In Reply to: I hope it means … posted by mikeo on July 15, 2025 at 11:42:21
A static big who stays down low can be exploited and render one's defense ineffective. Cronin seems to like mobile dynamic bigs. I think it's more ideal to have five guys on the floor that can play the whole floor. Cronin also likes big guards although he may not always have them. I think this also works toward all five positions being able to defend everywhere. Bobby Knight always talked about having a team where they could switch everything and not compromise the defense. If ever a coach can achieve that his team would have a tremendous advantage in that respect over their opponent probably in almost, if not, every game.
Right now, IMO, Mara would undermine that goal. Every can just force switches until they get a quick guy guarded by Mara. At that point the defense is vulnerable to penetration and being broken down. Cronin was trying to mitigate that scenario by coaching up Mara and working on his overall strength. If Mara doesn't get that at Michigan, and I'm not saying he won't, I think he'll be the lesser for it as a basketball player IMO.