Tech Talk Live Notes for 1/17/11

Tech Talk Live (football and basketball season)

When: Every Monday from 7:00-9:00 during football season, 7:00-8:00 during basketball season.

Where: Click here for a list of radio stations, and to find the link for listening to the show on the Internet (look to the right on the hokiesports.com page that loads when you click the link). You can see the show in person Bull & Bones Brewhaus & Grill in Blacksburg.

• Greenberg is glad classes are starting so the students will be back on
  campus. He’s also glad because it will give his players something to do
  besides basketball.
• Tech was really good offensively against Wake. They shared the basketball,
  and they were good in transition. Greenberg didn’t think the defense was
  good at all. They aren’t going to beat Maryland playing like that.
• Wake Forest obviously didn’t give the Hokies a lot of resistance, but Tech
  played hard for 40 minutes. VT even used some box and one in this game. They
  gave up too much dribble penetration, but they did well in defensive
  transition and they rebounded well. Their halfcourt defense has to be much
  better, however.
• Malcolm Delaney scored just nine points, but he was very good offensively.
  He was on time and on target with his passes. He was very patient.
• Manny Atkins and Jarell Eddie played significant minutes. Eddie’s biggest
  problem has been understanding how to play hard, but that’s not different
  than most other freshmen. Manny Atkins is a very confident player. He had a
  stinger in his shoulder and couldn’t lift it on Friday, but he was able to
  play on Saturday.
• Erick Green has a great middle game. He can drive it into the lane, and
  he’s great at pitching it ahead in transition. He is also the most active
  defender in the zone defense. He’s poised and confident, and he’s being
  strong with the ball.
• Tech is playing a two-guard front right now, which means that the Hokies
  have two true guards on the court. Either Malcolm Delaney or Erick Green can
  initiate the offense.
• Like everyone else, Maryland has good players. They are as efficient
  offensively as any team the Hokies will play this year. Jordan Williams will
  touch the ball on every possession, and he’s an excellent rebounder.
• Penn State lost to Maine, but they beat Michigan State and Illinois.
  That’s college basketball.
• Greenberg isn’t as happy following the 30-point win as people think he
  should be. He sees the little things that the Hokies will have to do better
  if they want a chance to beat Maryland.
• If Jordan Williams has a double-double against Tech, he’ll tie the
  Maryland record with 12 consecutive double-doubles. He’s a really good
  player. He’s got great hands and a big body. He worked hard to get in
  tremendous shape.
• Maryland plays with great spacing against the zone defense. They get the
  ball to the middle of the zone, which is key. You really have to do a good
  job with your guards of keeping the ball away from the post. They also do a
  good job of driving the ball against the zone. Tech will play multiple
  defenses in this game. They can’t play 40 minutes of the same zone defense
  against the Terps.
• It’s Maryland’s system that you have to play against. Tech has to guard
  the ball in transition and off the dribble. The Terps have good seniors.
• Dorenzo Hudson had surgery on Monday. From all indications, everything
  went well. They found some swelling and carved it out. Allan Chaney’s
  situation is unchanged. He had his MRI, and it was good, but it wasn’t as
  good as they would have liked. He’ll have another MRI in April. That will
  probably be with a specialist in Philadelphia.
• If Tech has the ball in the last seconds in transition, Greenberg probably
  isn’t going to call a timeout and slow down his team. Particularly against
  Maryland, who is known for their traps off inbounds passes. In general,
  whether Greenberg calls a timeout in that situation depends on matchups and
  the other coach.
• Greenberg doesn’t mind the last second three-pointer against UNC. Malcolm
  Delaney had room to get an open look, and he was shooting the ball really
  well.
• Jeff Allen’s dunk that was called a charge was a terrific play. The thing
  no one talks about is Henson pushes him in the back and should have been
  called for a foul before Allen even got to Zeller. But it’s a tough job, and
  the game moves very fast. It’s just one play. Greenberg thought the play
  probably should have been a no-call.
• Greenberg really likes Clemson’s team. They have good experience, and they
  have good guards. They play at Carolina on Wednesday night, and the Tar
  Heels are coming off a loss. UNC has to settle on a point guard.
• Last year’s Maryland game in Cassell was a high-level game. Both teams
  executed and make a lot of great plays. Greivis Vasquez made a lot of tough
  shots in that game. In this upcoming game, Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen
  will be playing very close to home for the last time in their careers.
• The Hokies play in a lot of different arenas. However, there’s one place
  where a lot of Greenberg’s family members won’t attend a game, and that’s
  Maryland. It’s a tough place to play. They are a good team, and they run
  their offense hard. They are very aggressive in transition.
• Zabian Dowdell has a great feel for the game. He’s never been given a real
  chance to stick in the NBA, and Greenberg hopes he gets one. (Editor’s Note:
  Dowdell is currently playing out the final days of a ten-day contract with
  the Phoenix Suns.)
• Tech has three games between Thursday and next Tuesday. They play at
  Maryland on Thursday, home against Longwood on Saturday, and then travel to
  Georgia Tech on Tuesday night. Parts of the schedule are very grueling.
• On Monday, the team came in at 11am and had a two-hour practice. They also
  had a quick shoot-around and walk-through later in the day.

Monday was Day 2,242 of Virginia Tech’s continuous possession of the Commonwealth Cup.