I’m generally a fan of Nick Faust, but he did something last game that was SO STUPID that it simply must be pointed out, so that hopefully he or someone on the MD coaching staff read this and get it fixed. At the end of the first half, either one team or the other will have an opportunity to take the “last shot.” Teams that are properly trained and execute well, know how to do this effectively and teams that don’t find a way to screw it up. Last game, we were the latter. We were down by 4 with 30 seconds or so left, and the shot clock and game clock were nearly identical. I played college basketball myself, so I know that most coaches believe if you happen to see a defensive breakdown and can get an uncontested layup, definitely take it at any time. However, if that is not available, hold for the last shot.

In our case, we were down 4, so if we hold for the last shot the WORST we could do is miss it and be down 4 – which isn’t that bad. The BEST that can happen is we hit a 3, and go in down 1. But, Nick Faust decides with 15 seconds left to try to drive through traffic and loses the ball, UNC comes down and hits a 3 and we go in down 7. WHY????? There is nothing to be gained by trying to drive into a contested lane and create something with 15 seconds left, the risk outweighs the reward!! I think what is most frustrating is that the Dukies and other smart, top teams NEVER seem to screw things like this up, but we seem to all the time. Maybe it’s just youth and nothing more, but this was a huge turning point in the game, and could have been completely avoided with a little THINKING. Mr. Turgeon, Please, Please, Please, get this corrected this year and in future years, and if you ARE doing that already, please find some way to punish players that go off and decide to selfishly do their own thing. Maybe make Nick do extra wind sprints or something. Why do we consistently field a team that doesn't know how to play smart?