Light Blue needs more from big men

Ah, Columbia men’s basketball team, how I love you and hate you at the same time. Every year the team shows great promise but falls short for a variety of reasons. In the past, injuries were a constant concern (Patrick Foley) along with the team’s sorry excuse for an offense. This year, I am quite happy with what Coach Smith has done for this team. Overall, the Light Blue looks better than the year before, but there’s still one problem with the team that I believe is truly holding it back: the play of the Lions’ big men.

If you went to the game against Harvard, you’ll probably agree with me, although you’d be more likely to focus on how poorly the Lions shot that day. In fact, Columbia has had shooting issues for a few games now, but that doesn’t bother me because the team has talented shooters. Although, if shooting is an issue, it wouldn’t hurt to look up and down the bench for players that can provide a spark offensively (cough—practice squad—cough). I focus on the play of the team’s big men because of how important they are to the success of a team.

Centers and power forwards have an enormous effect on the game, both offensively and defensively. They can form the focal point of an offense, drawing double teams to create open shots for spot-up shooters, and they can control the paint on the defensive end, making it that much more difficult for the opposing team to score. While the Columbia big men have shown glimpses of greatness in both areas, they are lacking in a variety of ways that need to be addressed if the team wants to succeed. These three points are not directed at anyone in particular, but are things that the team, players, and coaches need to address.

1. Instill fear.
A few years ago, Shaquille O’Neal summed up how big men should behave in a way that I find truly inspiring. His statement came after a game where he leveled a guard that had the audacity to drive into the paint. I don’t remember what he said word for word, but the gist was that players on the other team should be afraid to drive the ball into the key. That sound you hear is the nail being hit directly on the head. The easiest shots in the game are the ones closest to the basket (go figure), and when a team takes away those opportunities for the opposing team, their chances of winning the game skyrocket. The most efficient way of accomplishing this goal is by playing tough, banging bodies, and dishing out hard fouls—by doing so, the opposing team becomes reluctant to attack the basket. The Lions have not been able to instill fear in their opponents. Of course, contesting shots and playing solid defense are top priority, and help accomplish this goal, but it’s the intangibles that can’t be measured in the box score that separate good teams from great teams.

2. Better post moves.
The Light Blue has several players that are more than capable of knocking down the open three, even though their recent shooting struggles speak to the contrary. While the Lions are hitting about 5.7 threes per game, slightly more than their opponents, they could hit many more and at a higher percentage with some improved post play. Everything starts with developing good post moves that lead to easy buckets in the paint. Max Craig and Asenso Ampim have shown on multiple occasions that they can score one-on-one in the key, but they lack the type of consistency that forces the opponent to send a help defender. However, once that consistency is reached, a quick pass out of the post will lead to open threes and more W’s.

3. Size matters.
Fellow columnist Kunal Gupta mentioned this in a Spectrum blog post this past weekend, and it deserves to be repeated. The Lions, in general, are too small down low.

Obviously, this is a long term issue that needs to be addressed by the coaches during the recruiting process. However, the players share some of the blame, because while you can’t change your height you can definitely change your weight. A few post players would benefit greatly from an additional 10 to 15 pounds of muscle. There’s a reason short power forwards like DeJuan Blair, listed at 6-foot-7, have success against taller opponents in the NBA. It’s because he has the muscle and weight—265 pounds—to hold his ground. I’m not saying Columbia’s big men are capable of getting that big, but a few pounds would help enormously.

There’s more to post play than what is listed in these three points, and therefore the points brought up in this column aren’t an overnight cure. But if Columbia wants to compete on the same level as Princeton and Harvard, it will have to do everything mentioned here and probably a fair bit more.