Last night's blowout loss against Connecticut was for the most part due to Coach Bibby's inflexible attitude towards defensive schemes. The Sun are far too good a passing team to play zone against. If that drumming in the first half wasn't evidence enough, he continued having the Sparks play zone in the second half. There was a single possession when they played man to man and it caused nothing less than a shot clock violation. Learn from the experience? No, next possession zone again. Frankly they were lucky to lose by only twenty. Even the aggressive trapping in the backcourt was probably a bad idea. For the handful of turnovers it produced, it also allowed for several layups and other easy baskets by the Sun. Other than Whalen and maybe Sales, the Sun don't really have many players that can create their own shot with any regularity. It would have served the Sparks to at least try to play straight up defense and force them into a half court game.
Earlier this season they allowed Diana Taurasi to have a monster game by leaving her open on the perimeter the entire game. Fortunately, Taurasi's teammates don't share the ball as well as Connecticut or she would have set the WNBA record for points in a game. Bibby's penchant for the zone will certainly spell more problems down the road it there is an unwillingness to try something else when it doesn't work.
Coach Bibby needs to rethink defensive schemes
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