Fastbreak: Nebraska gearing up for 'relentless' St. John's press
Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg and point guard Sam Griesel met with reporters before flying out to New York City for Thursday night’s game at St. John’s.
Here is a full rundown of what they had to say…
Nebraska ready for ’40 minutes of relentless’ pressure
***Hoiberg called the St. John’s game a “great opportunity” for Nebraska to learn about “where we are” early this season. Hoiberg said NU would need “tremendous mental toughness” to handle a challenging road environment.
***Hoiberg said St. John’s had been shooting the ball very well and featured a “powerful and explosive” roster.
But what makes the Red Storm tick is their full-court pressure defense. Hoiberg said SJU would press as much as any team on Nebraska’s schedule. It thrives on its defense to “fuel” its offense.
***Hoiberg said there was no way to replicate St. John’s press in practice. But the Huskers have tried by having its offense go against six or even seven defenders at once.
***Hoiberg described St. John’s defense as “40 minutes of relentless” pressure. He is no stranger to that challenge. Hoiberg faced Mike Anderson’s defenses while at Iowa State, and Anderson was at Missouri.
***Hoiberg said Nebraska had faced some press this season, but it was mainly in the halfcourt. The Red Storm will use a full-court press and trap the first pass on inbound plays.
The Huskers must utilize ball fakes and have a “safety” around mid-court at all times. Hoiberg added that NU needed to “run through the pass” and catch the ball with two hands.
Even when they break the press, NU must be aware of trailing defenders swiping at the ball from behind.
“If we wait for the ball to get to us or try to catch it with one hand, it will be stolen,” Hoiberg said.
Handling adversity in first true road test
***The emphasis on ball control also applies to rebounding. St. John’s crashes the offensive boards and tries to knock the ball loose for extra possessions.
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***Beyond handling St. John’s press, it will be equally crucial that Nebraska finishes better at the rim. Hoiberg said missed layups and poor decisions in the paint helped spark Omaha’s brief rally in the last game.
The Huskers must be selective against a long and athletic St. John’s frontcourt that thrives on blocking shots.
***Hoiberg said NU must understand that St. John’s would go on runs, and NU would have to handle that adversity.
He likes how his team has responded to those situations so far. But “we will get smacked in the face at some point (on Thursday night), and we have to handle that.”
Colorado exhibition prepared Huskers
***Griesel said winning on the road was “the hardest thing to do in college basketball.” He said Nebraska benefitted greatly from its experience in its exhibition loss at Colorado.
Along with already going on a road trip together, the Huskers have felt “the feeling of defeat. We don’t want to feel that again.”
***Griesel said he was confident that Nebraska could handle St. John’s pressure defense.
He said the Huskers had 2-3 press break plays they could use on Thursday night. The key was ensuring NU’s ball handlers didn’t get “sped up” and baited into turnovers.
