@WhoISthis
You perplex me.
Sometimes I read your posts and think you are one of the wisest ones on here, and I think you have a generally optimistic disposition when it comes to the program. Other times, we are unloading on each other with "dumb" ratings and tussling. I am still trying to figure you out. I am not saying you need to change or anything, but it is unusual for me to be so down the middle with stark agreement and disagreement with somebody.
Hence the thought of going with a zone. Get rid of the ball screen offense, and anything in the paint has to go through 2 7 footers. Depends on if they can both contribute on offense at the same time or not. I am guessing we don't see a ton of this, but if they are on the floor at the same time I am guessing this is the fix.
If Foster can shoot from outside at an acceptable clip, then he works in a 4/1 offense (with Conditt as the 5 man in the paint), whatever you ultimately want to do on defense. Those two in a Baylor-type super-long zone would be intriguing.
We had trouble learning 2 with Zion and T-Lew on the roster. From the stands those guys couldn't grip 1 defense. I am hoping that having Javon in the building for an extra year, plus Jackson, Bolton, and Solo all being pretty good defensive players will help. Plus it looks like Dubar had a pretty intense defensive minded high school team.
This is essentially my hope, as well.
I do not think there will be any major coaching or schematic changes made. I just hope that the following combination of factors makes the difference --
-- the knuckleheads are gone
-- we are just generally taller, longer, and more athletic across the roster
-- not trying to force Nixon or Jacobson (at the 4, he was fine at the 5) out there
-- generally more experienced across the roster in certain places
-- Bolton and Jackson are undersized guarding any decent-sized guard or wing, but I hope they make up for that with effort, experience, and general peskiness
There will not be some silver bullet here. I hope the above mixture moves the needle on program defense, and BT/KenPom models it as if they do.
Prohm did put together the two best defenses of the 2010s for us (even if #49 and #55 nationally are not exactly something to brag about here) --
I know those are far from
good (though 2019 would have been better without February turning into a disaster), but we have at least been better at some point.