Siegel Stars speed up MBA
Saturday Siegel hosted 16 varsity basketball teams from central and eastern Tennessee. From 9:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. two gyms witnessed constant competition.
Late in the day host Siegel Stars clattered with the MBA Big Red. Two distinct styles emerged.
The Stars clearly intend to get up and down a fair bit, while MBA doesn’t.
MBA Head Coach Kevin Anglin schooled his charges on deliberate, prodding halfcourt attacks.
Fast breaks helped the Stars hop out early. Joe Howard smashed a two-handed slam home after bursting out off his team’s defense rebound.
Jump to late first quarter, as Siegel lead MBA 17-14. Both James Franklin and Joe Howard helped Siegel score. Franklin’s soft touch assured his jumpers of falling through the cylinder.
Still MBA held firm as each team scored four points in the film first quarter push. The teams closed the quarter at 21-18 Siegel on top.
Alex Roberts (MBA) finished an and1 to open the second quarter. Mostly, MBA ran their offense through a high post. For example, a back-to-basket big stands outside the free throw line and MBA players run around him and create passing opportunities for the big. The big always stands with both elbows out to secure ball and ward off swatting defenders.
MBA’s possessions took longer, but they were not necessarily less effective…at least early on.
Uninterested in dwelling on the MBA attack, Siegel always surged up the floor. A couple of passes and then a slash or shot typically constituted the Siegel strategy. If they made a bucket, then they set their defense.
Saturday, Siegel set up a fullcourt press. Midway through the second quarter MBA patiently broke the press. Drew Weikert was key.
After trudging through the press, MBA set up a screen and then dive by Harrison Taylor. He finished competently from a nice wing feed. Taylor began the possession in the high post role. Siegel considered him a low threat, but his dive made the entire play. Siegel up 24-23.
An interesting newcomer for Siegel is freshman Zion Swader. Swader could start or come off the bench. Regardless he will play and only grow in to a bigger role in the coming months.
He got a step on the MBA defenders.
Siegel failed to build a more substantial lead largely because almost all Stars felt ownership of offensive transition. They were sloppy with the ball after defensive rebound. Over and over. Everybody looked up and looked to dribble. For no reason other than selfishness wings didn’t find the point guard. Capable handler James Franklin, but again, not the point guard coughed up a couple this way.
To their credit Siegel did thrive defensively mainly be extending the pressure fullcourt. By the second quarter they really dug in consistently by pressing.
And it worked.
A couple of possessions in a row Siegel created a little scramble from MBA. First, the Big Red charged. Seconds later MBA coughed up the ball. MBA was playing a little reckless, clearly too fast for their own good.
Siegel opened it up to 28-23 with 5:25 left in the second. One more bucket for Siegel enlarged the game to 30-23.
Franklin hit a 3-pointer a with simple sidestep and pop. He looked really smooth.
The Stars lead 33-24 with 2:53 left in the half.
The two teams generally crawled to the midpoint.
Takeaways
MBA does not have the foot speed on the perimeter to keep players like James Franklin, Zion Swader, or even Joe Howard from getting into the paint. Over and over the Big Red fouled players in dangerous positions. They did utilize the foul to prevent small problems from worsening. Plays like Siegel fast breaks and layup attempts typically met an abrupt, physical end.
Siegel has talented scorers. They need more direction and discipline offensively, but two or three guys possess that invaluable ‘ability to create’ attribute.
Both teams missed a lot of free throws.
The Stars must entrust their point guard with escorting the basketball from defensive rebounds to the opposing arc. It just doesn’t make basketball sense for anybody else to try.
Siegel usually plays man defense in the halfcourt. Siegel is decent at giving the body on defense without fouling.
Siegel prefers quick hitters. MBA runs a deliberate, patient offense.