Zouperman!

[davekay1971]

I am sure it is Wojo's fault!

Coach K will be sticking with Wojo as the big men coach, and hiring Shaq as the free-throw coach.

[greybeard]

Coach K will be sticking with Wojo as the big men coach, and hiring Shaq as the free-throw coach.

Talking about Shaq, how comfortable does he look when he cocks his head to look at the rim from the foul line? Does he look like he can move his head easily in any direction?

Take a look at how Nowinski's head appears when he eyes the basket from the foul line. Is there a difference between how free his head looks and Shaq's?

[NSDukeFan]

Talking about Shaq, how comfortable does he look when he cocks his head to look at the rim from the foul line? Does he look like he can move his head easily in any direction?

Take a look at how Nowinski's head appears when he eyes the basket from the foul line. Is there a difference between how free his head looks and Shaq's?

Does Shaq also have a wooden head?

[Kfanarmy]

Z this year has not adjusted to his new body, or perhaps I should say that he has adjusted to all the work he has done and how he habitually carries himself as a consequence is incompatible with "touch." ...

What would your recommendation to Z be to attain greater accuracy and range of motion without losing strength in the Short and long term?

[greybeard]

What would your recommendation to Z be to attain greater accuracy and range of motion without losing strength in the Short and long term?

I've already said it, take 3 or 4 hands on Feldenkrais lessons, one on one. They are called Functional Integration lessons. There is a certified Feldenkrais practitioner on the staff at Duke University Hospital as a physical therapist. Heck, they could fly be in, let me watch a couple of practices, and Zoubek would learn what softness through his spine, rib cage and neck feel like, together with freedom in his pelvis hips (the hips and neck are very, very connected, you free up one, you free up the other).

Short of that, this is what I'd recommend for anyone to do, as a regular warm up.

1. Lie on your back. Stand your feet so your knees are in the air. Grab each leg right below the knee, and lift your knees up towards your chest, so your thighs are roughly at right angles to your hips, and lower legs at right angles to your upper legs. Do not strain, if less than right angle is all you can do, less is fine.

2. Roll over onto your side, let's say your right side so that your left bent leg is on top of your right. SLOWLY, use your left arm to lift your left leg towards your left. Keep on moving your left leg slowly away from your right until your right leg is literally dragged off the floor. Continue all the way over to the right.

3. Go back the other way, again slowly, and so on.

4. After say four of these, as you lift your leg, let your nose keep in line with your upper leg, following your upper leg with your eyes. Keep doing slowly.

5. By and by when you reach the other side, your face will literally be looking behind you. In other words, as you come to the ground, your head will keep turning so when you get to your left side, your right cheek will be on the ground. This will elongate the spine and of course twist it, relaxing all the little muscles that help keep you erect, especially the muscles in the neck.

This will massage deeply the muscles in the buttocks and mid and upper back including shoulders. Continue ever more slowly. Very relaxing and will elimate much of the residual tension throughout the torso, hips, and inner thighs.

Do on a carpeted floor, not a deeply padded matt, and not a hard wooden floor.

Walk around some and then go to the court and shoot little shots, 2 foot shots, from the baseline, to the layup spot, front of the basket, etc. Only count those that do not hit rim, even if off backboard. Maintain the softness in the body. Make five switches from each spot.

Oh, I left out a step. After you follow your upper leg with your eyes, do the same with your head, move it in cync with your legs, but keep your eyes focusing or trying to focus in the direction away from which you are rotating. This differentiation will free up the muscles in the face, neck and shoulders dramatically. Then go back to just turning without concern for the eyes and see how freely your spine turns, your head turns at the end.

For all you golfers, great way to warm up. Spend 15 minutes. Do wonders for your swing, including tempo.

[greybeard]

I thought that there were some very important developments against UNC. First, Z got a lot of touches that came in early in the shot clock and that were just including Z in the passing game. The ball came in easily, Z got to look around and get rid of it without rushing (he might have rushed a tad on one or two). I think that that inclusion of Z in the catch and pass game is very valuable, for him and the rest of the team.

The other thing that I saw that I found was terribly exciting was what Z did off a catch in the lower right block in the second half. In the past, if Z sought to score off such a catch, he would turn his upper torso, lean and try to create an angle for a bank shot. Rarely successful and understandably so. This time he looked over his right shoulder like he would hook to the middle with his left hand and shot a non rushed sky hook aka Kareem, maybe with a little more sweep. A THING OF BEAUTY. That play is available from a lot of catches in deep. Z and the coaches just have to create one or two of them.

Which brings me to my last point. Z has had some success in this recent run in getting inside position near the baseline and getting the ball with on a lofted lead to the basket. There were a few times when either he or Miles had that position on the left side and the passer did not get it to them. I'm fine with that.

HOWEVER, that is a killer position which not only Z and Miles need to recognize as such but the entire team does. Z and Miles should NOT give up that position, nor do they have to fight to create or maintain a passing angle. The defender is in a terrible dilema and the play should play out with an easy shot for the big. If penetration comes from the wing, the ball handler just has to read the defender whose instincts will be to come toward the ball handler to help. That is when the little lob will be available.

If the ball rotates high or to the other side, the defender will necessarily release his body lean on Z or M in order to keep his eye on what is going on. He still must defend the rim against a pass to Z or M. If he doesn't, a lob and finish (M will flush it, Z will catch and shield and finish) will follow. If Z or M make any fake toward the basket and let the defender feel it, the defnder must retreat to try to block their path. A step in front gives you a catch a foot or two in front of the basket with the defender going the wrong way.

In checkers we used to call this "a pair of pants"--king between two of the other guy's pieces. A jump is going to happen no matter what they do.

I'd like to see a little more poise when that position has been gained and a team effort at exploiting it.

When a defender gets beat like that, with the big not fighting for position, with everybody reading that he is in trouble and then squeezing for the kill, it is deflating.

We saw in the last two games passes to Z from a driving player, I think it was Singler against Maryland and it definitely was Scheyer against UNC.

Z has to continue to soften those ribs and neck, KNOW when he has advantage, and find what is easy. If he and his teammates trust that a few of these can be added to the game, oh, ditto for Miles, whom I see as playing with much greater feel, subtleness these last two games, then Duke's potency will be greatly improved, much more than the one to three baskets alone would count for.

Very impressed with Zoubek. One of the great stories of college basketball this season.

[mapei]

Wish the ACC had a 'most improved player' award - he so deserves it.

[NSDukeFan]

I thought that there were some very important developments against UNC. First, Z got a lot of touches that came in early in the shot clock and that were just including Z in the passing game. The ball came in easily, Z got to look around and get rid of it without rushing (he might have rushed a tad on one or two). I think that that inclusion of Z in the catch and pass game is very valuable, for him and the rest of the team.

The other thing that I saw that I found was terribly exciting was what Z did off a catch in the lower right block in the second half. In the past, if Z sought to score off such a catch, he would turn his upper torso, lean and try to create an angle for a bank shot. Rarely successful and understandably so. This time he looked over his right shoulder like he would hook to the middle with his left hand and shot a non rushed sky hook aka Kareem, maybe with a little more sweep. A THING OF BEAUTY. That play is available from a lot of catches in deep. Z and the coaches just have to create one or two of them.

Which brings me to my last point. Z has had some success in this recent run in getting inside position near the baseline and getting the ball with on a lofted lead to the basket. There were a few times when either he or Miles had that position on the left side and the passer did not get it to them. I'm fine with that.

...
Very impressed with Zoubek. One of the great stories of college basketball this season.

I also love seeing us use the post players and especially like seeing the ball going into the post, whether for a shot or not. One thing I have started wondering though is if most of the time the bigs are told not to linger long there to give our big 3 more options to penetrate. You have noted, and I agree, Mason (and Miles and Zoubs) has sometimes had position and seemed to be waved off. I hope we continue to see solid play from big Z and hope Miles and Mason get some touches inside and, more importantly, do something positive when they do get it.
I completely agree that Zoubek's emergence has been a fabulous story.

[cspan37421]

This week's SI has a nice article on Brian Zoubek - including a very nice, large picture of Zoubs getting his Mountain Man on vs. Carolina last weekend. Check it out!

[TNDukeFan]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...6988/index.htm

[west_coast_devil]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/bas...ontent.10.html

good pic I saw on SI....thought I'd share

go one picture back. Could not get the link to work right.

[BD80]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/bas...ontent.10.html

good pic I saw on SI....thought I'd share

go one picture back. Could not get the link to work right.

[BigZ]

If Zoubek doesn't make it in the NBA I would love to see him in the WWE. I would watch wrestling again if they had him there.

[94duke]

Awesome!!!

[94duke]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mul...content.5.html

[Kfanarmy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/tourna...ory?id=5023686


pls remove is this has already been posted, but I hadn't seen it.

[Billy Dat]

David Thorpe wrote an ESPN insider blog post today focused on NBA draft prospects and the NCAA tournament. He ends the piece with a shout out to Zoubek, comparing him to Joel Pryzbilla and says every NBA team needs a 7 footer who runs, rebounds and fights!

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog?name=nba_draft