adamj95 wrote:Not sure if i’m doing something wrong with my game but it seems to me that I always have very high scoring offensive teams but they always shoot a low percentage on their shots. I’m not sure if the style of play or the offense I choose to run is a factor but it always seems I have teams who take a ton of shots and usually only make 35-40% of them. One specific example of a player I had recruited. He was the #1 overall player in the country and I got him to come and play at LSU. I tried having a balanced offensive focus, outside focus, and inside focus the 4 years he was here and he shot 32% for his career. I only have 4 players as of right now in my schools history to shoot better than 45% from the field for their career. Any advice?
The Scoring ability of a player is their willingness to take shots, but not necessarily make them...the outside shooting and inside shooting abilities determine their success rate, and the DRFL ability determines how often they draw fouls and get to the line. Other things, like the passing abilities of players on the team are factors as well. So the scoring ability doesn't necessarily translate into points.
Choosing the right offensive sets for your players, and developing their skills at those sets, allowing you to use less offensive freedom is the best way to develop their offense. That takes time, and I often redshirt at least one of my talented freshman so that they get an extra year to learn the system if it doesn't appear they will be getting much playing time their first year. Also, for that reason, I usually prefer recruiting High school kids over JUCO players, unless I have a pressing need for experience. Fifth year seniors with any talent usually ROCK!
Because it takes significant time to develop skills (as opposed to the players innate abilities) I usually focus on only 2 offensive sets, and of course weekly practice in all 3 zone defense attacks, and recruit players that fit the system. As the team as a whole develops i gradually lessen the amount of offensive freedom so that they are spending more time in the offensive sets. As the players develop into a more cohesive unit, you should see things improve from year to year, both as a team and from individual players.
You didn't say whether you play out games or sim them. I personally try to develop a team that has the ability to score inside and out and prefer a balanced approach, but while playing games out (I never sim) I'll adjust focus as the game goes on while the team tries to find their offensive rhythm. A lot depends on the defensive abilities/sets of the opposing team. WIth inexperienced players scoring against zones can be especially frustrating, and you'll probably see a lot of them if your team has superior talent than the opposition.
Finally be aware that your most talented players may not be your most consistent performers especially when they are young. With the team i currently am playing, I'm in my first year with the program, but was fortunate that my predecessor had been running largely the same sets that intended to run in the first place. Most of my upperclassmen are close to 100% with the sets i'm running, and had been getting most of the playing time, simply because they could perform most consistently. As the year has progressed though, some of my more talented underclassmen have been increasingly more productive and have worked their way up in the depth chart, and are getting more minutes.
Hope that helps.