Team Chemistry - A Rebuttal
by sylvar on Feb 14, 2010 9:45 AM EST
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So there was some conversation in an earlier fanpost regarding "Team Chemistry". The gist of that post was that during the Bama game the players weren't helping each other up off the deck and that was some indication that there was poor chemistry, bad blood, or that they just plain didn't like each other. I hadn't gotten that impression, I honestly hadn't paid that much attention to how many "helps" the team was giving each other. During the Tennessee game I thought I'd keep some informal stats on how many times a player hit the deck and what the outcome of that was.
See the result after the jump
So, for every time a player was on the ground I counted it into 2 basic categories - Help or No Help
Help - One or more teammates helped the fallen player up
No Help- Player was not helped up by a teammate
I counted 20 times a UK player was knocked down or fell down or dove for a loose ball
Help - 11 - 55%
No Help - 9 - 45%
I also broke the No Help category down further so that I could separate the possible reasons no help was given.
Transition - Ball was live and teammates were following the play
Self - Play picked themselves off the floor
Other - Ref or Opponent helped player up (this was a particular point in the previous posting)
So of the nine No Help instances the breakout was:
Other - 0 Never happened once that I saw
Transition - 4 (mostly a player on the deck hoping for a call while the play went the other way)
Self - 5 Now this would be the one that we should really look at, but of these:
two happened while the ball was live and no opportunity existed
one was John Wall popping back up after taking that charge in the second half - I don't think the Flash could have gotten there quick enough to help him up.
And One other was while multiple players were down - one got help the other got up on his own on the other side of the court.
That leaves only a single instance that I saw where an opportunity existed for a player to help up another that was passed up.
Final Analysis: I think this team gets an A in Chemistry
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I don't think there is any way to quantify a team "statistic" like "chemistry."
It’s one usually measured by the “look” test. And teams usually have lots of chemistry, or no chemistry at all.
Agreed, But...
The original post used a perceived lack of “Help” as the basis for an argument that the team lacked chemistry…It only seemed right to use that as the basis for the rebuttal
You're right; I didn't make myself clear.
An effective rebuttal.
by mrmondaynite on Feb 14, 2010 11:09 AM EST up reply actions
Great post sylvar
I also found myself watching this during the game last night. While I didn’t make the effort you did (I can’t blog in the game thread, watch it and record stats…LOL), I particularly noticed The Flash spring up by JW. I think you are exactly right about the team’s chemistry. :-)
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
Chemistry is there
I look at how players interact and our guys are always rooting for each other, major indicator. Just watch UK’s bench, they’re great cheerleaders and THAT takes team chemistry. At the beginning of the year I worried about all of the talent and clashes of egos but coach has done a great job of blending the players. He deserves a lot of credit for not having problems like North Carolina.
As the author of the previous post
I have to agree that the “help” was much better last night than it has been before (kudos to you for actually doing the stats, instead of my pontificating). Obviously, they read my post and decided to change. ;-)
What I probably didn’t emphasize enough in my previous post, however, is the question of whether it matters or not. Even if the team chemistry is not great per se, are they all so focused on getting better and winning individually, that it gets the same result – all rowing in the same direction, albeit for individual reasons? If anyone has read Posnanski’s book on the Big Red Machine, I see parallels to this team – there was enough internal competition that everyone strove to be great, not always because they were doing it for each other, but because they were doing it for themselves.
There is a fine line between internal competition and selfishness, of course. As long as this team stays on the right side of that line, I couldn’t care less how many times they actually give each other love taps on the butt.
Good post.
It's time. . .
Excellent analogy to The Big Red Machine and I
also read the book. I remarked on your original post that regardless if there are “issues” with the teams chemisty or not….we need to trust Cal to keep them focused and on the same page.
Continuing with the Posanski book analogy…..I would compare some of Cal’s moves like taking Miller out of the starting line up to Sparky moving Pete to third and putting Vukovich on the bench.
Let’s hope Cal’s moves work out as well as Sparky’s!! GO CATS!!
You can't fix "stupid"!
Refs
I did see a ref help a player out. I actually think the player was Wall but there was another player there helping him up (Cousins I think). Can’t remember who exactly but the ref did help one of our players up. This happened in the second half
When journalists at the Tour de France ask me if I am the best sprinter, I answer 'Yes', and that's seen as arrogance, but if they don't ask me, I don't say I'm the best sprinter in the world.
- Mark Cavendish
yup i saw that too it was wall
Baseball is a game where a curve is an optical illusion, a screwball can be a pitch or a person, stealing is legal and you can spit anywhere you like except in the umpire's eye or on the ball.
James Patrick Murray
Let's look at this
The TEAM is 24 and 1!
That’s 24 wins vs. 1 loss.
All you “backyard coaches” have to talk about is a need for better team chemistry.
Someone really needs to “GET A LIFE” !!!
Settle down, Beavis
We’re just talkin’ here. There’s only so many times you can say, “Yeah! We’re awesome!”
It's time. . .
by NYCCats on Feb 14, 2010 5:45 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Very nice.....and very well done!!!!.....
Cats Rule…..Vols……….Break Rules…..lol
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
I don't think there's any reason to be worried about team chemistry.
And if something as big and amorphous as team chemistry can in any way be inferred from a quantifiable action like helping fellow players up off the deck is debatable. BUT with that said—-to me the Alabama game would be a far better gauge of this than the Tennessee game. UT was a huge game by any measure. To be all all-for-one-and-one-for-all and full of fellow-feeling is surely easier after being feted by ESPN and fans all day long and playing a top 15 ranked rival in Saturday night’s big game, than it is while playing an under .500 league team that you’re expected to dominate, on a weeknight, in the snow, while playing like crap, turning the ball over with impunity, in front of restless fans.
by blue kentucky girl on Feb 14, 2010 5:43 PM EST reply actions
C'mon, man.
Are we really analyzing this? Am I really allowing myself to type these words? Are you crazy? Occam’s razor.
We're all just a banana peel away from eternity.
ICQ: 591535544
Yahoo IM: jacksbrain
Absolutely!
That is exactly the point :)
I couldn’t agree more with you… This was done with a certain amount of tongue in cheek. I see so many folks out there trying to “Read” the players and speaking with confidence that they have a handle on what is going on “inside a players head”….Every bit of it is ridiculous.
Personally, I’m just enjoying the ride. :)
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