A NEW M. O.?

As in Motion Offense. Brian Dohn broke the news on Nov 25. Bruin players were talking about how they are starting to incorporate the MO into their practices (See Dohn's blogpost below).

The MO is suppose to help if you have a weak inside presence, which I guess, currently we do. But I don't know 3 things:

1. What to feel about Coach B, who has never used the MO before, as far as I know, all of sudden thinking about it;

2. What to feel/think about players 'spilling the beans' about systems before the coach does; and

2. What happened to the whole notion of recruiting players that fit your system? Does this mean that Coach B did not recruit properly? Or the early departures throwing a wrench into Coach B's recruiting system? I DON'T KNOW!!!
Of course, the most recent permutation of the MO is the dribble drive motion at Memphis c/o Vance Walberg. Basically, a Bob Knight motion but w/o the screens. For a little history reading on the permutations of the MO, check out Gary Wahl's SI article "Fast & Furious".

It's exciting ball but you really need good & diversified players at all positions to make it work.

Following are articles from the usual suspects on this new page in Bruin basketball.
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More hoops(check out original post for some followup discussion on this story)
By Brian Dohn, Staff Writer, Inside UCLA blog, LA Daily News
2:55 PM Nov 25, 2008

"I'll have more on this later, but a theme from the players during today's media session was UCLA may be better off running motion offense rather than called plays.
Several of them -- Alfred Aboya, James Keefe and Darren Collison -- said the Bruins worked on it almost exclusively in Monday's practice, and they could be more effective in it than running traditional, called plays from the sideline."
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So UCLA Is Going to Motion
Posted by: Dan Weber, Press Enterprise
1:21 PM Nov 26, 2008

Sounds like a good adjustment for UCLA after the basketball Bruins' halfcourt offense was exposed a bit by Michigan last week in New York.

The Bruins are working on their halfcourt motion stuff almost exclusively and will run the free-flowing pass, cut and screen sets instead of separate plays that should take advantage of their perimeter ballhandling, shooting and quickness without the bulk and strength of recent seasons.
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Bruins basketball will be a team in motion
By Brian Dohn, Staff Writer, LA Daily News
10:42:31 PM Nov 25, 2008

A point guard dribbling near midcourt while the shot clock winds down has been a staple of UCLA's offense, but that could be changing if the Bruins move from a play-calling offense to a motion offense, as players suggested was happening.

Usually, Bruins coach Ben Howland calls the plays from the bench in halfcourt sets, but several players said Tuesday they believed the unscripted motion offense - in which passes, screens and quick cuts to the basket are the focal point and dribbling is minimized - will be used markedly more than in the past.

"We've been working on motion every day in practice," UCLA senior wing Josh Shipp said. "A lot of teams know what we're going to run. They're going to take away our first and second options, so after that, all we have is our motion."

UCLA senior center Alfred Aboya said the players believe utilizing a motion offense, which the Bruins have done periodically in the past, will produce better results than running set plays.

"I think coach feels this team will be a better team running motion offense instead of running all the time," Aboya said. "By running motion, it doesn't mean only one guy has to have the ball and others set screens. It means everybody's got to be able to pass, cut and (do) all the little stuff.

"First, we have to master the motion offense, and so far we're not close to that. Hopefully, by conference (play), I think we'll be ready."

More shots needed: Bruins point guard Darren Collison, who made 52.5 percent of his 3-point attempts last season, is 6 of 9 (66.7 percent) this season. However, he has the fifth-most 3-point attempts on the team, and his 36 total shots rank second.
"It would be good for our team to understand that the more shots that Darren gets, the better it is for our team," Howland said. "We have to do a better job of getting him more shots. Darren Collison should take the most shots on the team. He's our best shooter."

Collison, who averages a team-high 16 points per game, said he needs to alter his offensive game.

"I'm going to do a lot more attacking," Collison said. "Kevin (Love), Arron (Afflalo), all those guys aren't here, so I've got to do way more attacking. It's not just taking shots. It's being aggressive, getting to the paint every single time, regardless of what the situation is, to get guys more shots. It's not just on me getting more shots."

Two big concerns: Howland said his two biggest concerns four games into the season are the number of turnovers and opponents' shooting percentage. UCLA is turning the ball over 14.8times per game, and opponents are shooting 45percent from the field.

"Every time we had a turnover (in Monday's practice), the team that turned it over had to run," Howland said. "There's got to be accountability. Every time you make a mistake, there's got to be consequences, because that's how it is in the game."