2020-21 Season

[Roadtrip]

Hey Len, you're supposed to wait until the bus gets here before you throw the guy under it. But yeah, you are about right.

[Floyd]

Jeez len, you've been a ball of positivity lately huh?

Lots of coaches have connections thru relationships with other coaches. TB has been pretty successful so I'd say bringing him aboard was a smart move by MM. I know you're a diehard UMass fan, so why the pessimism? Not meant to be snarky, just curious

[JoleonLescottsHair]

I’ll be snarky if Floyd isn’t going to be.

I think what is important to take away from Len’s tack sharp analysis is that head coaches don’t control their own programs and make decisions. None. McCall doesn’t work with the staff and AD and he played no role in determining overall program direction. Moreover, the decision to establish a Woodstock pipeline is just something that fell into place. Mitchell is great and could have gone many places, but he chose UMass and to play for McCall because, well, only McCall was willing to hire his “mom’s partner.” TB brings nothing else to the program. And, for his part, UMass legend Ty Weeks sent his kid to UMass to play for McCall just because. If you just magically “take away” a key player from the actual roster to fit a hypothetical, well, it doesn’t look good. Hard to argue with that. Hell, Marcus Camby and all that talent Calipari “didn’t really recruit” (did you know that there is an epidemic in college hoops of lead recruiters that head coaches don’t actually hire, work with, or influence?) hadn’t gone to UMass, Cal probably wouldn’t have gone to the final four. Bottom line in college hoops? Any success one might have is either from being a master X and O guy or the result of stumbling across good players (usually “someone else’s” players.) Nothing in between. No nuance, no planning, no program building, no context. Just sort of happens and it rarely, if ever, has much to do with the head coach. Kind of like the business world or any other institution people here might be involved in.

[Upstate10]

Good news!!!

Fight Massachusetts
@FightMA247
57m
Certainly a move that makes sense for UMass, and it turns out it will be their 2nd season in a row with an MTE at Mohegan
The MTE will give UMass 2-3 more OOC games to add to what will be a Northeast-centric non-conference schedule this season
Quote Tweet

Jon Rothstein
@JonRothstein
· 59m
Source: UMass will participate in an early season MTE at Mohegan Sun. Dates and matchups are TBD. Minutemen were initially in the Jamaica Classic.

Syracuse is also likely playing in an MTE at Mohegan Sun. Virginia Tech, too

[eldonabe]

It occurred to me this morning that this year and possibly next will be the pinnacle of Matt McCall's coaching career. I don't mean at UMass but his entire coaching career. That's a pretty presumptuous thing to say about a young guy so early in his career, but I don't see where he's shown much in any aspect of his job. He's gonna have a very competitive team this year because of talent that he didn't really recruit. Obviously, Tre Mitchell is the main component, and we know how he got here. Acquiring a super-talent by hiring his mom's partner is something you can pull off once, maybe twice, in a whole career. If the team is really successful this year, as I expect they will be, it will also be because TJ weeks continues his dynamic play we saw last fall. TJ is another rare find for McCall, a legacy guy who has a lot of lifetime connections to family in Springfield. Take away those two guys and you have a roster that would be fighting to avoid a bottom-four finish in the a10. My favorite player from the current recruiting class, Ronnie DeGray, really wants to be in Colorado. If he takes off in his first year or two here, he could very well transfer out there.

As far as other aspects of coaching, even with Tre, UMass ranked 10th in offense in the a10 last year. Even more concerning, 13th in defense. There's no excuse for finishing that low in defense. Also, 12th in offensive rebounding, 9th in defensive. These things are a matter of knowing what to do and doing it. They are all about coaching. How about player development? Didn't happen for Samba Diallo. And Carl Pierre, what the heck happened with his 3pt shooting? Tre Wood? Sy Chatman? I used to be afraid that McCall would be successful and leave. Now, it seems inevitable to me. He'd be a fool not to leave when Tre leaves, if he can get even a small step up. It won't be a big loss to us when he does. However, I'm still gonna enjoy these next two years with Tre and TJ.

Sheesh... I think I am going to go home and kick my dog after work.............

[uz2b-len]

Hey, I'm not pessimistic about the future of our program. (At least no more than I have been for the last 10 years.) I'm pessimistic about Matt McCall's career. I think the next two years are gonna be great, due to the talent McCall lucked into. Then, who knows? McCall will/should leave for a better job, and maybe we'll finally get the great coach we deserve. (Deserve?) I probably should have put these thoughts into a different thread or even made a new thread called "Matt McCall's Future."

[InnervisionsUMASS]

[rayers]

Maybe McCall will learn and grow enough as a coach during the next couple of years to be a top level coach. It could happen!?!

[69MG]

I probably should have put these thoughts into a different thread or even made a new thread called "Matt McCall's Future."

The future starts now! I'm looking at this season to see if MM has improved his weak areas just as the coaching staff tries to do with individual players. I guess I'm looking at it the same way as Rayers does.

[uz2b-len]

Right now I see the situation as like DK getting to the big dance with Chaz. But at least DK got Chaz on his own.

[Tman1319]

Right now I see the situation as like DK getting to the big dance with Chaz. But at least DK got Chaz on his own.

The responses to this should be fun! I appreciate you, Len!

[JoleonLescottsHair]

...But at least DK got Chaz on his own.

Or, according to your logic, maybe DK just got “lucky” that Tom Pecora left Hofstra and he had Jackson and Ginsburg on staff? Either way, you appear obsessed with the idea that McCall has nothing to do with his own program. It would be interesting (or not) to know what you do for a living and whether you make actual decisions or have responsibilities.

[69MG]

^ I'll start since I my be the cause of this discussion. At any rate, at least we're talking about BB rather than all of the other crap going on.

MM got Santos on 11/15/18. That was our first Woodstock connection.

(Get ready for "fake news") We got Tre and TJ on 4/17/19. We didn't get Bergeron until 6/28/19 so that must mean that MM got them on his own.

[UMassfan_19]

^ I'll start since I my be the cause of this discussion. At any rate, at least we're talking about BB rather than all of the other crap going on.

MM got Santos on 11/15/18. That was our first Woodstock connection.

(Get ready for "fake news") We got Tre and TJ on 4/17/19. We didn't get Bergeron until 6/28/19 so that must mean that MM got them on his own.

We were getting Tj much liked we got Preston with or with out Bergeron

[uz2b-len]

...But at least DK got Chaz on his own.

Or, according to your logic, maybe DK just got “lucky” that Tom Pecora left Hofstra and he had Jackson and Ginsburg on staff? Either way, you appear obsessed with the idea that McCall has nothing to do with his own program. It would be interesting (or not) to know what you do for a living and whether you make actual decisions or have responsibilities.

I have a high level of responsibility at work, involving people's lives. But this here is a different world. At work, exactly because my actions and choices really impact people, I don't make judgments about others but simply try to find how we can work together for a positive outcome. This here is nothing but song and dance, where my actions have no consequences. Except maybe to rile up a few strangers.
edit: Definitely more fun being the riler than the rilee.