OU's Lon Kruger & OSU's Mike Boynton looking for answers to slow down 3-point shooters: 'We gotta go out there'
by JACOB UNRUH
Published: Fri, December 11, 2020 6:00 PM Updated: Sat, December 12, 2020 1:33 AM
Oral Roberts guard Max Abmas used a screen as he dribbled to his left before stopping at the corner of the Oklahoma State logo.
Cowboys guard Keylan Boone was slow to react. Abmas made him pay with a deep 3-pointer.
It wasn’t the first long trey from Abmas on Tuesday. It also wasn’t the last.
Sixteen minutes remained in the game. OSU failed time after time to slow down Abmas, even if that meant defending him further from the 3-point line.
OSU coach Mike Boynton was bewildered, even two days after the victory.
“We gotta go out there,” Boynton said. “He can make it. They kinda look around like, ‘Coach, he shot it … Yeah, he made it, guys. He shot it from 25 feet. It doesn’t matter. Somebody’s gotta try to do something about it.’
“But young guys, for the most part, that doesn’t trigger. It’s like, ‘I guess he can really shoot from far. I guess we’ll have to go score on the other end.’”
Truth be told, the state’s Big 12 teams had a tough week defending the 3-pointer.
OSU allowed Oakland and ORU to combine for 33. OU allowed 29 to TCU and Xavier.
As both take the court Saturday — OSU at Wichita State and OU hosting Florida A&M — it’s apparent they have a weakness to address in the new era of basketball. Teams are shooting more and more 3s and the Cowboys and Sooners are slow to adjust so far this season.
“You gotta work harder,” OU coach Lon Kruger said after Wednesday’s loss featured 19 3s from Xavier. “You gotta be more physical. You gotta be more aggressive. You gotta fight through screens.
“Most of the things that we’re going to talk about is related to more contact, more aggressiveness, being more physical. That’s whether it’s guarding the ball or fighting through a ball screen or fighting for a rebound.”
Both programs have recently had dynamic 3-point shooters.
OSU just had four years of sharpshooter Thomas Dziagwa and brought in Ferron Flavors Jr. as a graduate transfer this season.
OU currently has Brady Manek and in 2017-18 had Trae Young, who scored 48 points in a Bedlam loss in Stillwater while making eight 3s primarily from the half-court logo.
Boynton remembers that game all too well. He found solace at an Atlanta Hawks game last season when Young dropped 50 on Miami.
“He scored more against them than he did against us,” Boynton said. “Well, they’ve got a bunch of guys in the NBA who do understand that guys like him can shoot.”
Boynton said he coached against Davidson that featured a young Stephen Curry, who began extending the range and limits of shooters.
Now, more and more shooters extend their range. They have the freedom to do so, challenging defenders.
“When you have to pick somebody up there (from 30 feet), it takes a little while to get adjusted,” Boynton said. “You gotta watch him and you kinda look at your coach like, ‘You really want me to guard him all the way out there?’”
But even if players know the barrage of 3s are coming, that doesn’t mean they can make the on-the-fly adjustments.
Boone said he almost wants to dare opponents to make long 3-pointers and then adjust.
“Players are going to make shots from all types of ranges,” Boone said.
OSU veteran Isaac Likekele said a great shooter’s night can depend on the first shot. Is it wide open or contested? Defending also depends on the close out and how much a defender can mess with a shooter.
But shooters can get hot, like Oakland’s Rashad Williams, Abmas at ORU or Xavier’s Nate Johnson.
“Whenever they got it going, they got it going,” Likekele. “I feel like that’s what just happened the past two games. Those two guys are very talented, but it also starts with a great shooter.”
It won’t get easier, though.
Wichita State has made 16 of 47 from deep in just two games. The Big 12 awaits OSU after this weekend. The Sooners resume Big 12 play on Dec. 22.
Those teams will exploit weaknesses. And they can shoot 3-pointers.
“At times, it is kinda tough, because just the way the game has gone,” Likekele said. “But at the same time, there’s guys out here being talented enough to make those shots.
“We’ve also got a lot of guys that can step up and shoot consistently.”
by JACOB UNRUH
Published: Fri, December 11, 2020 6:00 PM Updated: Sat, December 12, 2020 1:33 AM
Oral Roberts guard Max Abmas used a screen as he dribbled to his left before stopping at the corner of the Oklahoma State logo.
Cowboys guard Keylan Boone was slow to react. Abmas made him pay with a deep 3-pointer.
It wasn’t the first long trey from Abmas on Tuesday. It also wasn’t the last.
Sixteen minutes remained in the game. OSU failed time after time to slow down Abmas, even if that meant defending him further from the 3-point line.
OSU coach Mike Boynton was bewildered, even two days after the victory.
“We gotta go out there,” Boynton said. “He can make it. They kinda look around like, ‘Coach, he shot it … Yeah, he made it, guys. He shot it from 25 feet. It doesn’t matter. Somebody’s gotta try to do something about it.’
“But young guys, for the most part, that doesn’t trigger. It’s like, ‘I guess he can really shoot from far. I guess we’ll have to go score on the other end.’”
Truth be told, the state’s Big 12 teams had a tough week defending the 3-pointer.
OSU allowed Oakland and ORU to combine for 33. OU allowed 29 to TCU and Xavier.
As both take the court Saturday — OSU at Wichita State and OU hosting Florida A&M — it’s apparent they have a weakness to address in the new era of basketball. Teams are shooting more and more 3s and the Cowboys and Sooners are slow to adjust so far this season.
“You gotta work harder,” OU coach Lon Kruger said after Wednesday’s loss featured 19 3s from Xavier. “You gotta be more physical. You gotta be more aggressive. You gotta fight through screens.
“Most of the things that we’re going to talk about is related to more contact, more aggressiveness, being more physical. That’s whether it’s guarding the ball or fighting through a ball screen or fighting for a rebound.”
Both programs have recently had dynamic 3-point shooters.
OSU just had four years of sharpshooter Thomas Dziagwa and brought in Ferron Flavors Jr. as a graduate transfer this season.
OU currently has Brady Manek and in 2017-18 had Trae Young, who scored 48 points in a Bedlam loss in Stillwater while making eight 3s primarily from the half-court logo.
Boynton remembers that game all too well. He found solace at an Atlanta Hawks game last season when Young dropped 50 on Miami.
“He scored more against them than he did against us,” Boynton said. “Well, they’ve got a bunch of guys in the NBA who do understand that guys like him can shoot.”
Boynton said he coached against Davidson that featured a young Stephen Curry, who began extending the range and limits of shooters.
Now, more and more shooters extend their range. They have the freedom to do so, challenging defenders.
“When you have to pick somebody up there (from 30 feet), it takes a little while to get adjusted,” Boynton said. “You gotta watch him and you kinda look at your coach like, ‘You really want me to guard him all the way out there?’”
But even if players know the barrage of 3s are coming, that doesn’t mean they can make the on-the-fly adjustments.
Boone said he almost wants to dare opponents to make long 3-pointers and then adjust.
“Players are going to make shots from all types of ranges,” Boone said.
OSU veteran Isaac Likekele said a great shooter’s night can depend on the first shot. Is it wide open or contested? Defending also depends on the close out and how much a defender can mess with a shooter.
But shooters can get hot, like Oakland’s Rashad Williams, Abmas at ORU or Xavier’s Nate Johnson.
“Whenever they got it going, they got it going,” Likekele. “I feel like that’s what just happened the past two games. Those two guys are very talented, but it also starts with a great shooter.”
It won’t get easier, though.
Wichita State has made 16 of 47 from deep in just two games. The Big 12 awaits OSU after this weekend. The Sooners resume Big 12 play on Dec. 22.
Those teams will exploit weaknesses. And they can shoot 3-pointers.
“At times, it is kinda tough, because just the way the game has gone,” Likekele said. “But at the same time, there’s guys out here being talented enough to make those shots.
“We’ve also got a lot of guys that can step up and shoot consistently.”
