From the NU board, sounds like a familiar rant.
"I was pretty much behind the NU bench today. Furthermore, I've been in regular attendance the past few years.
I have a few good friends on the team, though I'm not a Northwestern fan by trade (Michigan). I'm not here to "flame" you, or whatever. I just thought you guys have suffered enough, and deserve the truth.
The players just really, really don't like Bill Carmody. They have almost no respect for him whatsoever. And honestly, it's not hard to see why.
I'm sure you've all noticed his antics on the sidelines, and have probably dismissed them as no worse than any other coach. On the surface, no. But he's different. Coaches like Tom Izzo will get in their player's faces when it's called for, but more than anything, they teach. Carmody rants about the game to the players on the bench. Generally, he just sounds like a bitter fan. After a late turnover, myself and a bunch of the team parents heard him yell to the bench, "you guys don't want this. You just don't want this, it's over." This was a one possession game at that point, if you'll recall. But rather than controlling his temper and trying to pull out a victory, he just goes stream of consciousness to all the players sitting out. In overtime, he yelled, "we can't stop them. We've got nothing." Again, the entire family section heard him.
This is just a terrible attitude to take. A team's mentality usually reflects that of it's coach. Did you wonder why no one wanted the ball in the last 10 minutes? Or why NU keeps dropping close ones? It's because mental fortitude starts with the head coach, and Carmody has none.
There are guys on the team who, by nature, could be closers. Carmody beats it out of them early, albeit unintentionally. I'm sure you've all noticed his proclivity to pull young/non star players the instant they make a poor play, and then sit them for long periods. He coaches with his emotions, not his head. It absolutely ruins the confidence of a young player - sending the message to a guy that messing up means bench just tightens them up even more.
The team simply doesn't respect his childish demeanor on the floor, or understand many of his coaching decisions. He's just not a very friendly or social guy. The latter is one of the main reasons he's struggled recruiting high profile players. He's a very intelligent X's and O's coach, but he's just not good with people. A couple of the guys have told me he just doesn't get it - he doesn't understand how much his poor demeanor and reactionary subs affect the team. This isn't even getting in to his stubbornness with guys like Hearn, Luka, etc.
I don't mean to put all of this on him. Obviously, in the end, the players play. And there's no doubt he's a capable talent evaluator and strategic mind. But I'm telling you with the utmost of inside information that he will never be able to coach this team above it's current status. He's not a bad person, but he needs to go if NU basketball is ever going to take the next step.
Again, I have no affiliation with Northwestern besides it's players. I post this with no bitterness or post loss anger. I've held this stuff back for awhile, but tonight was somewhat of a boiling point. The families of the players are absolutely disgusted with him, and while they're obviously biased, that's a pretty telling sign. I'm sure the temptation exists to point to the players as soft. Truthfully, they arn't. They still give their all. They practice and play with every ounce of dedication they have. It isn't a state of outright revolt between players and coaches, or of primadonnas pouting. Not even close. These guys have been suffering Carmody's foolishness in silence; they do their best to follow his instruction. I just figured you all, who dedicate so much to this team, deserved better. "
