Bob Williams' Contract Will Not be Extended

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2016-17/releases/20170309rawfz1

 

UCSB Head Coach Bob Williams on 300 Career Wins

.@UCSBbasketball HC Bob Williams looks to be just the 3rd #BigWest coach to 300 career wins Thursday at UCR. #GoChos pic.twitter.com/fRfdeedXKr

— Big West MBB (@BigWestMBB) February 18, 2016

https://twitter.com/BigWestMBB/status/700184359081418752

Model Of Consistency: UC Santa Barbara's Bob Williams Hits 300 Wins

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2015-16/releases/20160222s85lzs

 

UCSB 2014 - 2015 Season Preview By Men's Basketball Head Coach Bob Williams

This is Coach Bob Williams' preseason preview of the 2014 - 2015 UCSB men's basketball team. 

Frontcourt

Alan Williams had a great offseason.  He was dedicated in improving his body, worked on his skills, conditioning, and ball-handling.  He's better off the dribble, attacking with his face up game (vs. "butt-ball"), he's quicker, and more consistent defensively with both team and individual defense.  He knows it is crucial that he stays out of foul trouble so he is working on getting better position in the lane.  Last year, when Al was in foul trouble, the UCSB defense ranked near the bottom of the Big West.   When Al was NOT in foul trouble, the UCSB defense was among the best in the Big West.  What's overlooked about Al is he is a really good defender, he's smart, and has great feet.  While Al is great at creating space in the lane, he occasionally doesn't do it and ends up shooting a fade away jumper, for instance.  He developed a solid mid-range jumper last year, and has continued to improve on it.

Sam Beeler had a real wake up at the end of last season, when he faded down the stretch.  He has raised his commitment level to the game this summer.  He is bigger, stronger, more active, and more physical.  Sam performed well when Al was out last season, but he needs to be more of a factor when Al is healthy.  Sam has improved his mid-range jumper.  Last year in practice, he won numerous free throw competitions.  The contest rules were if a shooter hit the rim, he was eliminated.  Not only did the shooter have to make the free throw, he had to swish it.  Sam won several of them.  He needs to improve his confidence in order to shoot that way during games.  Coach Kevin Bromley is working on Sam with his shot.

Mitch Brewe is improved, and displaying standard growth.  He has a great work ethic, but needs to gain patience with himself, because he is so hard on himself.  Last season, he would allow one mistake to take him out of the game for two or three minutes.  His 3-point shooting needs to improve on the road, matching his high percentages at home.  He has to create a better comfort zone during away games.  He also needs to create more space on rebounding, not just jumping for the ball.  He needs to learn to rebound in front of him, not above him.  He is 6'7", has short arms, and doesn't jump very high, so he needs to create space on rebounds.  Creating space means using your lower body, arms, shoulders, core--essentially your whole body to gain positional advantage for rebounding opportunities and posting up.  Mitch is really tough, and has great instincts.

John Green has to find a way to stay healthy.  He is a major impact player, and can play the 3 and 4 on defense, but his is so skilled offensively that he can play the 2, 3, and 4.  He can bounce the ball,  drive, shoot it, post up, and pass it--he is very skilled.  Both his wrist and feet are healthy.  Keeping him healthy requires changing his workouts.  He undergoes physical therapy to change how his feet land and to keep his hips straight.  Instead of jumping rope or running, he's on the elliptical, the stationary bike, and in the pool.  They have backed off on his work outs, and will limit his minutes in a 3-game tournament.

Alex Hart's minutes are up in air.  He's definitely 6'10", and shoots it very deep.  He'll hit 5 or 6 in a row, and can change a game.  But he has to be more physical and aggressive.  He needs to bolster his confidence to adjust to the physicality of Div. 1 basketball.  He has improved so much from last year, so the redshirting was best for him--by far.

Ami Lakoju has improved already during his short time since arriving, proving his high motivation.  He's very coachable, has an unbelievable body at 6'8" and 260 pounds with long arms.  He has great quickness, can defend and rebound in the Big West right now.  He is a good 1-on-1 defender, while his rebounding and shot-blocking are already productive.  Offensively, he needs to learn how to use body, and create space to score. 


Backcourt

Michael Bryson had minor knee surgery to repair a smart cartilage tear, so they are controlling his return.  He had a great spring working on ball handling.  Last season, he was more consistent with his shooting, playing inside/outside, became a better defender, and improved his ball handling.  He is working on taking the ball off the bounce.  He is talented, strong, and is the only player who can defend the 2, 3, and 4 positions.  He's still growing and is over 6'5" now, and perhaps why he had knee issues.

The coaches are very pleased with DaJuan Smith and Gabe Vincent, as they are both highly aggressive, and a big upgrade from last year off the bounce.  They make good decisions off the bounce, are good passers, have better shot selection, and are better defenders.  Defensively, the backcourt is much better, including Zalmico Harmon and Eric Childress, who are also good defenders.

This may be the first defense since the team of Justin Joiner, Paul Roemer, and Jordan Weiner who can apply on-ball defensive pressure.

Gabe is solid in all aspects, and is as polished as any young player at UCSB since Branduin Fullove, who wasn't rattled as a freshman (Fullove may have been a more versatile scorer).  DaJuan is very good, plays hard, and a defensive stopper.  He excels off the dribble, in transition, in the open court, and is good at the rim.  He's crafty, makes good decisions,  and will play the wing.

At point guard, UCSB has never been better or as deep since Coach Williams has been at UCSB.  They are so much better off the dribble this year.  Last year, only point guards or occasionally Boswell could use on-ball screens, because the wings were turning the ball over too often.  This year, the 1, 2, and 3 positions will be able to utilize on-ball screens.

The team is committing fewer turnovers on ball screens, and hence are much more productive this season so far.  Production is tracked in practice and high turnovers--whether off ball screens, or post entries, and the numbers will determine whether a player will feature on-ball screens.

Magic Johnson was a high turnover guy, but was a big scorer and dished out many assists so his high production more than compensated for his high turnovers.  Perimeter ball handlers get in trouble during on-ball screens when defenders hedge or trap the ball, resulting in turnovers  The dribbler may try to split the trap unsuccessfully.   Or he may try to force in a pocket pass on the pick-and-roll that has closed.  A successful on-ball screen requires the dribbler to make the correct read, and have the skill set to execute the vision.  It may require extending the ball, enlarging the pocket to the rolling teammate, or splitting the trap correctly.

TJ Taylor is 100% healthy, is much more aggressive, and being pushed by Zalmico and Eric.  He knows he needs to be more physical, but he has good knowledge of the offense, passes the ball well and is a very good shooter.

Zalmico has improved from when he was a game-changer in the second half of last season.  Eric is  much better, more confident, and trusts the coaching staff more.  He doesn't get caught in the air as much, so his turnovers should be reduced.  Occasionally, Z will slide to the 2 defensively when UCSB plays small ball, with a wing at the 3, and Bryson at the 4.

Justin Burks will probably redshirt.  He is so gifted physically, is athletic, shoots well, and has a lot of length.

Generally speaking, the team is more physical this year than last season, and they were pretty physical in 2013 - 2014.  Bryson and Green are very physical for their size.

Between Hart, Vincent, Lakoju, and Burks, this has been Coach Williams' best freshman class since he can remember. 

Even though we lose Kyle Boswell and Taran Brown, we should have one of the best 3-point shooting teams in a while.  Bryson, Green, Brewe, Hart, Vincent, Smith, Taylor, and Harmon are all 3-point threats.  A point of emphasis will be quality of shots, finding the open man, and making the extra pass.

There will be more transition offense off the defensive pressure, but the Gauchos can also play really big.  They will have a bigger physical presence, but more importantly, they play physically instinctively, and don't need the coaches to force them to do it.

The Big West is bigger in the paint this year, and UCSB will be able to match that size, with guys like Lakoju.

Overall, this team is very competitive and deep this year--as deep as Coach Williams' fifth year at UCSB.  At the 5, behind Al Williams are Sam Beeler and Ami Lakoju.  Mitch Brewe is backed by John Green and Alex Hart.  Michael Bryson anchors the 3, but Green can play there as well.  Gabe Vincent and DaJuan Smith will battle for court minutes at the 2, while the 1 is solid with Zalmico Harmon, Eric Childress, and TJ Taylor.

UCSB shows Rebels, Rice how to play, coach

http://www.reviewjournal.com/columns-blogs/ed-graney/ucsb-shows-rebels-rice-how-play-coach

Roster Update With Coach Bob Williams

Gaucho Hoops ("GH"):  Thanks for the interview, Coach Williams.  You've had a full week of practice.  Let's start with who's not on the roster--Keegan Hornbuckle.

Bob Williams ("BW"):  Yes, Keegan had surgery on his ankle in June and it just didn't respond well.  So he decided it was best that he finish school and graduate and move on with his life.

GH:  Given Keegan's no longer on the roster, does that mean Alex Hart may not redshirt?

BW:  We won't decide on who redshirts until mid-November.  Because of the new rules, we've been able to evaluate players since August, we should be able to make good decisions on the lineups.  Alex is a good shooter and passer, but he is not physical enough at this stage.  If we believe he will be in the regular rotation of top 9 - 10 players, he will play.  If he does not crack the top 10, he will redshirt.  Whatever we decide will be what's best for Alex.

GH:  Is the situation similar to former Gaucho center Greg Somogyi?

BW:  With Somogyi, he would have benefited from a redshirt year, but we just didn't have the depth in the post at the time.

GH:  Speaking of redshirting, will TJ redshirt after the dual hip surgeries?

BW:  TJ is recovering nicely and doing water work, but he just hasn't played at all for several months, so in all likelihood, it looks like he will redshirt.

GH:  Which brings up the point guard position.  Where does Eric Childress fit into the Gaucho plans?

BW:  Eric is very good with the ball, handles defensive pressure well, makes good decisions, shoots well, penetrates well, uses on-ball screens well, is good in and around the lane, and is a tenacious defender.  The battles in practice between Eric and Zalmico Harmon have been epic, because both are extremely competitive.  They raise the level of play of each other in practice.  To answer your question, no, Eric will not redshirt.

One area of improvement for Eric is he has to become a bigger voice--a more vocal leader.

GH:  Speaking of Zalmico, how is he progressing?

BW:  Zalmico is physically mature, tough, tenacious, and is a natural pleaser.  He wants to make sure his teammates are happy.  He has very high standards for himself.  He and Eric are similar in many ways:  both are unselfish, pass-first point guards.  Zalmico is just ripped and very strong, so we can go small and have Eric run the point, while Zalmico can slide over to the off-guard position, because he is strong enough to defend the opponent's off-guard.

We should be good at the point guard position, with Zalmico, Eric, and Duke DaRe.  Both Zalmico and Duke are big enough to play both point guard and off-guard, as they can both defend the 2.  So we'll have versatility with our three point guards, with the ability to go with a small or big lineup.

GH:  How is Kyle Boswell's left shoulder?

BW:  Kyle is recovering from shoulder surgery, and he is practicing, but his shoulder is not at full strength.  Therefore, he has to wear the gold "Peyton Manning" in practice, where other players must avoid physical contact with him.  Even though he is a right-handed shooter, he does use both arms, so the injury did impact him.  But his shot is as good as ever, and his range as deep as before.  He just needs to regain full strength in his shoulder for a complete recovery.

GH:  How about Michael Bryson?

BW:  Michael is more mature, is stronger, and his shot is more consistent.  He had a break out game in the Big West Tournament, making the all-tournament team.  We expect that type of performance to carry over into this season.  He also gives us versatility, as he can play the 2, 3, and 4.

GH:  Kinda like former Gaucho star James Nunnally?

BW:  Yes, although James played a lot at the 4.

GH:  Where is Taran Brown?

BW:  Taran is improved, he's making better decisions, is shooting better, and is on-balance.

GH:  What does on-balance mean, Coach?

BW:  Our focus this season will be to play tougher, and be more physical.  We will be more fundamentally sound.  We may have gotten away from that last year, because we had such talented teams previously with OJ and James, so we let the players have more freedom--because the young players were so athletic.

We will rein them in more this season, focusing on sound fundamentals.  This includes individual skill development on things like ball fakes, pivoting, footwork, and being in balance, instead of getting caught in the air.  Taran would get caught in the air sometimes, shooting when he was off-balance.

GH:  How is John Green coming along?

BW:  We're being cautious with John, monitoring him closely.  We're limiting him to one hour and 15 minutes of practice, with shooting drills afterward.  We want to limit the pounding to his feet.  But John is such a natural player, that he may be our best offensive weapon, despite sitting out two seasons.  He just picks things up so quickly despite the long layoff.

He gets his extra conditioning on the elliptical machine, on the stationary bike, doing his water work, and we've also implemented special warm-ups in order to reduce injuries.

GH:  What are these special warm-ups?

BW:  Most of these exercises strengthen the hips, and the players are also doing yoga 2 days a week.  Ross [strength and conditioning coach] also has the players receiving extra ice treatments after practices.

With John, his offensive skills are so well-rounded:  he has improved his back to the basket moves, he has a mid-range game, and he can shoot the 3.

GH:  Yes, I noticed John's shot had improved over the summer.  A couple years ago, when I was shooting around with him, I noticed his shot went back over his head.  While he was accurate, his backspin was kind of a cork screw.  With his recent shot, his release is more in front of him, and he has the proper backspin.  Was that a change your shooting coach instilled?  Who is the shooting coach?

BW:  We decided to change his shot by committee, so we all took turns on coaching John on his shot.

GH:  Let's cover the front court.  Will Drew Dickey figure in the plans?

BW:  Drew has had back ailments, so he hasn't been able to play lately.  We'll have to monitor that situation.

GH:  How does Sam Beeler look?

BW:  Sam is stronger, and his back-to-the-basket play is better.  He's still competing hard.

GH:  What about Mitch Brewe?

BW:  Mitch has leaned up.  He's moving better, quicker laterally, and running faster.

GH:  What about Alan Williams?

BW:  Alan is in better shape, and quicker.  He's shooting better.

GH:  When I saw him play over the summer, Alan was developing a nice mid-range jumper around 12-15 feet.  He wasn't shy with the shot.

BW:  No, Alan isn't shy about shooting.  Our front court also allows us some flexibility.  Alan normally plays the 5, and if we want to go big, Mitch can play the 4 with Alan in lineup.  And if we want to go really big, we can slide Alan over to the 4, and bring in Sam at the 5.

Alan will start, but Sam and Mitch are also capable starters.

GH:  OK, that wraps it up, Coach.  Thanks again, and we look forward to the season.

Mens Basketball Coaches Speak at Wooden Tip-Off Luncheon

http://www.bigwest.org//story.asp?story_id=17230