Not Bens fault but the inability to correct whatever is causing this is a reflection on the coach. If you have ever had the good fortune of interacting with someone that has this innate ability you would recognize the difference. Everyone goes through slumps but a good coach will be able to direct the shooter to get out of the slump. I expect more, maybe this skill is very rare but I think it will differentiate the average from the exceptional.
First off, my post was sarcastic.
This is going to be one of those after to disagree deals.
Not sure what your experience is in playing or coaching collegiately is, but I played a couple of years of college baseball and when I stepped in that box, it was just me and two guys trying to make sure I wasn’t successful - my dad, my coaches or teammates couldn’t swing that stick, it was me. Or is your experience only metaphysical regarding playing or coaching, higher level sports?
My guess is that Battle’s injury set him back more than anticipated and he struggled to find his rhythm - getting injured during baseball also stinks as you lose your timing as well. Time stands still got no man or sport and by the time he got some rhythm back in his jumper, he wasn’t The Dude any more and he did some pouting, evidenced by his poor body language and failed to contribute to THE TEAM in other ways. He could have been a hero by doing so (boarding with abandon, taking it to the hole, non-Charminesque activities) much more impressive to me than any game winner.
So neat trick how you say it’s not Ben’s fault then use some “faulty towers” logic to blame him in the end. As someone quipped in another post, “Ben was shooting and missing open threes for Battle.” I’m a big believer in not making excuses for failure; men I admire admit they screwed up and apologize but hey, we live in a “participation world now,” so sad little Johnny doesn’t have to lose and learn to overcome and accept it, hopefully with some grace and sprout a sack, to deal with life’s other challenges.
From my earlier post and still my viewpoint -
“Baseball (or sports) is 90% mental. The other half is physical,” Yogi Berra.
Jordan ran rough shot on his teammates in practice to toughen them up mentally, for when they needed to shine - see Steve Kerr, who likely doesn’t become an NBA champion and future HOF as a coach without growing a pair. Kerr could do it and Luc Longley couldn’t, per the Airman. Longley had an unreal quarter against some team, feeling it, and had the same stats basically at the end of the game, despite Mike feeding him and encouraging him to dominate.