Is Lowery CCC’s Hankwitz?

[CatManTrue]

The parallels between Hankwitz and Lowery are very interesting. Staggering, almost.

Has CCC found his hall of fame defensive coordinator?

Have we locked Lowery up in a multiyear package?

If a blue blood program hires CCC away, do we promote Lowery to replace him?

 

[clarificationcat]

The parallels between Hankwitz and Lowery are very interesting. Staggering, almost.

Has CCC found his hall of fame defensive coordinator?

Have we locked Lowery up in a multiyear package?

If a blue blood program hires CCC away, do we promote Lowery to replace him?

Not really the same thing. Hank created the game plan for each game and made all the calls on defense. Collins completely runs the show during games. Trapping the post and staying more connected certainly is something Lowery has brought to the defense. But I think we would be fine if he got another shot to be a head coach.

 

[chicagocatfan24]

OP typically annoys me but I don't hate the analogy

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

The parallels between Hankwitz and Lowery are very interesting. Staggering, almost.

Has CCC found his hall of fame defensive coordinator?

Have we locked Lowery up in a multiyear package?

If a blue blood program hires CCC away, do we promote Lowery to replace him?

Players are the primary reason for team wins and losses. Coaches put in the system and it’s up to the players to execute. Bad Coaches can lose games for you.

Do you think we would have the same defensive success if Lowery was here for the Nance, Kopp and RY years? I don’t.

Lowrey deserves his props, but the players have to buy in. Wherever you want to put the credit, this team is far outplaying their recruiting ratings.

 

[Eurocat]

I think the analogy is a good one.

If we lose CCC to a bigger program or the NBA (and I pray we do not), I would first give an offer to Brian James simply for the continuity that would bring but Lowery would be next. James did coach in the NBA for many years after all and coached Michael Jordan (not that he needed much coaching, but still...).

 

[clarificationcat]

I think the analogy is a good one.

If we lose CCC to a bigger program or the NBA (and I pray we do not), I would first give an offer to Brian James simply for the continuity that would bring but Lowery would be next.

Lowery is akin to a very good position coach in football. He teaches technique. Very valuable but not nearly the same as a coordinator. Not saying he shouldn’t get another head coaching job but we should explore other options. And Brian James is 68 and hasn’t been a head coach since his high school days. No way would he be hired.

 

[Eurocat]

Let's just hope CCC decides this is where he wants to stay, to be for NU what Coach K was for Duke, and we are set for 20 years.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

Let's just hope CCC decides this is where he wants to stay, to be for NU what Coach K was for Duke, and we are set for 20 years.

Agreed. Chris Collins Court has a nice ring to it. Far better than Gary Williams Court, that’s for sure.

 

[Max_Power]

I think the analogy is a good one.

If we lose CCC to a bigger program or the NBA (and I pray we do not), I would first give an offer to Brian James simply for the continuity that would bring but Lowery would be next. James did coach in the NBA for many years after all and coached Michael Jordan (not that he needed much coaching, but still...).

He's 68 years old. Nice thought but NU would never go that way and I doubt he would take the job.

 

[Eurocat]

I think the way it would be arranged is to give him a few year contract with Lowery as next-coach-designate.

But as I said above, that would be if CCC leaves and I don't want to jinx things by even thinking about that too much!

Go Cats!

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

Not really the same thing. Hank created the game plan for each game and made all the calls on defense. Collins completely runs the show during games. Trapping the post and staying more connected certainly is something Lowery has brought to the defense. But I think we would be fine if he got another shot to be a head coach.

Trapping the post isn’t new to Collins defenses. Lumpkin was very good at trapping the post. Agree with the rest.

Basketball tends to have the scheme set by the head coach and the assistant coaches coach the fundamentals within that scheme and really impact the culture of the team through recruiting and coaching.

I don’t like the Hank comparisons because it’s a completely different role. Lowery was/is a great hire for differing reasons. Very strong defensive culture impact. Very good at coaching defensive positioning. He didn’t draw up and totally design NU’s scheme. I don’t think it lessens his impact it’s just different. He clearly has helped improved the individual defensive floor for players and deserves credit there.

It is not however him causing CCC to “figure it out” defensively. We have seen strong defensive teams before under Collins. We have however seen stronger defensive teams with Lowery and that’s imo part Lowery and part players. Brooks and Audige are two of the better defenders under CCC. MN is a very good post defender as well. Having your best player (Buie) buy in completely helps really set the culture as well. Lowery deserves credit for helping set a defensive culture and in teaching fundamentals.

 

[TheC]

Trapping the post isn’t new to Collins defenses. Lumpkin was very good at trapping the post. Agree with the rest.

Basketball tends to have the scheme set by the head coach and the assistant coaches coach the fundamentals within that scheme and really impact the culture of the team through recruiting and coaching.

I don’t like the Hank comparisons because it’s a completed different role. Lowery was/is a great hire for differing reasons. Very strong defensive culture impact. Very good at coaching defensive positioning. He didn’t draw up and totally design NU’s scheme. I don’t think it lessens his impact it’s just different. He clearly has helped improved the individual defensive floor for players and deserves credit there.

It is not however him causing CCC to “figure it out” defensively. We have seen strong defensive teams before under Collins. We have however seen stronger defensive teams with Lowery and that’s imo part Lowery and part players. Brooks and Audige are two of the better defenders under CCC. MN is a very good post defender as well. Having you best player buy in completely helps really set the culture as well. Lowery deserves credit for helping set a defensive culture and in teaching fundamentals.

I know this is not what you meant, but the way this is written almost makes it sound like you are calling Matt our best player. If only….

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

I know this is not what you meant, but the way this is written almost makes it sound like you are calling Matt our best player. If only….

Fixed lol

 

[ballerog711]

Doesn't his youngest graduate high school soon? A high percentage of people wanted him gone a few years back, I'm sure that bothered him some.

He likes playing golf, could do that all year in Arizoma or the west coast

On the other hand he did help design the stadium and had taken the team to the tournament 3 years now.

He seems to be recruiting players that can execute his game plan.

Decisions, decisions,,,,

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

Doesn't his youngest graduate high school soon? A high percentage of people wanted him gone a few years back, I'm sure that bothered him some.

He likes playing golf, could do that all year in Arizoma or the west coast

On the other hand he did help design the stadium and had taken the team to the tournament 3 years now.

He seems to be recruiting players that can execute his game plan.

Decisions, decisions,,,,

Pretty sure his youngest is a student bkb manager at NU. Would be shocked if CCC were to leave while he’s still attending NU.

 

[freewillie07]

Pretty sure his youngest is a bkb manager at NU. Would be shocked if CCC were to leave while he’s still attending NU.

I’d be very surprised if CCC doesn’t go hard for a few more years and see if he can sustain this success and continue to level up the program. NU suddenly has a lot of things going for it that it didn’t even in 2016 — a winning culture, a new stadium and a proven rocking home court. I do think there might even be a “cool” factor.

Inevitably there will be a regression and we will all fret about strict admissions hamstringing CCC and that those might cause him to leave. All of that is valid, and I sincerely hope that the way he has brought the campus community together at the new WRA and his longevity at NU will give him some sway. We will see.

In the meantime I’m enjoying the ride.

 

[Gatabowl]

Lowery is akin to a very good position coach in football. He teaches technique. Very valuable but not nearly the same as a coordinator. Not saying he shouldn’t get another head coaching job but we should explore other options. And Brian James is 68 and hasn’t been a head coach since his high school days. No way would he be hired.

I’m not saying Lowery is the guy either but he was literally a successful head coach and took his team to the tournament 3 times in like 8 years.

 

[UpsetAlert]

He's 68 years old. Nice thought but NU would never go that way and I doubt he would take the job.

Seems like Battle might be setting himself up for a nice coaching career. From the games I’ve been to, Collins seems to interact with him the most on the sidelines. Not sure if that’s part of his role, but it’s an interesting dynamic to watch.

 

[zeek55]

Comparing HCs/assistants is futile across different sports due to huge differences in responsibilities, but I will say this, CCC has become an extraordinary coach.

Program builder, Gameday coach, etc. It's amazing how far he's come.

Obviously it helps that he's hit on a lot of talent identification/development the past couple of years, but the various lineups we've succeeded with this year have been impressive.

Hope he's a lifer here (he's already earned a raise this offseason probably even after last year's extension) because sky is the limit with his coaching ability now.

 

[Zootcat]

Shhhhh……You guys are jinxing us. 🤪

 

[CatManTrue]

I’d be very surprised if CCC doesn’t go hard for a few more years and see if he can sustain this success and continue to level up the program. NU suddenly has a lot of things going for it that it didn’t even in 2016 — a winning culture, a new stadium and a proven rocking home court. I do think there might even be a “cool” factor.

We should leave the “cool” factor to Chet Hanks dropping rhymes.

 

[Hkjb]

The consensus above is way off base. Lowery is something special when it comes to defensive coaching. He is as close as you could get to a "Hank" figure - at least in basketball.

Whether that's done in game by calling plays or in practice via fundamentals is irrelevant to whether there is a parallel. The question is, is he uniquely good at raising the bar defensively, versus other coaches? And has he made the head coach look better, as Hank did? The answer is both questions is yes. Both of them are known for instilling fundamentals. Ask Bill Self, or read this. https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/3/14/23640288/chris-lowery-northwestern-siu-salukis-march-madness

Go back to what Chase and other players said last year about what Lowery taught them about where to position themselves and their hands, and what a huge difference it made for them. Yes, the players are more committed to hard work and to winning than in the past - which is huge. But we have never played the kind of defense we have played in the past 2 years. We would have not have gotten there defensively without Lowery - no matter who we had on the floor. Nor do we (easily) maintain our newly found defensive identity without him.

Even CC has alluded to it in reference to Lowery, admitting that he had always been more "offensively minded". (This is one of the things I like about CC's maturation by the way - the ability to be the leader without having to be the guy with all the answers.)

Lowery was a huge get for us who has been a big part our change in trajectory of the program - in particular because of his expertise on defense. I say this with all due credit to all of the players, and the rest of the coaching staff - none of whom I'd trade because they make a great team.

So yes - to the extent it is possible to compare their impact across sports as different as football and basketball - Lowery is absolutely CCC's Hank.

 

[GatoLouco]

Analogies don’t have to be perfect to make sense.

I heard someone recently suggest that today’s Steven Seagal is DJ Khaled. It took me a minute to completely agree.

 

[clarificationcat]

The consensus above is way off base. Lowery is something special when it comes to defensive coaching. He is as close as you could get to a "Hank" figure - at least in basketball.

Whether that's done in game by calling plays or in practice via fundamentals is irrelevant to whether there is a parallel. The question is, is he uniquely good at raising the bar defensively, versus other coaches? And has he made the head coach look better, as Hank did? The answer is yes. Both of them are known for instilling fundamentals. Ask Bill Self, or read this. https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/3/14/23640288/chris-lowery-northwestern-siu-salukis-march-madness

Go back to what Chase and other players said last year about what Lowery taught them about where to position themselves and their hands, and what a huge difference it made for them. Yes, the players are more committed to hard work and to winning than in the past - which is huge. But we have never played the kind of defense we have played in the past 2 years. We would have not have gotten there defensively without Lowery - no matter who we had on the floor. Nor do we (easily) maintain our newly found defensive identity without him.

Even CC has alluded to it in reference to Lowery, admitting that he had always been more "offensively minded". (This is one of the thing I like about CC's maturation by the way - the ability to be the leader without having to be the guy with all the answers.).

Lowery was a huge get for us who has been a big part our change in trajectory of the program - in particular because of his expertise on defense. I say this with all due credit to all of the players, and the rest of the coaching staff - none of whom I'd trade because they make a great team.

So yes - to the extent it is possible to compare their impact across sports as different as football and basketball - Lowery is absolutely CCC's Hank.

OK. But the principles he has taught aren’t magical. If he leaves, other coaches can continue to teach them. And we haven’t been that special this year defensively. We have won several games because of our offense. Where do we compare statistically to last year. Pick a metric you like.

 

[CatManTrue]

OP typically annoys me but I don't hate the analogy

Instead of being annoyed by the Truth, consider following it like a north star.

Set yourself free and truly embrace the Wild side.

 

[Hkjb]

OK. But the principles he has taught aren’t magical. If he leaves, other coaches can continue to teach them. And we haven’t been that special this year defensively. We have won several games because of our offense. Where do we compare statistically to last year. Pick a metric you like.

Nothing anybody does is magical, so I agree with you there! But Lowery is a unique and hard-to-replace talent, specifically on defense.

Defensive coaching is a poorly understood and less-glamorous side of hoops, but the devil is in the detail and it's highly complex in ways that a lot of non-players (and even a lot of players and coaches) don't understand. It wins games, particularly in March. And we just held Maryland to 61. We've also seen each of BB, Boo, Audige, Martinelli and even Langborg improve individually on the defensive front. That's Lowery's impact. It's the furthest possible thing from a commodity that is easily replaced by 'other coaches'.

 

[clarificationcat]

Nothing anybody does is magical, so I agree with you there! But Lowery is a unique and hard-to-replace talent, specifically on defense.

Defensive coaching is a poorly understood and less-glamorous side of hoops, but the devil is in the detail and it's highly complex in ways that a lot of non-players (and even a lot of players and coaches) don't understand. It wins games, particularly in March. And we just held Maryland to 61. We've also seen each of BB, Boo, Audige, Martinelli and even Langborg improve individually on the defensive front. That's Lowery's impact. It's the furthest possible thing from a commodity that is easily replaced by 'other coaches'.

Lots of bold unsubstantiated statements. The furthest possible thing from a commodity! Wow! Maryland missed a ton of open 3’s and is one of the worst offensive teams in the conference.

Where do we rank defensively this year? That should mean something. And it’s a little more objective.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Nothing anybody does is magical, so I agree with you there! But Lowery is a unique and hard-to-replace talent, specifically on defense.

Defensive coaching is a poorly understood and less-glamorous side of hoops, but the devil is in the detail and it's highly complex in ways that a lot of non-players (and even a lot of players and coaches) don't understand. It wins games, particularly in March. And we just held Maryland to 61. We've also seen each of BB, Boo, Audige, Martinelli and even Langborg improve individually on the defensive front. That's Lowery's impact. It's the furthest possible thing from a commodity that is easily replaced by 'other coaches'.

I will not dispute that Lowery has been great. However, I will say the same things about BMac, James, and Battle. I am not at practice, maybe you are, but I suspect each Coach deserves a good portion of the credit. This team is a good defensive team it is not a great defensive team. As an example, and I do not want to discredit our players yesterday, but Maryland was absolutely profuse shooting often when wide open.

Posters can be quick point out that CCC turned around the ship when Lowery joined the staff. Well the team is certainly better defensively since then, but we rarely hear about Battles impact on Boo. Without that I doubt we win. How about James work with Big Matt and design of what seem to be the best inbounds plays in the conference? I suspect BMac has had an influence in are offensive sets which Hummel has described as very effective. We have won plenty of games this year because of our offense.

 

[clarificationcat]

I will not dispute that Lowery has been great. However, I will say the same things about BMac, James, and Battle. I am not at practice, maybe you are, but I suspect each Coach deserves a good portion of the credit. This team is a good defensive team it is not a great defensive team. As an example, and I do not want to discredit our players yesterday, but Maryland was absolutely profuse shooting often when wide open.

Posters can be quick point out that CCC turned around the ship when Lowery joined the staff. Well the team is certainly better defensively since then, but we rarely hear about Battles impact on Boo. Without that I doubt we win. How about James work with Big Matt and design of what seem to be the best inbounds plays in the conference? I suspect BMac has had an influence in are offensive sets which Hummel has described as very effective. We have won plenty of games this year because of our offense.

We were very good defensively during Collins’ third and fourth years. Much, much better than this year statistically. We have been an average defensive team this year. I think Lowery has been great and he definitely changed our identity last year. But I find it very difficult to believe that after coaching with him for 2 years, Collins and the rest of his assistants would be incapable of teaching the same principles without him. Hopefully they’ve taken some notes.

 

[chicagocatfan24]

Instead of being annoyed by the Truth, consider following it like a north star.

Set yourself free and truly embrace the Wild side.

It's more how you write. You just annoy me

 

[GatoLouco]

Posters can be quick point out that CCC turned around the ship when Lowery joined the staff. Well the team is certainly better defensively since then, but we rarely hear about Battles impact on Boo. Without that I doubt we win. How about James work with Big Matt and design of what seem to be the best inbounds plays in the conference? I suspect BMac has had an influence in are offensive sets which Hummel has described as very effective. We have won plenty of games this year because of our offense.

I would also like to add that up to the dismantling of the first tourney team we were a team that resembled a lot more our current tactics:

1) We were hard nosed on defense - probably less than with Lowery, I am a big fan of his, but we were - funny how that often does not depend on players, Beran was a lousy defender who, under Lowery looked like Dennis Rodman. OK, not true, but not the point

2) We played our best guys, a lot, we did not try to keep everyone happy with minutes.

3) I know through all of this, and perhaps making up for some of Collins immaturity, we had a true floor leader in BMac and a hard nosed motherf***** in Sanjay


Somehow, in between we turned to:

1) "We want to play fast", CC's words. We scored 100+ against Chicago State and the TV commentators were lauding our offense as the 8th wonder of the world. We were joining the likes of Creighton and Iowa in play style. Except that was a tragic misreading of our roster

2) We subbed like crazy. First TV timeout and 4 out of 5 were new players.

3) We overplayed let's say our "not best players", Casey Simmons as a freshman played almost as much as he plays as a 3rd year at Yale.

4) We played players out of their natural positions all game long, all year long. Not that others teams don't, not like we don't do it now. But we played them despite having the roster to not be forced into it.

5) We believed zone was a gimmick we could use frequently

6) We were stubborn as f*** and despite horrendous results, we stayed the course. Same 5, same positions.


After all this we course corrected, I tend to believe Collins matured. Took a lot of guts, don't know that almighty Fitz ever showed he could be the same way:

1) Changes to staff

2) Changes back to more of who we used to be

For me CC grew up. Maybe the world needs more environments where ppl have the time to make mistakes, often a lot of them and grow into mature, competent pros.

Through all of this CC always kept a few great qualities

1) Recruited above expected for NU standards

2) It always felt the players liked him and respected him

3) Other than a couple of minor incidents with questions from what amounts to kids, in press conferences, in stressful times, CC is a class act

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

I would also like to add that up to the dismantling of the first tourney team we were a team that resembled a lot more our current tactics:

1) We were hard nosed on defense - probably less than with Lowery, I am a big fan of his, but we were - funny how that often does not depend on players, Beran was a lousy defender who, under Lowery looked like Dennis Rodman. OK, not true, but not the point

2) We played our best guys, a lot, we did not try to keep everyone happy with minutes.

3) I know through all of this, and perhaps making up for some of Collins immaturity, we had a true floor leader in BMac and a hard nosed motherf***** in Sanjay


Somehow, in between we turned to:

1) "We want to play fast", CC's words. We scored 100+ against Chicago State and the TV commentators were lauding our offense as the 8th wonder of the world. We were joining the likes of Creighton and Iowa in play style. Except that was a tragic misreading of our roster

2) We subbed like crazy. First TV timeout and 4 out of 5 were new players.

3) We overplayed let's say our "not best players", Casey Simmons as a freshman played almost as much as he plays as a 3rd year at Yale.

4) We played players out of their natural positions all game long, all year long. Not that others teams don't, not like we don't do it now. But we played them despite having the roster to not be forced into it.

5) We believed zone was a gimmick we could use frequently

6) We were stubborn as f*** and despite horrendous results, we stayed the course. Same 5, same positions.


After all this we course corrected, I tend to believe Collins matured. Took a lot of guts, don't know that almighty Fitz ever showed he could be the same way:

1) Changes to staff

2) Changes back to more of who we used to be

For me CC grew up. Maybe the world needs more environments where ppl have the time to make mistakes, often a lot of them and grow into mature, competent pros.

Through all of this CC always kept a few great qualities

1) Recruited above expected for NU standards

2) It always felt the players liked him and respected him

3) Other than a couple of minor incidents with questions from what amounts to kids, in press conferences, in stressful times, CC is a class act

That is one hell of a summary. Kudos!

Lowery has been widely credited, rightly or wrongly, for installing "his defensive system" at Northwestern.
The only things I noticed were the intense post doubles and the frequency with which some of our guys seemed to casually be in the passing lanes, deflecting passes and getting steals. That and our intensity/toughness picked up. (some of that was probably personnel) I'm sure our footwork/technique improved too. I specifically recall our players saying "Coach Lowery taught us to put ourselves in the right position and our opponents will throw us the ball."

Early this season, when Andy Katz asked Lowery "Who is your best defender this year?"
Lowery responded "Matt Nicholson."

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

That is one hell of a summary. Kudos!

Lowery has been widely credited, rightly or wrongly, for installing "his defensive system" at Northwestern.
The only things I noticed were the intense post doubles and the frequency with which some of our guys seemed to casually be in the passing lanes, deflecting passes and getting steals. That and our intensity/toughness picked up. (some of that was probably personnel) I'm sure our footwork/technique improved too. I specifically recall our players saying "Coach Lowery taught us to put ourselves in the right position and our opponents will throw us the ball."

Early this season, when Andy Katz asked Lowery "Who is your best defender this year?"
Lowery responded "Matt Nicholson."

Big Matt is a very good defender. Makes a big difference on that end of the court. Just needs to stay away for those ticky tack fouls that create the “and one” situations.

 

[SDakaGordie]

I would also like to add that up to the dismantling of the first tourney team we were a team that resembled a lot more our current tactics:

1) We were hard nosed on defense - probably less than with Lowery, I am a big fan of his, but we were - funny how that often does not depend on players, Beran was a lousy defender who, under Lowery looked like Dennis Rodman. OK, not true, but not the point

2) We played our best guys, a lot, we did not try to keep everyone happy with minutes.

3) I know through all of this, and perhaps making up for some of Collins immaturity, we had a true floor leader in BMac and a hard nosed motherf***** in Sanjay


Somehow, in between we turned to:

1) "We want to play fast", CC's words. We scored 100+ against Chicago State and the TV commentators were lauding our offense as the 8th wonder of the world. We were joining the likes of Creighton and Iowa in play style. Except that was a tragic misreading of our roster

2) We subbed like crazy. First TV timeout and 4 out of 5 were new players.

3) We overplayed let's say our "not best players", Casey Simmons as a freshman played almost as much as he plays as a 3rd year at Yale.

4) We played players out of their natural positions all game long, all year long. Not that others teams don't, not like we don't do it now. But we played them despite having the roster to not be forced into it.

5) We believed zone was a gimmick we could use frequently

6) We were stubborn as f*** and despite horrendous results, we stayed the course. Same 5, same positions.


After all this we course corrected, I tend to believe Collins matured. Took a lot of guts, don't know that almighty Fitz ever showed he could be the same way:

1) Changes to staff

2) Changes back to more of who we used to be

For me CC grew up. Maybe the world needs more environments where ppl have the time to make mistakes, often a lot of them and grow into mature, competent pros.

Through all of this CC always kept a few great qualities

1) Recruited above expected for NU standards

2) It always felt the players liked him and respected him

3) Other than a couple of minor incidents with questions from what amounts to kids, in press conferences, in stressful times, CC is a class act

@GatoLouco - you continue to add a ton of valuable comments and perspectives (as well as laughs). Kudos for making the board more interesting. I tend to agree with a lot of this, just maybe not as resoundingly so.

We wanted to play fast because Collins wanted to appeal to the type of recruit that could change the trajectory of the program for good. We do less now because we have seen how futile we are at the fast break year after year, and we just don’t tend to have a deep team. We had a deeper team in the Nance / Kopp era, so he tried to leverage that and sub more and play faster.

Casey Simmons fit the defense-first culture. Not sure why he didn’t fit the rest of the culture.

I’ll leave the position issue (e.g., Nance at the 5) for dead, as it should be after discussion ad nauseum. But again, we were not “horrendous” - we were damn close in so many games; I would not call that stubborn - just needed guys to make plays and free throws.

Have always agreed zone was frustratingly poor, though would not call it a gimmick.

Love your comment on the world needing to allow people to make mistakes and then to grow. It’s natural. Everyone makes mistakes - if you don’t, you are not trying hard enough. Who responds best is key. Collins and the players responded.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

I would also like to add that up to the dismantling of the first tourney team we were a team that resembled a lot more our current tactics:

1) We were hard nosed on defense - probably less than with Lowery, I am a big fan of his, but we were - funny how that often does not depend on players, Beran was a lousy defender who, under Lowery looked like Dennis Rodman. OK, not true, but not the point

2) We played our best guys, a lot, we did not try to keep everyone happy with minutes.

3) I know through all of this, and perhaps making up for some of Collins immaturity, we had a true floor leader in BMac and a hard nosed motherf***** in Sanjay


Somehow, in between we turned to:

1) "We want to play fast", CC's words. We scored 100+ against Chicago State and the TV commentators were lauding our offense as the 8th wonder of the world. We were joining the likes of Creighton and Iowa in play style. Except that was a tragic misreading of our roster

2) We subbed like crazy. First TV timeout and 4 out of 5 were new players.

3) We overplayed let's say our "not best players", Casey Simmons as a freshman played almost as much as he plays as a 3rd year at Yale.

4) We played players out of their natural positions all game long, all year long. Not that others teams don't, not like we don't do it now. But we played them despite having the roster to not be forced into it.

5) We believed zone was a gimmick we could use frequently

6) We were stubborn as f*** and despite horrendous results, we stayed the course. Same 5, same positions.


After all this we course corrected, I tend to believe Collins matured. Took a lot of guts, don't know that almighty Fitz ever showed he could be the same way:

1) Changes to staff

2) Changes back to more of who we used to be

For me CC grew up. Maybe the world needs more environments where ppl have the time to make mistakes, often a lot of them and grow into mature, competent pros.

Through all of this CC always kept a few great qualities

1) Recruited above expected for NU standards

2) It always felt the players liked him and respected him

3) Other than a couple of minor incidents with questions from what amounts to kids, in press conferences, in stressful times, CC is a class act

Love the shot at Fitz you snuck in there.

 

[CatManTrue]

Love the shot at Fitz you snuck in there.

That’s your takeaway from his impressive analysis?

The thread is comparing Lowery to Hankwitz. Ergo, it’s only natural to compare CCC to Fitz, and Gato shared his Truth. We should respect his decision.

 

[Hkjb]

We were very good defensively during Collins’ third and fourth years. Much, much better than this year statistically. We have been an average defensive team this year. I think Lowery has been great and he definitely changed our identity last year. But I find it very difficult to believe that after coaching with him for 2 years, Collins and the rest of his assistants would be incapable of teaching the same principles without him. Hopefully they’ve taken some notes.

I appreciate that view as a fellow cat fan and I mean no disrespect. But as a guy raised in Indiana by a defensive specialist, it gets my hackles up when people think defense is so simple that people pick up a few principles and then job done. Defense is a complex, never-ending job, and defensive masterminds are a very hard get. John Wooden won a lot of natties with it, and teams that can make stops get wins in March. A good example is Wooden's legendary press at UCLA. Plenty of people saw it, filmed it, and experienced it. But nobody ever replicated it. The teaching and the nuances were so hard to master, the knowledge so specialised, and the muscle memory so intensely trained that it it remains a one-of-a-kind feat.

Now some numbers based on our defensive efficiency ranking. Last year was the all-time best for the CCC era, coming in at 31. This year-to-date we rank 165. Fluctuations are normal and we did bring in Langborg for a more offensive identity this year - a guy the rest of the team ribs about his poor defense. Even with that, the ranking for the Chris Lowery era averages out to 98, versus 130 for CCC's NU years without Lowery. That 130 would be much higher if you take out the other defensive specialist we had for 2 years: Billy Donlan from 2017 to 2019. NU with Donlan averaged a ranking of 76 in defensive efficiency. Donlan is also known as a top tier defensive brain. You may recall that he was at Michigan the prior year when that team came out of nowhere to win the B1G tournament. An article crediting Donlan's defense for that turnaround at the time noted "The Wolverines won the Big Ten tournament, winning four straight games in four days in an improbable run, in no small part, because of their defense."

After Donlan left NU, was CC and staff capable of teaching the same principles without him? Not in the least.
Our average defensive efficiency ranking fell through the floor. After Donlan delivered an average ranking of 76, NU in the subsequent 3 years before Lowery fell to a ranking of 195. From 76 to 195 is a clear indication that these things aren't just learned and maintained on inertia.

All told, if we put those numbers together:
a) the 4 years when we had a defensive specialist on staff, our average defensive efficiency ranking averaged 87
b) The other years CCC was our coach without a defense specialist, we ranked 146.

Finally, as a team I don't think NU can afford to walk away from a clear defensive identity, nor can we really win without a defensive specialist. We have enough challenges in recruiting, and shooting is the kind of thing that goes hot and cold with the best of coaching. Defense on the other hand is more responsive to hard work and smart thinking in how a player uses everything from his eyes to his feet. It's a function of work and intelligence - two things that we have to rely on to remain competitive.

So yeah, Lowery is our Hank. Arguably so was Donlan - but I don't feel Donlan had the old/experienced coach vibes that Lowery has! In either event, there is plenty of evidence that if Lowery leaves we are going to have do more than hope people took notes.

 

[GatoLouco]

I appreciate that view as a fellow cat fan and I mean no disrespect. But as a guy raised in Indiana by a defensive specialist, it gets my hackles up when people think defense is so simple that people pick up a few principles and then job done. Defense is a complex, never-ending job, and defensive masterminds are a very hard get. John Wooden won a lot of natties with it, and teams that can make stops get wins in March. A good example is Wooden's legendary press at UCLA. Plenty of people saw it, filmed it, and experienced it. But nobody ever replicated it. The teaching and the nuances were so hard to master, the knowledge so specialised, and the muscle memory so intensely trained that it it remains a one-of-a-kind feat.

Now some numbers based on our defensive efficiency ranking. Last year was the all-time best for the CCC era, coming in at 31. This year-to-date we rank 165. Fluctuations are normal and we did bring in Langborg for a more offensive identity this year - a guy the rest of the team ribs about his poor defense. Even with that, the ranking for the Chris Lowery era averages out to 98, versus 130 for CCC's NU years without Lowery. That 130 would be much higher if you take out the other defensive specialist we had for 2 years: Billy Donlan from 2017 to 2019. NU with Donlan averaged a ranking of 76 in defensive efficiency. Donlan is also known as a top tier defensive brain. You may recall that he was at Michigan the prior year when that team came out of nowhere to win the B1G tournament. An article crediting Donlan's defense for that turnaround at the time noted "The Wolverines won the Big Ten tournament, winning four straight games in four days in an improbable run, in no small part, because of their defense."

After Donlan left NU, was CC and staff capable of teaching the same principles without him? Not in the least.
Our average defensive efficiency ranking fell through the floor. After Donlan delivered an average ranking of 76, NU in the subsequent 3 years before Lowery fell to a ranking of 195. From 76 to 195 is a clear indication that these things aren't just learned and maintained on inertia.

All told, if we put those numbers together:
a) the 4 years when we had a defensive specialist on staff, our average defensive efficiency ranking averaged 87
b) The other years CCC was our coach without a defense specialist, we ranked 146.

Finally, as a team I don't think NU can afford to walk away from a clear defensive identity, nor can we really win without a defensive specialist. We have enough challenges in recruiting, and shooting is the kind of thing that goes hot and cold with the best of coaching. Defense on the other hand is more responsive to hard work and smart thinking in how a player uses everything from his eyes to his feet. It's a function of work and intelligence - two things that we have to rely on to remain competitive.

So yeah, Lowery is our Hank. Arguably so was Donlan - but I don't feel Donlan had the old/experienced coach vibes that Lowery has! In either event, there is plenty of evidence that if Lowery leaves we are going to have do more than hope people took notes.

Great read.

Defense is, in over simplistic terms, better with faster and taller players. My overall impression of our defense is that we lost speed (Audige) and height (Beran). So it suffered.

 

[IGNORE2]

OK. But the principles he has taught aren’t magical. If he leaves, other coaches can continue to teach them. And we haven’t been that special this year defensively. We have won several games because of our offense. Where do we compare statistically to last year. Pick a metric you like.

If true then same could be said for any coach including CCC.

 

[clarificationcat]

I appreciate that view as a fellow cat fan and I mean no disrespect. But as a guy raised in Indiana by a defensive specialist, it gets my hackles up when people think defense is so simple that people pick up a few principles and then job done. Defense is a complex, never-ending job, and defensive masterminds are a very hard get. John Wooden won a lot of natties with it, and teams that can make stops get wins in March. A good example is Wooden's legendary press at UCLA. Plenty of people saw it, filmed it, and experienced it. But nobody ever replicated it. The teaching and the nuances were so hard to master, the knowledge so specialised, and the muscle memory so intensely trained that it it remains a one-of-a-kind feat.

Now some numbers based on our defensive efficiency ranking. Last year was the all-time best for the CCC era, coming in at 31. This year-to-date we rank 165. Fluctuations are normal and we did bring in Langborg for a more offensive identity this year - a guy the rest of the team ribs about his poor defense. Even with that, the ranking for the Chris Lowery era averages out to 98, versus 130 for CCC's NU years without Lowery. That 130 would be much higher if you take out the other defensive specialist we had for 2 years: Billy Donlan from 2017 to 2019. NU with Donlan averaged a ranking of 76 in defensive efficiency. Donlan is also known as a top tier defensive brain. You may recall that he was at Michigan the prior year when that team came out of nowhere to win the B1G tournament. An article crediting Donlan's defense for that turnaround at the time noted "The Wolverines won the Big Ten tournament, winning four straight games in four days in an improbable run, in no small part, because of their defense."

After Donlan left NU, was CC and staff capable of teaching the same principles without him? Not in the least.
Our average defensive efficiency ranking fell through the floor. After Donlan delivered an average ranking of 76, NU in the subsequent 3 years before Lowery fell to a ranking of 195. From 76 to 195 is a clear indication that these things aren't just learned and maintained on inertia.

All told, if we put those numbers together:
a) the 4 years when we had a defensive specialist on staff, our average defensive efficiency ranking averaged 87
b) The other years CCC was our coach without a defense specialist, we ranked 146.

Finally, as a team I don't think NU can afford to walk away from a clear defensive identity, nor can we really win without a defensive specialist. We have enough challenges in recruiting, and shooting is the kind of thing that goes hot and cold with the best of coaching. Defense on the other hand is more responsive to hard work and smart thinking in how a player uses everything from his eyes to his feet. It's a function of work and intelligence - two things that we have to rely on to remain competitive.

So yeah, Lowery is our Hank. Arguably so was Donlan - but I don't feel Donlan had the old/experienced coach vibes that Lowery has! In either event, there is plenty of evidence that if Lowery leaves we are going to have do more than hope people took notes.

Appreciate your insights as well. A few responses.

Dropping from 31 to 165 is not just a fluctuation. That's a pretty dramatic drop for a veteran team that lost 2 players (one who played less than 20 minutes a game). So either Lowery forgot how to coach or Chase Audige was a hell of defender (I think the latter).

In the 2015-2016 year , we were 91st in defensive efficiency. In 2016-2017, we were 42nd, so a much better two-year average than Lowery at Northwestern so far. No Donlon or Lowery during that period (Baldwin). In the 2017-2018 season, we dropped to 119 with Donlon. In the year prior to Lowery arriving, our defense finished 144th in defensive efficiency. Not great but better than this year.

So it appears that we have had 3 Hank's in Collins' 11 season. That seems to diminish Hank's legacy a little bit. I'm not saying that defense isn't critical to NU's continued success. I think it absolutely is because we are rarely going to have the same athletic ability and skill as our opponents. I'm saying finding a coach to teach defense is considerably easier than finding a great defensive coordinator because the role of a college basketball assistant does not compare to a coordinator in football. Coordinators have to make critical decisions from play to play. Lowery sits next to Collins and may make a few suggestions during the course of the game. And to put this into further perspective, from 2015 to 2020, our defenses under Hank finished 14th, 26th, 19th, 35th, 37th, and 4th in scoring defense. Let's see when the next defensive coordinator comes along that can match that. I am guessing if Lowery leaves, we will find another assistant coach that can make us an above-average defensive team with the right players.

And as for Wooden, he won a bunch of national championships because he was a great overall coach and he had the best players (many of whom were paid for by Sam Gilbert). On his first championship team, he had the first pick in the NBA draft (Walt Hazzard) and NBA All-Star Gail Goodrich. He later transitioned from from Lew Alcindor to Bill Walton. As an Indiana guy, you know Bobby Knight had no respect for Wooden because of Sam Gilbert.