2008 Woodie Awards
Basketball Team Faces Early Season Struggles
Lack of True Point Guard Primary Concern
Daniel Groner
Issue date: 12/6/04 Section: Sports
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When veteran point guard and team captain Jack Yulzary graduated last year, it left a gaping hole at the heart of the Maccabee's offense. With no pure point guard currently on the roster, the team even struggles with the minor task of advancing the ball beyond half court.
With Yulzary's departure, "the whole complexity of the team changes," said Guard/Forward Benji Golbert. "We are lacking someone who can initiate the offense." Such difficulties have led to an abundance of turnovers-the team averages nearly 18 a game-and a poor 0-3 start to what had been a hopeful season.
The team has had to adjust to working without an agile point guard, forced to make two or three extra passes, at times, just to get the offense settled. Coach Jonathan Halpert and his staff have desperately begun to convert guards Abe Malkin and Matan Cohen into floor leaders, but it requires great time and patience. The other players have been asked to assist in helping ease their teammates' transitions and developing understanding of their new positions.
Because players often have to play out of position, and take inopportune shots as a result, the team's shooting percentage is a measly 37%. Coach Halpert still remains optimistic. "The better the shot, your shooting percentage goes up," he said. "The trick is to get open shots." But Halpert admits that none of his players has the natural athletic ability to beat defenders off the dribble. So passing, ball movement, and a structured offense become even more crucial for a team that depends on one another to free up space for open looks at the basket.
Halpert, therefore, has determined that his team is better off slowing the game down, opting against fast breaking in favor of running his offense properly. "We need the tempo where we can have a rhythm. Right now teams are dictating the tempo to us," he said.
Another problem that has surfaced in the early stages of the season is the Macs' inconsistent free throw shooting. In a recent 68-50 loss to Stevens Tech, the Macs shot just 13 for 27 from the charity stripe. For the better part of the past few years, poor foul shooting has caused the Macs to relinquish leads and to ultimately lose many close, but winnable games. Halpert claims that the team may be working so hard this year to make up for its noticeable deficiencies that it's fatigued at the stripe. "You get to the foul line and your legs are like rubber," he said. Golbert echoed Halpert's sentiment, citing the early part of the four month season as the source. "It's the beginning of the season...maybe when we come to the foul line we have no legs left."
With Yulzary's departure, "the whole complexity of the team changes," said Guard/Forward Benji Golbert. "We are lacking someone who can initiate the offense." Such difficulties have led to an abundance of turnovers-the team averages nearly 18 a game-and a poor 0-3 start to what had been a hopeful season.
The team has had to adjust to working without an agile point guard, forced to make two or three extra passes, at times, just to get the offense settled. Coach Jonathan Halpert and his staff have desperately begun to convert guards Abe Malkin and Matan Cohen into floor leaders, but it requires great time and patience. The other players have been asked to assist in helping ease their teammates' transitions and developing understanding of their new positions.
Because players often have to play out of position, and take inopportune shots as a result, the team's shooting percentage is a measly 37%. Coach Halpert still remains optimistic. "The better the shot, your shooting percentage goes up," he said. "The trick is to get open shots." But Halpert admits that none of his players has the natural athletic ability to beat defenders off the dribble. So passing, ball movement, and a structured offense become even more crucial for a team that depends on one another to free up space for open looks at the basket.
Halpert, therefore, has determined that his team is better off slowing the game down, opting against fast breaking in favor of running his offense properly. "We need the tempo where we can have a rhythm. Right now teams are dictating the tempo to us," he said.
Another problem that has surfaced in the early stages of the season is the Macs' inconsistent free throw shooting. In a recent 68-50 loss to Stevens Tech, the Macs shot just 13 for 27 from the charity stripe. For the better part of the past few years, poor foul shooting has caused the Macs to relinquish leads and to ultimately lose many close, but winnable games. Halpert claims that the team may be working so hard this year to make up for its noticeable deficiencies that it's fatigued at the stripe. "You get to the foul line and your legs are like rubber," he said. Golbert echoed Halpert's sentiment, citing the early part of the four month season as the source. "It's the beginning of the season...maybe when we come to the foul line we have no legs left."