Done Enjoying ND’s Struggles

[Argonaut]

I’ll admit that at the beginning of this season, I enjoyed watching ND flop around like a fish out of water. Quietly, mind you, because this is a cautionary tale for every top team in basketball of how quickly you can go from #1 to #100 and I don’t like to stir up bad juju.

But then I saw this:


The failure of this season is breaking this woman and I can’t take joy in it anymore. Apparently there was a human under that tough robot facade, after all.

To all of our ND folks, keep your chins up. Your ladies and Muffet need it.

 

[oldude]

MM has always worn her emotions on her sleeve, although not necessarily to this extent. Her pride has been both a strength and a weakness for her. Hopefully this emotional outburst can have a cathartic effect for her. Sometimes it’s good to remind yourself that you can’t control everything. All that you can do is your best.

 

[MainefanSC]

Normally I would agree with your observation. However, this coach has made it a point to disparage certain colleagues, when she was riding "high in the saddle". She has conspicuously ignored student athletes who won awards, that she thought belonged to her players. I could site other instances of her unprofessional behavior, but you get the point. I have no sympathy for her as a coach or person. Where's that tough staunch persona that she supposedly possesses? I DO feel terrible for her student athletes, to be subjected to such a display by their revered Hall of Fame coach. I will NOT have sympathy for any recruits who would come and play for her in the future. I know she will recover and NDWBB will be back. I just wonder if MM will remember her lowly display in future years. Something tells me she will not.

 

[Argonaut]

MM has always worn her emotions on her sleeve, although not necessarily to this extent. Her pride has been both a strength and a weakness for her. Hopefully this emotional outburst can have a cathartic effect for her. Sometimes it’s good to remind yourself that you can’t control everything. All that you can do is your best.

As a pretty tough cookie who occasionally loses her *, I feel oddly connected to Muffet right now. Some of it is pride, I’m sure, but some of it is feeling like she’s watching 32 years of work crumble around her while her adversaries take joy in it. Now that she’s had her big ole’ slice of humble pie, I want to go back to disliking her for the right reasons.

 

[Mulder]

Today, I sent a tweet of support to Coach Muffet McGraw.
I encourage all other true basketball fans to do the same.

 

[Plebe]

Today, I sent a tweet of support to Coach Muffet McGraw.
I encourage all other true basketball fans to do the same.

With all respect: Nope. Between all her slanders of Geno and her cynical posturing on the "I only hire women" schtick, she's accumulated mountains of bad karma that she's scarcely begun to work off.

Does she think she's only coach who's ever experienced a losing season?

She wants people to feel sorry for her. She knows that's the only card she has left to play. Sorry, not falling for it. As they say in Spanish: A otro perro con ese hueso.

 

[oldude]

As a pretty tough cookie who occasionally loses her *, I feel oddly connected to Muffet right now. Some of it is pride, I’m sure, but some of it is feeling like she’s watching 32 years of work crumble around her while her adversaries take joy in it. Now that she’s had her big ole’ slice of humble pie, I want to go back to disliking her for the right reasons.

Life is never quite as bad as it seems when you’re at your lowest, or as good as it seems when you’re at your highest. MM will survive and prosper once again at ND, and dare I say that we Husky fans might even go a little easier on her now that she’s acquired a dose of humility.

 

[WiseOne]

In the words of Evina Westbrook.... Sorry not sorry!

 

[YSRFrisbee]

@Argonaut , I'm glad you posted this! I have a lot of respect for Coach McGraw and it's clear how much passion she has for her players and the game. It's always easy to make negative snap judgements about someone based on a tiny moment we see on TV. Especially when that someone is the coach of our arch rival who has been successful against us over the past several years. But I know we can put aside our differences (as fanbases) to recognize when someone is hurting emotionally week after week.

Although I do not know Coach McGraw personally, I see her as someone who cares deeply cares about her team. And no matter how hard she tries, they keep coming up short. I can relate to that on a smaller scale. I know what it's like to teach individuals and put them in a position to succeed. And it makes me want to pull my hair out when they make mistakes (and even fail) when you know they are capable of better. But the frustration is because you want only the best for those whom you love.

I am sorry to speculate, but I almost wonder if she is dealing with some issues outside of basketball (such as an undisclosed family illness). For some people, the solution is to put more focus on their career or something they can typically control. But should that career start to become a struggle, things could really start to snowball Again, I may be way off the mark, but I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case. And for the record, it's really none of my business. So let me end with this: I hope she is able to surround herself with the right people who can support her. Life is much bigger than basketball and her legacy to these student athletes is more than just a W-L record.

"In a world where you can be anything...be KIND"

 

[TheFarmFan]

For me the difficulty is separating the coach and the players. MM makes a boatload of money to rack up what is very likely a losing season. The players, on the other hand, are very young adults adjusting to college, life, adolescence, the spotlight, etc. With player-specific exceptions (i.e., Ogunbowale's assault and battery and Mabrey's absolutely comically legendary flopping), I would never root against ND in terms of its individual players, many of whom I've really grown fond of (Diggins, Turner, Young, etc.).

MM, on the other hand, was not gracious even in victory (see, e.g., her refusal to give an ounce of credit to Asia Durr for being best in the ACC), so I have a hard time thinking she warrants my grace in the face of her in defeat.

 

[donalddoowop]

Does anyone really think MM cares about what is said on the Boneyard? Whether things go positive or continue negative, I doubt if she cares what is said over here.

 

[Go/huskies]

She has 4 McDonald’s all Americans, and is only really lacking a true center. What’s there to feel bad for? Losing seasons happen, she’s paid big bucks to coach, clearly ND is just really underachieving this year. If Young would have stayed they would have a go to scorer, but would she have made that much of a difference?

 

[FridaFriend]

As far as I'm concerned Notre Dame can never lose too many games.

 

[rvwsleep]

A ND fan posed a question that I'll paraphrase (I don't have the quote readily available)
What would the fans reaction be if Brian Kelly gave a similar press conference after losing some one sided games ?

 

[oldude]

Do anyone really think MM cares about what is said on the Boneyard? Whether things go positive or continue negative, I doubt if she cares what is said over here.

I actually think MM cares deeply about what everyone says about her and her program, hence the emotional meltdown we witnessed on the video. When MM inexplicably blocked Stewie from her social media feed, it was a strong indication that she is hyper-sensitive to any type of criticism.

 

[the Q]

After 2 years ago they could go 0-100 and it wouldn’t be enough

 

[Argonaut]

A ND fan posed a question that I'll paraphrase (I don't have the quote readily available)
What would the fans reaction be if Brian Kelly gave a similar press conference after losing some one sided games ?

If someone falls apart after losing one game, naturally you're going to start questioning their mental stability. Like if Geno would have struggled to keep it together during the presser after Baylor, I would assume even the most diehard amongst us. If he was 6-11, I would expect for their to be some emotion as he processes all of it -- especially if they were 16-1 at the same point last year. I don't think anyone expects more from the program than MM does -- sometimes to her own detriment -- but this twist just makes it hard to enjoy anymore.

She has 4 McDonald’s all Americans, and is only really lacking a true center. What’s there to feel bad for? Losing seasons happen, she’s paid big bucks to coach, clearly ND is just really underachieving this year. If Young would have stayed they would have a go to scorer, but would she have made that much of a difference?

Of their McDonald's All-Americans, two are freshmen, a sophomore who only played 111 minutes last year (about 5x fewer than ONO played), and a grad transfer.

Walker has played fairly well (UConn and Michigan State games being glaring exceptions), but the other three are just so inexperienced. Not to mention, I'm sure they're aware there are people relishing in their failures -- that's not great for the psyche.

Had Young stayed, I think she would be the glue holding everything together and, at the very least, the difference maker in some of their close games. She would at least have made them respectable enough that I could be enjoying their losses.

----

And I guess my whole point was that, yes, watching the wheels fall off was fun, but now that the wheels have fallen off and the bus seems to be tumbling down the cliff and it's not fun for me to watch anymore. Is MM a great person? Eh. But what coach doesn't have their shortcomings? And let us not forget that our beloved Geno is no saint, either. Their faults are just highlighted in national news and retweeted ad nauseum. And, yes, I do understand that comes with the paycheck, but they're just as human as the rest of us...

 

[MainefanSC]

I actually think MM cares deeply about what everyone says about her and her program, hence the emotional meltdown we witnessed on the video. When MM inexplicably blocked Stewie from her social media feed, it was a strong indication that she is hyper-sensitive to any type of criticism.

You are probably correct about her hyper-sensitivity. But, on the other hand, she cares nothing about other's feelings when she has an audience to vent to. It's bad enough that she ranted on about other coaches, but her failure to recognize players for their accomplishments, just because they play for other teams, is unforgivable.
Does anyone have the link to the full post presser? Yeah, I just want to see the whole debacle that should be making the gold domers very proud.

 

[msf22b]

Commenting on our reaction to ND's fall and our reaction to Muffet's reaction is just a portion of the saga.

A case can be made that she is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

I would not be surprised for the ND admin to insist on medical leave.

 

[mbr33ct]

Today, I sent a tweet of support to Coach Muffet McGraw.
I encourage all other true basketball fans to do the same.

...unless you're blocked from her twitter.

 

[Husky pride]

I’ll admit that at the beginning of this season, I enjoyed watching ND flop around like a fish out of water. Quietly, mind you, because this is a cautionary tale for every top team in basketball of how quickly you can go from #1 to #100 and I don’t like to stir up bad juju.

But then I saw this:


The failure of this season is breaking this woman and I can’t take joy in it anymore. Apparently there was a human under that tough robot facade, after all.

To all of our ND folks, keep your chins up. Your ladies and Muffet need it.

We’re looking at, in the video, the cry and anguish of one heck of a competitor who loves her school and has deep pride in what together, in the past, they’ve been able to accomplish. She , and her teams, have been worthy foes... and will be again. We need a rival like Notre Dame to keep the women’s game as great as it is. With a coach like Muffet, it’s only an amount of time before she will be back on top —-proving to be just as frustrating to us Husky fans! Hang in there Coach!!

 

[Mulder]

Commenting on our reaction to ND's fall and our reaction to Muffet's reaction is just a portion of the saga.

A case can be made that she is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

I would not be surprised for the ND admin to insist on medical leave.

It would appear she need some time off to stop and smell the roses.
Her assistants can hold the fort until she's back to the old Muffet McGraw.
I wish her the best.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

The notion of the head coach walking away from a very tough season is one that could further submarine a program (transfers) and it would be hard to live down.

PS. Is Anaya Peoples injured?

 

[the Q]

We’re looking at, in the video, the cry and anguish of one heck of a competitor who loves her school and has deep pride in what together, in the past, they’ve been able to accomplish. She , and her teams, have been worthy foes... and will be again. We need a rival like Notre Dame to keep the women’s game as great as it is. With a coach like Muffet, it’s only an amount of time before she will be back on top —-proving to be just as frustrating to us Husky fans! Hang in there Coach!!

baylor seems up to the challenge.

Stanford has been a nemesis for a while. There’s always going to be someone.

and hopefully that coach will actually be at least a moderately decent person.

 

[Reypl21]

The notion of the head coach walking away from a very tough season is one that could further submarine a program (transfers) and it would be hard to live down.

PS. Is Anaya Peoples injured?

Yes, I believe it has do with one of her shoulders. I know that the injury situations that hurt ND aren't helping MM either. She did say she is going to start filling up her bench, but that recruiting philosophy won't help her this year. It's a shame because Peoples has so much potential. A shoulder injury is going to mess up her shooting if its serious this year, and obviously end her season.

 

[oldude]

baylor seems up to the challenge.

Stanford has been a nemesis for a while. There’s always going to be someone.

and hopefully that coach will actually be at least a moderately decent person.

Relative to Baylor, it’s pretty clear that Geno and Kim have a genuine respect for each other. I think that characterizes Geno’s relationship with most coaches, going all the way back to Pat, at least until the relationship was severed by the LV’s while leveling unwarranted accusations against Maya and her family.

Geno’s relationship with MM is more complex. I would suggest it is strained by MM’s penchant for blurting out less than thoughtful declarations about opposing players and coaches without first running it through that mental filter that everyone should have, particularly when they are standing in front of a press pool.

 

[donalddoowop]

I actually think MM cares deeply about what everyone says about her and her program, hence the emotional meltdown we witnessed on the video. When MM inexplicably blocked Stewie from her social media feed, it was a strong indication that she is hyper-sensitive to any type of criticism.

What does it mean when you say MM blocked Stewie from her social media feed? I'm not up on a lot of social media stuff.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

I’ll admit that at the beginning of this season, I enjoyed watching ND flop around like a fish out of water. Quietly, mind you, because this is a cautionary tale for every top team in basketball of how quickly you can go from #1 to #100 and I don’t like to stir up bad juju.

But then I saw this:


The failure of this season is breaking this woman and I can’t take joy in it anymore. Apparently there was a human under that tough robot facade, after all.

To all of our ND folks, keep your chins up. Your ladies and Muffet need it.

She is a formidable, noble, worthy competitor. This must be a bitter pill to swallow. And this is really not of her own making. Graduated four starters, while the fifth transferred. Then injuries.

She'll be back. Not celebrating this. Good to beat ND. But no real joy in it.

 

[oldude]

What does it mean when you say MM blocked Stewie from her social media feed? I'm not up on a lot of social media stuff.

Outside of the BY, I’m not really a social media person either, so here is my best translation of what happened. After a UConn vs ND game a few years back, Stewie, coming off her MVP season in the W, who was a follower of MM’s twitter account I believe, posted something pretty innocuous on MM’s twitter feed. Subsequently, Stewie posted a screenshot showing that MM cut her off, which essentially means that MM would no longer receive any tweets from Stewie in response to her account.

At the time my thought was that MM might well be considered as a potential HC of the National Team some day. Why in hell would she ever want to pick a fight with the best player in the country?