One of the Many Reasons That I'm Not the Coach

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jamiche

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After the first couple of games that I attended this year I came to the conclusion that EE would contribute nothing this year and that Welch would be the third point guard. Welch looked uncomfortable, hesitant and appeared to lack athletic ability. EE looked frenetic, gangly and foul prone. It's been great to see them come off the bench and contribute substantially as the season progresses. They will have bad games but so far, so good. I'm happy to be wrong.
 

my buddy and I are guilty of this as well. Have each taken our shots at EE and Welch but now are regretting them. This has been a frustrating/fun team to watch this year.
 

EE did give some good minutes yesterday. He provides energy and good post defense.
 

Opening Post and the immediate post following are classic examples of using very, very, very small sample spaces to judge a player in D-1 basketball, be it good or bad. After the DePaul game, GH posters jumped all over Rodney's achievement for his best game as a Gopher, and against Indiana State, he layed an egg. Players have good games and bad games, it is the nature of the beast. Patience is a virtue, my friends. Players at this level need patience by the fans, teaching moments by the coaching staff, confidence instilled from within and from the outside (i.e. the fans), and less judgement and criticism by outsiders, including, but not limited to, Reusse, Souhan, and a multitude of others (especially GH posters.

Go Gophers!!!
 

Dr.Don said:
Opening Post and the immediate post following are classic examples of using very, very, very small sample spaces to judge a player in D-1 basketball, be it good or bad. After the DePaul game, GH posters jumped all over Rodney's achievement for his best game as a Gopher, and against Indiana State, he layed an egg. Players have good games and bad games, it is the nature of the beast. Patience is a virtue, my friends. Players at this level need patience by the fans, teaching moments by the coaching staff, confidence instilled from within and from the outside (i.e. the fans), and less judgement and criticism by outsiders, including, but not limited to, Reusse, Souhan, and a multitude of others (especially GH posters.

Go Gophers!!!
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Well said doc. The reason these kids are playing in college is because they are not ready to be pros. They are still developing their skills and learning how to play with energy and focus consistently. Personally, I love the way our young/new guys are developing so far, and while I do not expect to win a B1G championship this year, I do expect that this team will contend for a top 5 finish and have a chance to make a run in the Dance. I'm excited about our potential. Go Gophs!
 


Elliot did play his best game as a Gopher. I was sure missing Colt the first four or five games, however, yesterday Elliot played pretty well and gave us some good minutes with Ralph's bad ankle.

What I still miss from Colt though was his toughness. He wasn't going to be pushed around by anyone.
 

Situations like this remind me of Ray Williams taking a few games to adjust to the D-1 level when he transferred from a juco. Despite his reputation, for a few games Jim Dutcher was starting a guy named Gary Korkowski ahead of him. Bobby Jackson wasn't an immediate success either.
 

EE and Mo Walker will be solid for us next year. Two big bodies that play hard unlike RS
 

Players of the 7' variety often look less than atheletic. But, you can't teach that size. Elliot gets up and down the floor fairly well and he has a good shooting touch. Rebounds will naturally come his way. I think the rest will come.

I just wish Mo was healthy enough to pair with Eliason.
 




i really really like him. Looks like he is going to be an impact player down the road, he always seems to be in the right place at the right time and has a kack for finding the loose ball underneath. I think he will end up being a much better player then Sampson.
 

EE did look good yesterday against Indiana St., but lets not get too excited. The tallest player on the frontcourt for Indiana St. was 6'8". I am intrigued as well, but lets wait for him to at least play against a couple decent 6'10" guys before we get too giddy.

Whats the saying? I think its "things are never as great as they seem, and never as bad as they seem".
 

Dr.Don said:
Opening Post and the immediate post following are classic examples of using very, very, very small sample spaces to judge a player in D-1 basketball, be it good or bad. After the DePaul game, GH posters jumped all over Rodney's achievement for his best game as a Gopher, and against Indiana State, he layed an egg. Players have good games and bad games, it is the nature of the beast. Patience is a virtue, my friends. Players at this level need patience by the fans, teaching moments by the coaching staff, confidence instilled from within and from the outside (i.e. the fans), and less judgement and criticism by outsiders, including, but not limited to, Reusse, Souhan, and a multitude of others (especially GH posters.

Go Gophers!!!
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You used to be amusing in a folksy kind of a way, generating fond reactions. Now you are increasingly and, I'm sure, unintentionally tending to scold. Nobody has the road map. Sorry for being so blunt.
 



jamiche said:
You used to be amusing in a folksy kind of a way, generating fond reactions. Now you are increasingly and, I'm sure, unintentionally tending to scold. Nobody has the road map. Sorry for being so blunt.
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+1
 

victor04 said:
EE did look good yesterday against Indiana St., but lets not get too excited. The tallest player on the frontcourt for Indiana St. was 6'8". I am intrigued as well, but lets wait for him to at least play against a couple decent 6'10" guys before we get too giddy.

Whats the saying? I think its "things are never as great as they seem, and never as bad as they seem".
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True on the last line. And yes, he has to do it against legitimate front lines. But for a redshirt freshman big, unless you're an absolute stud (Sullinger), it typically takes some time for you to figure things out. He's gonna continue to be inconsistent, along with the other freshmen, and even someone like Welch who is a junior, but still new to this system and playing at this level.

This team is going to need time to figure some things out. There are just too many young guards and too many fresh pieces for things to gel immediately. I am happy that so far, they've avoided any slip ups, and hopefully they can just continue to build confidence and continuity through the non conference and by B1G season be ready to compete.
 

jamiche said:
You used to be amusing in a folksy kind of a way, generating fond reactions. Now you are increasingly and, I'm sure, unintentionally tending to scold. Nobody has the road map. Sorry for being so blunt.
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+2
 

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