What should Coach Mac Do?

[Tre4ISU]

You mean, because they find out he's treating everyone the same, even the "top" guys? Not bad.

Ya, you don't come out and start with Dendy or Colvin or something. They would break down. Start with what he thinks the team thinks are the "favorites." Then, without even doing it, the other guys will say, "****, if he is yelling at them he means business."

 

[CycloneErik]

He doesn't single anyone out. That was the key in that speech. FWIW a lot of Knights players liked him. You just can't coach like he did anymore. Parents will be all over you because you yelled at their baby.

Which is so sad. Even 9 years ago teaching Taekwondo classes, parents would sneak in a moment for conversation before class would begin, tell me that their son/daughter *especially son* had been a little on the misbehaving side, and ask if I could sweat it out of him. So I'd have a blast, wear them out, and it usually went better. And they paid me for this:smile:

 

[CycloneErik]

Ya, you don't come out and start with Dendy or Colvin or something. They would break down. Start with what he thinks the team thinks are the "favorites." Then, without even doing it, the other guys will say, "****, if he is yelling at them he means business."

Not wishing "ill" on Craig, but if Coach lit up Brackins for all the team to hear, that gets some attention.

 

[Tre4ISU]

Which is so sad. Even 9 years ago teaching Taekwondo classes, parents would sneak in a moment for conversation before class would begin, tell me that their son/daughter *especially son* had been a little on the misbehaving side, and ask if I could sweat it out of him. So I'd have a blast, wear them out, and it usually went better. And they paid me for this:smile:

Yeah, I don't condone the physical stuff, but Bob Knight was a fantastic coach.

 

[CycloneErik]

Yeah, I don't condone the physical stuff, but Bob Knight was a fantastic coach.

He knew the game better than most (including me) ever will.

So, my primary options:

1) Light into someone that can handle it, and work from there.
2) Lock up the practice building until they earn it back as a team.

We've needed to toughen up. Let's make it tough.

 

[CloneIce]

This part shocks me because there were times Stinson was playing way out of control and turning the ball over on consequtive possesions and Wayne would sit hin his chair with a blank stare and not do a thing about it while Stinson threw the game away. Stinson seemed like he could never do wrong with the way Morgan let him play. That was my biggest gripe with Morgan was he was a terrible in-game coach and let his players continue to throw winable games away by playing careless basketball. At least Mac has the sense to be vocal when we play that way and even bench a player that is making stupid plays so he can sit him down and have a talk about it. LE and Floyd were the same way, they'd call a TO the second they didn't like something or yank a guy off the floor and rip into him. I remember LE especially was not scared to make a point with Tinsley by sitting him for long stretches after he was playing out of control. Players may pout about being benched but I think it's the best way to make a point, play smart or you won't be on the floor.

And that's what I couldn't figure out about WM's third (and last) season. I thought he did a pretty good job his first two seasons and was able to push all the right buttons at the right time, and then everything fell apart in Year 3. Looking back, I have to wonder if Homan was the "glue" that held those first two teams together. Chemistry is a very tricky and delicate issue, it seems. Get it right and you can go far, get it wrong and it blows up in your face.

Wayne had 0 returning big men his 3rd year. 0, not a one. George and Faulkner both had issues and were dismissed from the team during the previous season. That team had no big men at all back, and the best one was Jiri in his 1st year at this level. Taggart wasn't ready yet, Gray was a role player. Tough to win when you have 0 experience at two positions.

 

[CycloneErik]

Wayne had 0 returning big men his 3rd year. 0, not a one. George and Faulkner both had issues and were dismissed from the team during the previous season. That team had no big men at all back, and the best one was Jiri in his 1st year at this level. Taggart wasn't ready yet, Gray was a role player. Tough to win when you have 0 experience at two positions.

And at that point, Jiri had no idea that he was a big man.

 

[aeroclone]

Mac should get back to coaching the type of ball he always has and stop trying to be a run and gun pressing team. I think he has tried to change his type of play to suit players with more talent and now he doesn't know what to do with them. There was/is nothing wrong with the slower paced, and offensive pattern offense - do what you know.

How does this work? People have been going on and on on this board about how he has to change his style of play to compete in the Big 12, that the style he played at UNI and the types of players he had there just can't win here (even though they seem to beat us consistantly).

And if the players aren't a fit for the system he needs to be running, that is his fault. We are in year 4 of his time here, he has had plenty of time to get the players he wants and needs. If the guys we have can't play a style that he can coach, then he screwed the pooch pretty hard on recruiting, and you can't give him a pass for that either.

There hasn't been a coach I have wanted to see succeed more than Mac. An Iowa guy who views this as a destination job, a nice person who seems to do things the right way and run a clean program. But let's face it, I believe he dropped to 1 game below .500 on his career at ISU with the Duke loss. As tough as the conference is this year, I think we are on the way to another .500 ish season. So we may very well be looking at .500 bball and no post season over a 4 year stretch, and with Brackins and Gilstrap likely gone next year, I don't see us turning the corner in year 5. We are a basketball school. We always have been. I don't know how much longer you can let this go on.

 

[cyclonenum1]

This thread is really comical.

The days of Bear Bryant, Bobby Knight, you-name-the-hardass-coach, etc. are long gone. This sort of approach can work for a year or two but then it gets old with everyone...players, administration, fans, etc.

Being verbally abusive and calling players out in public solves very little, if any problems. A good coach finds a way to get his players (and hence team) into positions to be successful.

There was a very good HS BB player in my area a few years ago that was not very quick and could not really beat anybody off the drive but he could shoot and had a pretty quick release that allowed him to get his shot off if he had a decent opening. If the coach runs a motion offense or a dribble drive type of offense this kid would have had an average (at best) HS career. But the coach was smart enough to see what he had and he ran a blocker/mover offense that allowed this kid to get open looks that he never would have gotten on his own.

The point is simple...you either recruit to what you want to do or you adjust to what you have recruited.

By the way, who recruited all of these "problem" players anyway?

 

[CYdTracked]

He doesn't single anyone out. That was the key in that speech. FWIW a lot of Knights players liked him. You just can't coach like he did anymore. Parents will be all over you because you yelled at their baby.

I'm pretty sure he was ripping on someone in particular right at the start of that tirade. Greg Graham was an Indiana player and he specifically says something with "Greg Graham" in the rant.

Good link for some more classic Bob Knight moments: Bob Knight - News, photos, topics, and quotes

 

[IcSyU]

By the way, who recruited all of these "problem" players anyway?

It doesn't always take multiple players...one player can kill a team if his faults bring out the faults in those around him...

 

[CloneIce]

And at that point, Jiri had no idea that he was a big man.

Yes Exactly.. He had some talent but had no idea how to play at this level. He really improved over his 3 years.

 

[CycloneErik]

Yes Exactly.. He had some talent but had no idea how to play at this level. He really improved over his 3 years.

Like somebody coached him and taught him to improve............

 

[CloneIce]

Like somebody coached him and taught him to improve............

Yes, GM has done a good job developing our big men. Guards, not so much. Unfortunately the success of a basketball program is based on the team as a whole improving and winning games, not on individual players developing.

 

[CycloneErik]

Yes, GM has done a good job developing our big men. Guards, not so much. Unfortunately the success of a basketball program is based on the team as a whole improving and winning games, not on individual players developing.

We do need to see more improvement from the backcourt in general. DG has done a nice job developing, but he has plenty of room for improvement as well.

 

[Tre4ISU]

How does this work? People have been going on and on on this board about how he has to change his style of play to compete in the Big 12, that the style he played at UNI and the types of players he had there just can't win here (even though they seem to beat us consistantly).

And if the players aren't a fit for the system he needs to be running, that is his fault. We are in year 4 of his time here, he has had plenty of time to get the players he wants and needs. If the guys we have can't play a style that he can coach, then he screwed the pooch pretty hard on recruiting, and you can't give him a pass for that either.

There hasn't been a coach I have wanted to see succeed more than Mac. An Iowa guy who views this as a destination job, a nice person who seems to do things the right way and run a clean program. But let's face it, I believe he dropped to 1 game below .500 on his career at ISU with the Duke loss. As tough as the conference is this year, I think we are on the way to another .500 ish season. So we may very well be looking at .500 bball and no post season over a 4 year stretch, and with Brackins and Gilstrap likely gone next year, I don't see us turning the corner in year 5. We are a basketball school. We always have been. I don't know how much longer you can let this go on.

No, no we're not. Duke, UNC, Kansas, Memphis, Kentucky, UCONN. Those are basketball schools. I really don't know where eveyone gets this idea that we are entitiled to being a perennial tournament team or powerhouse. We have had a few good years, we have. However, we are not a "basketball school." If we are anything, we are a wrestling school. We ar enot entitled to postseason play year after year. DO we want that, yes? But we also want to win the Big 12 in football. People really seem to think that is almost unattainable or at least they did before this past season.

All I am saying is that we don't have this long history of success in Bball. We had two really good years this decade. After that we were never really that good. We can wish for that and I think eventually we will get there but we certainly are not entitled to 25 win seasons every year.

 

[Dave19642006]

gets some marbles and be the Coach, and not the buddy/ friend

You are there AND paid to be their coach and produce, not to take the players out to show them how nice you are

 

[Dryburn]

1) Stop calling out a freshman who has one semester under your system. If you are going to call someone out, call out CB or DG, someone who will have an impact on the rest of your team. Colvin's play has not lost any games this year...and certainly was not a major problem against Duke.

2) Teach the team to rebound. They got out-rebounded by one of the poorest rebounding teams in the country (Houston). Your lottery pick (CB) had 0 rebounds the first half against Duke....and only 2 for the game. Ridiculous!

3) Make them shoot free throws every practice until they get better at it.

4) You are supposed to have so many plays. Design some that take advantage of your team's talents. Design some plays for CB to shoot from 10 to 15 feet. Some for MG on the baseline, or driving to the basket. More plays and touches for Hamilton inside. Plays that will open up the lane for DG and Colvin. Teach them that when they drive to pass to the outside on the drives. Design and use plays for specific players.

5) Do not start Lucca. Make him earn the spot back. If he is not shooting well, he has no value on the floor at all. SC brings a lot more of a total package to the team.

6) Insert some plays for Dendy when he is in there. Plays that take advantage of his specific skills. He is not Lucca, SC, MG, or anyone else. You can't expect him to just plug into the same plays.

7) Work the ball inside more to MG and Hamilton and JVB when he is in there, but he doesn't seem to want to stay there. Thinks he is a European player I guess, since he played in a foreign country.

8) Stop the dribbling around at the top of the key! If you are not driving, then stop dribbling and start working the offense! Seems DG dribbles around for 15 to 20 seconds before starting the play. Ridiculous! Teach the team to pass crisply. Make 4 quick, crisp passes minimum before a shot can be taken. Make the players watch the movie "Hoosiers" at least twice a week until they get the message about passing.

9) Play Buckley. You call Colvin out, yet a player that has been here a couple of years, and got quite a bit of playing time last year gets virtually none this year? Is he doing something wrong? How does that look to the other younger players on your team? Is there really any reason for them to put in the effort and work hard if they are just going to sit on the bench like DB?

10) Realize that yes, your team will look good in practice. THEY ARE PLAYING AGAINST YOUR DEFENSE! I'm sure CB is a strong re-bounder in practice and Lucca probably makes 75 per cent of his 3's. The trick is to do that same thing against other teams in a game situation.

11) Be sure all players know what is expected from them in a game. If they do not give you what is expected, then they ride the bench.....no ifs, ands or buts. If CB is not doing his job in the game, bench him. You don't think that would send a message? If someone is screwing around in practice, send them back to their apartment, or dorm room. Exercise some discipline because it is pretty clear from how they play that this team has none. It also shows when they are warming up before the game, having dunk contests and one-on-one games. WTF?

12) You have the most talent by far that you have had since you have been here. If you can't win this year and get to the NCAA in your 4th year, then be a man and realize you are not capable of coaching in the Big 12, step down and go back to coaching a mid-major somewhere. ISU fans have been patient long enough with this nonsense. Most D-1 coaches will make at least the NIT, if not the NCAA in their first 4 years. Most definitely would make it if they had the talent you have on this team. CB was a 1st team all-Big 12 pick by the coaches in the pre-season. MG was new-comer of the year. Yet, ISU was picked 8th. What does that tell that your peers think of your coaching abilities?

There.......I've vented.

 

[scyclonekid]

Stop being a players coach tell them this is how I run things do not like it someone else will take your place. No room for whiners in the Big Twelve if that is the case, shape up or ship out.

 

[scyclonekid]

Colvin is in no position to be crying for playing time and causing problems he keeps it up I would bench his butt period. That is not why you are here, Colvin will get his time, but you have to earn it first, prime example Phillip Bates. Play your team players and motivaters period.