Veterans Ready for Move to the Bench
You saw a hint of it during the exhibition game, but now coach Jim Boylen has made it certain -- senior guard Tyler Kepkay and senior forward Shaun Green will be coming off the bench for the Utes to start the season.
Boylen said the move is designed to give the Utes more defensive athleticism to start games -- junior guard Luka Drca will start instead of Kepkay at the point, with junior forward Kim Tilie in place of Green -- as well as more offensive firepower off the bench later. Limiting Green to fewer minutes also figures to keep him from wearing down as the felt he did last season, when he played a team-high 1,024 minutes.
"It's just basically going to keep me from playing so many minutes," he said, "so that I'm more fresh at the end of the games so I can hit big shots down the stretch."
That certainly would be welcome, after the Utes lost six games last season either in overtime or by six points or less.
Neither player said the move required much convincing. Both had watched former guard Johnnie Bryant have the best season of his career last season by making a similar sacrificial switch, and like Bryant, both were willing to do whatever Boylen asked. Kepkay already had played the last seven games of last season off the bench, after losing his starting job amid a tough transition from junior college.
"It's a statement to the team that these guys want to win," Boylen said. "It's not about starting. It's about winning and doing what's right for the team."
Boylen said the move is designed to give the Utes more defensive athleticism to start games -- junior guard Luka Drca will start instead of Kepkay at the point, with junior forward Kim Tilie in place of Green -- as well as more offensive firepower off the bench later. Limiting Green to fewer minutes also figures to keep him from wearing down as the felt he did last season, when he played a team-high 1,024 minutes.
"It's just basically going to keep me from playing so many minutes," he said, "so that I'm more fresh at the end of the games so I can hit big shots down the stretch."
That certainly would be welcome, after the Utes lost six games last season either in overtime or by six points or less.
Neither player said the move required much convincing. Both had watched former guard Johnnie Bryant have the best season of his career last season by making a similar sacrificial switch, and like Bryant, both were willing to do whatever Boylen asked. Kepkay already had played the last seven games of last season off the bench, after losing his starting job amid a tough transition from junior college.
"It's a statement to the team that these guys want to win," Boylen said. "It's not about starting. It's about winning and doing what's right for the team."
posted by www.sltrib.com @ 12:42 PM |
1 Comments:
Why I like this strategy...He starts the younger guys, they get experience for one but if one of them underperforms the he can quickly sub out at the 16 minute timeout. However, if one overperforms then he can leave them in longer allowing the "veteran's" off the bench to save themselves for later in the game. It almost seems like an NBA type strategy than anything else. You want your best players in the game at the end when it counts and you want them well rested.
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