legelegel
01-17-2009, 03:08 AM
It's obvious that defense is not the number one priority for Coach Ford when he says "a really good offense is going to beat good defense".
Cowboys, Bears match tremendous guard play
Backcourt battle With so many similarities, it’s tough to pick a strategy
STILLWATER (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Stillwater+%28Oklahoma%29&CATEGORY=CITY) — Oklahoma State (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Oklahoma+State+University&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION) coach Travis Ford (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Travis+Ford&CATEGORY=PERSON) didn’t want to go out on a limb and say that the Big 12 (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Big+12+Conference&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION)’s best groups of guards will be playing in the Ferrell Center (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Ferrell+Center&CATEGORY=ATTRACTION) this afternoon.
So he didn’t say it — exactly.
"I’m sure there are other teams that would dispute that, but I think you’re looking at two teams that have very, very, very good guards,”
Ford said. "There may be some that’s equal, but I don’t think anybody’s better than us two when you look at guard play.”
The similarities between OSU and Baylor (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Baylor+Bears&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION) jump right off the stat sheet. Four starting guards that average double figures.
Big men who are far from double figures in scoring or rebounding. Another guard off the bench who averages double figures. No single player who leads the team in scoring night in and night out.
"They play four guards, too, like we do, and I think they have very talented guards and all of them can create their own shots,” senior Terrel Harris (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Terrel+Harris&CATEGORY=PERSON) said. "All of them can get 20 points on any given night.
So if you have that, you have some pretty good guards.”
With such personnel and such like-minded coaching philosophies — Ford and Baylor’s Scott Drew (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Scott+Drew&CATEGORY=PERSON) both preach up-tempo offense, and their teams are two of the three top scoring teams in the conference — the question of what tactic to take has been an animated discussion for the OSU coaching staff.
"We’ve been debating that as a staff,” Ford said. "Do we go out and just try to outscore them or do we really try to stop ’em? It’s going to be interesting. I think we’re going to go in there and try to play the best defense we possibly can and have a game plan ready, but really good offense is going to beat good defense.”
Ford pointed out several instances this week where the scout team was playing great defense in practice, but James Anderson (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=James+Anderson&CATEGORY=PERSON) would make a tough shot. He can see any number of Bears, from Curtis Jerrells (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Curtis+Jerrells&CATEGORY=PERSON) to Henry Dugat (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Henry+Dugat&CATEGORY=PERSON) to Kevin Rogers (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Kevin+Rogers&CATEGORY=PERSON) to Tweety Carter to LaceDarius Dunn, doing exactly that.
"Both our team and their team have the capability of doing that, making tough shots and hurting good defenses,” Ford said. "So I think you gotta be able to do both. I think the team that can do both will be the successful team. I don’t think you can go out there and just try to outscore them, that won’t work.”
http://newsok.com/cowboys-bears-match-tremendous-guard-play/article/3338605?custom_click=lead_story_title
Cowboys, Bears match tremendous guard play
Backcourt battle With so many similarities, it’s tough to pick a strategy
STILLWATER (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Stillwater+%28Oklahoma%29&CATEGORY=CITY) — Oklahoma State (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Oklahoma+State+University&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION) coach Travis Ford (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Travis+Ford&CATEGORY=PERSON) didn’t want to go out on a limb and say that the Big 12 (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Big+12+Conference&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION)’s best groups of guards will be playing in the Ferrell Center (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Ferrell+Center&CATEGORY=ATTRACTION) this afternoon.
So he didn’t say it — exactly.
"I’m sure there are other teams that would dispute that, but I think you’re looking at two teams that have very, very, very good guards,”
Ford said. "There may be some that’s equal, but I don’t think anybody’s better than us two when you look at guard play.”
The similarities between OSU and Baylor (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Baylor+Bears&CATEGORY=ORGANIZATION) jump right off the stat sheet. Four starting guards that average double figures.
Big men who are far from double figures in scoring or rebounding. Another guard off the bench who averages double figures. No single player who leads the team in scoring night in and night out.
"They play four guards, too, like we do, and I think they have very talented guards and all of them can create their own shots,” senior Terrel Harris (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Terrel+Harris&CATEGORY=PERSON) said. "All of them can get 20 points on any given night.
So if you have that, you have some pretty good guards.”
With such personnel and such like-minded coaching philosophies — Ford and Baylor’s Scott Drew (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Scott+Drew&CATEGORY=PERSON) both preach up-tempo offense, and their teams are two of the three top scoring teams in the conference — the question of what tactic to take has been an animated discussion for the OSU coaching staff.
"We’ve been debating that as a staff,” Ford said. "Do we go out and just try to outscore them or do we really try to stop ’em? It’s going to be interesting. I think we’re going to go in there and try to play the best defense we possibly can and have a game plan ready, but really good offense is going to beat good defense.”
Ford pointed out several instances this week where the scout team was playing great defense in practice, but James Anderson (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=James+Anderson&CATEGORY=PERSON) would make a tough shot. He can see any number of Bears, from Curtis Jerrells (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Curtis+Jerrells&CATEGORY=PERSON) to Henry Dugat (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Henry+Dugat&CATEGORY=PERSON) to Kevin Rogers (http://newsok.com/keysearch/?er=1&CANONICAL=Kevin+Rogers&CATEGORY=PERSON) to Tweety Carter to LaceDarius Dunn, doing exactly that.
"Both our team and their team have the capability of doing that, making tough shots and hurting good defenses,” Ford said. "So I think you gotta be able to do both. I think the team that can do both will be the successful team. I don’t think you can go out there and just try to outscore them, that won’t work.”
http://newsok.com/cowboys-bears-match-tremendous-guard-play/article/3338605?custom_click=lead_story_title