8 Problems I've Observed in the Weber Era

These aren't about a game or two but are consistent problems that are becoming more and more apparent each year.

1. Failure to land a single All-American caliber recruit in 4 years. Obviously the Eric Gordon mess affects this, but there is a flawed approach in pursuing elite recruits that we can't land that leads to problem 2.

2. Failure to recruit enough players to fill the 13 basketball scholarships, coupled with an overreliance on transfers that are unable to compete in the Big Ten.

3. Inability to stop slashing wing players on other teams or to defend the lane against strong post players. This is probably because of the strict man-to-man defensive approach, which also leads to problem 4.

4. Inability to effectively attack zone defenses, relying excessively on perimeter shooting. This is probably because the players do not practice sufficiently against a zone defense.

5. Insufficient use of dribble penetration from guards, again leading to an overreliance on perimeter shooting. This leaves us vulnerable to cold spells and does not put our opponents into foul trouble. It also leads to problem 6.

6. Poor free-throw shooting. I'm not sure why individual free-throw shooting performances are bad. However, as a team we end up with most of our free throws being shot by poor FT shooters (this year our FT shooting % is determined by Frazier, Carter, and Pruitt).

7. Lack of a traditional post game. We struggle to score inside even against teams where we have a substantial size advantage. This is a big reason why we struggle at times against low-major teams that get demolished by other teams. It also completes the generic formula for beating us where you overplay our guards on the perimeter and play behind our big men in the post.

8. Rich McBride, Warren Carter, and Brian Randle. These guys have been here all four years and maybe they just aren't good basketball players, despite their recruiting rankings and/or athletic ability. Part of it is Weber's fault for not being able to maximize their talents, but you can't blame coaching for everything. Just replacing these players might make us a better team in future.