« Five Questions - Xavier University, Assistant Coach Chris Mack | Main | Observations - Las Aranas en Espana: Richmond Asst. Coach Kevin McGeehan »
Statistical Analysis: St. Bonaventure
By Ray Floriani | September 12, 2008
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ -
One of the familiar culprits in what needs to be fixed to reverse the fortunes of St. Bonaventure is defense. Granted, a school must have players and a talent base which permits its team to win at the Atlantic 10 level. Coach Mark Schmidt came on board in 2007 with that as his first priority. Another focal point of his was reversing the culture/mindset of losing. Through one season, Schmidt has worked hard to address both of those areas.
Now, on the floor, the first priority is defense. In this study, three not too distant seasons of success were analyzed, looking in particular at the conference record, average number of possessions, and the offensive and defensive efficiency of those conference contests. Important to note, conference statistics are preferred because they more accurately measure a team’s success against similar foes. Including non-conference games in the analysis is not preferred, because a team’s numbers may appear better as a result of playing a weak non-conference schedule.
In crunching the numbers, they demonstrate how far removed from success the Bonnies currently are, not necessarily in years, but in terms of efficiency. Among those clubs analyzed are Jim Baron’s 1999-2000 club which made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament (losing in double overtime to Kentucky), Baron’s final team the following season which qualified for the NIT, and Jan Van Breda Kolff’s first year at SBU, 2001-02, another NIT appearance. Anthony Solomon’s last season, 2006-07, was also examined; as well as 2007-08, Mark Schmidt’s first campaign.
Again, the efficiency figure is derived by taking points per possession and multiplying that figure by 100.
YEAR REC. POSS. OFF. EFF DEF. EFF
99-00 13-6 65 103 97
00-01 9-8 70 103 103
01-02 9-9 71 112 110
06-07 4-12 69 100 117
07-08 2-14 67 103 117
Observations: While it was assumed that the last four games of 2007-08 would demonstrate a significant improvement, there was better defensive efficiency, but the improvement was small at only 115. This was due in large part to games versus Richmond (123) and Dayton (139), both of whom torched the Bonnies. In the other two games, Saint Louis (90) and Fordham (109), SBU did show improvement, limiting those teams to marks well below SBU’s season defensive efficiency.
The 1999-2000 team which featured Tim Winn, Peter Van Paassen and Caswell Cyrus was very strong and finished 21-10, including a runner-up finish to Temple in the A-10 Championship. Little surprise, that Bonaventure team recorded the best defensive efficiency in the study. The following year saw a slight decrease in defensive efficiency, and ended with an NIT loss to Pitt.
The first Van Breda Kolff club (2001-02) pushed the pace, as evidenced by the 71 possession per game figure. This high octane approach worked, particularly early in the season. Eventually, however, the Bonnies’ defensive flaws (109) surfaced, resulting in another NIT bid and first round loss to Syracuse.
The last Solomon year - and the first Schmidt year - brought the same defensive figure. Schmidt was able to instill a more consistent work ethic, but was forced to plug defensive holes with limited talent and depth.
What does it all mean? On one hand, many would say the offense must improve, with an efficiency of only around 100. However, if the defense is sound a team can get by with a less than stellar offensive efficiency and still win games. The 103 mark posted by Schmidt’s bunch last season could have brought a few more wins if the defense was better.
To give perspective, some of the defensive efficiency results turned in by the A-10 elite last year were: 97 by Xavier, 99 by UMass and 102 by Temple. To improve to a level where they can compete, St. Bonaventure has work to do - much of it on the defensive end. A defensive efficiency rating of 110 is unacceptable. A 117 is poor.
While there are nights when your offense fails you, defense must be a constant if a team is hoping to consistently compete.
This season, Mark Schmidt takes aim at improving results on this side of the ball.
In addition to his Contributor status at College Chalktalk, Ray Floriani is also a regular contributor to Basketball Times and Hoopville).
[Note: All content appearing on www.collegechalktalk.com, as indicated below, is copyrighted material. Please link to stories only and do not cut and paste the entire text of any article. Thank you for your cooperation] - College Chalktalk Staff
Topics: General |
