... college team near you?
Some pretty astonishing stats associated with the full court man d the tail blazers are running.
I watched the Lakers beat POR 123-115 on Monday night. And they are pesky af.
The first team I remember seeing win a title with intimidating d was the Patrick Ewing Georgetown Hoyas in 1983 or 4.
Michael Jackson was their pg, and he was picking up the ball deep in the backcourt, abs he was tenacious. I was amazed at his fitness level. GT played Kentucky with Kenny sky walker in the elite 8, and it was no contest. Pure domination.
When these nba teams put 5 6-7 ("67!") dudes on the court, it's hellish.
The 6 second difference between the nba shot clock (24) and cbb (30) is a pretty big deal. But teams like Houston seem to make it a big part of their identity.
I think the zone press is passe. But with the right roster construction, a super athletic Ucla team could use the full court man D to good effect.
And I like the recruiting pitch.
"Can you handle pressure? If you can't, you're a bust. There's no place for you in professional bball. How do you learn to handle pressure? By playing against it every single possession of every single practice for every year you're in college. Come to Ucla, and you're going to learn how to handle pressure and how to exert pressure, and that's going to give you a professional edge."