Why does Arkansas basketball coaching staff watch Avalanche games? Eric Musselman explains: “They just want to win”

TAMPA, Fla. — The Avalanche’s run to the Stanley Cup Last has introduced all types of Denver-area coaches, executives and athletes to the sector, from Michael Malone and John Elway occupying first-row seats behind the objective to Russell Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett revving up the gang when proven on the videoboard.

The Avalanche even have followers on the Arkansas males’s basketball teaching workers.

Led by coach Eric Musselman, the workers has frolicked throughout their offseason watching video of the Avalanche, which performs Tampa Bay in Sport 3 of the Last on Monday evening.

After the Sport 1 win final week, Musselman tweeted in regards to the Avalanche and defined why watching Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Co., are on his workers’s to-do listing.

“For us, we love finding out how linked they’re as a workforce,” Musselman wrote in an electronic mail to The Denver Put up. “To play that quick and sub the best way they do, they need to be linked. The gamers on the ice are linked and the bench is into the sport to know when it’s their time to sub.

“We speak to our workforce on a regular basis about staying linked. We additionally speak about staying prepared on the bench for when your alternative comes. The Avalanche would possibly name on somebody for a 30-second spurt, however they’re prepared.”

Musselman, a former NBA head coach with Golden State and Sacramento, has coached the Razorbacks for 3 years. Final season, the Hogs overcame a 1-5 stretch bridging the top of non-conference and begin of SEC play to complete 28-9 and attain the Elite Eight (dropping to Duke) for the second consecutive yr.

Purchase-in and staying prepared are necessities at Arkansas. Eight gamers averaged at the least 10 minutes per sport and eight gamers began at the least 4 video games.

So what are the coaches watching?

“Offensively, we studied tempo of play and the way relentlessly quick they play,” Musselman mentioned. “The fixed stress the Avalanche places on the protection can be very similar to our workforce pushing the ball and never eager to play in half-court units, however to play alternative transition offense.

“They always push the puck. We name it, ‘No Stroll-Ups.’ Don’t stroll the ball up the ground. Defensively, the Avalanche appear to be one to place constant stress on the puck, (objective) line to (objective) line.”

Hockey permits just one timeout so groups need to play via in-game adversity, generally with out a lot as an icing to cease play or a media timeout. Basketball is clearly completely different in that respect, however Musselman has seen how the Avs play their means out of powerful stretches.

“It’s wonderful to see how they go from offense to protection and (change traces) with no timeouts,” Musselman mentioned. “They aren’t stopping to name a play and reset. This goes again to them being linked always.”

Musselman has made notes about how effectively the Avalanche anticipates performs and the way it makes use of its superior velocity to a bonus.

“They’re pondering three passes forward and never simply within the second — they may make a move that results in one thing good three passes later,” he mentioned. “They don’t care who will get the glory. They only need to win.

“The tempo the Avalanche performs at is unimaginable. It places plenty of stress on different groups with the altitude taking part in that means. They know the id of their workforce is to play quick and benefit from it dwelling and street.”