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Transcript: Live Q&A with Bruce Pascoe on UA basketball

Bruce Pascoe chatted with readers in a live Q&A chat on UA basketball.

Who's the best player in the PAC-12 right now?

by PhillipKP 1/28/2013 8:06:32 PM
Good question... The best teams are most balanced and Brock Motum isn't creating much buzz because the Cougars are struggling...but if i had to throw out a name right now I'd probably say Shabazz Muhammad

by Bruce Pascoe 1/28/2013 8:09:37 PM
Anything new on Gordon's recruitment? Thanks

by dpateaz 1/28/2013 8:09:38 PM
not really.he's close to vest. as i've said i think if he really wants to make a huge impact Washington may have a better chance. i'm guessing he'll wait til April to see who's leaving anywhere before he decides.

by Bruce Pascoe 1/28/2013 8:10:55 PM
What kind of offense is SM running. They dont run set plays. Seems to me they should b running at least 2 lobs a game for nick johnson. The only set play is the pick @the tpp of the key for lyons. They play pickup bball like the last 3yrs of olsons being on the bench.

by Donnie 1/28/2013 8:10:55 PM
We talked about this below too. You have a point there
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by Bruce Pascoe 1/28/2013 8:11:42 PM
is a lot on Lyons but a lot of motion. It won't be quite this way next season, I'm guessing.

by Bruce Pascoe 1/28/2013 8:12:39 PM
should we expect a drop off next year with the loss of the seniors?

by jocats 1/28/2013 8:13:25 PM
No. They'll be good if they don't lose anyone early. Rondae Jefferson will help offset the loss of Hill, and they'll be different offensively because T.J. McConnell is a pass-first point guard.

by Bruce Pascoe 1/28/2013 8:14:23 PM
Do you think Coach Miller might incorporate a zone pressure defense to help prevent UCLA from making 20 plus lay ups/dunks against us next time? Seems our defense has become predictable to everyone, the jump out double just doesn't work against more athletic teams. ASU knew that and look at the result, they made UCLA work for most of their shots.

by Hoff 1/28/2013 8:14:48 PM
No. Miller is a solid packed-in man to man guy and I don't think that will change except in unusual and short situations. Again, the UCLA game was an aberration in so many ways. Missed shots led to bad defense, etc...

by Bruce Pascoe 1/28/2013 8:15:46 PM
What's up with Mayes. He played better as a freshman than he does now. If he's not going to add to the offence then York showed get his minutes. Gabe's not afraid to shot the ball.

by tucscott 1/28/2013 8:16:06 PM
The difference between Mayes and York is that Mayes is the backup point guard. York, at least now, is strictly a two. So even with Johnson picking up much of the PG responsibilities, Miller wants Mayes taking the minutes at PG when Lyons is out. I'm sure, yes, that they would like to see Mayes be better offensively, no question. He hasn't been a knockdown three-point guy since the 2011 tournament.

by Bruce Pascoe 1/28/2013 8:18:01 PM
I remember seeing that clip after the ASU game where Coach Miller is talking to the team in the locker room. That was sweet inside stuff! Will we ever get to see more? Secondly, Channing Frye was there which was awesome. How many players does the UofA get visits from our past greats and how often? From Steve Kerr to even as recent as Derrick Williams? Do you have any idea?

by UofA Faithful 1/28/2013 8:18:25 PM
We aren't allowed in the locker room for postgame talks; that clip came from UA, which posts postgame speeches when it wants to. (note that you don't see them after a bad game). There are ex-players around for probably every fourth game or so. It just a matter of schedules. Many of them are playing in the NBA, Dleague or overseas so can't make it but Frye is out this season. Isaiah Fox was at OSU and Mohamed Tangara was at Saturday's game.

by Bruce Pascoe 1/28/2013 8:21:24 PM
Do you consider Nick Johnson's co-distributer role with Lyons a template that we will continue to see with future Miller-Cat teams?

by doublenickelride 1/28/2013 8:22:08 PM
Probably not. I think this is a case where Miller is adjusting to his personnel. He prefers pass-first PGs so I think that's what they'll be showing next season with McConnell. However, Johnson will still be of big help with his ability as a ballhandler and it will be good for his draft stock to keep showing what he can do there, too.

by Bruce Pascoe 1/28/2013 8:23:51 PM
Carrick Felix was named Pac-12 Player of the Week, BTW. His third of the season.

by Bruce Pascoe 1/28/2013 8:24:50 PM
Bruce, before the season started, I said that this was our year to be champions if anything. The veteran leadership, the depth, the future NBA players, and just the talent in general. It kind of reminds me of how well we did in 2001. Even with a great record, the games we've lost and those we've barely won scare me now. If there is going to be any year at a championship run, this has got to be it. But now I'm not so sure. What do you think if you had take a guess and put a bet on it vs. any other year since the 2001 run?

by WildAboutDaCats 1/28/2013 8:25:30 PM
You're right there's a great mix. The 2003 team probably had a better shot because of its overall talent and experience. The 2005 team nearly did get to FF but that team was too reliant on two guys, IMO. But could this team could go further? yes .... because it's so much about matchups, geography and sometimes even luck in the tournament, so who knows?

by Bruce Pascoe 1/28/2013 8:29:53 PM
On that note, I really have to take off. Thanks for all the great questions. Sorry I didn't quite get to all of them. Feel free to leave some on the comment section of my blog, too.

by Bruce Pascoe 1/28/2013 8:32:41 PM

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