SB Nation - Nikola Koprivica

Washington State 75, Air Force 68

Grady. — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 07:29:35 -0000

Once again, we make things interesting late in the second half by letting an opponent creep back in the game via turnovers and sloppy defense.

I was hard at work (hardly working?) today so I don't have a lot of thoughts to provide. I did get to hear some of the radio broadcast, but I'll leave it to you in the CougCenter comment army to provide some insights of your own. Likes? Dislikes? Frustrations? Exuberance? A win is still a win.

Player of the Game: Reggie Moore. 16 points (4/6, 1/3 3pt, 7/7 FTs), 10 freaking assists, 2 boards and only 3 turnovers. A double double for the talented freshman. I miss Tony Bennett a whole lot less when I remember Reggie wouldn't be on this team if he was still here.

Unsung Hero: Nikola Koprivica. 8 points (3/7, 2/3 FTs) and 11 rebounds. Wait, what? 11 rebounds. That can't be right. Nik. 11 rebounds. It's not a typo. I'm in shock. Maybe this performance explains Bone's irrational hatred of Abe Lodwick, who started again but only received 7 minutes because... who knows? Turnover issues, maybe? Also, this game saw 20+ minutes given to Koprivica, Harthun and Enquist. I'm really only OK with Nik getting that kind of PT, what with being our sixth man and only senior and all. However, I'm still excited to see Harthun get some shots down and get some significant game experience. But hey, 14 minutes for Brock Motum! That's what I'm talkin' bout.

It was over when... Klay drained a three to make it 74-64 with 31 seconds remaining.

Stat of the Game: The Cougs held the Falcons to 22.7% three-point shooting. Not bad considering that was a huge issue for us earlier this season.

What we learned last night

Nuss — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:08:31 -0000

More photos » by Rajah Bose - AP

Boy are we glad this guy's calling the shots for us.

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Follow us on Twitter @CougCenter and me @NussCoug!

We all had the sneaking suspicion that last night's game at the crucible of K2 would tell us a lot about the Cougs after they more or less stomped lesser competition for the first six games in what looks like a masterful bit of scheduling -- three cupcakes at home, a game against a lesser opponent on the road, a game against a lesser opponent on a neutral site, and finally a game against a little bit better (but still overmatched) opponent on a neutral floor.

Well, the game delivered as promised. We learned a heck of a lot last night -- most of it positive. Buckle up, because I've got a lot of stuff floating around in my head.

Gonzaga is exactly who we thought they were. I'm not going to talk a whole lot about the Bulldogs, because you know where you can go to get that stuff. But it's important to note because all of the rest of the analysis of the Cougs has to be put in the context of Gonzaga being a pretty darn good team -- especially defensively.

It might have taken 32 minutes for them to show up, but there is no question this is the best defensive Gonzaga team I've seen since I've paid attention to them. They've had good statistical defensive teams in the past, but that was built mostly on overwhelming physically overmatched WCC opponents. When it came time to play the big boys, they got torched. Those teams just didn't pass the eye test. This team passes the eye test.

However, if I was a Gonzaga fan, I might be just a tad bit worried about my offense. Without a reliable trigger man at the point -- a signature of Bulldog basketball over the years -- they look like they might struggle from time to time on that end.

Now, on to the Cougs.

This Cougar team is clearly -- CLEARLY -- better off with Ken Bone as coach than Tony Bennett right now. When the Cougars' offense is rolling, as it was in the first half last night, it's truly a sight to behold. The Cougs only finished with a 95.7 offensive rating, but you can largely chalk that up to scoring just six points over the final nine-plus minutes (minus the meaningless 3-pointer at the buzzer. Quick math tells us that the team's efficiency probably was around 110 up until that point. That's awesome against a team like Gonzaga.

But can you imagine what this team would look like if Bennett were still coach? Walking it up the floor, awkward half court sets, everyone hesitating to shoot lest you find yourself right back on the bench? Offensive efficiencies hovering around 100 every night? Yeah, me neither.

With Bennett, we'd be talking about these guys being good in two years when they're seniors and juniors -- you know, when they've finally got Bennett ball "down." With Bone, we've got a team that's explosive on offense and is getting better every game on defense. Additionally, I think it's already becoming obvious that Bone is Bennett's superior as a game coach. At some point this year, we'll be talking about how the Cougs got a win thanks to some shrewd game plan or in-game decision from Bone. It almost happened last night.

When the year started, I was hesitant about Bone Ball -- felt like we were just too loose and undisciplined on both ends of the floor -- but I get more excited with each passing game. They're improving rapidly, and he's getting these guys to play to their strengths. I'm not going to make any bold pronounciations about whether he'll be better long term than Bennett would have been. But right now? I'm soooooo happy he's our coach.

The defense still needs some work. The Cougs are still having difficulty finding shooters in the open floor. In general, they did a better job fighting through screens -- although, as noted by some of our commenters, their technique could be better at times -- but they're still just too slow closing out on shooters. There's no reason why an average 3-point shooter should be able to get as many open looks as Matt Bouldin got. But they are making strides. Holding Gonzaga to around a 102 efficiency is nothing to sneeze at. These guys are getting incrementally better.

This team is just one legitimate big man away from being very, very good. That would be great news, if this team had a legitimate big man hanging out somewhere, either on the bench or waiting in the wings for next year. But since we don't, we're just going to have to be content with being pretty good this year, and pray to whatever god you believe in that Ken Bone can dig up a big man for next year's team.

Being loaded at guard can only take you so far if you don't have a frontcourt to do some of the dirty work. Yeah, we were able to run out to a big lead last night while generating turnovers and picking up a pile of loose-ball rebounds thanks to our guards crashing down on the boards. But when the game slowed down and Gonzaga started to get the ball to Elias Harris -- who is going to be an absolute beast when he learns to play hard for 40 minutes -- and decided to really crash the boards, the Cougs were pretty much powerless to stop them. It's going to be a point of frustration all year, and we've got to hope that our guards can make the difference more nights than not.

Honestly, the more I think about it, the more irritated I get that we don't have another quality big man on the roster. For all of the great things Tony Bennett did for this program, his infatuation with recruiting guards has left us in this untenable position.

Here is a list of frontcourt Bennett landed since 2007 (height/weight when recruited): Charlie Enquist (6-10/190), Fabian Boeke (6-10/225), James Watson (6-7/205), DeAngelo Casto (6-8/240), Brock Motum (6-9/215). He signed just five frontcourt players in three years, only one of which could be considered a legitimate Pac-10 big man. Sure, people thought Boeke would be around, but I think the fact that Casto more or less fell into his lap during the late signing period after qualifying at the 11th hour in 2008 more than makes up for that.

I know big men don't grow on trees, and I'm thankful for some of the guards he brought in. But it really was an inexcusable fail in recruiting that Bone and his players are paying for this year.

On a related note, Bone's got a heck of a dilemma on his hands at the 4 spot. Abe Lodwick has started every game at the 4; Nik Koprivica has been his primary relief. When Koprivica's in the game, the offense is better, as is the man-to-man defense. When Lodwick's in the game, the rebounding is better -- he's putting up better rebounding numbers in these seven games than Caleb Forrest did all of last year.

Last night, Bone elected to roll with Koprivica virtually the entire second half, probably the only decision all night I'm not sure I agreed with. We were getting killed so badly on the boards, and it sure seemed like we could have used Abe in there. Yet, Bone elected to stay with Koprivica. He seems to not want to play these two guys on the floor at the same time, so it's going to be interesting to see how he manages these two guys.

This team will be better off for having lost that game than they would have been had they won with Klay bailing them out again. Of course, nobody ever wants to lose. But sometimes you learn things in losing that you don't learn in winning. Both Reggie Moore and Marcus Capers said the Cougs didn't finish the game strong after racing out to the big lead. That's the second time it's happened this year. Against EWU, they were bailed out by Klay Thompson. No such luck last night, with Klay being locked down by the Zags' defense.

If this game ends up teaching them how to keep their foot on the gas for 40 minutes, then it will have been worth it. How different might last night have been if they had kept up the intensity enough to take care of the basketball down the stretch and continue to aggressively drive into the lane? They would have won even without Klay, and that's what this team needs to learn.

Besides, if the Cougs are in the mix for a Tournament berth in March, this will hardly be considered a bad loss.

Klay Thompson is still very much a work in progress. We wondered what would happen when Klay finally played an opponent with the length and athleticism to bother his shot. We found out -- 6-of-21 shooting for an ineffective 15 points. Steven Gray was physical with him all night long, working to deny Klay the ball as much as possible. When he did get the ball, he could hardly get off a shot.

It was painfully clear last night that if this team wants Klay to continue to perform at a high level when they're playing a quality opponent, he's going to have to work harder to get open -- seriously, he should get some videos of Stephen Curry and study them -- and his teammates are going to have to be more in tune with getting him the ball in spots where he can score. Not that this is all bad; if there's one thing Klay has shown over the last two years, it's that he learns from game to game -- not month to month or year to year. Again, there's no doubt in my mind the Cougs will grow from this.

Truthfully, Gray is probably going to be one of the better defenders Klay sees this year. But if you were worried about Klay leaving at the end of the year, last night should make you feel a little better. If I'm an NBA GM watching last night's game, I'm thinking Klay's still got some work to do.

Lastly, Greg Heister and Craig Ehlo suck. More specifically, they suck at being objective. It's not that they necessarily call a bad game, it's just that they try to represent this total farce of a facade of objectivity. I mean, on one possession, it looked like there was a foul down low on a Gonzaga player and Heister said, "Was that a foul? It better be a foul!" He tried backtracking later, but why pretend? If FSN is going to go so cheap that they can't send one of their better (a relative term, I know) announcing teams to Spokane, then just be a homer. It's fine with me. But quit pretending.

Especially Ehlo. For goodness sakes, Craig -- we know you're a Zag now. We know that the only WSU player you really know anything about is Casto because he grew up in Spokane. We get it. You are a Spokane guy who's closer to the Gonzaga program. Fine. Just drop the pretenses, and say you don't follow the Cougs all that closely, OK? Because it's really obvious

Gonzaga 74, Washington State 69

Grady. — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:29:39 -0000

NCAA Basketball Stats

There's a reason I (usually) only use the final score as the title on my game recaps. Not because I'm boring, or can't think of a catchy title that would summarize the game in a few snappy words.

It's because it is what it is.

All that really matters in the end is the final score. It didn't matter if the Zags went on their run in the first five minutes or the last five. We knew they were too good a team not to have a stretch with momentum on their side. It was a matter of how we responded. Tonight, we didn't. In that event, it doesn't matter what the score was 10, 20 or even 30 minutes in. All that matters is the result.

What you saw tonight was a young team falling apart on the road against a veteran team. Of course the Zags are young at a couple spots, but we're young at every spot, minus Nikola Koprivica.

Ultimately, I think what really hurts about this loss is the brief glimpse of what this team could become. With Reggie Moore on the bench in foul trouble, and Klay not up to living up to his usual scoring prowess, this team dominated Gonzaga in the first half. Thames, Koprivica and Harthun played well off the bench. Casto and Lodwick controlled the interior. Scoring was balanced. Shots were in rhythm. The defense was taking away the three-point shot, for the most part.

But then we saw the ugly head of what this team really is, or at least has been up to this point. Horrific three-point defense. Rebounding issues. A lack of a reliable scorer outside of Klay and Reggie Moore. We also saw our inconsistencies: free throw shooting, turnovers and forced shots all in the final ten minutes. An inability to match the Zags' aggressiveness and ability to get to the foul line. 8 turnovers on 10 possessions is unacceptable; one of many lessons to be learned from this game. This was no longer a team hungry for an upset; it was a team trying to hang on. We did against Eastern because we were the better team; we didn't against Gonzaga because we aren't.

Still, try to see this for the whole picture, not the end of the second half. This was a five point loss to a great team, who is nearly unbeatable on their home floor (I know we debunked the Kennel myth a little bit earlier, but the fact is their dominance is due to the fact that so often they ARE the better team). And the Zags don't easily get upset. It hurts now, but next year when this team closes out a game just like this you can be thankful they had this kind of experience.

It is what it is. K-State next.

Player of the Game: DeAngelo Casto. 10 points, 10 boards, on 50% shooting with 3 blocks and 3 steals.

[I should also give some well-deserved respect to the Zags' Steven Gray, who did a phenomenal job defensively on Klay Thompson, especially late in the game.]

Unsung Hero: Xavier Thames. Did most of his damage in the first half, but still had 11 points on 3/5 shooting (including 3/3 from three-point range), 3 rebounds and an assist.

Play of the Game: I have to go with the Casto block that brought Robert Sacre back to the floor. Takes us back to the first half. Simpler, happier times.

It was over when... the Cougs failed to score on a field goal for an almost ten minute stretch late in the second half. Thanks to free throws we were able to score six more points in that stretch, but that obviously was not going to be enough. Ugh. I thought the scoring droughts were supposed to move to Virginia along with Tony.

Stat of the Game: I've already mentioned the scoring drought, so let's go with the Cougars missing 8 out of 20 free throw attempts - the secret killer for WSU in this game. Make just half of those misses and, well...

Bank on it: Cougs are hoping Zags engage in uptempo contest

Nuss — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Eugene Tanner - AP

The Bulldogs generally want to run as much as possible, but we wonder if that doesn't just play right into the Cougs' hands.

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Catch up with me on Twitter @NussCoug!

One of the more interesting things Jim Meehan said in our interview yesterday is that if the Cougs want to push the tempo tonight, he fully expects the Zags to be more than willing dance partners.

This doesn't come as a huge surprise -- the Zags have averaged right around 69 possessions over the past few years despite virtually every team they play in conference deliberately trying to slow them down. In an ideal world, Gonzaga wants to play a game with possessions in the high 70s.

Of course, it doesn't always work out that way. If a team wants to slow the game down, they generally can -- after all, it was Mark Few who last year said his team would love to turn up the tempo on the Cougs, but it takes two to tango, and he didn't expect the Cougs to do that since they had slowed the game down to historic proportions the year before.*

*Unfortunately for us, the Cougs actually were all-too-eager to indulge the Zags last year by putting up their third-worst shooting night of the year (allowing a lot of defensive rebounds to become transition opportunities) and turning the ball over in one out of five possessions (also leading to transition opportunities) on their way to WSU's third-fastest game of the year (65 possessions). But I digress.

Well, these Cougs most definitely don't want to slow it down. Beyond the fact that it's just Ken Bone's preferred style to get up and down the floor, this team also has struggled in half court sets for the better part of the year. Much of that can be blamed on youth; when you run a motion offense as Bone does, experience is important, given that an ill-timed screen or a missed cut can undermine the entire set.

Which is why I think the Zags might be making a mistake if they want to make tonight's contest into a race.

There's an old saying in coaching that a team should never get away from what it does best, and there's little doubt that what the Zags have done the best over the years is get out and run. But the advantage Gonzaga would hold in an uptempo contest over the young and athletic Cougs is much smaller than the advantage they'd hold in a half court contest.

Think about it: If your defense is designed to slow down Klay Thompson, is it easier to find that one guy in a half court set, or in transition? It goes without saying that Klay should have an easier time finding looks in a fast-paced game.

Additionally, the Cougs' most glaring weakness is in the frontcourt. Defending post players and defensive rebounding are going to be a major, major issues for this team all year long. Gonzaga has a decided advantage on both counts, with 7-foot Robert Sacre and 6-11 Kelly Olynyk. If those two share the floor with 6-foot-8 Elias Harris, that's a tough load for the Cougs to handle. Heck, if even two of them are on the floor at the same time, that's a huge advantage, given that one of them likely will be guarded by either Abe Lodwick or Nik Koprivica.

But if Gonzaga gets into an up-and-down game with WSU, I think that mitigates our defensive rebounding issues a bit. While we have had issues boxing out bigger offensive players in halfcourt sets, we have demonstrated an ability to offensive rebound with quickness and agility. Defensive rebounding in transition is a lot more like offensive rebounding than it is like defensive rebounding in the half court. I think a running game makes our rebounding deficiencies smaller.

It's probably true that Gonzaga is the better team. But if it's true that the Zags really do want to get into an uptempo contest with the Cougs, I think it gives them a puncher's chance to knock out a ranked team on their own home court.

Washington State 89, IPFW 70

Grady. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:44:46 -0000

NCAA Basketball Stats

This wasn't a basketball game, this was the Klay Thompson show.

Thompson went for a career high 37 points, on 15 of 20 shooting, as the Cougars ran away from the IPFW Mastodons in a high scoring affair.

The game was never really in doubt, so let's go through some bullet point style observations:

Klay Thompson is good. No, really. He's good. At one point in the second half, Ken Bone ran out a lineup of Thompson, Thames, Harthun, Watson and Enquist. Four reserves and one Klay. It was like KB was saying, 'It doesn't really matter who I throw out there with him, as long as Klay is on the court'. And, frankly, tonight it didn't. The crazy thing is that you'd think a huge scoring night for Klay would involve a billion three pointers. It didn't. He only made 2 of 3 beyond the arc, and the rest of his scoring came from the foul line (5 points) or inside the three-point line. He even acted like a post on a couple of occasions. If Klay can develop into an inside/outside threat, this is just the beginning of his dominance.
Before the game, Nuss sayeth: "The WSU big men: With a distinct size advantage (probably one of the two times we'll be able to say that this year), will the frontcourt begin to get sorted out?"
After the game, we got our answer: No. In fact, even with that noticeable size advantage (again, one of the few times we'll see it this year), WSU only outrebounded the Mastodons 35-33. Even worse, they lost the battle on the offensive glass, 33.3% to 31%. That's bad. Sure, there were a few long rebounds off of long shots that just didn't go the Cougars' way. But the lack of intensity and fundamentals under the basket at times was extremely frustrating. The frontcourt picture is possibly even blurrier now than before: Enquist, Motum and Watson were all bounced around for several minutes and neither one distanced themselves from the other two. Motum had a particularly embarrassing moment when he unintentionally hit the deck trying to convert a fast break with Klay Thompson. One of the two should have had an easy dunk or lay-in. Instead the ball bounced harmlessly out of bounds off an IPFW player. Lodwick and Koprivica played well in stretches, but also happen to be our most undersized forwards. We'll need one of the upper 6-footers to step up.
Xavier Thames is starting to make a name for himself in the backcourt. He played 20 minutes, as many as Marcus Capers, hit 3 of 4 shots and scored 7 points. More importantly, he looked comfortable doing it. We may not need to run Reggie Moore out there for 35+ minutes a night after all.
WHY CAN'T ABE LODWICK MAKE A THREE POINTER IN A GAME??!?!?!? I really hope it's not as frustrating for him as it is for me to watch. There is no way he's this bad of a shooter. No way. Abe was 0 for 4 tonight from distance, but grabbed 3 boards and made his only attempt inside the arc.
Good news: the Cougs were back to their old selves at the foul line, hitting 18 of 21. No Cougar starter missed a free throw attempt. Keep it up.
Why the Cougs won: unlike the last two games, getting to the foul line wasn't a big key for WSU in this one. The Cougs (mainly Klay) simply shot the lights out (60.2 eFG%), and held on to the ball (13.2% turnover rate). If you do those things consistently well, you're going to beat a lot of teams.

On to the awards:

Player of the Game: Klay Thompson. I'm starting to get concerned that no one else will win this award.

Unsung Hero: Xavier Thames. See above.

It was over when/Play of the Game: Deilvez Yearby air-mailed a one-handed dunk early in the second half, bouncing the ball off the backboard and into Nikola Koprivica's hands. Koprivica then passed the ball the length of the court to Reggie Moore, who was waiting on the other end to convert the dunk.

Stat of the Game: Klay Thompson. 37 points.

He's good.

Washington State 94, Miss. Valley State 66

Grady. — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:53:58 -0000

NCAA Basketball Stats

Cougar friends and family, we are gathered here to mourn the loss of a close friend.

Together, we were there for the birth in 2003. Saw it through some hard times and growing pains. Suffered through the blowout losses, and triumphed after the improbable upsets. And, in the end, our patience was rewarded, as we were taken to new heights and places we hadn't been in ages. It was a glorious era, filled with defense, halfcourt offense and games with final scores in the fifties.

But, now, it is all over.

Bennett ball was only six years old.

Here we sit tonight, after a game where the Cougars shot 46.9% - 30% from three-point range - and scored ninety-four points.

So while we remember the good times we had in the past, the time has come to move on.

Something tells me we aren't going to miss the five minute scoring droughts anyway.

Now let's talk about the game:

Starting Lineup: Yet again Bone went with Moore, Capers, Thompson, Lodwick and Casto. Normally I'd say that Abe Lodwick starting at the 4 is a recipe for trouble, but tonight he played his position well, even if the shots still aren't falling: 4 points, 6 offensive boards, 9 total rebounds and 2 assists. He did only play 16 minutes, sharing time with Koprivica, Motum and Enquist. All played well against the undersized Delta Devils, with the Cougars earning a substantial 46 to 20 rebounding advantage.

Outside of Lodwick, the other starters lived up to their hype, scoring in double figures and keeping the Cougar offense afloat throughout the night. Klay Thompson led all scorers with 20, Casto had 18, and 10 points each were scored by Capers and Moore. Reggie added six assists and a couple boards.

Quick Start: WSU jumped out to a 9-0 lead and MVSU never seriously threatened again. Defense was an issue for the Cougars, surrendering 66 points and a more problematic 12 three-pointers. Still, the Cougs were in control all evening and despite MVSU coming within nine again late in the second half, the Cougars ramped up the tempo and took a 17 point lead into halftime.

Positives: The Cougars made nearly twice as many free throws (28) as MVSU attempted (15). The Cougs made 80 percent of their 35 attempts at the charity stripe. WSU also forced 21 turnovers and had the aforementioned dominating performance on the boards. The Cougars had 11 players score on the evening, four in double figures. (EDIT: Sweet fancy Moses look at that offensive rebounding dominance - who are we, U-dub? Oh yeah, and that free throw rate is phenomenal - everything I wanted to see last year, especially from Klay)

Negatives: Wazzu gave up 17 turnovers of their own, and occasionally struggled to score in the halfcourt. They shot poorly from behind the arc, making only six of 20 attempts. There were also some defensive lapses, with Cougars failing to close out on D'Angelo Jackson, who hit three of five from downtown. Tashan Newsome, MVSU's leading scorer, connected on five of ten shot attempts. The reserves for WSU struggled in the final minutes, however John Allen and Brock Motum connected on three-point shot attempts.

Redshirts burnt: Ken Bone played both Steven Bjornstad and guard Anthony Brown in relief, meaning that neither true freshman is eligible for a redshirt unless medical circumstances call for it. It was a questionable call considering that both players stand to get very limited playing time.

Player of the Game: DeAngelo Casto. In only 20 minutes, Casto was dominant: 18 points on 6 of 9 shooting, 4 offensive rebounds, 4 defensive rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, only 1 turnover and all 3 of the team's blocks. One can only wonder how lopsided the game might have been had Casto played a few more minutes.

Unsung Hero: How about Nikola Koprivica? Off the bench the Cougar senior had nine points, four rebounds and two assists against no turnovers. He made half of his shots and helped the Cougars regain their energy in transition late in the first half.

It was over when... Speaking of which, it was Koprivica's entrance into the game that helped spark the Cougars 8-0 run near the end of the first half after the Delta Devils had come within nine. Down by 17, MVSU would never threaten the Cougar lead again.

Play of the Game: There are a few candidates, but I have to go with Casto's back-to-back blocks on the same MVSU possession in the second half. It looked like after the first block, the second Devil shot would go up uncontested. But Casto snuffed out the shot, leading to a fast break opportunity for the Cougs.

Stat of the Game: Sharing is caring, and the Cougars assisted on 20 out of 30 made shots.

Washington State 73, LCSC 51: Your exhibition notes

Grady. — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:12:50 -0000

The first unofficial game of the Ken Bone era is in the books, and so far, so good.

The new edition of the Cougars played as advertised: young, talented, small and more offensive-minded than in the past. What surprised me, pleasantly, was that the tempo wasn't overly fast, and the defense held on to many of the old school Bennett-era principles. That is: man-to-man defense with an emphasis on taking away anything inside.

One big difference, though, was a greater willingness to crash the offensive boards. Unlike Bennett ball, the Cougars weren't content with settling back on D as quickly as possible after a missed bucket. Tonight they were stronger following up on their shots, and while it led to a few fast break opportunities for the Warriors, it more often resulted in a second shot attempt for the Cougs (actually there probably would've been more than 8 offensive boards had the Cougs not made so many shots).

I had the feeling a few times that this should have been a bigger blowout than it was. Actually, it really should have with WSU missing seven of their nine free throw attempts in the second half. Still, the Cougs coasted for the better part of this game, and looked comfortable for the most part in the new system.

The big concern for the Cougs, literally and figuratively, is their size. This team is undersized, especially at the 4, where Bone started Abe Lodwick (!) and played, among others, Nikola Koprivica. Part of that was due to the head injury suffered by James Watson, where we still aren't sure if it is a big deal or not. The other part of it has to do with a lack of effectiveness from our actual "big" players (minus Casto). Regardless, this team gave up ten offensive rebounds to LCSC in the first half, which is just plain unacceptable against a team that small. One can only wonder what struggles this team may have underneath against teams with actually skilled bigs.

Now, some individual player comments:

Klay Thompson: still Klay Thompson. Nothing to worry about here, and he seems to be more aware of getting to the basket and drawing contact. Which, honestly, is really the only thing keeping him from being an elite player nationally.
DeAngelo Casto: Casto is starting to play like a man among boys, which he absolutely should be against lower-tier competition like this. He netted a double-double, with 14 points, 11 boards and 3 blocks. His post moves have improved, he is getting a little better at facing up to the basket, and can get a occasional put-back or two.
Reggie Moore: There is no newcomer I'm more excited about than Moore. He is just phenomenal. The biggest question mark coming into the season was who we could get to replace the outgoing Taylor Rochestie and Aron Baynes. Baynes doesn't have a replacement on this team, but Moore seems like he could be a perfect fit at point. Especially when this team only needs a distributor to set up our two scorers (Thompson, Casto). He's a brilliant passer, quick and athletic, and seems to already know he's just that good. He had eight assists to six points tonight: that's downright Weaveresque. He managed a couple dunks of the fast break, and assisted on two gorgeous alley-oops: one to Casto on the fast break, and another in traffic to Capers: easily the play of the night.
Marcus Capers: Speaking of #0, he struggled tonight, outside of converting my favorite alley-oop. His shot is still far too flat, and he had a couple uncharacteristic defensive lapses. Still, I think he can be a solid starter for this team, and deserves the opportunity. His offense will come with time; for now we should be able to enjoy his defense and tremendous length (as Jay Bilas would say) in the backcourt.
Nikola Koprivica: Remains one of the more frustrating players on the team, in that one second he's making a beautiful cut to the basket for a lay-in, and the next he's blowing the same type of shot on a 3-on-1 break. Still, his passing is good, his defense is still sound, and his experience will be key at times when we need someone off the bench to settle us down.
Abe Lodwick: Started at the four, which is fine against smaller teams but scares the heck out of me going into Pac-10 play. He hit a three, grabbed a board, but was otherwise unremarkable in his 12 minutes. We'll see what kind of role he develops on this team as the early season wears on.
Xavier Thames: Thames has the potential to be at Reggie Moore's level within a year or so. He's another super-athletic guard who can shoot the ball, run the fast break and make a couple highlight reel plays. However, since he's like a Reggie Moore Lite (TM), I think his best use is off the bench as a more offense-oriented alternative to Capers.
Brock Motum: Yikes. Kind of a rough debut for the Aussie, whom we really do need because of our lack of size in the frontcourt. He was mostly unremarkable, making his only two-point attempt and missing two threes. He reminds me of Fabian Boeke in that he's a Tony Bennett big-man recruit who often seems to play more like a guard than forward/center. We're going to need him as a forward/center, because right now we seem surprisingly stacked at guard.
Mike Harthun: I shouldn't have put him so far down on this list, considering how well he played. In 22 minutes he hit five of six shots, grabbed three boards and never turned it over. More importantly, he looked comfortable doing it - something he rarely did in his limited game action last year. Harthun is another speedy guard that can aid us on the fast break, drain perimeter shots and take some of the pressure off Klay. I feel Harthun and Lodwick are interchangeable from a shooting standpoint - they will both have good nights, and they'll both have off nights. Bone's best bet is to ride the hot hand.
Charlie Enquist: Still the same old Charlie, he's going to be a help this year in that he at least has some experience at the 4. He still doesn't have the size or rebounding prowess of a Casto, but he's still pretty bouncy and brings that whole Caleb Forrest-type skillset to the table.
Reserves: Late in the game Bone put out a lineup of Allen, Loewen, Bragg, Brown and Bjornstad. Of those, Allen is clearly the most likely to have an impact this year. He looks comfortable running the point and taking a shot in rhythm, which is probably how he ended up snatching ten minutes in tonight's game and still having a shot at cracking the rotation. Bjornstad is big, which we really really need. However his skills are still raw so he'd do just as well with a redshirt.

Overall, the 2009-2010 Cougars are young, skinny and a heck of a lot of fun to watch at times. Other times, a little more frustrating, like at the free throw line. Nevertheless the future looks brighter than ever. Bone's recruitment of Moore in particular is going to result in a huge payoff for us.

The regular season is only four days away. I can't wait.

PLAYER PROFILE: Michael Harthun

Grady. — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:31:53 -0000

#30 / Guard / Washington St. Cougars

Height: 6-3

Weight: 181

Year: Sophomore

Major: Journalism and/or Sport Management

High School: South Medford HS

You wouldn't think a young player with a career high of three points in a game would have the opportunity to make an impact this season. Mike Harthun does.

Our two Oregonian sophomores, in fact, stand to benefit the most out of anyone from the transition to Ken Bone and the increased reliance on the three-point shot. One is Abe Lodwick, whom I previewed earlier, and the other Harthun, who made almost half of his field goal attempts from behind the arc last winter.

It's debatable whether or not Tony Bennett should have burnt Harthun's redshirt. He only appeared in 14 of the team's games in 2008-09, and only took 18 shot attempts the entire season. Oddly enough, his most prominent appearance came in the Cougars' final game of the season against Saint Mary's, where he logged fourteen minutes. He went 1-for-2 from three-point range and provided a little bit of a spark off the bench.

Harthun's transition to college ball has been a little rougher than the other freshmen from Tony Bennett's final year. He was in the dog house early, earning a three-game suspension for a "violation of team rules". That violation was almost undoubtedly his brush with the law for suspected marijuana possession. Although no formal citation or charges were ever filed, the incident was a setback for both his playing time and development, and it showed as Harthun lurked in the shadows up until the final game.

Nevertheless, there's a lot of potential in Harthun, and all he really has to do is complete that adjustment to the next level. He was already a phenomenal prospect in high school - more impressive than a comparable Oregon player currently starting at Oregon: Garrett Sim. He was part of the South Medford team that defeated Kevin Love's Lake Oswego team for the Oregon 6A championship. Harthun averaged 22.7 points and 5.4 assists per game his senior season, and was rated a Top 100 prospect by espn.com. There was a lot of hype surrounding Harthun, and with Bone at the helm, we may begin to see the 6'3" guard live up to it.

Best Case Scenario: Harthun emerges as a solid role player at guard, with the ability to knock down shots, pass the ball, and take pressure off freshman guards Xavier Thames and Reggie Moore. Mike scores in the five to ten point per game range, and possibly earns a start or two depending on the opposition. He rains threes in Bone's system, giving us a streaky shooter off the bench in the mold of a Josh Akognon.

Worst Case Scenario: Like so many Cougar sophomores, the worst case scenario is a repeat of last year statistically. If Harthun can't continue that adjustment to the speed and skill of the college game, his minutes will suffer and he'll find himself sitting on the pine behind Moore, Thames, Capers, Lodwick and Koprivica.

Likely Scenario: I could honestly see either of the above scenarios playing out for Harthun, who has the skill to be an impact player for WSU in stretches, but also the weaknesses that could keep him on the bench for extended period of time. My belief is that we see the Harthun from the Saint Mary's game: about 15 minutes a night, some helpful threes, improved defense and a few surprise drives to the basket. He looks smaller than he actually is at 6'3" - part of that is due to the fact we've recruited so many tall guards and forwards in the past couple seasons. Harthun has surprising quickness that will almost certainly be an aid in a more up-tempo system. Look for Harthun to make a name for himself this season, and maybe crack the starting lineup if the other young guards struggle.

Poll

How much playing time will Harthun get in 2009-10?

Less than 5 minutes

4 votes

5-10 minutes

36 votes

10-20 minutes

72 votes

20 or more minutes

12 votes

124 votes | Poll has closed

Behind the closed doors: Your first sneak peek at hoops in action

Nuss — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:19:01 -0000

Before each season, the basketball team usually holds a closed-door scrimmage against another school to get some live action against someone other than themselves. This year, that scrimmage took place against Montana in Spokane on Friday night. Details in mainstream media outlets have been light, because per NCAA rules, no media are allowed to attend.

That didn't stop us, however, from getting in touch with someone who was in attendance who was willing to share with us what he* saw transpire against the Griz.

* She? You'll never know! However, going with the generic male reference is just simpler, so we'll stick with that.

It's fantastic stuff from a guy who knows his hoops, and ought to give you a sense of what you'll see out of this team when it tips off for its exhibition game on Monday -- especially in how the team might look a lot different than what we've grown accustomed to over the past six years. Here's what he had to say.

First off, he said Klay Thompson and Nikola Koprivica didn't play. He didn't say why, but thought he heard someone say they were sick. So, any further analysis about style or pace of play has be interpreted in that context.

On offensive tempo: "The first thing you have to take into account is that Klay wasn't playing. They started two young guys, one of which was John Allen, and he was terrible. I mean, average at best. [he the other starter at guard was Marcus Capers, which would make sense]. Once Reggie Moore came in for (Allen), the tempo picked up a lot. That's one of the things Moore will change for the Cougs. He can push the tempo in a controlled fashion."

On whether the Cougs pushed the ball only at opportunity, or pushed with a purpose: "When Reggie got in, it was push with a purpose. When the other kid was in, they didn't push it at all. So I guess that gets back to my original point that with the right personnel in the game, they will want to push, and I think they can push."

On defensive style: "I saw a lot of pack, mostly just standard man to man. They didn't really have a call for it. They just ran it. [Meaning, it was their default, base defense.] Heels to the line, make you shoot over the top. They did do a little more trying to at least contest entry passes and wing passes versus just letting the opponent have it as in years past. They weren't in full denial, as they would still contest shots with their heels at 3-point line.

On mixing it up defensively: "I'd say about 10 to 15 percent of the time picked it up at three-quarter court. That seemed to be a little more of a tactical thing than a style-of-play kind of thing. Montana has a point guard [Anthony Johnson] who is real good, and they were trying to get the ball out his hands. ...

"The one thing I did notice is that they doubled the post every time it went in. Montana had a height advantage; not an athletic height advantage, but just a height advantage. It came right away, every time, and it was called from the bench, but I think his call was more to remind people that they needed to zone up on the back side than being the actual double team call."

On DeAngelo Casto: "He is huge. He's added 10-15 pounds of muscle since I saw him last. While he's yet to add the 15-foot jumper to his game, he's improved around the rim and can score without dunking. He scored six of the first eight points of the scrimmage. He seems to have really improved his touch around the basket to the point where he doesn't have to dunk everything."

On the new guys: "I was impressed with Reggie Moore and Brock Motum."

On Moore: "Moore handled the opposing guards well on both ends. He was able to penetrate at times even when everybody knew he was going to go to the rim. He was definitely the only guy I saw who could do that for the Cougs. I can see Casto getting some monster dunks this year off of Moore's drives. ...

"I don't remember him taking anything more than a 12- or 15-foot jumper. I think there were two or three times where the shot clock got below 10 and they just went with a high screen and roll and it was his option to either pass or drive, and all three times he got to the rim and either made it or got to the line. He can definitely finish at or above the rim."

On Motum: "Motum was physically impressive in that he's legitimately 6-9 and might just have a 7-0 wingspan. He can step out and hit a three, and is strong on the defensive glass. He was very savvy for a young guy."

On Ken Bone: "I was also genuinely impressed with Bone. The kids seem to like him, and I like the stuff he's running. Everybody who stepped on the floor gave great effort on both ends. ...

"Style wise, it seems like he's trying to play athletically, but without athletes. Reggie fits into that, Casto fits into that ... but it just seemed like they were only one or two athletes better than Montana, who's a good Big Sky school, but certainly not Pac-10. Reggie was obviously the best guard in the gym, but (Montana's) two starters could have played for WSU and fit in -- at least, without Klay in there.

"The impression I left with of the roster as a whole is that they might be a guard short."

That was about it. If you're interested in the final score, he couldn't say exactly, but said the Cougs "won" by double digits. Just remember, though -- Grippi reported last year that the Cougs got run by Bone's Portland State squad. So take these scrimmages for what they're worth.

So, what in here do I think is of note? One of the big things is that Moore is the real deal. (I have no idea why he wasn't starting, but I wouldn't read anything into it.) Anthony Johnson is a very good guard, Big Sky or not, and to say that Moore was obviously the best guard on the floor is really, really saying something. This is a team that desperately needs not only a guy who can penetrate -- Taylor Rochestie could do that -- but a guy who can finish or draw a foul when he gets there.

It doesn't surprise me one bit that Bone would try to mix things up defensively to gain an advantage. For six years, we watched the Bennetts, who believed in their system the way Vince Lombardi believed in his sweep. Their teams were going to do what they do, and believed that their key to success was doing that one thing so ridiculously well that it was sufficient. Adding wrinkles would only confuse the lads and make the bread and butter less effective.

Well, Bone is much more of what you might call a mad scientist -- much more like a guy like Bill Walsh, if we're to continue the football analogy. He's going to look for any possible way to exploit a team's weakness and attack it. That can be both good and bad. When dealing with such a young roster, you run the risk of doing exactly what the Bennetts hoped to avoid: Confusing kids to the point that they become a jack of many trades, but master of none, and thus mediocre overall.

Lastly, the observation of Bone's style versus the roster he has I think is an astute one. Bone said from day one after watching this roster work out last spring that they need more Pac-10 caliber athletes. Coug fans might have bristled at that a bit, given the success we had under the Bennetts. But it makes sense in the context of the way Bone wants to play, although it certainly won't do anything to quell those who wonder if we can even be successful under Bone's system, or whether we need a Bennett-type system to compete in Pullman.

What do I think that means? I think it means that I'd be fairly surprised if you don't see a little bit of roster turnover at the end of this year. I'll be shocked if Patrick Simon is the only freshman next year. They desperately need another big man, and I wouldn't be surprised if they go after another athletic guard, too. I suppose it depends on how certain guys develop.

PLAYER PROFILE: Nikola Koprivica

Dancing Football — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:15:14 -0000

Nikola Koprivica

#4 / Guard / Washington St. Cougars

Height: 6-6

Weight: 221

Year: senior

Hometown: Belgrade, Serbia

High School: Sport Grammar School

Major: International Business

For those of you who are new to this site, the stats used in the bio are from kenpom.com. For some help getting acquainted with these stats, read this primer.

Scouting Report: Nik burst on the scene his freshman year and quickly earned minutes on a very good team with his skills on the defensive end and his ability to get to the basket and draw fouls on the offensive end. Unfortunately, his freshman season was cut short with a major knee injury against Oregon.

Before that premature end to his season, Koprivica put up a very respectable 98.6 offensive rating (ORtg) while taking 20.6% of the team's shots while he was on the floor. His most impressive numbers were his free throw rate (FTR) of 41.1 and 3.8 fouls drawn per forty minutes. He also was solid in defensive rebounding for a guard, garnering 12.2% of the opportunities.

Nikola's sophomore season saw an increase in minutes and an overall decrease in effectiveness. While he was still very good at getting to the line (45.9 FTR while taking just 16% of the shots), he started turning the ball over too frequently (22.6 TO Rate) and saw his ORtg dip to 87.1. One factor, outside of the turnovers, that played a large part in his ORtg dip was his failure to hit shots from behind the arc. He was a miserable 4 from 29 from three.

The regression continued during Koprivica's junior year. Without the distraction of stars like Kyle Weaver and Derrick Low, Nik was no longer able to do the one thing that made him a threat on the offensive end. His FTR dipped to 18.7. Even though Nik was able to hit three pointers at a higher percentage (27%) he still saw his ORtg dip to 78.0. He also became even less involved in the offense, taking just 12.5% of the shots. The most disturbing stat out of Nik's 08-09 campaign is a 29.9 turnover rate. Generally, one would hope that a player takes better care of the ball as they gain experience, but that has definitely not been the case for Koprivica.

Heading into Nikola's senior season it is clear his strengths are at the defensive end. He is still a very good rebounding guard and an effective man-to-man defender. If he wants to play a more significant role on a team loaded with talent at guard, he is going to have to regain some of the offensive ability he flashed in his freshman year. He is the only player on the roster that has proven in the past that he can get to the basket and draw fouls at the Pac 10 level. If he can do that again this year, expect to see him on the floor on a frequent basis.

Best Case Scenario: The new, open offense proves to be a perfect match for Koprivica. Playing with a new confidence, Nik is back to his freshman self, going to the hole and drawing fouls. This ability makes all his teammates better, as he sets up open outside looks for guys like Klay Thompson, Mike Harthun, and Abe Lodwick. Koprivica takes care of the ball, rarely turning it over. He is good on the boards and keeps his man off the stat sheet on a regular basis. Ken Bone can find no reason to keep him out of the lineup and he plays thirty minutes a night.

Worst Case Scenario: Nik's regression continues. In Bone's fast-paced offense he finds that he simply cannot keep up with the new infusion of athleticism. He is tentative with the ball and doesn't drive to the basket or draw fouls. His turnover rate stays at his junior level as he makes mistakes just trying to get into the offense. His impact on the defensive glass is diminished, as athletic guards like Marcus Capers and Reggie Moore snatch up opportunities. He finds it difficult to get on the floor and get in rhythm, averaging just 10-15 minutes per night.

Likely Scenario: Nik improves his turnover rate, but still is hovering around his sophomore number of 22.6. The open offense does allow Nik to get to the hole more often, just not to the level he did in his first two seasons. He is his same old self on the defensive glass and in the man-to-man. With a crowded backcourt, Koprivica sees his playing dip a little bit from the past and he plays 15-20 minutes a night.

Poll

What scenario do you expect from Nik this season?

Impact player - 30 minutes a night

8 votes

Integral player - 20-29 minutes a night

32 votes

Key reserve - 10-19 minutes a night

67 votes

Bench warmer - 9 minutes or less

27 votes

134 votes | Poll has closed