Amelia blog: Gophers just need to work on psyche, Smith says

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From the comment section:

ranger78
Jan 28, 13
9:37 pm
Smith says work on psyche. Really? He just called them a bunch of losers the other day. Nice approach coach. Blame the players fro everything and accept no responsibility for your daffy coaching. It's time for Tubby to go.
 


I'm glad he mentioned screening more. I noticed we were doing that better than usual when we were actually winning. Lately we've reverted back to the stand around offense.
 

underground629 said:
I'm glad he mentioned screening more. I noticed we were doing that better than usual when we were actually winning. Lately we've reverted back to the stand around offense.
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Yes, if psyche is Latin for movement, then Orlando and I are on the same page.
 


I actually got banned from the strib for going after ranger and writeon, strib doesn't like fans who actually cheer for the gophers
 

I'm confused. I was referring to this from the article:

"Trevor Mbakwe said the coaching staff has placed a higher priority on screening in the half-court offense during the last few practices. The Gophers have struggled substantially in the half-court for the last several games, and have often looked stagnant. “Coach has been emphasizing screening more, everybody screening, guards screen for bigs, big screen for guards,” he said."

Bad Gopher said:
Yes, if psyche is Latin for movement, then Orlando and I are on the same page.
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As the old joke goes- "The attitude will improve or the whippings will continue." :)
 

I really wish our passion about this team matched Tubby's level. These losses would be a lot less painful and another mediocre season would come and go. We're still ranked right and we'll probably crush Nebby by 12 tonight and everything will be all better.
 



LongOpherDo said:
I really wish our passion about this team matched Tubby's level. These losses would be a lot less painful and another mediocre season would come and go. We're still ranked right and we'll probably crush Nebby by 12 tonight and everything will be all better.
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You think he doesn't care? That's a pretty lazy criticism. People praise some coaches for being even-keeled and then others who are, and go through tough times, don't care? You may disagree with the way he shows his passion, like by being very blunt with the media about his players, but it's pretty foolish to suggest he just doesn't care.
 

I wish the staff would teach the players how to feed the post more. Sometimes it may not be open on first look, but you have wait for players to move a little. Clear out some space, then let the big man establish position. All to often the Gophers perimeter player gives up feeding the post too soon.
 

JDGopher said:
You think he doesn't care? That's a pretty lazy criticism. People praise some coaches for being even-keeled and then others who are, and go through tough times, don't care? You may disagree with the way he shows his passion, like by being very blunt with the media about his players, but it's pretty foolish to suggest he just doesn't care.
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When you don't hustle your fanny in recruiting, when you stick with the same old tired assistant staff regardless of results, when you say you have been doing the same thing for 25 years and it works and you ain't changing, and when you communicate lazily and without a sense of purpose as he does- people think you aren't passionate about it. I am sure Tubby is indeed passionate about it. It just doesn't appear that way. Perception is reality.
 

Moses87 said:
I wish the staff would teach the players how to feed the post more. Sometimes it may not be open on first look, but you have wait for players to move a little. Clear out some space, then let the big man establish position. All to often the Gophers perimeter player gives up feeding the post too soon.
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You aren't just going to be able to go down the floor against Wisconisn and "post up". There has to be a lot of other movement to make a good post up viable. The players know how to post up, it's just not working because they are not going to be open when there is no movement.
 



bga1 said:
You aren't just going to be able to go down the floor against Wisconisn and "post up". There has to be a lot of other movement to make a good post up viable. The players know how to post up, it's just not working because they are not going to be open when there is no movement.
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The main problem I see is the perimeter players with the ball, not giving the post up player time to get position. They take a quick glance and if he's not wide open they move the ball outside the perimeter. What I'm saying is, the remaining players should clear out so the post up player can establish position. Our players just aren't patient enough.
 

I watched the Louisville / Pitt game last night, and always pay close attention to Louisville as Tubby comes from the Pitino coaching tree.

The BIGGEST difference between both of these teams, Louisville especially, and the Gophers was how confident and decisive both teams were with the ball. Siva would drive and kick. Ball caught. Pump fake. Drive and kick. And either got a good three point look or a dish to a big man for a dunk. What caught my eye was the speed they played with. No standing around watching or waiting. Screens were fast and everyone was constantly moving.

Maybe the Gophers can't force turnovers and run out on the break in the Big 10 like in the non conference and maybe the D is just better in the Big 10, I'm not sure, but IMO the hesitation, standing around, and lack of attacking are the Gophers biggest flaws on offense. Way too passive. If Tubby has then working on constant screening and movement, awesome. I just wish our guards would drive more too, even if they end up kicking it. Pass it down to Trevor for a kick. Force the defense to move and react, the ball can move quicker than the defense can and with quick decisive play you'll find an opening eventually.
 

post feed

Moses87 said:
The main problem I see is the perimeter players with the ball, not giving the post up player time to get position. They take a quick glance and if he's not wide open they move the ball outside the perimeter. What I'm saying is, the remaining players should clear out so the post up player can establish position. Our players just aren't patient enough.
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I agree there isnt the emphasis to get the ball inside. Trevor can really score at times, plus he gets the opponent in foul trouble. It is a skill to throw this pass, and it is a desire or an emphasis the coach has to make. Sometimes the pass is there on the post cut, but the passer waits too long, other times its like your saying...they need to wait an extra second. Oto is probably one of the few guys throwing this pass correctly. It is best as a bounce pass from the side of the court and it has to be thrown away from the defender if they are shading to one side. I cannot believe the number of times the guard throws it to the side the defender is on. Turnover city.
 

Between guys like Barker on the football team, and everything I am hearing about the bball team's psyche, I am growing concerned with how concerned we have to be with the mental state of our athletes. Why can't we find recruits who don't have the emotional state of a junior high kid going through their first breakup?
 

Guys leave and underperform eveywhere. Lots of kids at Michigan St. have left, but the team keeps winning so nobody talks about it for long. That is the difference.
 

scher215 said:
I watched the Louisville / Pitt game last night, and always pay close attention to Louisville as Tubby comes from the Pitino coaching tree.

The BIGGEST difference between both of these teams, Louisville especially, and the Gophers was how confident and decisive both teams were with the ball. Siva would drive and kick. Ball caught. Pump fake. Drive and kick. And either got a good three point look or a dish to a big man for a dunk. What caught my eye was the speed they played with. No standing around watching or waiting. Screens were fast and everyone was constantly moving.

Maybe the Gophers can't force turnovers and run out on the break in the Big 10 like in the non conference and maybe the D is just better in the Big 10, I'm not sure, but IMO the hesitation, standing around, and lack of attacking are the Gophers biggest flaws on offense. Way too passive. If Tubby has then working on constant screening and movement, awesome. I just wish our guards would drive more too, even if they end up kicking it. Pass it down to Trevor for a kick. Force the defense to move and react, the ball can move quicker than the defense can and with quick decisive play you'll find an opening eventually.
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I keep thinking about the offensive opportunities this team would get and how they could utilize their players' talents if there was just more purposeful movement. It just doesn't seem like the players know what to do out there half the time. When they do run a set play, it seems to work well, but the offensive sets...well, what are they? You do see some ball screens high and some cross screens, but the follow through after that is spotty. When we do have success with ball movement and interior passing, it seems to be ad-libbed.
 

march madness said:
I agree there isnt the emphasis to get the ball inside. Trevor can really score at times, plus he gets the opponent in foul trouble. It is a skill to throw this pass, and it is a desire or an emphasis the coach has to make. Sometimes the pass is there on the post cut, but the passer waits too long, other times its like your saying...they need to wait an extra second. Oto is probably one of the few guys throwing this pass correctly. It is best as a bounce pass from the side of the court and it has to be thrown away from the defender if they are shading to one side. I cannot believe the number of times the guard throws it to the side the defender is on. Turnover city.
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Agreed, but I've said before, the post feed is just something most college guards don't do well.

It is something they rarely work at nor need to work at in high school.

Hopefully the coaching staff continues to work at this as Trevor does have good post moves and able to score around the basket. Plus, it forces the defense to look inside and creates kick out opportunities.
 

scher215 said:
Agreed, but I've said before, the post feed is just something most college guards don't do well.

It is something they rarely work at nor need to work at in high school.

Hopefully the coaching staff continues to work at this as Trevor does have good post moves and able to score around the basket. Plus, it forces the defense to look inside and creates kick out opportunities.
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You're going to think I'm a crackpot, but this is where I can't help but compare and contrast this team to the '97 squad. John Thomas was a 6-9 center on a Final Four team, but Trevor at 6-8 is better than Thomas. He has a slightly more reliable jump shot than Thomas, comparable post moves and quicker feet. And at the power forward, Rodney and Courtney are not the same type of player, but Williams can do things James could not do, and they're similar athletically. Really, when it comes down to it, the big difference in the starting teams is at off guard, which the current Gophers lack in the classic sense. If Coleman could be a real shooting guard, that would be a huge boost.

Anyway, what am I trying to say? The 1997 team realized its potential and this team is falling far short of it. I believe much of it is coaching, both in the small picture and the big picture. In the small picture, Clem's team knew how to run offense and played better fundamental defense. But in the big picture, Clem built players up even if he had to break them down a little first. Personality-wise, the comparison I make is John Thomas and Rodney Williams - both similar personalities coming in as freshmen. Haskins needled Thomas publicly as an underclassman saying he was a happy-go-lucky kid. But by the time he was a senior he was a tough-minded team leader, arguably (along with Trevor Winter) the leadership heart of the team. In contrast, Rodney has remained the nice, happy-go-lucky dude he came in as, which falls well short of his potential as a team leader.
 

JDGopher said:
You think he doesn't care? That's a pretty lazy criticism. People praise some coaches for being even-keeled and then others who are, and go through tough times, don't care? You may disagree with the way he shows his passion, like by being very blunt with the media about his players, but it's pretty foolish to suggest he just doesn't care.
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I think you're either reading too much into my comment or misunderstood. Being rah rah has nothing to do with it.
 

Moses87 said:
The main problem I see is the perimeter players with the ball, not giving the post up player time to get position. They take a quick glance and if he's not wide open they move the ball outside the perimeter. What I'm saying is, the remaining players should clear out so the post up player can establish position. Our players just aren't patient enough.
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We just don't have anyone down low that can match-up against the bigger teams. Trevor is shorter than most of the big men on other teams in the conference and he is the only option down low. Just the way it is.
 

The problem with the Gophers' psyche is that the players are reading all of the expert criticisms on GopherHole and trying to please everyone. In trying to please everyone, they are pleasing no one. The guys are so damned confused because of all of the GH'ers who know more about major college basketball than the Head Coach does. It happens everywhere.
 

Dr.Don said:
The problem with the Gophers' psyche is that the players are reading all of the expert criticisms on GopherHole and trying to please everyone. In trying to please everyone, they are pleasing no one. The guys are so damned confused because of all of the GH'ers who know more about major college basketball than the Head Coach does. It happens everywhere.
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You must be drinking Guinness because that was "Brilliant!" :cool:

 

Read anything from Bob Huggins or see his halftime interview from last night. He HATES his team. Everything he's said could be seen as "throwing people under the bus" in gopher world, but i would take him as a coach in 30 seconds.
 

LongOpherDo said:
I think you're either reading too much into my comment or misunderstood. Being rah rah has nothing to do with it.
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You seemed to imply that if we cared at the level that Tubby cares, a mediocre season would not cause anyone to complain/we wouldn't debate these things or be bothered. That's how I took it; as an indication that Tubby is fine with mediocre and doesn't really care. But perhaps I was wrong?
 

The 97 team also had a much better bench and Dre Hollins is a poor man's Bobby Jackson, not a bad thing as he's only a sophomore, if he stays through his senior year he can get on that level. It would be great see him and the big three in the class of 2014 on the court together in two years. Then we could bring Coleman off the bench
 

CrocShots said:
Read anything from Bob Huggins or see his halftime interview from last night. He HATES his team. Everything he's said could be seen as "throwing people under the bus" in gopher world, but i would take him as a coach in 30 seconds.
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Question- as I didn't hear it- did he call out the players individually by name or did he call out the team as a group?
I think you can call them out as a group and have a positive affect. As individuals, I think that's not nearly so good of a tactic.
 

'97 team had a real pg in Eric Harris. Bobby started at the 2 but played both spots great, something i think Dre could excel at. Sam was as athletic as Coleman but was also a great 3 pt shooter at sf. Courtney was a true pf and very physical. Thomas was a physical center that could score in the post. This starting 5 is quite a bit better as Bobby is better than Dre, and both Sam and Eric could score off the dribble at times. The '97 bench was one of the best ever: Quincy, C. thomas, and Winter could have a shot at starting on our current team.

'97 team advantages: scoring, outside shooting, physical play, depth, many players who could score one on one.
'13 team advantages: Current team might be quicker and a little more athletic... that is about all i got.
 

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