Portsmouth's 2nd half debacles...what to do?

[PATTYCAKES]

I have seen Portsmouth 3 times, and listen to them on the radio 3 times, and IMHO the Trojans are not making good half time adjustments and the other teams are making better ajustments.

[trojandave]

Tobias: It is a mystery as to why Portsmouth cannot seem to play well in the third quarter........and it has cost us in our 3 losses........and only because of a great 4th period vs. Minford did it not cost us that game.

Don't have a definitive explanation........some people will say coaching, but remember that we had the lead in 3 of those games at halftime and only in the Chillicothe game were we trailing......by only 2 points. A coach doesn't need to make major adjustments at halftime when his team is winning.......because evidently the game plan is working. I just think our team has trouble being focused and intense after halftime......don't know why but it appears that is happening.........and it's giving other teams the opportunity to seize the momentum, gain confidence, and then go on to win the game.

I thought last night vs. Logan our defense played the dribble penetration by the Chieftains poorly.......and it was mostly in the second half.......it allowed LHS to eventually take control of the game.

We still have 11 games to go in the regular season, and the second half issues have already been addressed and will continue to be addressed.

[hoopscoop]

Good post dave,i think team is still learning to play together,and it will get better,alot of ball left,i would not want them at tourny time for sure and its still a young team overall,they will bounce back and will be a better team later in the season!

[ManitouDan]

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and this might not be recieved too well but I'm afraid the real collaspe is going to be the 2nd 1/2 of the season , not the 2 nd half of a game. If you look at their 6 wins , at least 2 were against teams they should manhandle , win the games going away. the 2 being burg and minford. In 1 of their loses they get blown off their home court (chilly) . Losing that game is no big negative but getting hammered and not even being competitive is . (thats the game Tobias said they did'nt hustle at all) .

so in 9 games they have played far below their potential in at least 4 of them. Now you paint the picture some other way and talk about improvements over previous years ( be honest , they have been lousy in those years) but this wonderful talented team that should be a 14-5 , 13-6 type team , maybe even 15-4 seems headed for far less . I hope I'm wrong. by all means , let me be wrong and the trojans pick it up in conference play. MD

[trojandave]

ManitouDan: You could be proven right in your analysis........but I haven't missed a game since 2002.......and have sat through some AWFUL basketball since then.......and even though this team has been frustrating of late, it's still WAY better than the torture that I had to bear for a LONG time........I remember road trips to Zanesville, Marietta, and Logan in which the game was essentially over by the middle of the second quarter. And those were some LONG drives back to Portsmouth.

That's why I try to remain positive......even though last night was very disappointing........one of the most disappointing losses in a long time.....I still remind myself, even today, that we are 6-3, and although it could be better and the second half meltdowns are frustrating, that at least I have HOPE that we can turn it around.......in previous years I didn't have that.........

If things continue as they have for the last couple of weeks, I look for some lineup changes.......maybe not much different scheming or X's and O's, but different rotations on the court. Maybe some have to sit more and some have to play more......we have to have 5 players on the court who are focused and willing to play hard all the time.......we're not getting that right now.

If something doesn't change, Dan, then the second half of the season will go as you have predicted.........

[ManitouDan]

on the bright side (yes I do have one LOL) if they find the right 5-7 players and the chemistry/teamwork improves they can still have a great year. It's getting to midseason, where teams are getting better. would love to see them get 15 wins. with that much talent it can be done. take care MD

[K-BERG88]

Portsmouth has alot of talent if they can just learn how to play teamball instead of me ball watch out.

[Burg_Grad_77]

You forgot the most important thing and to steal a quote I cannot give credit to, "DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS!"

Until Portsmouth sells out on the defensive end of the floor, I see them keeping opponents in too many games when their shots arent dropping. "hitting' comes and goes but defense can always be there.

Exactly!!!

Wheelersburg is winning with defense this season and winning well. In the game against Portsmouth the Trojans defense was almost non existent in most of the 3rd and 4th quarters and it wasn't until Williams scored 3 or 4 straights buckets with a foul to boot that they put the Pirates away. The trouble I saw with the Trojans that night was to much one on one by a couple of Portsmouth players instead of trying to distribute the ball around and it almost cost them when the shots quit falling for this player. If not for Willaims heroics in the waning minutes and the Burg missing some key free throws the Pirates could have very easily came away with a win.

[ManitouDan]

one thing nearly everyone agrees on --the "bigs" are not getting enough touches --esp Williams , the kid is talented and has the wing span of a 7 footer. He scores nearly every time he gets it in the low box area.

[trojandave]

Good points by everyone.........for Portsmouth to be effective down low, and I agree about dishing it inside.......you must have a counterbalance on the perimeter.......unless we can make ourselves a real threat on mid range jumpers to three pointers, it will be harder to kick it to the bigs.......teams will pack it in or double down knowing that the Trojans can do a lot of damage in the paint. Hitting some outside jumpers, especially against zone defenses, is mandatory if you want to run an effective inside game. Make the other teams respect your perimeter game, and it will open things up inside. If you are no threat from the outside, the bigs will have a much more difficult time scoring.

Defensively, Portsmouth is better than last year, but not at the level they can be. I have seen a mixture of defenses in games........against Logan, for example, they ran a full court press......something that has been sparingly used so far this season. They started in a zone against Chillicothe, then went to a man in the second quarter, and it seemed to spark life into the Trojans. Against Ironton, PHS did a great job shadowing Dustin Green with a diamond and one.......but did a poor job of guarding Patrick Angle of Logan. In the second half of the Wheelersburg game, Portsmouth did a good job on Andy Stegman, holding him to only 9 points after a 17 point first half. The point with these examples is that Portsmouth has been inconsistent in shutting down the other teams top scorer........and they must be able to do that so that it will force the opponent to go to another option or change their game plan. Coach Shoemaker has tried a lot of different defenses during games, but I don't think the Trojans have mastered any one of them yet......although they are better, especially with their man defense.

Coach Shoemaker has used a lot of rotations, and I anticipate some different combinations if certain things don't improve. Portsmouth currently has 3 starters from a year ago that are not starting now.........Rebounding should be a strength of this team, and thus far it hasn't been. After getting outrebounded in 3 straight games, Chillicothe, Ironton, and Minford, Portsmouth finally had a 34-27 edge on the glass against the Chieftains. In preparation for the Logan game, the coaches had the kids in practice doing boxing out drills over and over and over. It made a difference as PHS fared better.

I am a big advocate of letting the guards operate one on one if that is one of their strengths. We have two guards who can do it effectively, and I would like to see more of this. Team basketball doesn't mean that you can't isolate a player to go one on one on occasion........if you have a player who can beat his defender off the dribble, why should that be taken out of your offense? One on one can be a very effective weapon.......of course as long as it not the main focus of your offense. I am a big fan of team basketball.......but the game as we all know is a game of matchups.......and if you have a big edge in a couple of individual matchups, it would be foolish to not try to take advantage of it.

There is no reason to panic about the current slide in the last 4 games........we have holes that need to be fixed, we have the talent to fix them, and we have a coaching staff that is aware of them. As I said above, we may see some kids off the bench getting a little more playing time as the coaches are trying to find a combination/rotation that will the most effective in a particular situation or against a certain opponent.

Between now and the end of January, there are 5 games left that will be critical to this team. Portsmouth travels to Jackson on Tuesday, then to Marietta on Friday, then host 3 straight home games the following week.......Gallia Academy, Warren, and South Point. I think this stretch is critical because our kids need a boost of confidence which comes from winning, and also the tournament draw is just a couple of weeks away.

[Hitchbone64]

trojandave,

You should be on ESPN with your on point commentary. It sounds familiar reading your thoughts, as I remember Chilly fans saying some similiar things.

The Trojans may be a victim of having to much talent, but I believe talent can co exist if you have leadership (on and off the court, players and coaches). I believe the Trojans are fine, but still have to buy 100% into the defense. Defense creates turnovers, hence easy buckets. Defense creates momentum, hence better defense and the crowd in the game.

I still like the Trojans in D3. As I am obviously biased, I have to like my Cavaliers in the SEOAL South division. However, this is one fan from a distance that sees great things from the Trojans.

GO CAVS!!!

[trojandave]

Hitchbone64: I hope you're right.......we still have 11 games to get ready for the postseason........and like you said, there is talent on this team.

If our kids would only play D like your Cavaliers........we would be a headache for any opponent.........we are striving every day to get to that level, and hopefully we will get there. We are better this year, but not nearly on Chillicothe's level.

A basketball season is like a process.........you have the pieces at the beginning, have an objective of what you want to do, and then try this and that to see that objective accomplished by the end of the season. The process is still in progress........

GO TROJANS!!!

[hoopscoop]

Dave that post is right on point!

[biggdowgg]

Like Trojan Dave....I am happy with the way we are this year compared to last, would I like it to be better?

wouldnt every one else like for their teams to be better at this point?