. have we ever pick and rolled that much in a game? coaches must have seen something they liked there for this game. hopefully they go back to it. we have two big strong guys to pick with. it's tough to handle. make teams stop it.

Johnston is a decent facilitator, helps get these types of buckets for both Walz and Beagle. Something we were missing last year.

 

[sman]

To me with Walz it is 2 things that interact with one another that leads to some games where we see a really dominant aggressive Walz and other games where he is not nearly as much of a factor.

1. His aggression. Twice early in ODU game he got a rebound under the basket and had he just turned around he would have had an easy lay-up or dunk but he has been so conditioned to pass that he didn't even turnaround and take the easy points. As the game progressed though, Walz felt correctly that he had an advantage over the ODU bigs and then he dominated.
2. Our offensive system: Once we realized Walz had an advantage, we got him down on the block more versus where he normally sits in our offense at the top of 3 point line with his back to the ball. Mooney wants Walz to be Grant Golden, a facilitating big.

I'm missing one of his buckets from the highlights, but ...
1st bucket of the game, Johnston to Walz pick and roll from the top of the key.
later AP to Walz pick and roll from the 3 point line.
then D Thomas to Walz pick and roll from the same spot.
2nd half ... Johnston to Walz pick and roll from the 3 point line.
the another Johnston to Walz pick and roll from the 3 point line.

that's 5 buckets, all pick and rolls from up high to the rim. none on post ups.

late, finally he gets the ball on the block and makes a power move ... also at the rim.
on the 7th bucket shown he gets the ball on the block and makes the turn around baseline fade away jumper which posters here don't like.
if anyone remembers the 8th bucket, please share. also, if anyone remembers his 4 misses.
(edit: think I remember him hitting an elbow jumper???)

 

[*23*]

makes the turn around baseline fade away jumper which posters here don't like.

Brrrrr
That was just me who said that. And yes when he plays incredibly soft I think it is a bad shot. Not bad on this game because he was being aggressive and seeing the ball go through the hoop. Like I said very good game.

When he is in high post only - like several games this season - that is when he forces passes and it seems to impact his rebounding and aggression. Like u said, may just be a coaching adjustment for this game, but id rather see him rolling and rebounding then facing away from the basket 25 feet away.

 

[sman]

I haven't noticed him rolling to the rim so much before this, but maybe it just stood out because we got him the ball on the roll ... based on the defense as 32REDIPS pointed out.

if the next team defends the roll and not the wing, it's likely we'll see Walz back to taking 5 shots all game. really not because he's doing anything different though.

 

[97spiderfan]

I'm missing one of his buckets from the highlights, but ...
1st bucket of the game, Johnston to Walz pick and roll from the top of the key.
later AP to Walz pick and roll from the 3 point line.
then D Thomas to Walz pick and roll from the same spot.
2nd half ... Johnston to Walz pick and roll from the 3 point line.
the another Johnston to Walz pick and roll from the 3 point line.

that's 5 buckets, all pick and rolls from up high to the rim. none on post ups.

late, finally he gets the ball on the block and makes a power move ... also at the rim.
on the 7th bucket shown he gets the ball on the block and makes the turn around baseline fade away jumper which posters here don't like.
if anyone remembers the 8th bucket, please share. also, if anyone remembers his 4 misses.
(edit: think I remember him hitting an elbow jumper???)

Thanks S-man. He did nail an elbow jumper that was pretty much the same shot he missed at the end of the Elon game. Would have preferred he missed that one and made the one prior.

 

[Urmite]

Thanks S-man. He did nail an elbow jumper that was pretty much the same shot he missed at the end of the Elon game. Would have preferred he missed that one and made the one prior.

Furman?