Serious Question

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uz2b-len
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Re: Serious Question

Post by uz2b-len » Wed Jan 22, 2020 10:57 am

Roadtrip wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2020 10:20 am Probably because McCall saw the fundamentals being taught, but he did not have to learn them. You learn by doing.
This sounds reasonable but doesn't always hold true as per this article. How about Mark Few, for example?
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-baske ... basketball
In addition to the guys mentioned in this article, you can add Bruce Pearl to this list. (It's a list of successful coaches, not virtuous ones.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Pearl
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Re: Serious Question

Post by minutefanjsf » Wed Jan 22, 2020 4:21 pm

InnervisionsUMASS wrote: Wed Jan 22, 2020 8:12 am I find it hard to believe that McCall doesn't teach/work on fundamentals in practice. I didn't buy it that DK was not teaching/working on fundamentals either. I get that their philosophies might be/have been more "let the players play" during the games, but in my mind that should lead to more time for fundamentals in practice. What the hell is going on during practice time if fundamentals are not a major part?
You're right. We don't know for sure what is being done in practice. In games they do not look fundamentally sound, however. Not sure if they are missing the lessons or the lessons themselves are wrong.

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Re: Serious Question

Post by 69MG » Thu Jan 23, 2020 10:58 am

Does anybody know what Paul Cormier does? Does anyone think he has added any value to the team? I'm not knocking him because he is in the shadows and we can't see what he does, but he was supposed to be the guy who helps MM become a better coach. That hasn't happened.

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Re: Serious Question

Post by Juice Stand » Thu Jan 23, 2020 12:04 pm

^ I've been wondering the same thing

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Re: Serious Question

Post by uz2b-len » Thu Jan 23, 2020 12:43 pm

Regarding fundamentals, I can't believe how they give up lay-ups. McCall says "We can't guard anyone off the bounce." But where I grew up playing, i.e., NYC playgrounds, the older guys would yell at the young'ns, "Don't give the baseline! No baseline!" We would never get picked for a team if we gave up the kind of lay-ups that Green scored last night. Yeah, you over play that side just a little and force them to the middle where it's a tougher play and maybe even there's some help.
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Re: Serious Question

Post by fenway617 » Thu Jan 23, 2020 3:19 pm

I'm hanging my hat on their are a young team, only one senior who is a role player that gets about 10 min a game. Their freshman and sophomores play a ton so getting the experience this season will help next season and beyond. It is the first full year McCall has had all his own players so allowing a learning curve is not unreasonable. There probably will be some defections from the current roster but if they bring back the core players who are regularly in the rotation they should be better next season.

But next season has to be better, they need to get up in the top tier of the A10 and be very competitive in conference play. If by year four under McCall they are still win one game for every three losses and have disjointed game plans, players freelancing and unable to defend in the half court McCall will start feeling some stronger heat. Especially after he fired all his assistants after last season to recharge the team with new vision & focus. If the losses keep piling up next season along with attendance continuing to decline at the Mullins Center a full reset may happen again.

But I'm in the lets wait and see the growth they have next season and go from there. I'm cautiously optimistic for 20/21.
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Re: Serious Question

Post by 69MG » Thu Jan 23, 2020 4:25 pm

fenway617 wrote: Thu Jan 23, 2020 3:19 pm But I'm in the lets wait and see the growth they have next season and go from there. I'm cautiously optimistic for 20/21.
Sadly, I have started thinking more about next year than the rest of this year. Maybe it's to help keep my sanity. Here are a few of the reasons I hold out some hope for next year. I'm omitting the obvious "the freshmen will get better from year 1 to year 2". I am also totally leaving out "coaching" and hoping for the best.
. TJ comes back healthy and is as good as he was this year.
. Femi signs with us and between he and Javohn we have our PG of the future and some depth at the position.
. We sign a big to back up Tre who can give us rebounding and defense. Any offense will be an improvement over what we have now.
. Cairo gives us a 6'5 wing who can slash and finish at the rim.

That gives us 4 new players to replace Djery, Sy and 2 projected transfers. As long as we keep Tre, Carl and Samba, does it matter which 2 players transfer? It's my guess that none of the Woodstock guys leave. So that leaves Keon, CJ, Sean, Buggs and Kolton. I don't mean to be harsh, but if we get Femi how much will we miss any 2 of these 4?

For those who have not seen it, here's a very encouraging post on Javohn from an NBA draft analyst:
https://twitter.com/sammazz3/status/1220434346219171840

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Re: Serious Question

Post by bunkerhill87 » Fri Jan 24, 2020 7:09 am

Im amazed that Anthony Grant and McCall come from the same background. Of course Topin is a once in a decade player but Tre can be a special player too. Interesting video here you would think McCall would have brought some of this with him from his Florida years. That's who Dayton reminds of
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT8ozvg ... e=youtu.be

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Re: Serious Question

Post by eldonabe » Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:14 am

Just reread this thread... Are you all now at a safe distance away from the ledge?

This team still has a really long way to go, but for the sake of sanity, I am glad they have revealed a few green shoots recently to settle some nerves.


For the record, with at least 6 games left on the schedule, this team has matched last year's win total. They still have at least 3 winnable games. If they can win just two of those, it will match the win total from 2 years ago.

Considering the fact that they rolled a lot of people out and are putting one of the youngest teams in D1 on the court this season, I would consider that a substantial victory. I think most would also agree that the last few games have shown overall improvements in a number of areas including defense and mixing up lineups.

I am hardly standing here saying I told you so; it is still much to soon to claim right or wrong yet. I would, however, suggest that MM has earned some breathing room from those heading the lynch mob for the moment.

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Re: Serious Question

Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:20 am

This is where I had hoped they would be last season. Middle of the road and playing better down the stretch. It didn't work out then but I had the same expectation going into this year and it's (finally) going as planned. There was never a reason to be on the ledge and I'm still baffled people may have been.
Stop waiting for UMass to do something big and help UMass do something big. - Shades

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Re: Serious Question

Post by minutefanjsf » Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:21 am

They are doing things right. Focused on defense. Not turning the ball over, and the passes are much more crisp. McCall also has changed the rotations and is playing kids who are injecting energy. Seems he has even realized Pierre can be pulled at times after last night.

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Re: Serious Question

Post by Roadtrip » Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:33 am

Did anyone else notice that Tony B looked absolutely miserable on the bench last night?

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Re: Serious Question

Post by 69MG » Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:37 am

Here's a serious question. When was the last time we saw this team playing better at the end of the conference schedule than at the beginning? Starting with Duquesne, we have played well in 6 games and only had 1 clunker (Davidson). Now we just have to learn from yesterday on how to close out games.

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Re: Serious Question

Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:40 am

69MG wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:37 am Here's a serious question. When was the last time we saw this team playing better at the end of the conference schedule than at the beginning?
1996?
Stop waiting for UMass to do something big and help UMass do something big. - Shades

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Re: Serious Question

Post by LS71 » Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:58 am

^^ Although UMass was 4-4 in February, 2001 their season ended in the A10-Championship game.

In February of 2008, UMass ended the regular season wit a 6-game winning streak. Although they lost their first game in the A-10 tournament, they proceeded to get to the NIT final
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