We look clueless. Is it coaching?

[caw]

Very true also. Particularly the transfers (which stemmed from the NCAA ban...). I would think most coaches that have been successful getting kids into the NBA (i.e., Calhoun) have a good understanding of which players will leave for the NBA and recruit accordingly (to fill the expected vacancies following NBA departures).

They actually did a decent job of filling for the player that was expected to head to the NBA. Lamb -> Calhoun.

I don't count Drummond as he was a last minute add to the team.

I don't want them back, because they wanted to leave, but Oriakhi and Roscoe back on this team instead of Nolan and Tolksdorf and this is a very, very solid frontcourt again, esp. if Oriakhi isn't a whiny little...

I do think Nolan has a ton of potential, but he needs to gain muscle/weight. Tolksdorf, I haven't seen enough of to make a judgement.

 

[UConn Hoops1]

I hope this isn't gonna be something you continue to do all season, your posts regarding the coaching after every half/game are annoying as and we're only 4 games in.

I totally and completely agree. Holy ! How high could the expectations for this team be that, this early in the season, this nonsense has started. We knew going in that our overall front-court talent was a work in progress at best with so many players having little or no meaningful PT. Questioning coaching when this team has clearly, in the face of so many obstacles(from travel to new coach to a high level of talent loss from last year etc.,etc.), worked incredibly hard, has been totally responsive and committed to Kevin, and despite some horrendous shooting from the guards for the last 2-3 games, gotten great results. New Mexico is a good team with an established and proven coach. I think the critics on this thread are very definitely going to have ample time to eat their words. Cripes, NC State was a favorite to win the ACC and they got trashed by Okie State. Is Mark Gottfried getting thrown under the bus this early in the season?? I seriously doubt it. In fact, when I saw the headline in today's Waterbury paper(UConn Stunned By New Mexico), I wanted to get on the horn with the editor and ask him or her how desperate they really were to sell papers. "Stunned"?!!! Really?!!! How about coming back to earth.

GO HUSKIES!!! BEAT STONY BROOK!!!

 

[PomonaHusky]

They actually did a decent job of filling for the player that was expected to head to the NBA. Lamb -> Calhoun.

I don't count Drummond as he was a last minute add to the team.

I don't want them back, because they wanted to leave, but Oriakhi and Roscoe back on this team instead of Nolan and Tolksdorf and this is a very, very solid frontcourt again, esp. if Oriakhi isn't a whiny little...

I do think Nolan has a ton of potential, but he needs to gain muscle/weight. Tolksdorf, I haven't seen enough of to make a judgement.

agree 100%

I think the scholarship reductions prevented us from having enough high caliber players in the pipeline to deal with the transfers.

I wonder how Drummond may have impacted recruiting. That whole Summer of 2011 no one knew he was coming and then here he is. The top bigs in the 2012 class had to think twice about committing to a school where they might play behind Drummond if he stayed for a second year. But yeah, AO and Roscoe transferring is obviously the biggest issue now.

I wish our current bigs would learn to play more like Jake Voskuhl (he played his role perfectly).
1) play good position defense,
2) don't worry about blocking shots (the most over-rated stat in basketball, since the offensive team comes up with the ball ~50% of the time and when you don't get it, you're out of rebounding position, especially if you come from off the ball....memories of Ajou Ajou giving up many offensive rebounds),
3) but get your hands up, and box out,
4) set good solid screens,
5) don't try base-line dribble spin moves,
6) 3-4 FG attempts per game,
7) run the floor

 

[upstater]

Of course it's ridiculous to expect KO to have the coaching chops of a seasoned veteran.

On the other hand, top 10 programs don't waste their time developing a coach. They bring in a proven coach who can win right away and is champing at the bit for a high-profile position.

The question is really -- to mix sports metaphors -- do we consider ourselves in the class of the Yankees of the college basketball world or in the class of the Kansas City Royals?

Plenty of proven coaches get high profile jobs and fail, whether we're talking Gillespie, Weber, etc., many others.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

agree 100%

I wish our current bigs would learn to play more like Jake Voskuhl (he played his role perfectly).

Amen to that. I think the same thing watching TO get reach in fouls. 2 Games ago he gave someone the baseline to line him up for a block. Defense is feet, not hands.

 

[8893]

It was me, actually. I caused the loss last night. For the first two games of the tournament I drank the same lineup of beers at roughly the same time throughout the game (with an extra one on Sunday for the 2OT). Last night I drank some frou-frou white Burgundy wine instead, because I had been drinking it with my meal and didn't feel like switching to beer.

I ducked up. I am sorry for messing with the mojo, and I have to admit that I kind of knew it at the time. For my penance I am now going to drink a beer. Maybe more.