MN Daily: Oto Osenieks finds his niche

[BleedGopher]

per the Daily:

It was tough to declare what Osenieks’ exact strengths were last season. He was deemed a three-point threat but couldn’t hit shots. He shot an abysmal 7.7 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on just 2 of 26 three-point attempts.

“I couldn’t find my strengths on the court in [former-head coach Tubby Smith’s] system,” Osenieks said. “I couldn’t adjust myself.”

Osenieks credited Pitino’s up-tempo system and positive coaching style for his uptick in play.

“I just feel better as a player under coach Pitino,” Osenieks said. “This is the year I feel like I can really show my game finally and just play freely and help the team.”

http://www.mndaily.com/sports/mens-basketball/2013/11/20/osenieks-finds-his-niche

Go Gophers!!

 

[Gopherguy0723]

per the Daily:

It was tough to declare what Osenieks’ exact strengths were last season. He was deemed a three-point threat but couldn’t hit shots. He shot an abysmal 7.7 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on just 2 of 26 three-point attempts.

“I couldn’t find my strengths on the court in [former-head coach Tubby Smith’s] system,” Osenieks said. “I couldn’t adjust myself.”

Osenieks credited Pitino’s up-tempo system and positive coaching style for his uptick in play.

“I just feel better as a player under coach Pitino,” Osenieks said. “This is the year I feel like I can really show my game finally and just play freely and help the team.”

http://www.mndaily.com/sports/mens-basketball/2013/11/20/osenieks-finds-his-niche

Go Gophers!!

Too bad Tubby didn't understand some individuals respond better to positive motivation than negative motivation. Osenieks looks competent this season.

 

[lakesgopher]

Too bad Tubby didn't understand some individuals respond better to positive motivation than negative motivation. Osenieks looks competent this season.

Maybe? Or maybe Osenieks finally grew into the college game? Sometimes freshmen and sophomores struggle and then figure it out their junior and senior years...but that theory would mean you couldn't take cheap shots at tubby, my bad.

 

[GophersOnTheRise]

Maybe? Or maybe Osenieks finally grew into the college game? Sometimes freshmen and sophomores struggle and then figure it out their junior and senior years...but that theory would mean you couldn't take cheap shots at tubby, my bad.

Seriously? Oto is the one who has said he is shooting better this year because Pitino gives more positive reinforcement and just lets him shoot.

 

[lakesgopher]

Seriously? Oto is the one who has said he is shooting better this year because Pitino gives more positive reinforcement and just lets him shoot.

Seriously? You actually believe that's the only reason? Give me a break

 

[Gopherguy0723]

Seriously? You actually believe that's the only reason? Give me a break

I'm sure the system fits Oto better as well. But the shot at Tubby is legitimate, as Tubby is directly referenced as being party of the problem in the OP. Get over it.

 

[lakesgopher]

I'm sure the system fits Oto better as well. But the shot at Tubby is legitimate, as Tubby is directly referenced as being party of the problem in the OP. Get over it.

It's not legit, if it was we should be really worried about Oto in hostile environments. It might be too negative for him. Tubby had his faults, be happy we have a new young energetic coach with a style that seems to be more entertaining as a whole. Take your own advice and get over tubby...he's gone, move on and quit bitching

 

[station19]

I'm sure the system fits Oto better as well. But the shot at Tubby is legitimate, as Tubby is directly referenced as being party of the problem in the OP. Get over it.

And several other sources. Tubby had to go. Get over it and face the facts Lakes.

 

[GophersOnTheRise]

Seriously? You actually believe that's the only reason? Give me a break

Oto came in with a reputation as a very good three point shooter. He shot very well in the Pulley games I went to, so his ability as a shooter was pretty much confirmed in my mind. Supposedly he shot well in practices too, and according to that article he also played well for the Latvian team, but mysteriously he couldn't shoot AT ALL in Gopher games. Tubby had a reputation as a hard ass and he pulled players for virtually any mistake they made (any person who has experienced this in their playing days knows how much it can affect your shooting and overall play). Suddenly, Pitino comes and Oto starts shooting much, much better. When asked the difference between this year and last year, Oto says Pitino gives more positive reinforcement. If you consider all of those things, how could you not think Pitino's coaching style is the main reason?

 

[lakesgopher]

And several other sources. Tubby had to go. Get over it and face the facts Lakes.

I am over it, but there is no need to keep bringing him up. People are obsessed with trying to insult a guy for doing a lot of good here.

 

[lakesgopher]

Oto came in with a reputation as a very good three point shooter. He shot very well in the Pulley games I went to, so his ability as a shooter was pretty much confirmed in my mind. Supposedly he shot well in practices too, and according to that article he also played well for the Latvian team, but mysteriously he couldn't shoot AT ALL in Gopher games. Tubby had a reputation as a hard ass and he pulled players for virtually any mistake they made (any person who has experienced this in their playing days knows how much it can affect your shooting and overall play). Suddenly, Pitino comes and Oto starts shooting much, much better. When asked the difference between this year and last year, Oto says Pitino gives more positive reinforcement. If you consider all of those things, how could you not think Pitino's coaching style is the main reason?

I'm not knocking pitino, I like him. I am just so tired of hearing people blame tubby for everything. None of us know what happened in practice on a day to day basis. Maybe tubby sat Oto down in the corner and verbally abused him for hours until Oto was scared to shoot a basketball or maybe Oto just wasn't ready for college hoops yet. The style for pitino is more free flowing, I like it. We should just be happy tubby is gone and move on with our lives. Some of you sound like divorced couples that can't get over their ex

 

[station19]

I am over it, but there is no need to keep bringing him up. People are obsessed with trying to insult a guy for doing a lot of good here.

Such is life Lakes. Get over it. People were very frustrated with Tubby's program towards the end. That won't change. He is neither the first nor last coach to be complained about. Tubby also did more complaining than any coach I can remember in my 50+ years of following Gopher sports.

 

[GophersOnTheRise]

I'm not knocking pitino, I like him. I am just so tired of hearing people blame tubby for everything. None of us know what happened in practice on a day to day basis. Maybe tubby sat Oto down in the corner and verbally abused him for hours until Oto was scared to shoot a basketball or maybe Oto just wasn't ready for college hoops yet. The style for pitino is more free flowing, I like it. We should just be happy tubby is gone and move on with our lives. Some of you sound like divorced couples that can't get over their ex

I'm not a Tubby basher, I just think that Pitino deserves a lot of credit for the way he deals with players and boosts their confidence. I strongly believe that the difference in coaching style is the reason Oto is shooting better and I don't think there is anything wrong with saying that. It's awesome seeing Oto play so well.

 

[lakesgopher]

I'm not a Tubby basher, I just think that Pitino deserves a lot of credit for the way he deals with players and boosts their confidence. I strongly believe the difference in coaching style is the difference in Oto's shooting and I don't think there is anything wrong with saying that. It's awesome seeing Oto play so well.

All I'm saying is give pitino the credit but let's move on from tubby.

 

[lakesgopher]

Such is life Lakes. Get over it. People were very frustrated with Tubby's program towards the end. That won't change. He is neither the first nor last coach to be complained about. Tubby also did more complaining than any coach I can remember in my 50+ years of following Gopher sports.

Who cares he is gone. We have a new coach with a fun style.

 

[Gopherguy0723]

All I'm saying is give pitino the credit but let's move on from tubby.

If you give credit to the current coach for getting a player to play well this season who performed poorly in the past, then you're implicitly saying the prior coach didn't do a good job with said player. You cannot decouple the past with the present because you're making a comparison.

Therefore, in a thread that discusses how Oto is performing this season compared to the past where the past coach is mentioned by name, it is 100% legitimate for people to call into question the past coach. If you don't like it, ignore it or read another thread. The thread opens as a direct indictment on Tubby.

 

[Prolific]

Who cares he is gone. We have a new coach with a fun style.

Why are you so worried about whether people talk about Tubby? Does it hurt your feelings? It seems like it hurts your feelings.

We are literally 4 games removed from having him as the coach. You act like we're discussing Jim Dutcher's impact on the current team here.

 

[lakesgopher]

Why are you so worried about whether people talk about Tubby? Does it hurt your feelings? It seems like it hurts your feelings. We are literally 4 games removed from having him as the coach. You act like we're discussing Jim Dutcher's impact on the current team here.

Tell that to Tim Brewster. Gopher fans can't move on. Tubby is gone, get over it no need to talk about him anymore

 

[MinneStoa]

Tell that to Tim Brewster. Gopher fans can't move on. Tubby is gone, get over it no need to talk about him anymore

Teams are constantly evaluated and compared based on past performances. It's completely valid to compare and contrast this year's team against teams in the recent past; teams that had Tubby as a head coach.

 

[Prolific]

Tell that to Tim Brewster. Gopher fans can't move on. Tubby is gone, get over it no need to talk about him anymore

What are you even talking about now? Tell what to Tim Brewster?

Tubby constructed the majority of the current roster, and it's valid to compare player performances between the two systems. That's something you're going to need to deal with.

 

[lakesgopher]

I would agree the comparison would be valid if pitino ran the exact same system as tubby and had the same roster as tubby. I don't care about tubby, he is gone. I enjoyed the game tonight. We had a ton of open looks. EE still can't jump but his length created a lot of problems. I hope Mo gets his act together we need the depth. It was good to see Buggs get some pt. Wally looks like he gets confused a lot, I hope he doesn't become a liability. Our guard play is fantastic. There are a ton of talking points that have nothing to do with the previous regime.

 

[50PoundHead]

Haven't had a chance to watch any action live, but have seen him hit double figures a couple of times from the box scores.

Has he improved or does he fit this system so much better or both?

 

[Gopherguy0723]

I would agree the comparison would be valid if pitino ran the exact same system as tubby and had the same roster as tubby. I don't care about tubby, he is gone. I enjoyed the game tonight. We had a ton of open looks. EE still can't jump but his length created a lot of problems. I hope Mo gets his act together we need the depth. It was good to see Buggs get some pt. Wally looks like he gets confused a lot, I hope he doesn't become a liability. Our guard play is fantastic. There are a ton of talking points that have nothing to do with the previous regime.

There are lots of other talking points. Go to another thread to address them. This is a thread regarding Oto and his play from the past two seasons to this season. Guard play would go under a new thread or a currently existing thread.

 

[GophersOnTheRise]

Haven't had a chance to watch any action live, but have seen him hit double figures a couple of times from the box scores.

Has he improved or does he fit this system so much better or both?

He's much more confident and is shooting a lot better because of it. That's the biggest difference to me.

 

[bemidjigopher]

Tell that to Tim Brewster. Gopher fans can't move on. Tubby is gone, get over it no need to talk about him anymore

Glen Mason ring a bell? Seriously though there's always a pleasant surprise when a new coach comes in. So far Oto takes the cake. Mo might be there too but who knows. When Tubby came, Damien Johnson and Jamal Abu Shamala were much improved players from the previous season. One could make the argument for Lawrence Westbrook as well. I'm sure someone on Monson's first team stepped up as well

 

[Bad Gopher]

Glen Mason ring a bell? Seriously though there's always a pleasant surprise when a new coach comes in. So far Oto takes the cake. Mo might be there too but who knows. When Tubby came, Damien Johnson and Jamal Abu Shamala were much improved players from the previous season. One could make the argument for Lawrence Westbrook as well. I'm sure someone on Monson's first team stepped up as well

Terrance Simmons.

 

[60's Guy]

Somewhere within these pages on another thread, Oto was quoted as saying Tubby tried to adjust, change, fix his shot constantly or daily. This was not successful and likely wouldn't be for most anyone. So, yes...having a different coach with a positive outlook on your abilities makes all the difference in the world to performance!!

 

[GopherMarchMadness]

Last night's game against Wofford was the first Gopher's game I've been able to watch this season. With that said, Oto is a completely different player! It's definitely nice to see him making more shots, but the biggest difference I've noticed is his confidence after he throws up a brick or a bad shot. I feel like last year after taking a bad shot, that was it for him for the rest of the game. There were several times last night, though, where he would either follow his shot immediately after it left his hand and clean up the miss, or he would take and make his very next shot after an air ball or something. A completely different mindset for him--very fun to see! Keep it up, Oto!

 

[mkAz]

I saw some pictures of Oto's girlfriend on twitter and it made me think of this quote from "Moneyball":

"He's got an ugly girlfriend, ugly girlfriend means no confidence."

Well, Oto's girlfriend is hot! Forget Pitino, I'll credit her for Oto's improved confidence.

 

[stocker08]

I would agree the comparison would be valid if pitino ran the exact same system as tubby and had the same roster as tubby. I don't care about tubby, he is gone. I enjoyed the game tonight. We had a ton of open looks. EE still can't jump but his length created a lot of problems. I hope Mo gets his act together we need the depth. It was good to see Buggs get some pt. Wally looks like he gets confused a lot, I hope he doesn't become a liability. Our guard play is fantastic. There are a ton of talking points that have nothing to do with the previous regime.

That is part of the argument. Pitino runs a completely different system than Tubby. Now....I'm not here to bash Tubby. I appreciate what he did for the program.....but in all honesty.....he didn't seem to get the most out of his players. Oto is a good example. A few games in......too early to tell. However, Oto seems to be a much different player right now. Attribute it to the off season if you'd like. Coaching has a hand in this as well.