McClung Transferring | Page 2 | The Boneyard

McClung Transferring

Mr. French said:
I understand that sentiment ... but I think it's much different running an NBA team than an entire college program. I actually think he'd have been better in that spot in the NBA, always have.
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I agree with that. I’ll always be a Ewing fan. He was treated horribly by fans in college, including completely unchecked racism. I think he’s a good coach. I also think running a program and managing a roster of college-aged players, including their families/guardians/assorted others, is really hard. That’s a new thing for someone coming from the pros and something some fans of well-run programs take for granted. Really good coaches play a lot of different roles for their guys.
 
Chief00 said:
I like Patrick
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Mr. French said:
I understand that sentiment ... but I think it's much different running an NBA team than an entire college program. I actually think he'd have been better in that spot in the NBA, always have.
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I agree with you in this regard, I also think it’s hard when you spent all those years as an nba assistant working with men and now are working with college kids. However a good communicator is a good communicator and he doesn’t seem to be one.
 
Seems like a great basketball mind who happened to grow up and play in an era where athletes were different. Not making a crutch for him, but he’s a perfect example of someone who could have used some buffer time as an assistant prob getting accustomed to today’s athletes.
 
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Fatroony5 said:
In fairness, Patrick was pretty close to landing a job in 2016 following the Hornets “successful” season. I know Coach Steve Clifford thought there was a good chance Pat would get a job and was propping him up for one. Things haven’t gone well of late at GTown, and maybe I’m in the minority, but I want them to be good. I want Patrick to turn it around, I’m pulling for him.

Now back to Mac. I wish him well, tough go at it this past season playing so undermanned. Mac to this day has one of the best high school mixtapes out there, kid is electric. Just needs to land with a coach who can really coach him up, I think he’s still got a lot of potential.
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Macs mixtape from high school had things on there I never saw a player do before. Crazy!!!
 
gtcam said:
Nobody but Ewing and McClung knows the story
I have and will always be a member of Pat Ewing's camp - the guy was an outstanding player without being a jerk while opponents tried to bring the worst out of him
I know someone who is a close good friend with him in Boston and got to meet and interact with him a few times in a relaxed atmosphere during his very early pro years - very unassuming and he loved to blend in with the crowd (hard to do as a 7 footer).
As far as a coach - most guys in the pros who played while he was an assistant have high praise for him.
I look at the job he did this past season when 1/2 his team was facing disciplinary and academic issues that forced him to play with a skeletal roster - I was impressed as were most basketball people.
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Agreed, and a guy named Larry Bird is a big fan of Patrick Ewing. If he wasn’t a worker that wouldn’t happen.
 
What’s tough for a lot of top NBA guys is that all their lives people make an effort to communicate with them and they react to that in one way or another. In coaching, you need to be the one who initiates that communication, if you are to be successful. That’s always been true, but is more so today than ever. It’s tough for a guy in mid life to change their communication style.
 
That's actually a really good point. At the same time, I've always felt that elite players struggle with coaching. There are outliers of course, but I think the concept has legs. Being a coach for years and having worked with elite talent, they just innately know where to be and how to move. Some players need to be taught, I needed to be taught myself, and that helped me learn the game at a deeper level.

I know a young coach who was a D-3 player and would absolutely lose his marbles when kids couldn't pick up concepts or just have that innate ability to read the game - because it just came to him.

I think this applies to Ewing, while he frustrated me during my childhood as a Knick fan, he was elite regardless if he never won anything. So I think Chief's point sticks, I think it's too easy to say that pros have to change their communication style to meet the college level, I think it's more elite pros vs. role players.
 
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gtcam said:
If you think St Johns will be at the bottom next year you are crazy - lots of good talent coming in and Anderson can coach
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They'll be a bottom third/bottom half team, along with DePaul, Georgetown and Butler, but that doesn't mean they will be bad.

Last year, St. John's was tied for the 2nd worst record in the conference and they were still rated 66th nationally on KenPom. That's an NIT team.

Figueroa, Dunn, Champagnie and Earlington are a nice returning group but I question their backcourt. Dunn isn't a real point guard, Greg Williams is limited offensively and everyone else is new. Also, they lack true size.

You mention a lot of incoming talent, but it's hard for me to be gung ho about freshmen that are 200+ prospects and JUCO players even though I've read a lot about Vince Cole and Isaih Moore possibly being big time competitors right away.

I am a fan of Mike Anderson, though. St. John's plays tough and they always put pressure on ball.
 
Chief00 said:
I like Patrick and think he’s a good guy. Quite frankly, there are some holes in the Georgetown boat. I hope he gets the holes filled and returns to glory.
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Chief, note the post I shared earlier this week about his laissez faire approach to recruiting, and this comment:
Q: Did some wires get crossed between you two [Mac McClung] somewhere along the way?
A: Yeah, I guess. Maybe I spoke too soon...
 
Chief00 said:
Agreed, and a guy named Larry Bird is a big fan of Patrick Ewing. If he wasn’t a worker that wouldn’t happen.
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Ewing seems like one of those ex-jocks that makes his way by folks doing him solids.
 
Hey Adrien! said:
They'll be a bottom third/bottom half team, along with DePaul, Georgetown and Butler, but that doesn't mean they will be bad.

Last year, St. John's was tied for the 2nd worst record in the conference and they were still rated 66th nationally on KenPom. That's an NIT team.

Figueroa, Dunn, Champagnie and Earlington are a nice returning group but I question their backcourt. Dunn isn't a real point guard, Greg Williams is limited offensively and everyone else is new. Also, they lack true size.

You mention a lot of incoming talent, but it's hard for me to be gung ho about freshmen that are 200+ prospects and JUCO players even though I've read a lot about Vince Cole and Isaih Moore possibly being big time competitors right away.

I am a fan of Mike Anderson, though. St. John's plays tough and they always put pressure on ball.
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i have a different opinion. Back court Dunn was excellent and hard to stop. He was still good for 11.9 ppg and 3.4 rebs. Also have Posh Alexander coming in who was a top 65 pg until he broke his arm and lost his junior year. He’s an extremely underrated incoming Pg who got back to his old form even havomg a 60 point game this year bjt never got re-ranked because he missed a lot of AAU time. Also have McGriff at pg. Greg Williams returns and actually shit 50% from 3 his last few games. SJU also brings in first team JC AA Vince Cole at SG. Kid is a real player. Sf is Figueroa who is a beast as well as all-rookie Champagnie, Caraher etc. Plenty of at forward spots eith Champs, Earlington, jc AA Isaiah Moore, Josh Roberts and grad transfer Arnoldo Toro.
Agree SJU doesn’t have true height at center but that’s the only place SJU isn’t stacked and it’s not how Anderson plays anyway. SJU was on their way to beating Creighton in the final BET game and I think could have made a run. Played their best basketball down the stretch. SJU took a while to jel and played maybe too long with an injured Heron. Once he was sidelined SJU played much better.

I think you’ll see SJU in the top 4 this year and difficult to beat with Anderson’s style and a team that goes 13 deep and pressures all game. Hope there is a season because it’s gonna be fun.
 
navery12 said:
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OK, Chief has now read the article. My initial reaction is it’s a shame now in the college game that a head coach needs to react to what some player’s agent commands. Just because the NBA tells him he’s weak in certain areas doesn't mean Ewing is a bad coach for not putting him in those roles. Jim Calhoun tried to do that for KFree his last season and you may want to ask him now if he thinks that was a mistake or he might use other words for that? LOL
 
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Georgetown should be one of the easier schools to recruit at. Top tier conference, in DC which is a cool city, elite academics, Big East tournament, solid history (granted their peak was in the 80's)...how are they not pulling in 5* every year..or able to get a coach like Chris Beard? Their profile should honestly be very similar to Duke, idk how they haven't been able to right the ship
 
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M.S.G. said:
That's actually a really good point. At the same time, I've always felt that elite players struggle with coaching. There are outliers of course, but I think the concept has legs. Being a coach for years and having worked with elite talent, they just innately know where to be and how to move. Some players need to be taught, I needed to be taught myself, and that helped me learn the game at a deeper level.

I know a young coach who was a D-3 player and would absolutely lose his marbles when kids couldn't pick up concepts or just have that innate ability to read the game - because it just came to him.

I think this applies to Ewing, while he frustrated me during my childhood as a Knick fan, he was elite regardless if he never won anything. So I think Chief's point sticks, I think it's too easy to say that pros have to change their communication style to meet the college level, I think it's more elite pros vs. role players.
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Agreed and its also off the court. If you are a star, people approach you all the time. You don’t have to proactively communicate. As a coach, a lack of that experience, lessens the likelihood you sit down with a guy, initiate a conversation where issues surface, that can get resolved before they blow up. While not a star, KO did not see that as part of his job, I think. Hence, the transfers despite the wild success of The Blaze recruiting approach.
 
Chief00 said:
Agreed and its also off the court. If you are a star, people approach you all the time. You don’t have to proactively communicate. As a coach, a lack of that experience, lessens the likelihood you sit down with a guy, initiate a conversation where issues surface, that can get resolved before they blow up. While not a star, KO did not see that as part of his job, I think. Hence, the transfers despite the wild success of The Blaze recruiting approach.
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KOs biggest fault was that he tried to install a pro type offense with parts that didn't fit and kids who couldn't/didn't want to learn/understand. Plus the fact that he wasn't ready to take the reins of a big time coaching situation when things within and beyond his control started going south.
 
gtcam said:
KOs biggest fault was that he tried to install a pro type offense with parts that didn't fit and kids who couldn't/didn't want to learn/understand. Plus the fact that he wasn't ready to take the reins of a big time coaching situation when things within and beyond his control started going south.
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Agree, multiple issues once Bazz left. He could read the defense really well and individually was extremely clever regarding how to score.
 
aburks41 said:
Georgetown should be one of the easier schools to recruit at. Top tier conference, in DC which is a cool city, elite academics, Big East tournament, solid history (granted their peak was in the 80's)...how are they not pulling in 5* every year..or able to get a coach like Chris Beard? Their profile should honestly be very similar to Duke, idk how they haven't been able to right the ship
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DC has also been the most talent rich region as of late.
 
Ewing is a total disaster. Base is out for his neck. He’s on borrowed time.
 
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Hoophound said:
The foundation of the Ewing era seems to get more and more cracks in it every few months. Still, not sure he can’t get the job done. He’s been ok.
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I hope he rights the ship and gets that program back into a top 25 team year after year. You cant be as irrelevant as they been for as long as they been and fix it over night. Hope he works out.
 


IMO, BYU is the best spot for him to develop his pro credentials.

He's a wild, bucket getting guard, but Pope's focus on smart shot selection will only help his efficiency.

Also, Alex Barcello graduates after next year, so he'll get the keys to the lead guard spot while being surrounded by skilled wings and bigs.
 
NJHoops said:
what happens when coaches overlook how important it is to communicate with your players and show them at least a little respect... McClung may have overreacted, but this was a huge mistake on Ewing’s part
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I'm not sure but I think some of it may be former pros thinking of there players as more as pros rather than kids (student athletes). I suspect that this was a big part of Ollie's issues with his players.
 
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