Defence holding Mac basketball back

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McMaster is a team with national championship dreams, but a middling defence.

Despite their 9-3 record in conference play, defensive issues are still keeping McMaster a step behind the OUA elite, which includes Ottawa, Carleton and Ryerson. They have regressed defensively from last year: in 2013-14, Mac owned a defensive rating of 88.4. Now, the Marauders are up to 98.4, a mark that hasn’t changed in the new year despite a weaker schedule.

This is not news to the players or coaching staff. Last year, McMaster’s defence was more conservative. Overall, the defense was effective against lesser competition, but the team still struggled against elite teams. The simpler system from last year was not going to stop the teams McMaster needed to beat in order to win a national championship. That’s why head coach Amos Connolly and his coaching staff overhauled the scheme and added new wrinkles.

“We have a lot of rules for a lot of scenarios; a staggered screen has a rule, a dribble hand-off has a rule. There’s a lot of stuff. Some guys are further along than others in their knowledge and implementation of those rules,” says Connolly. “Last year, we would handle perimeter screens differently but there wasn’t a clear concept. Now, we’re playing a defensive system that helps us win on the highest level.”

Mac is struggling to pick up their new scheme for a number of reasons; the system requires players to make the right decision faster when defending, which has been made difficult by poor communication on rotations. And typically, younger players struggle to pick up any kind of system in university because they lack experience at the post-secondary level. Fourth-year guard Aaron Redpath recognized those struggles.

“We’re nowhere close to where we need to be. For instance, against Nipissing, we give up a 24-point quarter while we also hold them to a zero-point quarter. There’s a lot of inconsistencies on defence,” says Redpath.

Examples like that zero-point quarter are why the Marauders are so rational and calm going forward. They trust the defence and want believe the pieces are here for an elite defence. Both conversations with Redpath and Connolly about the defence were honest and critical; a sign that the team understands the weakness, but that they also have a plan going forward.

Holding any team scoreless means your defence can be highly effective and the system in place is working. It is frustrating to see Mac give up large totals to weaker teams, but they have had their moments against Ryerson, Ottawa and Carleton. More defensive reps are what the team needs to get more familiar with the system. With a month remaining, McMaster has a lot of time to work out the kinks.

Connolly says the team has watched a lot of film in recent weeks and the group has a full understanding of the system. While the upcoming slate of games won’t feature any ranked opponents, the opportunity to improve their defence could represent be the most important part of the season.

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