SB Nation User Blog: cwofford

"The Constraint Theory of Offense"

cwofford — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:16:01 -0000

I think Greg Davis would do well to read this: "The Constraint Theory of Offense".

Money quote:

The upshot of all this is that when you are designing an offense you must (a) find those one or two things which you can hang your hat on and beat just about anything doing when the defense is playing honest, and (b) get good at all those little "constraint" plays which keep the defense playing honest. You won’t win championships simply throwing the bubble screen, but the bubble will help keep you from losing games when the defense wants to crash your run game. Same with draws and screens if you’re a passing team. You find ways to do what you want and put your players in position to win and score.

My (and many others') annoyance at GD's reliance on bubble screens, etc. stems from the fact that he seems to be using them backwards. Meaning, he seems to call them as "set-up plays" hoping to force a defense to over-react, thereby setting up other opportunities.

Instead, he should be using the screens as a tool to "constrain" overly-attacking defenses and force them to play you straight up. Then, your bread-and-butter offense can then exploit inherent mismatches.

Anyone else agree or have another idea?

(HT: SMQ)

Aggy :: National media finally catching on...

cwofford — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 22:08:18 -0000

(...and it's about time)

from pat forde's horribly-named forde-yard dash:

Bad Dog
Texas A&M mascot Reveille VII (35), the collie that sits on the sideline at Aggies games, was benched last week for snapping at her handler after the guy stepped on her tail. Sounds like he had it coming.
But here's the part of the wire story that stopped The Dash: "Reveille is considered the highest-ranking member of the school's Corps of Cadets and stands at attention in her maroon coat during sporting events and other functions."
Highest-ranking member of the Corps of Cadets? Do they salute the dog? Are there medals on the dog's coat? And why does the dog wear a coat to begin with?
If Reveille outranks the humans, what right do they have to discipline her for biting one of them? Shouldn't the correct response to a bite from a commanding officer be, "Thank you, ma'am, may I have another?"
Tough as Reveille might be, The Dash would rather take its chances with her than Ralphie (36) the buffalo or Mike (37) the tiger.

gotta love it.

Shiner sighting: NYC edition

cwofford — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 18:10:54 -0000

All BON fans up in NYC have been overjoyed at the recent influx of quality BBQ joints opening of late, especially the amazingly authentic Hill Country NY. But we've always been missing the key ingredient, until now: Shiner is here.

Thanks to Grub Street for the breaking news.

BREAKING: Durant named NABC National Player of the Year

cwofford — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 03:33:15 -0000

http://texassports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=16&url_article_id=6212&url_subchannel _id=&change_well_id=2

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- University of Texas freshman swingman Kevin Durant has been selected as the Division I Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the organization announced today.

Durant is the first freshman in the award's history and the first player from The University of Texas to earn the accolade.

Durant will receive his award on Sunday, April 1, at the annual NABC Awards Show presented by AT&T at the Sydney Marcus Auditorium at the Georgia World Congress Center at 6 p.m.

One of four finalists for the Naismith Award and one of five finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA's National Player of the Year), Durant is the only player in the nation to rank in the Top 10 nationally in both scoring (fourth) and rebounding (fourth). He led the team in scoring (25.8 ppg), rebounding (11.1 rpg), blocked shots (67), steals (66), double-doubles (20) and minutes played (35.9 mpg). He reached the 30-point mark in a school-record 11 games, the 20-point plateau in 30 contests and posted double digits in points in all 35 games.

Durant recorded 903 points during the year, setting a school and Big 12 season record for scoring. The point total also marked the second-highest point total by a freshman in NCAA history (965 by Chris Jackson of LSU in 1988-89). Durant's 390 rebounds also are a school single-season record and rank second on the Big 12 season chart and third on the NCAA freshman season list.

Located in Kansas City, Mo., the NABC was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently claims nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men's basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today's student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education.

Slate sticks it to the aggies

cwofford — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 17:55:46 -0000

"Teams We Hate: Duke, Eastern Kentucky, and 11 other odious schools in this year's NCAA Tournament."

http://www.slate.com/id/2161810/fr/rss/

busted for rushing an empty court. awesome.