Let's Press Hoyas! Let's Go!
Sitting back and thinking about the 1980's and how good the Hoyas were. 1984 they were ranked 2nd in the nation, and went on to win the big prize, the national championship. To this day I cannot recall seeing a team so dominant. I mean teams were literally scared to play Georgetown. They gave no room to do anything.
The Hoyas came at you with aggression for most of the game on defense. Their offense came to them from their hard work on defense. It all flowed together. This is what was so amazing about watching the Hoyas in the 80's. They were the enforcers, they won lots of games being this way.
While coaching youth basketball, I patterned my teams after 80's Hoyas playing a 2-1-2 and 1-3-1 press. I loved it, we won games and plus a championship doing these things. I think it's the best way to play and to see if a team will crack under such aggressive pressure throughout the game with the press on.
I remember one game my team was so non-chalant and it seemed like most of my team was still sleeping. The game was sort of early that Saturday morning. I thought of something to wake them UP! PRESSSSSSSSSSSSS PRESSSSSSSSSSSS PRESSSSSSSSSS! Guess hat? They did, they woke up and won by a significant margin.
I think the press has many advantages especially mentally and physically. Mentally the press wakes you up. Physically the press gets the legs loose, gets the players' mind's loose and body as well. The press makes your players better as a team. The blood is flowing as a more rapid pace. The heart beat is faster. They're going at, for it, the ROCK! If you want something you have to go and get it!
The NCAA tournament that's what it's all about, going to get it. Every year when I watched the teams that keep winning they don't stop wanting it, they go and get it, another words, those teams TAKE IT! I'd ask my team during a timeout, "do you want to have some fun? They'll say, "yes coach!" I'd say, "1-3-1" and oh, they love it. We'd beat teams on the average of 15 points a night or more. We were AGGRESSIVE, make no doubt about it! We won, and if we didn't it was a heck of a fight.
Growing up in the city I learned to play aggressive and stay hungry for hoops. It was a way out of the hood, so to speak. From playing to coaching I've always been aggressive because of this. I'm just glad basketball came into my life because it taught me so much about life through hoops/sports. I came from a city where the players loved defense and it was stressed more than anything else. The games were very exciting and there was never a dull moment.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is I'm still feeling the hurt of the Flordia Gulf Coast loss. This loss hurt so bad I still haven't forgtten about it. The Hoyas haven't forgotten. Have I gotten over it, yes and no. No, because I want to use that loss as big time motivation coming into this season, but I know our team would have to be as aggressive as it's ever been. How do they do this?
PRESS! PRESS! PRESS!
I'm always watching 80's highlights. When I'm watching, I'm wishing our squad can go back being very aggressive on both ends of the court especially the defensive end. Check out the Hoyas at the 2:04 mark. It's the Gtown press! Right after a basket was made by the Hoyas they immediately went into press mode. I thought it was unique to put a 7 footer at the point on the press because it's harder to throw the ball over the top of him. Most of the team was long and athletic.
They were the #2 rebounding team in the country in 1984. The Hoyas always had their arms and hands up waving them up and down just to perhaps get a tip or a turnover. This worked especially with defensive specialist Hoyas legend #22 Gene Smith coming off of the bench. Check him out at the 9:22 mark in the video. With Smith in the game the Hoyas defensive intensity went up about 2 clicks. He's a hustler he would get the ball for you without a doubt. The PRESS makes you more aggressive. I think a player on the Hoyas that reminds of Smith is Jabril Trawick, his defense.
PRESS 'EM HOYAS!
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