UMass head coach Derek Kellogg is in his first year at the helm after serving as an assistant at Memphis during their Final Four run last season.... and he brought the Tigers offensive scheme with him. But Kellogg didn't just bring the AASAA offense to UMass, he also brought the man who created it, Vance Walberg.
How does the Attack Attack Skip Attack Attack offense work?
The AASAA offense attempts to eliminate the old school "mid-range jumper." The emphasis on offense is to attack the rim, and if that doesn't work "skip" the ball back out to another wing player and he'll also attempt to penetrate.
Eventually the idea is to either get a clear path to the bucket or draw the defense, then hit someone on the perimeter for an open 3 or dump it to a big man.
Here's how Walberg describes his offense, "Shoot, shoot and shoot some more. It's really very simple. What we do is spread you out and attack the different gaps."
How can the Salukis stop it?
The Salukis can shut down UMass by stopping the dribble. Everything is created off the dribble in the AASAA, so Mullins and Co. will need to shut things down on the perimeter before the Minutemen can get started. The key will be to pressure Chris Lowe and Ricky Harris into making mistakes early on in a possession. You know Mullins will be up to the task, and if the other guards flank him defensively, the Salukis will move on to MSG.
You can discuss the AASAA offense or join in on the UMass vs SIU game thread at Salukitalk.
