We hear often about an athlete being in the zone, a locked-in
mental state where everything is in perfect harmony and the athlete is on a
roll.
Well,
the Syracuse University basketball team clearly has been in a zone of late – a 2-3
zone that has been more difficult for opponents to solve than a Rubik’s Cube; a
2-3 zone that has carried the Orange men to a fifth Final Four.
It’s
funny, but a zone defense has long been looked upon with disdain. It’s been
called a lazy man’s defense, something you play to compensate for inferior
athletes who supposedly aren’t talented enough to play the more manly man-to-man.
But
there is little lazy or unathletic about Jim Boeheim’s suffocating,
discombobulating zone. If you don’t believe me, just ask the players and
coaches from Montana, Cal, Indiana or Marquette – SU’s four vanquished NCAA
Tournament opponents. Or check out the stat sheet. The numbers don’t lie. They
are mind-boggling.
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