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- Aug 27, 2011
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I spent a lot of time thinking about the team and the program yesterday. I thought of the 2014 Championship run and contrasted it with what we are seeing this season.
The biggest difference I see is the level of collaborative effort among the coaching staff and the players. KO had Calhoun, Blaney, Hobbs and Miller at his side the first year or two. Each of those resources had considerable head coaching experience. Now he has a bunch of relatively inexperienced assistants by comparison, none of which seem to excell at X's and O's. My point being that the staff as a whole was so much stronger four years ago.
While there was certainly an element of hero ball with Shabazz bailing the team out with clutch shots as the shot clock expired, there were also good screens being set, kickouts to Giffey for 3's and hitting Daniels along the baseline for some easy baskets. Boat absolutely busted his ass on D and often took the opposing team out of what it wanted to do. It would be great to see our current guys take pride in playing D like that. Yes, the talent level was higher, but so was the buy in and willingness to do the little things that result in game winning plays.
For things to turn around substantially, the coaches and the player's all need to get on the same page and maximize their strengths. I am not saying we have an extremely talented roster. We don't. But I am saying that the ceiling is somewhat higher than what we have seen through the first 14 games. Guys like Whaley, Polley, Carlton and Williams can all contribute in their own way. The trick is keeping them engaged to the point where it is fun and a collaborative effort. I like a lot of the players on this team. It would be nice to see some real teamwork, success and smiles on their faces. For that to happen, they all need to work together.
The biggest difference I see is the level of collaborative effort among the coaching staff and the players. KO had Calhoun, Blaney, Hobbs and Miller at his side the first year or two. Each of those resources had considerable head coaching experience. Now he has a bunch of relatively inexperienced assistants by comparison, none of which seem to excell at X's and O's. My point being that the staff as a whole was so much stronger four years ago.
While there was certainly an element of hero ball with Shabazz bailing the team out with clutch shots as the shot clock expired, there were also good screens being set, kickouts to Giffey for 3's and hitting Daniels along the baseline for some easy baskets. Boat absolutely busted his ass on D and often took the opposing team out of what it wanted to do. It would be great to see our current guys take pride in playing D like that. Yes, the talent level was higher, but so was the buy in and willingness to do the little things that result in game winning plays.
For things to turn around substantially, the coaches and the player's all need to get on the same page and maximize their strengths. I am not saying we have an extremely talented roster. We don't. But I am saying that the ceiling is somewhat higher than what we have seen through the first 14 games. Guys like Whaley, Polley, Carlton and Williams can all contribute in their own way. The trick is keeping them engaged to the point where it is fun and a collaborative effort. I like a lot of the players on this team. It would be nice to see some real teamwork, success and smiles on their faces. For that to happen, they all need to work together.
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