Not a Dig: Just Dont Have the Players Yet

[stocker08]

I am beginning to have serious doubts about player development also besides Walker has any player gotten better under Pitino? Maybe Buggs but he doesn't play him. Mathieu, Hollins, Eliason all have taken a step backwards. Joey king is Joey King he is a 10 minute player playing 30 due to stubbornness and a miss in recruiting which happens.

I don't like to be rash....but I'm not convinced that Pitino is the answer. He needs more time. The recruiting classes have looked pretty good because he has a 'name' and he's young enough to relate with the players. Fact is.....we've looked poor in these past few games. We had chances to win at least three of the four and came away with zero wins.

 

[rivergopher]

Things like this happen to every team. How about the easy bunny missed at the end of regulation by that OSU center?

The point is that he fails to adjust the team to the opponent. Why do other teams continue to gain and pass us in the final five minutes? It's been three games now. Talent? Players? It's the passive coaching. Pitino doesn't know when to use his TOs effectively.

I agree but you aren't going to win with Winnasota Gopher he has stated that Pitino needs 6 years before we should judge him. I am sure be an also ran this year and next will help to sell his "brand". Fact is the Big Ten is a destination job but we gambled and hired a young inexperienced coach and staff(who are learning on the job), it is looking more and more that Pitino has a lot to learn in building a program, player development, and in game coaching. He is taking his lumps and was out coached today.

 

[justthefacts]

4 starters back from a non-NCAA qualifying team with the previous years best 2 players either gone or injured.

Was there a person on this board in January or February last year who would have said, "Next year we'll really struggle without Austin Hollins."

 

[Winasota Gopher]

I agree but you aren't going to win with Winnasota Gopher he has stated that Pitino needs 6 years before we should judge him. I am sure be an also ran this year and next will help to sell his "brand". Fact is the Big Ten is a destination job but we gambled and hired a young inexperienced coach and staff(who are learning on the job), it is looking more and more that Pitino has a lot to learn in building a program, player development, and in game coaching. He is taking his lumps and was out coached today.

Not true

 

[minny01]

I agree but you aren't going to win with Winnasota Gopher he has stated that Pitino needs 6 years before we should judge him. I am sure be an also ran this year and next will help to sell his "brand". Fact is the Big Ten is a destination job but we gambled and hired a young inexperienced coach and staff(who are learning on the job), it is looking more and more that Pitino has a lot to learn in building a program, player development, and in game coaching. He is taking his lumps and was out coached today.

Being a former head coach, I would love for you to tell me where he was out coached today so that I can learn something. A coaches job is to prepare his players and put them into a position so that they can succeed. He can't shoot the ball for them, catch the ball for layups or make good passes for them. He had them where they should be but the players did not come through today.

 

[rivergopher]

Plus I forgot some aren't his guys so you can't judge his coaching acumen. Lord knows if you did not recruit them you cannot not make them better players. I am not saying that it will or will not work for sure but if after the last 4 games you don't see some things to worry about with his coaching ability then I do not what to tell you.

 

[1997vacatedfinalfour]

Being a former head coach, I would love for you to tell me where he was out coached today so that I can learn something. A coaches job is to prepare his players and put them into a position so that they can succeed. He can't shoot the ball for them, catch the ball for layups or make good passes for them. He had them where they should be but the players did not come through today.

To be a successful coach....you need to do two things well, acquire talent and then manage that talent to whatever philosophy you instill.....This team has average to below average talent and what little we have has not improved as the season has gone on.

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

Yep, 4 starters back from a 25 win team. Talent level is ok; mentally this team is horrid.

We miss Austin and Oto, more than anyone ever dreamed we would. Morris is a huge step backwards from Austin and Oto was significantly better than what we currently have at the 4, when healthy.

 

[rivergopher]

Being a former head coach, I would love for you to tell me where he was out coached today so that I can learn something. A coaches job is to prepare his players and put them into a position so that they can succeed. He can't shoot the ball for them, catch the ball for layups or make good passes for them. He had them where they should be but the players did not come through today.

Timeouts, game management why does he take a timeout with around 12 minutes and we go up 8 not the first time this has happened, having a timeout down the stretch would have been crucial. Having Joey King in at crunch time? I do not know what level you coached at but I am happy for you, I think a lot on this board has coached at some level, but we acted surprised when the 1-3-1 got sprung us causing 3 turnovers. We got some good looks after we adjusted but it still caused 3 empty trips. Is not part of coaching preparing your team for this but maybe Michigan has never shown this before.

 

[victor04]

They've got enough talent to build second half leads against Purdue and Michigan. Just don't have the guys to finish the game. Those have been two pretty pathetic losses.

The good news is that with how hard I keep hearing it is to win on the road in the Big Ten, Iowa and Rutgers have almost no chance of beating us.

First of all Michigan and Purdue are nothing special, both will be lucky to get to the big dance this year. Secondly every team makes runs during the game, it always happens, and to act as though a lead of 8+ pts or so gurantees one a victory is just not reality. Even more these solid leads speak volumes to our lack of depth, that is lacking at the 1 and 2 and essentially non existant at the SF position.

Oleboy41 hit it on the head earlier in the year when he proposed the loss of Mcneil was the death of this team, and was riddiculed quite heavily. The loss of Mcneil basically is the main reason we haven't been able to get over the hump this year, and by the looks of it wont.

 

[minny01]

Plus I forgot some aren't his guys so you can't judge his coaching acumen. Lord knows if you did not recruit them you cannot not make them better players. I am not saying that it will or will not work for sure but if after the last 4 games you don't see some things to worry about with his coaching ability then I do not what to tell you.

OK - let's take a look at it. The one road blowout loss, we just did not have the talent that Maryland did and our three guards all played their worst game of the year. In the home loss to Ohio State, we took them to overtime after falling behind and having to make a halftime adjustment to stop a top guard who was red hot. In the other two road games, we gave up close to 10 point leads in each game. In those games, were the proper players playing, probably. Were they in position to make the deciding plays, yes. Did they find a way to put the ball in the basket when they had the open shots late in the games, no. The last that I knew, the players had to put the ball in the basket, not the coaching staff, to win the games. It is not the coaches fault that they are losing these games, unless you want to blame the lack of talent this year, but the fact that they can't get the big baskets when they need them. They are getting the looks, the ball is just not going in. This has got to be a difficult group to coach.

 

[rivergopher]

To be a successful coach....you need to do two things well, acquire talent and then manage that talent to whatever philosophy you instill.....This team has average to below average talent and what little we have has not improved as the season has gone on.

Agree with this, I have asked this before who besides Walker has become a better player with Pitino at the helm? No reason this team should be 0-4 at this point.

 

[rivergopher]

OK - let's take a look at it. The one road blowout loss, we just did not have the talent that Maryland did and our three guards all played their worst game of the year. In the home loss to Ohio State, we took them to overtime after falling behind and having to make a halftime adjustment to stop a top guard who was red hot. In the other two road games, we gave up close to 10 point leads in each game. In those games, were the proper players playing, probably. Were they in position to make the deciding plays, yes. Did they find a way to put the ball in the basket when they had the open shots late in the games, no. The last that I knew, the players had to put the ball in the basket, not the coaching staff, to win the games. It is not the coaches fault that they are losing these games, unless you want to blame the lack of talent this year, but the fact that they can't get the big baskets when they need them. They are getting the looks, the ball is just not going in. This has got to be a difficult group to coach.

I will not argue that this group seems frustrating, ok in a bigger picture view who is responsible for the miss on Martin? Mcniel? Lofton? Contributing players would be nice with those two schollys. Also player development is a coaches responsibility don't think this staff has proven that it can make players better year to year.

 

[minny01]

I will not argue that this group seems frustrating, ok in a bigger picture view who is responsible for the miss on Martin? Mcniel? Lofton? Contributing players would be nice with those two schollys. Also player development is a coaches responsibility don't think this staff has proven that it can make players better year to year.

Recruiting is on the coaching staff. He got a good one in Mason and a nut case in Martin. If he would have been as good as the father believed that he was, he would have played here and/or transferred to somewhere better than Cal Poly. McNeil - really? Blame that on Pitino? Seriously? I think that Lofton was always a gamble with the checkered past that he has. He had an open scholarship and gave him a chance and it didn't work out. Now that he's had a little time to recruit, next year's class looks strong. It would not surprise me to see 2 or 3 incoming recruits starting next year.

 

[scools12]

I will not argue that this group seems frustrating, ok in a bigger picture view who is responsible for the miss on Martin? Mcniel? Lofton? Contributing players would be nice with those two schollys. Also player development is a coaches responsibility don't think this staff has proven that it can make players better year to year.

So all you needed was a 1 1/2 years to come to your conclusion on the staff.

Little early for that conclusion.

 

[rivergopher]

Recruiting is on the coaching staff. He got a good one in Mason and a nut case in Martin. If he would have been as good as the father believed that he was, he would have played here and/or transferred to somewhere better than Cal Poly. McNeil - really? Blame that on Pitino? Seriously? I think that Lofton was always a gamble with the checkered past that he has. He had an open scholarship and gave him a chance and it didn't work out. Now that he's had a little time to recruit, next year's class looks strong. It would not surprise me to see 2 or 3 incoming recruits starting next year.

It is a good class but it is not a program changer (could be in the spring). Mcniel is a Pitino guy so yeah that is partly on him, kids screw up but part of that is his judge of charterer.

 

[rivergopher]

So all you needed was a 1 1/2 years to come to your conclusion on the staff.

Little early for that conclusion.

Might be different is he has proven in the past that he can. All I can go on is what he has done here and he has not shown this to be a strong point, he can get better at it but what has been shown this far, again this is not a strength.

 

[Winasota Gopher]

It is a good class but it is not a program changer (could be in the spring). Mcniel is a Pitino guy so yeah that is partly on him, kids screw up but part of that is his judge of charterer.

Might be different is he has proven in the past that he can. All I can go on is what he has done here and he has not shown this to be a strong point, he can get better at it but what has been shown this far, again this is not a strength.

I must applaud your consistency.

 

[rivergopher]

I must applaud your consistency.

Second quote was referring to player development.

 

[stocker08]

Being a former head coach, I would love for you to tell me where he was out coached today so that I can learn something. A coaches job is to prepare his players and put them into a position so that they can succeed. He can't shoot the ball for them, catch the ball for layups or make good passes for them. He had them where they should be but the players did not come through today.

The other Big Ten teams beat us. Four games in a row. We had leads with a few minutes left in three of those four. Nothing to do with coaching????

 

[minny01]

The other Big Ten teams beat us. Four games in a row. We had leads with a few minutes left in three of those four. Nothing to do with coaching????

I did not have a problem with any coaching move that he made. He was playing the players that I thought that he should be. They were prepared to play and he had them in the right spots. They knew what they had to do. It is up to the players to put the ball in the basket, especially on layups and free throws. They were getting wide open looks from the three point line. The senior leaders were making mistakes that they were taught not to make in high school. As much as you hate to say it, they just plain choked again and now have in at least 3 of the losses this year. Right now, we need a leader to ride down the stretch in games and we may not have one among the upper classmen.