What Ben Johnson can learn from NCAA Tournament

[Bob_Loblaw]

Sure....because it is an unknown.....if these things happen then the team can get back on track and moving in the right direction.

Still feels preferable to me to engage in looking at things that way as opposed to just giving up and deciding the only solution is firing the coach and there is no hope that he could possibly get the players he needs.

If the coach is really bad, that is the only solution.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

I will absolutely argue that Michigan State is a top 10 blue blood program.

Tier 1
Duke
N Carolina
Kansas
Kentucky

Tier 2
UCLA
Indiana
Louisville
Note: Yes, UCLA and Indiana have the distant past that should make them Tier 1, but their glory is faded. It’s been 28 years since a title for the Bruins, and 36 years for the Hoosiers. It’s been 21 years since IU has even gone to a Final Four.

Tier 3
UConn
Michigan State
Syracuse

I don't think Indiana is a better program than Michigan State. I think they are pretty much Nebraska in football.

 

[WindyCityGopher]

I don't think Indiana is a better program than Michigan State. I think they are pretty much Nebraska in football.

They certainly haven’t been for the last 25 years for sure, but if we’re looking historically, IU has been the better program. I do like your Nebraska comp though, that’s interesting. Both programs have been shells of their former selves since Knight and Osborne left.

 

[MonikerSchmoniker45]

We can debate semantics, numbers, and stars all day long....but what Tom Izzo has done at MSU is absolutely the blueprint for a successful program outside the top 10 'blue bloods'. If we could achieve even a portion of his success with Sparty we would be ecstatic!

Michigan state is absolutely a top ten program and consistently recruits high 4- star players.
And of course we would be ecstatic with a fraction of MSU's success, nobody has said otherwise. But it's not as easy as just coaching better.

 

[Off-GridTNgopher]

You can sit and watch tapes all day of the NCAA tourney... But unit you EXPERIANCE it as a head coach it's all moot

 

[Ewert86PC]

In the end it is always the coach. You have to recruit and organize. His recruiting is decent so far but his roster balance and usage has been bad. This was his first good class. Are Betts and Christie good? We don't know yet. Can he get help from the portal to save his bacon this year? We'll see.

Empty possessions are the biggest thing that needs to be tackled on this team. It's embarrassing having a team that looks like it could be beat by anybody and nobody on the team cares.

 

[MNVCGUY]

If the coach is really bad, that is the only solution.

Well apparently the powers that be at the U have decided to give him at least one more year.

So for the fans that feel the only solution is firing the coach what more is there really for them to say? I mean they can certainly just keep posting the same rant about firing the coach over and over and over and over again but beyond that there is nothing more they can add if they feel there is no hope for the program as long as Johnson is in charge.

Best case scenario for the program is that Johnson succeeds, so I am going to hold onto the hope that he figures it out, finds the right pieces in the portal and gets things moving in the right direction.

 

[bga1]

Well apparently the powers that be at the U have decided to give him at least one more year.

So for the fans that feel the only solution is firing the coach what more is there really for them to say? I mean they can certainly just keep posting the same rant about firing the coach over and over and over and over again but beyond that there is nothing more they can add if they feel there is no hope for the program as long as Johnson is in charge.

Best case scenario for the program is that Johnson succeeds, so I am going to hold onto the hope that he figures it out, finds the right pieces in the portal and gets things moving in the right direction.

There is a certain points at which one has to realize...."hey, I'm not going to get what I want" and then asks "what is the next best plan?" For this summer, it is as you have described.

 

[howeda7]

Well apparently the powers that be at the U have decided to give him at least one more year.

So for the fans that feel the only solution is firing the coach what more is there really for them to say? I mean they can certainly just keep posting the same rant about firing the coach over and over and over and over again but beyond that there is nothing more they can add if they feel there is no hope for the program as long as Johnson is in charge.

Best case scenario for the program is that Johnson succeeds, so I am going to hold onto the hope that he figures it out, finds the right pieces in the portal and gets things moving in the right direction.

You're not wrong, but I don't think we've reached 100% certainty yet. Losing anyone else to the portal would change things. If 2-3 weeks from now, no one else has left and we've hopefully added a player or 4, then we can move on to hoping for a miracle next season.

 

[bga1]

Just took a look at FAU's stats- very interesting stuff. They play 9 guys consistently- all over 15 minutes per game. The most minutes by any player is 26 minutes per game. Their shooting percentages are a lofty 47% overall and 37% from 3 point range. I'm sure they are good shooters but how much does the reduced minutes per player help that shooting percentage by keeping fresh legs on the floor?