The Hoyas’ recent performances against UConn and Butler were filled with familiar defensive miscues and mental lapses that have cost them throughout the first half of the season. From leaving matchups open in transition to giving up numerous second chance opportunities, changes need to take place, and quickly. On the positive side, improvements can be made with greater effort, focus, and attention to detail. Hopefully, the wins will follow.
Example 1: Stagger ball screen
Dante Harris gets beat off the bounce and receives no help. Collin Holloway and Jalin Billingsley are both out of position and give minimal help to cut off the ball handler and recover to their matchup. Instead, they allow the ball handler to drive right past. Aminu Mohammed is three steps late to help side with both feet outside of the lane as the driver is attacking the hoop. The Hoyas have the length and athleticism to compete on the defensive end at a much higher level than they are in this clip. They must move in unison and constantly be making the extra effort to help each other out. In this scenario, Mohammed must be standing directly in the middle of the paint, willing to stand in and take a charge or force a pass to the perimeter.
Example 2: Not matched up
The Hoyas have struggled tremendously in transition defense this season, seemingly forgetting where their opponents are on the court. In this clip, Billingsley makes a costly mistake by turning his back to a wide open player on the three-point line, looking to trap the ball handler in the paint. When the nearest defender is 15 feet from an open three-point shooter, you’re asking for trouble. This can’t happen, especially during a three point game in the second half. Each defender has to have their eyes on their matchup and the ball handler at all times. With Billingsley facing away from his matchup, he loses track of him leading to an open shot attempt. On the bright side, these are lapses that can be easily corrected when watching the postgame film. Look for the Hoyas to make these adjustments in the upcoming games.
Offensive Rebounding
Too many times this season, the Hoyas have failed to box out. During the UConn and Butler contests last week, offensive rebounds were detrimental to Hoyas’ chances of winning. Without boxing out, rebounding is a significant challenge. In fact, in the clip above the only player boxing out is a member of the offensive Butler Bulldogs. Georgetown has given up 44 offensive rebounds in the last three games, a recipe for disaster.
Transition Defense
A lack of communication will hurt any team, especially a young team made up of new players who haven’t played many games with each other. Kaiden Rice gets caught in no man’s land looking for his matchup. He fails to communicate with his teammates and is standing on the opposite wing as his matchup. Mistakes that lead to open looks in transition are hard to overcome down the stretch on the road. Rice needs to be eyeing down his opponent, tracking him as he’s making his way down the court.
Takeaways
Last week proved that while Georgetown is far away from contending for a conference title, they have the potential to consistently compete with the best in the Big East. With minor changes and tweaks on the defensive side of the ball, they should be in games down the stretch. Communication, positioning, and boxing out are controllable and can be improved significantly. The coming weeks will be vital in determining what this Georgetown team really is. With a desire to change and adapt, Georgetown should be able to win games in the Big East.
