Ben Johnson Post-Game Following Northwestern Loss

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Does anyone think Ben cares at this point? Not saying he wants to lose. But does he really care?
 


UpAndUnder43 said:
Does anyone think Ben cares at this point? Not saying he wants to lose. But does he really care?
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I absolutely think he cares and I would bet this is killing him. Coaches give everything to the programs. It isn't working out and we can all see how this is going to end but nobody should be questioning Johnson's level of dedication or desire to win games.
 



MNVCGUY said:
I absolutely think he cares and I would bet this is killing him. Coaches give everything to the programs. It isn't working out and we can all see how this is going to end but nobody should be questioning Johnson's level of dedication or desire to win games.
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He cares. He is just such a bad coach that it appears that he doesn't. Most people, when they care, they change something. Ben doubles down on repeating what doesn't work. With every fiber in my soul I believe that Caleb Williams would be better out there than Mike Mitchell. I have to believe that Edmunds would be worth a try. The offensive scheme, whatever it is, certainly is not working. On defense we never help out. Ben makes it sound like this is all on effort and nothing on the scheme or player rotations- I beg to differ. The players know this isn't working but the coach insists that it does.
 


They have really zero size. Garcia plays small for his height though he's worked on the rebounding side of things, and they have no bigs. None. This is among the biggest fails. Inability to bring in true inside game. Look at the creativity of coaches at programs with success. It's pulling them from wherever. Europe, Russia, Senegal. Go find 'em and sign them.
 




dlnavra said:
They have really zero size. Garcia plays small for his height though he's worked on the rebounding side of things, and they have no bigs. None. This is among the biggest fails. Inability to bring in true inside game. Look at the creativity of coaches at programs with success. It's pulling them from wherever. Europe, Russia, Senegal. Go find 'em and sign them.
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He did a horrid job of putting the roster together. That said, failing to play his only Big Ten sized big man- Edmunds- just adds to the malpractice case against Ben. Edmunds got buried when Ben decided he was going 5 out.
 

bga1 said:
He cares. He is just such a bad coach that it appears that he doesn't. Most people, when they care, they change something. Ben doubles down on repeating what doesn't work. With every fiber in my soul I believe that Caleb Williams would be better out there than Mike Mitchell. I have to believe that Edmunds would be worth a try. The offensive scheme, whatever it is, certainly is not working. On defense we never help out. Ben makes it sound like this is all on effort and nothing on the scheme or player rotations- I beg to differ. The players know this isn't working but the coach insists that it does.
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Who knows if there are answers on the bench but it is very strange that they don't even seem to try something different when it clearly isn't working. Mike Mitchell clearly didn't have it tonight yet he was out there for 31 minutes. Edmonds is dressed but hasn't played in multiple games, Betts, Williams never see the court. Frank Mitchell doesn't seem to be getting nearly enough minutes....whole thing is just a complete mess at this point.

I tend to defer to coaches in terms of personnel decisions because they are with the players and know what they can and can't do but the whole thing just feels off.
 

bga1 said:
He cares. He is just such a bad coach that it appears that he doesn't.
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This is the last 4 years boiled down to 15 words. He obviously cares but he's literally an absolutely clueless head coach. That's not like hyperbole or distain for him it's just a fact he has no idea how to coach a D1 basketball team.
 



MNVCGUY said:
Who knows if there are answers on the bench but it is very strange that they don't even seem to try something different when it clearly isn't working. Mike Mitchell clearly didn't have it tonight yet he was out there for 31 minutes. Edmonds is dressed but hasn't played in multiple games, Betts, Williams never see the court. Frank Mitchell doesn't seem to be getting nearly enough minutes....whole thing is just a complete mess at this point.

I tend to defer to coaches in terms of personnel decisions because they are with the players and know what they can and can't do but the whole thing just feels off.
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It’s obvious he doesn’t trust players and that on his recruitment and development. That and the mass exodus last year should make it final.
 

bga1 said:
He did a horrid job of putting the roster together. That said, failing to play his only Big Ten sized big man- Edmunds- just adds to the malpractice case against Ben. Edmunds got buried when Ben decided he was going 5 out.
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I wish someone in the local media would ask why Edmonds is not playing. He was never a massive part of the rotation but he was part of it until the past 4 games or so when he hasn't been playing at all. If he is hurt they
 

MNVCGUY said:
I absolutely think he cares and I would bet this is killing him. Coaches give everything to the programs. It isn't working out and we can all see how this is going to end but nobody should be questioning Johnson's level of dedication or desire to win games.
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You’re probably right. I just think he’s lost so much as a player and coach that it likely doesn’t hit him the same.
 



MNVCGUY said:
I absolutely think he cares and I would bet this is killing him. Coaches give everything to the programs. It isn't working out and we can all see how this is going to end but nobody should be questioning Johnson's level of dedication or desire to win games.
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I think he may be stuck.
 

Eastside Forever said:
No doubt he cares a great deal. And no doubt he is super frustrated.
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Then giving him an opportunity elsewhere should be merciful for him and his mental health. Why does the local media want him to remain in this position?
 

On Monday, Chris Finch left ANT on the bench while he shuffled through the bench to find something that would work against OKC. He played a zone and some little used bench players to mount the comeback.

Coaching is about adjusting on the fly, finding something that works. In four years, I’ve rarely seen Ben be able to do that. Last night another example.

At this point, he’s simply not a B1G Ten coach.
 

UST82Gopher said:
On Monday, Chris Finch left ANT on the bench while he shuffled through the bench to find something that would work against OKC. He played a zone and some little used bench players to mount the comeback.

Coaching is about adjusting on the fly, finding something that works. In four years, I’ve rarely seen Ben be able to do that. Last night another example.

At this point, he’s simply not a B1G Ten coach.
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It's like he is afraid of what players will say about him. That not giving them enough playing time will come back to haunt him.

The tail is really wagging the dog.
 



Bob_Loblaw said:
I think he cares but he is completely impotent. I also think the anxiety, embarrassment and feeling of helplessness has him frozen a bit.
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100%....he is grasping at straws trying to find something that will work and nothing is. There is no consistency with this group, they can show up and play really well against teams like Michigan or UCLA and then lay complete eggs against bad teams like Washington, Penn State and Northwestern.

Watching a little bit of the post game he just looks exhausted and defeated. He knows he is getting fired at this point. Coyle should just go ahead and do it now and put him out of his misery.
 

What is the mindset of a veteran player in their sixth year, earning a modest income to play basketball, attending seemingly pointless classes, on an underappreciated team with a season that feels inconsequential?

The only reason to play the upcoming games is for the love of it. You cannot coach someone to fall in love with a train wreck. There is nothing to be gained from team building, meetings, special drills,

At this point the conversations come down to transitioning to other aspects of life and next steps. Frankly, I want to know if Ben even sees that as a coach right now as the fly on the wall.
 


bga1 said:
He cares. He is just such a bad coach that it appears that he doesn't. Most people, when they care, they change something. Ben doubles down on repeating what doesn't work. With every fiber in my soul I believe that Caleb Williams would be better out there than Mike Mitchell. I have to believe that Edmunds would be worth a try. The offensive scheme, whatever it is, certainly is not working. On defense we never help out. Ben makes it sound like this is all on effort and nothing on the scheme or player rotations- I beg to differ. The players know this isn't working but the coach insists that it does.
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i coached enough basketball to TRY to not second guess coaches and their decisions. They are in practice every day, they are in the locker room, they are in the best position to make those decisions.
however- starting the 2nd half with the same group last night that started the game that poorly was less than ideal. I like Parker Fox, but he was giving up 6 inches and 40 pounds to the Northwestern player, - the only guy that matched up size-wise was Edmunds and he never got a minute. Frank gave his all but got gassed and still no Edmunds, so Ben tried to play small ball and gave up some more offensive rebounds
Rigsby still gets his trial minutes- if he makes a shot or does something well, he gets few more and that is it, but last night with Mitchell shooting poorly and also being just late on about 3 balls going out of bounds- try something new. More Rigsby or 2 minutes of Bettes, or 2 minutes of Williams with a green light-- try anything. Losing the same way is showing the fans that you are "stuck".

and i am by no means the guy to make decisions, because i admit until about mid-December i though Odukale didn't belong in the Big Ten either- but he has improved and proven me wrong.

Elijah Hawkins going into the portal late really cost this team and that happening late probably tied Coyle's hands on Johnson's job also.
The biggest question mark for me is how the U decides to allocate the $20 mil they have to spend on players-- are we a football and hockey school, with great olympic sports? or do we prop up the sports that need the most immediate help and have the biggest profiles?
 

Fire him before the next game and get ahead of it.
 

Minnesconsin fan said:
i coached enough basketball to TRY to not second guess coaches and their decisions. They are in practice every day, they are in the locker room, they are in the best position to make those decisions.
however- starting the 2nd half with the same group last night that started the game that poorly was less than ideal. I like Parker Fox, but he was giving up 6 inches and 40 pounds to the Northwestern player, - the only guy that matched up size-wise was Edmunds and he never got a minute. Frank gave his all but got gassed and still no Edmunds, so Ben tried to play small ball and gave up some more offensive rebounds
Rigsby still gets his trial minutes- if he makes a shot or does something well, he gets few more and that is it, but last night with Mitchell shooting poorly and also being just late on about 3 balls going out of bounds- try something new. More Rigsby or 2 minutes of Bettes, or 2 minutes of Williams with a green light-- try anything. Losing the same way is showing the fans that you are "stuck".

and i am by no means the guy to make decisions, because i admit until about mid-December i though Odukale didn't belong in the Big Ten either- but he has improved and proven me wrong.

Elijah Hawkins going into the portal late really cost this team and that happening late probably tied Coyle's hands on Johnson's job also.
The biggest question mark for me is how the U decides to allocate the $20 mil they have to spend on players-- are we a football and hockey school, with great olympic sports? or do we prop up the sports that need the most immediate help and have the biggest profiles?
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In the end- this is a horribly constructed roster. Too many guys with huge flaws. Frank can't shoot and is 6-6 so can't really play a 6-10 guy. Edmunds can't shoot and does get lost on D. Odukale has been shooting well recently but doesn't really have to be defended seriously at the arc. Rigsby just is not good. Asuma is too young and afraid to make mistakes. Betts - I don't know what to say about him. Patterson is not quick at all - he's just tough. So many one dimensional players and Ben actually has zero offensive scheme to be able to hide the issues with. The worst free throw shooting team I have ever seen.
Ben was dead man walking when the season started.
 

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