Arizona Basketball: Six strategy options for head coach Sean Miller

Sean Miller and his No. 2 ranked Arizona Basketball team took three very difficult losses in the Atlantis Tournament, but it didn’t have to be that way.

Talking about firing Arizona Basketball head coach Sean Miller is pure ridiculous talk. My first reaction after the weekend’s losses was that the players needed a confidence boost from their fans but that didn’t happen. The response and reactions were quite the opposite.

There is plenty to consider when analyzing the Cats performance in the Bahama’s, so that’s what I chose to write about because I have gotten to know them over the last year and I know in my heart of hearts they don’t want to lose. Neither does coach Miller. He warned us before the tournament not to expect everything would go swimmingly.

Constructive criticism from an angle of offering advice is what I thought was appropriate under the circumstances. Even if I have never coached an NCAA team, I am throwing my hat into the advice ring because it cannot hurt.

Other coaches will do anything to beat Sean Millers Wildcats. Mainly because they are usually ranked very high, and winning could secure a spot for their team in the NCAA Tournament. It seems at times that Miller relies on his tried and true basketball strategy which is mostly man-to-man defense, ball in the stars hands down the stretch no matter if it is effective or not, not pressing or intentionally fouling until the final minute and more.

Although it did work at home in the Wildcats first three games, it didn’t work in three games this weekend in the Bahamas at the Battle for Atlantis Tournament.

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

I think one can now say that it is a fact that his strategy for his former teams may not work for every team he coaches.  You know what they say in business? What got you here, won’t get you there. Or the strategy that, got you to this point in your career, won’t propel you farther in your career.

So what can Miller do to have his team be less predictable? Wildcats fans and I have some ideas.

1) Stop living and dying by man-to-man defense, be less predictable,

Basketball players grow up playing mostly zone defense. The reasons given are that it is too complicated for young players to guard there person and understand help-side defense, etc. etc. But, these players have played a lot of zone in their lives, so they get it. Miller hardly ever has his team play zone, but when they have, it has seemed to work out well but only for a couple of series, then back to man-to-man.

Add a double team of the hot hand on the opponent and what do you know? It works! It works against the Wildcats, so why not show it as a surprise at the very least? When teams are hot on the three-point line, extend your zone to beyond the arc, force the opponent inside and even if they score two points, it isn’t as bad as three points.

I know Miller prides himself on his team playing man-to-man, that he wants them to learn his scheme, but maybe throwing a zone every once and again would be unpredictable as well as effective. Bend to the players a bit, just to win a game. You wouldn’t be forfeiting a season because the team didn’t get it in the first five games. And there are so many versions of a zone defense, so never playing zone gives you way fewer options to throw at an opponent!

At the very least, double team the player who is shooting the lights out every time he has the ball, which is a youth ball tactic that could work.

2) If the three isn’t working, have the Bigs draw fouls by driving to the basket.

Having the star of the team or anyone shooting three’s when they are not doing well in the last few minutes of a game when the Cats are down points has seldom worked in recent one-and-done years. When Miller had more experienced players, maybe it worked more, but it didn’t in these first two games of the Atlantis tournament. I understand he wants to give more confidence to his stars, to let them know he believes in them. But that only works if the player can come through, if not, quite the opposite can happen.

Why not have your bigs drive the basket, over and over again. Get the fouls, get the opponents to foul out. When the SMU star was on the bench, the player who was sinking all of his threes, Arizona was able to make a run, but as soon as that player came back in, things turned around again. He had four fouls, maybe make sure he fouled out?

3) If your star is struggling, put the ball in someone else hands, even if they make a few mistakes

Sure Alex Barcello made a few mistakes, but so did everyone else. Put him back in. Or put in Brandon Randolph. No one would guard them, and they would have have had a better chance to score being more open. By now, everyone knows Trier will get the ball, everyone. If it’s not working, at least get another player a few chances.

It seemed at times Trier would dribble into a crowd and not pass the ball out. We don’t know if the plan was to get to the free-throw line, but the strategy didn’t work too often, he lost the ball more than usual. It’s okay to go cold and still be the star. This is a team sport after all.

4) Press at times during the game and way before the one minute mark

Throw out a press during the game, surprise the defense. Press with four minutes left and 12 points down. Just try pressing. NC State took a page out of Gregg Marshal’s book and pressed right in the beginning of the game, and it worked against Arizona. Wichita State pressed from the get-go in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament and beat the Cats. It will work, but you cannot wait for the last 60 seconds of a game.

Shake it up! It will keep the other team guessing. As it is, the other side knows that Miller will not press, so they never have to plan or coach for it.

If you are pressing only in the last minute of a game, you have already lost the game.

This bugs me more than anything else. All coaches use this but Miller hardly ever does, and when he does it is usually too late. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

5) Put in all three Bigs at the same time

Put in Dusan Ristic, Keanu Pinder and Deandre Ayton in at the same time. More rebounds, more floaters, and more obstacles to the basket, Maybe try having them defend the three as well as defend the basket and rebound for second-chance points in offense.

Maybe try a three-two zone with three bigs on the perimeter. Wouldn’t that surprise the other coach?

6) Intentionally foul early

If you are down by more than five or six points, you could try intentionally fouling earlier than the last minute of the game. It gives you more time and opportunities to make up the deficit. Using this technique only at the last minute and then not using it at all is not working for Miller. He likes to let the clock run down on the play and hopes for a turnover. Maybe that’s not always the best technique?

What got Miller to this point, may not get him to the final four. Yes, he is a brilliant basketball coach, close to God-like for most of us, but he has to keep other coaches guessing. This team has a ton of talent, but it may take Miller a bit longer to figure out how to capitalize on it. Rawle Alkins coming back will help with options, and just having him on the court directing traffic will change the look of the team.

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Who are we to make these suggestions? Nobody who has coached an NCAA D1 team, but we may be right, if only a little, and it may help, so why not put it out there? I am quite sure they are thinking of these things as well, but it is time for Miller to switch things up and have his strategy and team play be more unpredictable.