Film sessions usually include certain parts and plays of games, but Monday’s was different. The team watched the entirety of its 46-49 loss to the Cougars in search of what ailed the team offensively.
“We have a group of guys who care about what they are doing, so there is really a bit of embarrassment when they see it,” said head coach Larry Krystkowiak. “We talk about losing games at the end, and we watched about 20 clips in the Washington State game and said ‘Would this have happened if this was the final play of the game?’ and everybody went, ‘No, there would have been more of a sense of urgency.’ ”
Krystkowiak found a simple answer to Utes’ recent offensive ineptitude — karma. What he saw in film was his team lacking effort on the offensive end. He said his players weren’t making hard cuts and were setting soft screens, so the ball didn’t bounce their way down the stretch.
“We watched a bunch of cuts yesterday that were half speed,” Krystkowiak said. “If you make a pass or make a hard cut, you put [the opponent] on their heels and make them defend you. To me, there’s a lot of karma involved. If you’re busting your butt, you screen and you’re playing hard on offense, you’re not going to shoot yourselves in the foot.”
The film session seemed to inspire the Utes, as they stayed in the gym afterward to put up shots. Krystkowiak hopes to see that effort and desire in games.
“We have to play hard on offense,” he said. “Everybody judges how hard you’re playing on the defensive end. We expended a lot of energy defensively and just went through the motions on offense. We didn’t really earn a shot.”
The team understood the benefit of watching the entirety of a game, and players feel the mistakes are correctable.
“It was good for us to break down every mistake that we had,” guard Brandon Taylor said. “It comes down to the small things — a missed box out or a turnover, just little stuff that you have to prevent. We will be good.”
Others on the team saw specific things the team has to improve on to get the offense going.
“As a team we need to be more aggressive in getting to the basket,” forward Jordan Loveridge said. “If we get some easy ones, it will probably help our confidence a bit.”
One thing Krystkowiak wanted to show his team is that every play is important, regardless of what stage the game is in.
“Every play is big, and I think there is a little bit of embarrassment that we don’t have to put ourselves in the position to have to win the game at the end,” Krystkowiak said. “We got a solid group. The character with these guys, I would be really surprised if everyone wasn’t fired up and had a good practice.”
Though many things have contributed to Utah’s offensive struggles recently, Krystkowiak truly believes increased effort will turn the tide for his young team and give it a little bit of good karma moving forward.