Hopedal was too much for the Dutch!
The versatile forward scored 28 points tonight with 10-15 shooting and was perfect from the line. The defensive tactic was set in a 3-2 zone. Instead of the traditional m2m approach I decided to go with a zone in order to put more pressure on Holland's backcourt line who was in superior game shape than ours. Their big man and probable LI tactic never worried me . We are superior in terms of rebounding so my estimation was that it was worth to sacrifice the rebound power for a more tight perimeter defense. It turned out to be truth in the end, but with Holland playing with lesser effort our task was made somewhat easier than expected. Norway 104 - 91 Holland was the final result. A good win.
With the 3rd straight win Norge ends the European Championship on a positive note. Tonight's win was only by a point shorter for reaching the no.4 place of the group, but it will be Romania holding the fourth place this season. With Suomi's win against Italy there is no unbeaten team in the end. Despite the good run we only managed to reach the 5th place, with equal W/L record as Suomi and Romania, but the worst PD.
Although my initial target for this season was 5 wins, due to the very tough draw and disastrous schedule, in the end we had to settle with a 4-3 record. It's not the perfect outcome, but not that bad either. This is the second best result in the Euros after the Season 7 (5-2) result.
What is the task for the future?
I will try to earn as more points for the NT and improve the world rating as I can. It is important to keep winning and improve further up to the rating list in order to secure better draw position for the Consolation tournament next season.
The player's base must improve as well. At the moment we are lacking potential for tactic diversity but with few players I'm monitoring we can soon build a more complete squad. There are some players that can jump in next season. The guards: Snorre Petterson, Kasper Bugge, Tor Svendsen, Hendrik Jacobsen, Sven Lundgren, Alf Bergshaven, Olaf Larsen, Yohannes Vatland, Bjørn Hassel, Tore Tang Ellefsen, Stian Erga, Thor Harry Sørvær, Daniel Hansen, Jens Erik Jensen... can become vital part of the NT in the following season. Their training must continue. Add more shooting training to your guards to build a more prolific attacking guard line.
From the C/PF's we have: Emil Breen, Arild Nilsen, Oddvar Hindenes, Svein Hausken, Terje Haugland, Jørgen Duesund... Some of them are already NT players but in order to become regular they have to train further as well.
Together with the current NT backbone with Egon Olesen, Godtfred Thomassen, Stian Alm and Håvard Vartdal from the guards and Åge Guttormsen, Karl Einar Hopedal, Svein Hausken, Aanen Lian, Stefan Tillbrant, Ådne Grindheim, Geir Clausen, Karsten Johansen from the C/PF line Norge can build a respectful NT.
Cheers all and please keep me updated with the training results via the BB Norge NT Player's database add link.
Last edited by Onisifor at 4/2/2012 1:54:07 PM