Examining Boylen's Move to Get More Out of Nevill
Center Luke Nevill can expect to come off the bench again when the Utes play Colorado State tonight, considering how well coach Jim Boylen thought bringing the 7-foot-1 junior off the bench worked at Wyoming last weekend.
It was the first time all season Nevill did not start, in part because Boylen wants him to avoid early fouls and be able to play unencumbered not only down the stretch but also in the middle of the first half, "when ... the game settles down, the referees settle down, coaches settle down, and the game kind of happens. And I think Luke's very productive in that middle of the first half time period, when he's not sitting over with me."
Indeed, Nevill flourished against Wyoming's back-up center in the middle of the first half, and scored eight of his 22 points in the final 4 1/2 minutes, essentially keeping the Utes in the game by himself.
Yet that also sounded a lot like a concession that Nevill is simply unable to avoid early fouls, something Boylen acknowledged. And naturally, that led Boylen into another description of one of the challenges the Utes face.
"Part of the learning process with this team is, when you get one foul, not to get a quick second one," he said. "When you get one foul that's a not-alert foul, or maybe your mistake, to not get a quick second one. To understand, 'I have one, OK. Now I have to settle down and play.' And what happens is, a majority of Luke's first or second fouls are from the offensive end of the floor. And that's ... you're going to get some on the defensive end of the floor. The way we play, the way I ask my guys to play, that's going to happen. The fouls that put him in jeopardy, or put him sitting next to me, are the offensive fouls. ... That's the foul that kills you."
"You're going to get three defensive fouls in our system because ... we're going to try to be physical and hit people," he added. "Come through lane, you're going to get chugged. That's what we believe in, that's the way we're going to do it. That's why we're one of the top defensive teams, because of that. But also, understanding that, then the offensive side of it really gets you into trouble."
Just for the record, Nevill did not play significantly more minutes against the Cowboys than he had in his previous three foul-plagued games, getting 22 after playing 21, 25 and 21 against Brigham Young, New Mexico and TCU. But he did score more than in any of those previous games, and also had six rebounds, three blocks and two assists -- a far better line than in any of the previous three games.
It was the first time all season Nevill did not start, in part because Boylen wants him to avoid early fouls and be able to play unencumbered not only down the stretch but also in the middle of the first half, "when ... the game settles down, the referees settle down, coaches settle down, and the game kind of happens. And I think Luke's very productive in that middle of the first half time period, when he's not sitting over with me."
Indeed, Nevill flourished against Wyoming's back-up center in the middle of the first half, and scored eight of his 22 points in the final 4 1/2 minutes, essentially keeping the Utes in the game by himself.
Yet that also sounded a lot like a concession that Nevill is simply unable to avoid early fouls, something Boylen acknowledged. And naturally, that led Boylen into another description of one of the challenges the Utes face.
"Part of the learning process with this team is, when you get one foul, not to get a quick second one," he said. "When you get one foul that's a not-alert foul, or maybe your mistake, to not get a quick second one. To understand, 'I have one, OK. Now I have to settle down and play.' And what happens is, a majority of Luke's first or second fouls are from the offensive end of the floor. And that's ... you're going to get some on the defensive end of the floor. The way we play, the way I ask my guys to play, that's going to happen. The fouls that put him in jeopardy, or put him sitting next to me, are the offensive fouls. ... That's the foul that kills you."
"You're going to get three defensive fouls in our system because ... we're going to try to be physical and hit people," he added. "Come through lane, you're going to get chugged. That's what we believe in, that's the way we're going to do it. That's why we're one of the top defensive teams, because of that. But also, understanding that, then the offensive side of it really gets you into trouble."
Just for the record, Nevill did not play significantly more minutes against the Cowboys than he had in his previous three foul-plagued games, getting 22 after playing 21, 25 and 21 against Brigham Young, New Mexico and TCU. But he did score more than in any of those previous games, and also had six rebounds, three blocks and two assists -- a far better line than in any of the previous three games.
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 2:10 PM |
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