How is Bucky Ball different than Shaka Ball….

3,818 Views | 31 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by bobinator
bigdaddygriffin
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6:33p, 4/5/25
Just throwing this out there…. Wasn't the full court press and transition offense Shaka's mode of operation when he took over at tu a decade ago? At that time the Big 12 was top to bottom the elite basketball conference.. It didn't seem to stick and he had trouble executing it long term and no success in the tourney?
At the end of the day the teams that play sound half court defense, have big physical front courts, skilled shooting guards are the teams that win big in the tourney every yr…
I will give Bucky ball a chance but i'm skeptical a system of only doing it one way will work in a big, athletic, physical league like the SEC with highly skilled guards..
At the end of the day if we don't get the right players won't matter anyway, but just came to mind the lack of success Shaka had in with the full court press, he seemed to change with that over time…
Thoughts?
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Method Man
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6:37p, 4/5/25
It's a fair point but we are in the honeymoon stage so let's be happy
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bigdaddygriffin
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In reply to Method Man • 6:39p, 4/5/25
Like i said i will give it a chance…
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superunknown
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6:41p, 4/5/25
AG
Shaka's system wasnt going to work with 5 star one and done players. They had similar issues in Kentucky when BCG took grit and grind to the 5 stars in Lexington. An advantage of a "system" guy is the Xs and Os is what you rely on rather than NBA level talent.

What's fun for us is that at least offensively...the winning teams of the NBA has evolved into the same kind of data-driven play. 3 pointers, layups and free throws is what Bucky's offense is aiming for, we'll see lots of motion and less iso ball. 5 out sets will be pretty common, positionless basketball, the kind you see in Europe that has made it to the highest levels here.
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bobinator
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6:42p, 4/5/25
AG
I think Shaka fell into the trap a lot of Texas coaches fall into and started chasing stars instead of getting the guys that's played his system the best.

Shaka's Texas teams did not play like his VCU or Marquette teams.
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Sgt. Schultz
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6:46p, 4/5/25
AG
Cheaper
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bigdaddygriffin
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In reply to superunknown • 6:46p, 4/5/25
Very valid point of what he took over
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Ag1188
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6:47p, 4/5/25
AG
I am sure if his full-court Defense is not effective, he'll dial it back to where it's most effective. Bet he's less satisfied with open-3's and layups than Buzz.

I'd guess it's the offense that we should be especially excited about.
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Ag1188
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In reply to superunknown • 6:48p, 4/5/25
AG
Saw where Bucky said he likes his #4 position on offense to be someone who can shoot and score, stretching the defense.
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bigdaddygriffin
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In reply to superunknown • 7:06p, 4/5/25
Gotta have the right players for that to work, hoping he gets the support and $ he needs to make it happen, definitely fun to watch….
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NyAggie
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7:14p, 4/5/25
AG
Quote:
What's fun for us is that at least offensively...the winning teams of the NBA has evolved into the same kind of data-driven play. 3 pointers, layups and free throws is what Bucky's offense is aiming for, we'll see lots of motion and less iso ball. 5 out sets will be pretty common, positionless basketball, the kind you see in Europe that has made it to the highest levels here.


This is what we should be excited about and focusing on rather than the full court pressure

The full court pressure can be turned on and off as needed, but having an offensive system that gets you open shots is so thing that can sustain your program
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halfastros81
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9:40p, 4/5/25
AG
This. He may have to adjust on the full court pressure all game . It drains your players legs unless you go 11-12 deep which is unlikely next yr at least . The motion and ball movement should put the kabosh on scoring droughts … provided we have players that can hit open shots .
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DukeMu
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In reply to superunknown • 11:45p, 4/5/25
superunknown said:
Shaka's system wasnt going to work with 5 star one and done players. They had similar issues in Kentucky when BCG took grit and grind to the 5 stars in Lexington. An advantage of a "system" guy is the Xs and Os is what you rely on rather than NBA level talent.

What's fun for us is that at least offensively...the winning teams of the NBA has evolved into the same kind of data-driven play. 3 pointers, layups and free throws is what Bucky's offense is aiming for, we'll see lots of motion and less iso ball. 5 out sets will be pretty common, positionless basketball, the kind you see in Europe that has made it to the highest levels here.
Duke went semistall and isoball over the last 10 minutes tonight. Gave away the game to Cougar High.

I want to see if the hypermotion weaving offense allows Bucee Ball to get away with their moving picks in the SEC.
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GigEm81
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11:46p, 4/5/25
AG
My recollection, not sure where I read it, was that the sip brass told them they didn't want that style of play. So they shut him down.

Seems to be doing quite well now at Marquette.
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DukeMu
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In reply to NyAggie • 11:46p, 4/5/25
NyAggie said:
Quote:
What's fun for us is that at least offensively...the winning teams of the NBA has evolved into the same kind of data-driven play. 3 pointers, layups and free throws is what Bucky's offense is aiming for, we'll see lots of motion and less iso ball. 5 out sets will be pretty common, positionless basketball, the kind you see in Europe that has made it to the highest levels here.


This is what we should be excited about and focusing on rather than the full court pressure

The full court pressure can be turned on and off as needed, but having an offensive system that gets you open shots is so thing that can sustain your program

You have to have length, speed and athleticism to replicate Nolan Richardon's 40 minutes of hell.

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Method Man
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In reply to GigEm81 • 12:56a, 4/6/25
GigEm81 said:
My recollection, not sure where I read it, was that the sip brass told them they didn't want that style of play. So they shut him down.

Seems to be doing quite well now at Marquette.


Except in the tourney
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bigdaddygriffin
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In reply to Method Man • 8:27a, 4/6/25
Bingo..... And like mentioned on here several times, you have to have the right kind of players for that system and you have to have a lot of depth to pull it off consistently. Otherwise, you will give up easy buckets on the back end against talented guards that can split you down the middle...
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greg.w.h
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8:33a, 4/6/25
AG
No one knows. We haven't had a single coach play here the way they played somewhere else. And they also didn't tend to have equivalent talent here to previous stops. Buzz might be an exception. But I'd argue he also focused on defense to address offensive shortcomings.

I hope the new head coach can find a way not to become defensive first here. The real hope is the NIL/revenue sharing pot helps do that by bringing in talent.

But I'm not sure Buzz lacked in funding…
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Dimond1968
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9:52a, 4/6/25
I'd say Bucky is way more advanced on offense than Shaka Smart.
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Dimond1968
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9:54a, 4/6/25
The idea Bucky isn't okay with layups. Oh there will be lots of breakaway dunks and layups. Thats the life of full court pressure. Get ready to ride out a lot of breakdowns. The idea is over the course of the game you'll break the other team. It's a long game type situation.
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Complete Idiot
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10:19a, 4/6/25
Having listened to some McMillan interviews I do wonder what type of recruits he will bring in that can commit to his philosophies, perhaps similar to Buzz in that they may not be the highest ranking recruits but main goal is to get the personality that buys in fully to system and program.
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Dimond1968
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10:42a, 4/6/25
Yeah don't expect to see an uptick in recruiting. Bucky like Buzz will be looking for " his type of player." Why Beard a coach just looking for the best players would've been preferred. But I do hope Bucky is better at constructing a roster with less holes.
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bobinator
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In reply to Dimond1968 • 10:47a, 4/6/25
AG
Difference is I think the slider on "his type of player" is a little more toward "has basketball skills."
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Dimond1968
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10:58a, 4/6/25
I think it's totally nuts the idea Buzz didn't want players with " basketball skills." I've been around TexAgs long enough to understand the long tradition of trashing the last coach. Gillispie was the only coach I don't recall this happening to including football. I'm all in on Bucky. And like the hire. But Buzz Williams is a good basketball coach

Sumlin will adapt to the SEC was the cry as TexAgs just bought in. Sumlin never could leave his big 12 style behind. Which i said would happen. Oh Billy Kennedy would set the world on fire. Turgeon was awful and holding A&M back. Now it's all about how awful Buzx was with the new shiny thing in front. Buzz needed to go but Buzz was really good here.
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bobinator
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In reply to Dimond1968 • 11:02a, 4/6/25
AG
I like Buzz as a coach just fine, in fact I've been accused of "goaltending" for Buzz this season. I also didn't say they weren't good basketball players, but very few of our players were highly skilled players.

Wade was a skilled player, but would you describe anyone else on last year's team as highly skilled? Maybe Garcia? Payne had some skills with the ball in his hands. But overall? Athletic, tough, etc., sure, but we were really bad at basic basketball skills, especially offensively, for a high level team.
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Dimond1968
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11:04a, 4/6/25
I don't think the majority of college basketball is really skilled.
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DeepETX_Aggie
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11:07a, 4/6/25
AG
Saw this point made by Pugliese
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bobinator
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In reply to Dimond1968 • 11:09a, 4/6/25
AG
It's not, that's why if you can identify and bring in guys that are we might have a chance to zig while most teams are zagging.

Like I said in another thread, we're not going to be a high level SEC team playing the same way everyone else is. We just don't have the same level of commitment as, I dunno, at least half (?) of the league.

We need an edge. Buzz knew that too, and the edge he chose made for a brutal watch, but it mostly worked.
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Aston04
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In reply to bobinator • 11:18a, 4/6/25
AG
bobinator said:
I like Buzz as a coach just fine, in fact I've been accused of "goaltending" for Buzz this season. I also didn't say they weren't good basketball players, but very few of our players were highly skilled players.

Wade was a skilled player, but would you describe anyone else on last year's team as highly skilled? Maybe Garcia? Payne had some skills with the ball in his hands. But overall? Athletic, tough, etc., sure, but we were really bad at basic basketball skills, especially offensively, for a high level team.


Payne is a very skilled big man. Way underutilized by buzz.
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NyAggie
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In reply to bobinator • 11:18a, 4/6/25
AG
bobinator said:
It's not, that's why if you can identify and bring in guys that are we might have a chance to zig while most teams are zagging.

Like I said in another thread, we're not going to be a high level SEC team playing the same way everyone else is. We just don't have the same level of commitment as, I dunno, at least half (?) of the league.

We need an edge. Buzz knew that too, and the edge he chose made for a brutal watch, but it mostly worked.


I agree

His style worked, but due to player skill limitations it had a ceiling

I think buckyball will have a higher ceiling than buzz's style when he was here because the players will have better "Skill" than the players buzz brought in





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halfastros81
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11:20a, 4/6/25
AG
You have to buy it to find out
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bobinator
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In reply to Aston04 • 11:21a, 4/6/25
AG
He's skilled with the ball, but he needs to refine his skills too. Setting screens and picks, anticipating double teams and passing out of them, posting and sealing defenders, etc. If he could do those things at a high level routinely he'd be one of the best players in college basketball.
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