Mathieu said Pitino told the team after the game it "had no heart"

[ethomasp31]

Maybe?

I was sarcastically answering the question. Joey King gets some open looks on threes because they don't key on stopping him from shooting it. Same thing for Mason. But when Hollins is on the floor, the opponents know where he is at all times.

 

[EG#9]

Pitino is right. This has been a very hard team to watch this year. It was clear Pitino was purposely trying to go easier on the guys after a rough start to B1G play because he felt they couldn't handle tough coaching at that point. My guess is that now that the season is officially over (from a playing meaningful games standpoint) he decided he could voice his frustrations to the team. This Senior class should be ashamed at the lack of poise it showed in close games this year and the general lack of effort in at least two HOME games this year (Iowa/Northwestern).

That said, I'd sure like to see Pitino take some blame for what has happened this season. On his coaches show, he's started to use that old, tired line that "It's tough to win on the road in the Big Ten". If you are going to say that, then you can't say "the better team won" when you lose a home game to Northwestern and you certainly can't have 3 upset losses at home this year after having at least 2 last year. Pitino is also somewhat accountable for the lack of heart (his words) this team has. If he questioned the mental toughness of this team coming in to the year, he should have scheduled at least one tough road non-conference game so he had time to adjust and correct things before conference play began. If he didn't question the heart of this team prior to the start of the season, then it's on him for not recognizing the issue...just as it's on him for giving Zach Lofton a scholarship, but then complaining about lack of guard depth being "our biggest issue" this year.

A year that has been this big of a disaster can't solely be blamed on the coach or the players, there has to be some shared responsibility here. I feel like Pitino has been very fair in his critiques of his players, but I would personally like to hear " I need to a better job at..." when the team struggles too.

 

[Halsey Hall]

I wonder if Zahaui B has a brother? Anyone see her knock the Iowa girl on her ass in the last few minutes after clearing off a rebound? She also put that big as a tank Nebraska center on her ass when they played at Williams.

Brother hell, bring her over...and have her bring the coach, too. At least we'd had in-bounds plays

 

[Dr.Don]

Brother hell, bring her over...and have her bring the coach, too. At least we'd had in-bounds plays

You are obviously drunk. Well done Halsey.

 

[justthefacts]

I must be the only one looking forward to next year. We are bringing in 3 top flight outside players, who along with Mason, will give us give us a nice starting point. We've got to hope that McBreyer is the shooter that he is hyped up to be. Dorsey and Johnson will give us the quickness and ability to play the length of the floor. The two big kids on the roster this year will be better next year and showed flashes that they have some ability this year. We also have a big center coming in next year that should be able to bang bodies on the inside. No doubt that we will have growing pains but the world is not coming to an end.

You need the word 'hopefully' in there a bunch. The number of players who are ready to contribute in the Big Ten in their freshman years is pretty short. Remember how everyone thought Josh Martin was going to be a difference maker in year one? And Carlos Morris? There were a couple of people on here trying to temper enthusiasm (the much-derided Gopher Warrior) and they were ostracized for being too negative.

 

[tinyarch]

Pitino is right. This has been a very hard team to watch this year. It was clear Pitino was purposely trying to go easier on the guys after a rough start to B1G play because he felt they couldn't handle tough coaching at that point. My guess is that now that the season is officially over (from a playing meaningful games standpoint) he decided he could voice his frustrations to the team. This Senior class should be ashamed at the lack of poise it showed in close games this year and the general lack of effort in at least two HOME games this year (Iowa/Northwestern).

That said, I'd sure like to see Pitino take some blame for what has happened this season. On his coaches show, he's started to use that old, tired line that "It's tough to win on the road in the Big Ten". If you are going to say that, then you can't say "the better team won" when you lose a home game to Northwestern and you certainly can't have 3 upset losses at home this year after having at least 2 last year. Pitino is also somewhat accountable for the lack of heart (his words) this team has. If he questioned the mental toughness of this team coming in to the year, he should have scheduled at least one tough road non-conference game so he had time to adjust and correct things before conference play began. If he didn't question the heart of this team prior to the start of the season, then it's on him for not recognizing the issue...just as it's on him for giving Zach Lofton a scholarship, but then complaining about lack of guard depth being "our biggest issue" this year.

A year that has been this big of a disaster can't solely be blamed on the coach or the players, there has to be some shared responsibility here. I feel like Pitino has been very fair in his critiques of his players, but I would personally like to hear " I need to a better job at..." when the team struggles too.

You are making a number of assumptions here.

Note that Pitino told his team this, but he did not come out and tell the media this. There are many things that are said in the locker room that are unprintable for the media. The first thing to note is that everything we are talking about was voiced by lil Dre, not by Coach Pitino. Mathieu has to take responsibility for publicly airing what his coach said in private. Whether it was aired in a moment of frustration or with an agenda in mind is unknown, but it was Mathieu who made these comments to the press, not Pitino.

As for your critique of Pitino, there have been a number of times where he has said that he needs to do a better job at... I'm not sure where you were for those post-game comments, but he's voiced a need to be better himself. If anything, Coach Pitino has gone out of his way to publically take the blame while not throwing his players under the bus.

If I take anything away from what Mathieu has said it is that Mathieu needs to toughen up and be a man.

 

[LakerFan]

Pitino's liability in this is that as bad as Mo, Elliot, King have played, when Konate and Diedhiou come in off the bench they are so clearly worse that it makes fans lose hope that this club has any future. Mason looks good all around, Morris can score but not play defense. I have yet to see that Pitino can bring in a group of big ten caliber recruits that can perform. You can't excuse everything on "youth" and inexperience for those players. No one progresses that much from where they come in as a freshman, the reality is that if they aren't good enough to displace bad underperforming seniors now (like Mason was) they won't be good enough to take this team anywhere in the future.

Pitino upgraded (by a lot) this teams ability to ball handle, from where it was when Tubby left. Too bad you don't get points for crossovers and behind the back dribbles.

 

[John Galt]

The fact that EE still sees the floor is very telling regarding what we have in Konate. Diedhou really hasn't shown much of anything, and Martin is gone. 3 pretty significant misses in the frontcourt for Pitino...

 

[MNfootballfan]

I generally post on the football board and read the basketball board. I haven't read the first five pages of this, but I have to disagree with Pitino. I coach high school football and we had a stretch of poor teams. The guys I coach with were talking and we came to the conclusion that we don't have any leadership. It was like a sign from God, a few months later I was at a coaching clinic and the speaker was talking about leadership and said he has heard coaches before say that they don't have leadership on their team. He said, "how dumb is that, you're the coach, you're the leader!"

 

[bga1]

The fact that EE still sees the floor is very telling regarding what we have in Konate. Diedhou really hasn't shown much of anything, and Martin is gone. 3 pretty significant misses in the frontcourt for Pitino...

I disagree. Konate has more potential in his little finger than EE has in his entire 7 foot self. That said EE is a senior, can rebound and should know how to play at this point so he plays at the moment. Konate- as Pitino has repeatedly said- is still fouling too often to get on the floor much. Konate is going to be really good- I disagree that he's a miss. Gaston- I'm not sure. You do remember Damien Johnson as a frosh don't you? Martin- now that was a miss- and a real important one. Martin and the disappointing Matheui are the keys to the missed expectations this year. If Martin would have been a big rebounder as advertised we wouldn't be worried about Konate and Gaston this year, they were always next year's guys.

 

[bga1]

I generally post on the football board and read the basketball board. I haven't read the first five pages of this, but I have to disagree with Pitino. I coach high school football and we had a stretch of poor teams. The guys I coach with were talking and we came to the conclusion that we don't have any leadership. It was like a sign from God, a few months later I was at a coaching clinic and the speaker was talking about leadership and said he has heard coaches before say that they don't have leadership on their team. He said, "how dumb is that, you're the coach, you're the leader!"

I have heard Tom Izzo talking about certain teams lacking leadership and you can't have a better leader than Izzo. Tubby had teams like that and I'd view Tubby as a strong leader. Over the long haul a coach that is tough minded will have tough teams that have heart. How about we give the coach a little time to at least get his own guys in here and establish a culture??

 

[Missourigopherfan]

Mo may be a better low post scorer against a smaller center. When a center has any size, Mo does very little. Remember when you look at stats, NW runs a very slow offense, which limits the amount of possessions that each team gets. This results in lower stats. Minnesota plays an uptempo style, more transitions, so the stats are going to be higher. Walker is a horrible rebounder, considering that he is the center on a team that is getting pounded on the glass. Eliason had as many boards as Walker did in well less than half the time. In fact, if you could ask Richard privately what he would do differently with this team if he could do it over, it would be probably play Eliason 30 min/game and Walker 10, if there were no foul problems.

I have no doubt that Eliason is a fine young man who works hard, but he has driven me to yelling at the TV more than any other Gopher (although lately Morris is matching him.) He has not improved offensively since his freshman year. He has the same limited moves. On defense, his best move is the arms out-palms up-shrug-what did I do wrong when called for a foul. He still swings his arm through and fouls whenever he tries to block a shot as if he were playing against shorter high school kids in Nebraska. Walker has come a long way in the last two years. He does a much better job of getting good post-up position than Eliason. And he can make free throws.

 

[The Source 11]

I have heard Tom Izzo talking about certain teams lacking leadership and you can't have a better leader than Izzo. Tubby had teams like that and I'd view Tubby as a strong leader. Over the long haul a coach that is tough minded will have tough teams that have heart. How about we give the coach a little time to at least get his own guys in here and establish a culture??

Lets continue to allow Little Rick to try and JAM a square peg in a round hole. Run and gun offense and take the first shot you can get off. Defensively lets run, jump and trap the full length of the court and give up over 30 point buckets in two games. What good does it do for us lead the country in steals or creating TO's if we simply jack up a quick shot or turn it right back over???

NEVER has a coach come into the BIG TEN and successfully tried to out run and out gun the other teams. Defense dictates offense and the Big Ten has been a defensive conference forever. This style works for Big Rick and Billy Donovan to a certain degree but not here. Take care of the basketball, maximize your points per possession and defend from giving up the 3 ball and layups. Every successful coach in the Big Ten plays defense first and takes care of the basketball. Good head coaches demand toughness and discipline. This group has neither of those traits.

Gopher Basketball has GREAT history, tradition and passion. Is there a better college venue to play than a packed BARN?? Since when does this program have to be a teething ring for a young coach looking to make a name for himself. You want the job?? This is the BIG TIME and you better perform QUICKLY.. This is not a low D1 program or D2 program where you get 10 years to get things done. You are compensated very well to perform and the first two years have taken this program even further down the ladder. Last year we won the loser's bracket tournament and this year we may be home watching both the NCAA and NIT tournaments.

 

[El Amin Fan]

Gopher Basketball has GREAT history, tradition

It does? I thought we had a history that included the 70s vicious on-court fight, followed up by our best team in program history being ineligible for postseason due to breaking the rules; followed up by the 80s which included an UGLY incident mid-way through the decade which resulted in players being arrested for rape on a road trip, the HC quitting, the school forfeiting a game before playing and much more fun; followed up by the 90s which included the worst academic fraud scandal at the time in college sports history which included forfeiting every game for a good 6 year span; followed up by the 2000's which included 0 NCAA Tournament wins; which has been followed up by the 2010's which includes a single NCAA Tournament win.

So yea, please provide a link to this "GREAT history, tradition" you cite. And please, don't mention the 1912 Helms National Title we won, which I bet you didn't even know about.

 

[EliteOpinionGuy]

It does? I thought we had a history that included the 70s vicious on-court fight, followed up by our best team in program history being ineligible for postseason due to breaking the rules; followed up by the 80s which included an UGLY incident mid-way through the decade which resulted in players being arrested for rape on a road trip, the HC quitting, the school forfeiting a game before playing and much more fun; followed up by the 90s which included the worst academic fraud scandal at the time in college sports history which included forfeiting every game for a good 6 year span; followed up by the 2000's which included 0 NCAA Tournament wins; which has been followed up by the 2010's which includes a single NCAA Tournament win.

So yea, please provide a link to this "GREAT history, tradition" you cite. And please, don't mention the 1912 Helms National Title we won, which I bet you didn't even know about.

Whoa whoa.... please calm down on the reality hit. You are really bursting my maroon and gold bubble though I can offer no disagreement.

 

[GoodasGold]

It does? I thought we had a history that included the 70s vicious on-court fight, followed up by our best team in program history being ineligible for postseason due to breaking the rules; followed up by the 80s which included an UGLY incident mid-way through the decade which resulted in players being arrested for rape on a road trip, the HC quitting, the school forfeiting a game before playing and much more fun; followed up by the 90s which included the worst academic fraud scandal at the time in college sports history which included forfeiting every game for a good 6 year span; followed up by the 2000's which included 0 NCAA Tournament wins; which has been followed up by the 2010's which includes a single NCAA Tournament win.

So yea, please provide a link to this "GREAT history, tradition" you cite. And please, don't mention the 1912 Helms National Title we won, which I bet you didn't even know about.

Say what you will, but that one goes into the W column.

 

[bga1]

Lets continue to allow Little Rick to try and JAM a square peg in a round hole. Run and gun offense and take the first shot you can get off. Defensively lets run, jump and trap the full length of the court and give up over 30 point buckets in two games. What good does it do for us lead the country in steals or creating TO's if we simply jack up a quick shot or turn it right back over???

NEVER has a coach come into the BIG TEN and successfully tried to out run and out gun the other teams. Defense dictates offense and the Big Ten has been a defensive conference forever. This style works for Big Rick and Billy Donovan to a certain degree but not here. Take care of the basketball, maximize your points per possession and defend from giving up the 3 ball and layups. Every successful coach in the Big Ten plays defense first and takes care of the basketball. Good head coaches demand toughness and discipline. This group has neither of those traits.

Gopher Basketball has GREAT history, tradition and passion. Is there a better college venue to play than a packed BARN?? Since when does this program have to be a teething ring for a young coach looking to make a name for himself. You want the job?? This is the BIG TIME and you better perform QUICKLY.. This is not a low D1 program or D2 program where you get 10 years to get things done. You are compensated very well to perform and the first two years have taken this program even further down the ladder. Last year we won the loser's bracket tournament and this year we may be home watching both the NCAA and NIT tournaments.

Well there is a lot of baloney to sort through in that post - mixed in with some bits of whole grain truth.

First off, Pitino is not playing mindless run and gun basketball. I do think he wants players to take the first good open look and also get any opportunities they can off of turnovers or getting the ball up the court quicker. Iowa has done this, Michigan State does it whenever it can and certainly Indiana does it. So the idea that no one else does these things successfully in the Big Ten is just wrong.

With the players that Pitino was handed (and I don't want to go down the Tubby road but you asked for it) he did far better his first year than what I would have expected Tubby to do with what we would have had. Consider a team last year without Matheui or King and add back in Foster and Ellis. As rough as Matheui has had it this year he was terrific last year. So for you to say that he took the program "down the ladder" is wrong. This year has been disappointing to say the least and part of that is on Pitino.

Certainly this year has brought echos of the Monson era to some. Monson was not a bad coach but also not a great recruiter. He had an uptempo system but couldn't quite put the bodies on the floor to run it. Pitino is having a tough time but we do have the appearances of a good recruiting class incoming. I think you have to wait for that. By the way - Clem was not a run and gun coach by any means but once he got the horses - they ran plenty in 1996-97. Pitino will have to get the horses or he will fail. Now is way to early to call it. Other than the erased Clem championship you have to go back to the '81 Dutcher squad to find any great history and beyond that more trouble under Mussy.

 

[LakerFan]

Certainly this year has brought echos of the Monson era to some. Monson was not a bad coach but also not a great recruiter. He had an uptempo system but couldn't quite put the bodies on the floor to run it. Pitino is having a tough time but we do have the appearances of a good recruiting class incoming. I think you have to wait for that. By the way - Clem was not a run and gun coach by any means but once he got the horses - they ran plenty in 1996-97. Pitino will have to get the horses or he will fail. Now is way to early to call it. Other than the erased Clem championship you have to go back to the '81 Dutcher squad to find any great history and beyond that more trouble under Mussy.

The Willie Burton years under Clem were pretty good and what most of that generation of Gopher fans have been dying to get back to. Making the Sweet sixteen one year and elite 8 another are lofty goals for where the program is now. Clem understood that we were not going to be North Carolina or Kentucky, he planned out having teams that would mature together and have a chance to compete in years 3 and 4. That recruiting system would work even better now given that we can't recruit guys who can leave after one year to go in the draft and the top teams have to deal with that attrition every year. I think the difference is that the youth programs are so amped up these days that by the time they are a freshman in college most are 90% developed and won't get that much better in 3-4 years. A little bigger and stronger, but not much faster, smarter or skilled. I'm trying to tell myself that guys like Konate and Deidiou are the exception because they started playing so late, but I can't really make myself beleive it.

 

[Rouser]

Well there is a lot of baloney to sort through in that post - mixed in with some bits of whole grain truth. First off, Pitino is not playing mindless run and gun basketball. I do think he wants players to take the first good open look and also get any opportunities they can off of turnovers or getting the ball up the court quicker. Iowa has done this, Michigan State does it whenever it can and certainly Indiana does it. So the idea that no one else does these things successfully in the Big Ten is just wrong. With the players that Pitino was handed (and I don't want to go down the Tubby road but you asked for it) he did far better his first year than what I would have expected Tubby to do with what we would have had. Consider a team last year without Matheui or King and add back in Foster and Ellis. As rough as Matheui has had it this year he was terrific last year. So for you to say that he took the program "down the ladder" is wrong. This year has been disappointing to say the least and part of that is on Pitino. Certainly this year has brought echos of the Monson era to some. Monson was not a bad coach but also not a great recruiter. He had an uptempo system but couldn't quite put the bodies on the floor to run it. Pitino is having a tough time but we do have the appearances of a good recruiting class incoming. I think you have to wait for that. By the way - Clem was not a run and gun coach by any means but once he got the horses - they ran plenty in 1996-97. Pitino will have to get the horses or he will fail. Now is way to early to call it. Other than the erased Clem championship you have to go back to the '81 Dutcher squad to find any great history and beyond that more trouble under Mussy.

I sat through almost every game of the monson era. This season doesn't remind me much of it. Maybe of the better monson years (excluding NCAA team and one Rickert team). But the bad monson years felt a lot worse than this. If we start getting blown out at home, then it will start reminding me. I still feel hopeful for future (not this year).

 

[The-Real-Truth]

Lets continue to allow Little Rick to try and JAM a square peg in a round hole. Run and gun offense and take the first shot you can get off. Defensively lets run, jump and trap the full length of the court and give up over 30 point buckets in two games. What good does it do for us lead the country in steals or creating TO's if we simply jack up a quick shot or turn it right back over???

NEVER has a coach come into the BIG TEN and successfully tried to out run and out gun the other teams. Defense dictates offense and the Big Ten has been a defensive conference forever. This style works for Big Rick and Billy Donovan to a certain degree but not here. Take care of the basketball, maximize your points per possession and defend from giving up the 3 ball and layups. Every successful coach in the Big Ten plays defense first and takes care of the basketball. Good head coaches demand toughness and discipline. This group has neither of those traits.

Gopher Basketball has GREAT history, tradition and passion. Is there a better college venue to play than a packed BARN?? Since when does this program have to be a teething ring for a young coach looking to make a name for himself. You want the job?? This is the BIG TIME and you better perform QUICKLY.. This is not a low D1 program or D2 program where you get 10 years to get things done. You are compensated very well to perform and the first two years have taken this program even further down the ladder. Last year we won the loser's bracket tournament and this year we may be home watching both the NCAA and NIT tournaments.

If you go back to my posts about 1.5 years ago, I said exactly the same thing as you are saying here. At the point, people like Bga1, Jamlo, Tiny, Section 19,.... and a few other haters were not buying it because they were so happy that Tubby was gone. I said this then and I say it again, there is a reason that Smart didn't leave VCU for this job. He knew that B1G was not a conference for this type of Florida offense. I know very little about basketball but I could tell this system was not going to work. What these people are doing now, they keep linking this bad season to Tubby. They hated Austin also but he was the one who saved Richard last year. Little Dre was at a right place at a right time like I have said before. These coaches in B1G figured him out. Lets hope next years player buy the season for Richard otherwise, it will be long season. I certainly hope big Dre saves this season in the B1G tourny in March.

 

[SelectionSunday]

Rouser's summation of the Monson years compared to Pitino so far (and I would add the Tubby years) is pretty much where I stand. Never felt nearly as down about the program as I did toward the end of the Monson era. That Clemson game is just something I'll never get out my head. Never seen a Gopher crowd more uncaring and apathetic, accepting their fate.

I have some reservations about Pitino, but for the most part I like what I see. I'm confident we'll get his very best effort because he's a young and hungry coach and wants to succeed. I'm concerned about what happened this season, but not in the red-alert fashion.

 

[bga1]

The Willie Burton years under Clem were pretty good and what most of that generation of Gopher fans have been dying to get back to. Making the Sweet sixteen one year and elite 8 another are lofty goals for where the program is now. Clem understood that we were not going to be North Carolina or Kentucky, he planned out having teams that would mature together and have a chance to compete in years 3 and 4. That recruiting system would work even better now given that we can't recruit guys who can leave after one year to go in the draft and the top teams have to deal with that attrition every year. I think the difference is that the youth programs are so amped up these days that by the time they are a freshman in college most are 90% developed and won't get that much better in 3-4 years. A little bigger and stronger, but not much faster, smarter or skilled. I'm trying to tell myself that guys like Konate and Deidiou are the exception because they started playing so late, but I can't really make myself beleive it.

Well if you can't make yourself believe it on Konate and Diedhou then think again back to your great example of Clem's team with Newbern, Burton, Coffey, Schik and Lynch. Those guys were awful those first two years. Coffey was tough as nails but couldn't make a layup. Schick was weak and Burton and Newbern turned it over a ton. But by their junior years Clem had them stronger and better and playing like a team. The same can happen with Konate and Diedhou. Clem would have dreamed about having Konate on that squad.

 

[bga1]

Rouser's summation of the Monson years compared to Pitino so far (and I would add the Tubby years) is pretty much where I stand. Never felt nearly as down about the program as I did toward the end of the Monson era. That Clemson game is just something I'll never get out my head. Never seen a Gopher crowd more uncaring and apathetic, accepting their fate.

I have some reservations about Pitino, but for the most part I like what I see. I'm confident we'll get hios very best effort best because he's a young and hungry coach and wants to succeed. I'm concerned about what happened this season, but not in the red-alert fashion.

+1 My guess is our coach will be getting plenty of advice from a certain Hall of Famer in the off-season.

 

[bga1]

If you go back to my posts about 1.5 years ago, I said exactly the same thing as you are saying here. At the point, people like Bga1, Jamlo, Tiny, Section 19,.... and a few other haters were not buying it because they were so happy that Tubby was gone. I said this then and I say it again, there is a reason that Smart didn't leave VCU for this job. He knew that B1G was not a conference for this type of Florida offense. I know very little about basketball but I could tell this system was not going to work. What these people are doing now, they keep linking this bad season to Tubby. They hated Austin also but he was the one who saved Richard last year. Little Dre was at a right place at a right time like I have said before. These coaches in B1G figured him out. Lets hope next years player buy the season for Richard otherwise, it will be long season. I certainly hope big Dre saves this season in the B1G tourny in March.

Haters? Tubby was a great coach who had run out of steam and energy. The AD made the call based on the direction of the program and the state of recruiting - which was horrid. It was time.

 

[minny01]

Well if you can't make yourself believe it on Konate and Diedhou then think again back to your great example of Clem's team with Newbern, Burton, Coffey, Schik and Lynch. Those guys were awful those first two years. Coffey was tough as nails but couldn't make a layup. Schick was weak and Burton and Newbern turned it over a ton. But by their junior years Clem had them stronger and better and playing like a team. The same can happen with Konate and Diedhou. Clem would have dreamed about having Konate on that squad.

Bga - I agree with you. With the two big guys that we have, the one big guy coming in, and the three perimeter recruits, the future's not looking that bad. Sure we need development but when you're not a blue blood getting 5 star recruits, that's the name of the game.

 

[minny01]

Haters? Tubby was a great coach who had run out of steam and energy. The AD made the call based on the direction of the program and the state of recruiting - which was horrid. It was time.

Again, completely agree with you. It amazes me that people can't or won't see this.

 

[Winasota Gopher]

If you go back to my posts about 1.5 years ago, I said exactly the same thing as you are saying here. At the point, people like Bga1, Jamlo, Tiny, Section 19,.... and a few other haters were not buying it because they were so happy that Tubby was gone. I said this then and I say it again, there is a reason that Smart didn't leave VCU for this job. He knew that B1G was not a conference for this type of Florida offense. I know very little about basketball but I could tell this system was not going to work. What these people are doing now, they keep linking this bad season to Tubby. They hated Austin also but he was the one who saved Richard last year. Little Dre was at a right place at a right time like I have said before. These coaches in B1G figured him out. Lets hope next years player buy the season for Richard otherwise, it will be long season. I certainly hope big Dre saves this season in the B1G tourny in March.

And it had absolutely nothing to do with what you stated.

Terrible take with absolutely no proof.

 

[LakerFan]

Well if you can't make yourself believe it on Konate and Diedhou then think again back to your great example of Clem's team with Newbern, Burton, Coffey, Schik and Lynch. Those guys were awful those first two years. Coffey was tough as nails but couldn't make a layup. Schick was weak and Burton and Newbern turned it over a ton. But by their junior years Clem had them stronger and better and playing like a team. The same can happen with Konate and Diedhou. Clem would have dreamed about having Konate on that squad.

Difference was that in that era most freshman entering college weren't polished. In this era they are polished and Konate and Deidhou may not catch up to the skill level of the average entering freshman in 4 years because most of the kids entering college now have had professional coaching for 6-8 years. Successful coaches in this era are good recruiters, good game managers, understand how to use what they have, but not necessarily great teachers of the skills of the game. That's not a knock on Pitino. For example looking at Andre Hollins, he's maybe 5% better than he was as a freshman, but he was an impactful player as a freshman and gave us 4 good years, but it's not like he's so much better as a senior that he's totally transformed he's just a little smarter and a little better at picking his spots. He scored about 1/2 point per minute played for all 4 years, he just played a little less as a freshman. And that's not a knock on Tubby either. It's pretty rare league wide that players really get transformatively better in their 4 college years. That's part of why there is little reason to stick around once you have made yourself draft worthy.

Mo sucked as a freshman, he lost weight got faster and still sucks as a senior because the same skills he didn't have as a freshman haven't materialized 4 years later. A dietician and a lifting coach can't teach a 6'11" guy how to score from 2 ft away from the basket. No one taught Rodney Williams how to dribble in 4 years either, guys come in and leave with the same skills now, I'm convinced it's the way college ball is now. I used to think it was just the gophers but when you evaluate other teams it's the same deal. Look at Aaron White, good player, but he was a good player as a freshman and really doesn't look like he's more or less than he was then now.

With Diedhou and Konate you have the bare hope that they are on the steep part of the learning curve because they started so late. That's really a crap shoot, about the same odds as the lottery. World is full of tall athletic guys who started learning basketball but weren't able to progress skill wise to the next level. Good schools pass on those guys or offer them walk on deals. They don't tie up scholarships on guys who are totally unprepared to take the floor and play hoping that changes.

 

[station19]

Who is Section 19?

Lot's of strong minded new posters.

 

[DeathClutch]

Difference was that in that era most freshman entering college weren't polished. In this era they are polished and Konate and Deidhou may not catch up to the skill level of the average entering freshman in 4 years because most of the kids entering college now have had professional coaching for 6-8 years. Successful coaches in this era are good recruiters, good game managers, understand how to use what they have, but not necessarily great teachers of the skills of the game. That's not a knock on Pitino. For example looking at Andre Hollins, he's maybe 5% better than he was as a freshman, but he was an impactful player as a freshman and gave us 4 good years, but it's not like he's so much better as a senior that he's totally transformed he's just a little smarter and a little better at picking his spots. He scored about 1/2 point per minute played for all 4 years, he just played a little less as a freshman. And that's not a knock on Tubby either. It's pretty rare league wide that players really get transformatively better in their 4 college years. That's part of why there is little reason to stick around once you have made yourself draft worthy.

Mo sucked as a freshman, he lost weight got faster and still sucks as a senior because the same skills he didn't have as a freshman haven't materialized 4 years later. A dietician and a lifting coach can't teach a 6'11" guy how to score from 2 ft away from the basket. No one taught Rodney Williams how to dribble in 4 years either, guys come in and leave with the same skills now, I'm convinced it's the way college ball is now. I used to think it was just the gophers but when you evaluate other teams it's the same deal. Look at Aaron White, good player, but he was a good player as a freshman and really doesn't look like he's more or less than he was then now.

With Diedhou and Konate you have the bare hope that they are on the steep part of the learning curve because they started so late. That's really a crap shoot, about the same odds as the lottery. World is full of tall athletic guys who started learning basketball but weren't able to progress skill wise to the next level. Good schools pass on those guys or offer them walk on deals. They don't tie up scholarships on guys who are totally unprepared to take the floor and play hoping that changes.

The narrative that Mo sucks is just ridiculous.