I'll agree on the "close this thread" front. It certainly isn't about Samir Doughty anymore.
Let me try to bridge the two sides, and see if we can come to an uneasy truce. There are those, certainly justified, who looked at last year and
on paper saw coming in highly regarded talent, including a sophomore transfer with serious skills and a McDAA point guard and a sharp-shooting small forward from California and a long athletic 4/5 from Tampa and thought this team should kill it from day 1. Hence the pre-season ranking.
Then we found out that having two guys who both need the ball in their hands needs time to develop, and we still had two big guys who hadn't really figured it out yet. And we lost to Northeastern and Wagner. And the injury rush started with that McDAA guard needing shoulder surgery, and oh yeah, the guy from Tampa hadn't played in two years and nearly redshirted, and oh, that small forward transfer with all the talent blew out his ACL, and after all this we end up starting the lightly regarded late signee - who turned out to be much better than anyone expected (but was still a freshman).
So you guys who blame Ollie, you're not wrong. I was really dismayed with how they played in those early losses, with everyone healthy, but I thought that, given an NC in 2014 and that nice end of year run in 2016 I'd be patient. But they weren't ready to come out with intensity, and often found themselves down big. That late December Houston game was an embarrassment. And all the fouling, jeez, play defense with your feet, not your hands. Or don't the coaches teach you that? They could defend pick & roll in '14, why not now?
And after killing it in recruiting the previous year, again on paper, two of those highly-regarded frosh leave, and another recruit rescinds his commitment, and the slow-footed big guy who might start next year bails out too! And now we're stuck on the corner with cup in hand begging for 2017 and 2018 guys to come to a school with four NC's since '99. Can these coaches even?
And you guys who blame the players, you're not wrong either. Two bigs didn't ever become what they should have. Is that all on coaching? Maybe, maybe not. I don't think it is in the 7 ft. center's case. Too many times the anguished look I saw on Ollie's face was because he was doing things he'd been coached not to do, particularly on defense. He took terrible fouls. He didn't have an offensive go-to move. That's on him, he knew he needed it. The four-man finally came alive later in the season, and had some nice games, but still was a non-factor at times against the better opponents. I happen to think he had a lot more in him, but the Miller year stunted his development. Still, it should have happened anyway. And that sophomore big had a nice touch, but no lift and slow feet and was a defensive liability.
And you guys who blame the injuries, you're also not wrong . You lose two of your three best players in the first 5 games of the season. Guys you had built your offense and defense around, their skills, their quickness. And that first Houston game, the starting point guard, the only guy left at that position, doesn't play (concussion). And that big guy from Tampa and the slow-footed soph big both lose time from lower leg problems, so you're playing mid season with only 6 scholarship guys. You're stealing minutes from walk-ons, you're hoping that those two senior bigs don't pick up early fouls because you've got no-one on the bench to take their minutes.
You're all correct. It just depends which factor you think is most important. As for next year, I'm in the camp that wants to see the cards played before I fold. I'm not going to discount the incoming talent based on paper ratings, but I'm also not going to anoint them world-beaters based on potential. You can take a team with less paper talent than your opponent and beat them. And you can take a team with more talent than your opposition and lose. (e.g, Calipari, John, UK) A couple quotes from
Bum Phillips apply:
"He can take his'n and beat your'n and take your'n and beat his'n". Ollie needs this mindset.
"Coaching is not how much you know. It's how much you can get players to do." So, get 'em to do it, coach!
"You fail all the time, but you aren't a failure until you start blaming someone else." Coaches and players both need this mindset.
"Two kinds of players ain't worth a damn: One never does what he's told, and one who does nothin' but what he's told." Players again. I think we might have had a few of both types last year.
Y'all have a great summer.
