Keenan Henderson Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 What are your thoughts on Coach Mills style of play? Here are a few: first three years at ORU Coach Mills had a lot of big guys (Albert Owens, Chris Miller, Javen White, E-man, etc) and played inside-out ball. The result was a 39-56 record and most of us wondering if he might get fired. The next year and some change he moves to the small ball style and shoots a lot of threes. The result is 22-14 and a trip to the Sweet 16. Whether we like it or not, this new style is an improvement from the early years. Should be some good discussion! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTex Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 Good point. Lots of people questioning not using the big men in a game we led pretty much throughout and pulled away at the end. I wonder about those things myself, but Lacis and Weaver did enough down the stretch to contain TU's bigs (Lacis had a tough defensive rebound just before his 3, and of course Weaver's block was huge), and Coach must believe our offense is enough better with them in the lineup to overcome any advantage that different big men would provide. Sir Isaac seems to have a ton of talent and potential, and I love what we've seen from Lufile defensively, but I'm not going to second guess Mills' decisions at this point. He certainly is in a better position, with tons more info than a bunch of message board posters, to make those calls. In Mills we trust! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted December 1, 2021 Author Share Posted December 1, 2021 Coach knows ORU's strength is their guard/wing players and three-point shooting. So he challenges teams to beat ORU at their A game, instead of trying to matchup with the opponent's strength (going big/bully ball). It is a smart tactic that usually works. Who on the schedule can beat the Eagles at small ball/fast tempo style? Colorado State did and maybe SDSU can, but few other opponents likely would. Coach is putting in the full court press to speed teams up and get them to ball at ORU's pace. It worked against TU. Tulsa's Coach did not want a game in the 80s with a lot of threes. That was not his game plan. TCU same thing. Will it always work? No but in the end small ball/fast tempo is ORU's most effective style. It gives the Eagles a chance to win on their terms instead of the opponents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 18 hours ago, ORUTex said: but I'm not going to second guess Mills' decisions at this point. He certainly is in a better position, with tons more info than a bunch of message board posters, to make those calls. In Mills we trust! True. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 We are #1 in 3-point attempts and #2 in 3-pointers made. #41 in 3-pt%. Mills is driven by analytics, though I think matchups will also determine lineups to some extent. It appears that if you are a shooter (maker), you will get to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle88 Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 I agree. That is why Sir Isaac will play more as he gets more confident and Eli may get limited minutes because he is not a 3 point shooter but can bang with the Bigs when necessary. Mills is a smart guy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cletus Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 It does seem like live or die by the 3 works more than not, for ORU, as we saw in last year's NCAA tournament. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleManiac Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 Coach's "style" does not include any defense. That's the biggest concern for me. They've shown some improvements the last several games, but I think that's at the expense of offensive efficiency as we have been a total logjam on that side of the ball. Thankfully our 3P shooting has covered a lot of that up. I wonder if Kenton Paulino is supposed to have any defensive prowess or if that was a consideration at all in filling Solo's spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted December 6, 2021 Author Share Posted December 6, 2021 Coach is learning that it takes a balanced approach: sometimes he can win with small ball and shooting a lot of threes and other times he needs some toughness with the big guys. Each game is different and will determine which direction Coach Mills should go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle88 Posted December 6, 2021 Share Posted December 6, 2021 I agree. It is not a one size fits all. We have some good bigs and on certain nights they will be the difference maker just like Big Eli's 13 rebounds made a huge difference last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted December 6, 2021 Share Posted December 6, 2021 It was amazing to see from the stands at TCU how Elijah's entrance into the game (midway through the first half with ORU trailing 25-10) affected the way the Horned Frogs ran their offense: just his looming presence reduced the number of entry passes to the post and drives to the basket that they had been enjoying. Unfortunately, when TCU instead resorted to perimeter shooting, they were able to take advantage of size mismatches on the perimeter with ORU running that dreaded "three-guards-under-six-feet-tall" line-up Coach Mills loves so much when he goes to the bench, and ORU was only able to reduce the lead to 10 by halftime. But the point is this: Elijah was able to literally and figuratively tip the scales just by occupying the paint. That's huge (again; metaphorically and in actuality). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted December 6, 2021 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Mills & Co. certainly understand the talent they have in the post position. I look for them to continue incorporating Lufile/Herron/Plet/Clover into the lineup - with minutes depending on the opponent. I know that our identity is a three point shooting team - but we have to be somewhat multidimensional or teams will just push us on the perimeter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcboy2000 Posted December 6, 2021 Share Posted December 6, 2021 Part of me wondered if not playing those guys was a way for us not to give anything up on film before conference play. I doubt it. Sounds like something Sean Peyton from the New Orleans Saints would do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted December 6, 2021 Share Posted December 6, 2021 It was amazing to see from the stands at TCU how Elijah's entrance into the game (midway through the first half with ORU trailing 25-10) affected the way the Horned Frogs ran their offense: just his presence reduced the number of entry passes to the post and drives to the basket. Unfortunately, when TCU resorted to perimeter shooting instead, they were able to take advantage of size mismatches on the perimeter with ORU running that dreaded "three-guards-under-six-feet-tall" line-up Coach Mills loves so much when he goes to the bench, and ORU was only able to reduce the lead to 10 by halftime. But the point is this: Elijah was able to literally and figuratively tip the scales just by occupying the paint. That's huge (again; metaphorically and in actuality). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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