KAEO: Tyler Bergantino

[natwam2547]

Daniel Malone ‏@Daniel_Malone 14h14 hours ago
DK benched Bergantino tonight after 2 minutes for not coming up with loose balls: "He’s my senior big guy and I have expectations for him."

This pisses me off to no end. We all agree TB's game is limited, and some here think he's not even a D1 player, but to make him out to be a scapegoat in this type of game and only give him 2 minutes for this "reason" is such bullshit. Maybe bench Clark when he doesn't hustle or sulks, maybe bench Coleman because his defense is atrocious right now. T-berg put up an awful shot last night and I kind of laughed at how awful it was but to see this in print is so ass backwards it infuriates me. Pick on the guy with the limited game to the media and only give him 2 minutes in a game that was never close....

[inthescoop]

Not really a scapegoat, no one would have even known about this quote if you didn't post it.

He's a senior and he does nothing for the team, why not call him out? It doesn't matter if he's a freshmen or a senior at this point, we need the best players on the court plain and simple.

[mlaconte459]

He is a preferred walk on talent thet is taking up a scholarship.. Is what it is.. But I think DK should call out himself before ever calling out a player

[Roadtrip]

^Yeah, like that is ever going to happen. Nothing is DK's fault, just ask him.

[Kelz626]

yet another bonehead move by a moron coach...T-Berg is what he is, a bum and now you're going to call him out for it? Clark get free reign to take whatever shots he wants whenever he wants, which, when he hasn't taken a shot in 90 seconds or so winds but being a defended 3 or a reckless drive in the lane throwing up a shot that has no chance...but don't call him out for being a prima donna. Trey launches horrendous 30 footers...but don't call him out for taking terrible shots. DK yet again proving he's in over his head.

[natwam2547]

^ That is more or less what I was getting at. T-Berg is what he is. There's just no need to call him out over a 33 point loss in the media. He almost never does it to other players. I just feel his frustration was misdirected. The 8th/9th guy on your team not getting to some loose balls isn't what cost the team.

[NilesGold]

^ People on here love to pile on DK. DK didn't throw TBerg under the bus, the media asked him why TBerg played so few minutes and he answered the question. Move on.

[Uminuteman]

^ People on here love to pile on DK. DK didn't throw TBerg under the bus, the media asked him why TBerg played so few minutes and he answered the question. Move on.

Wrong! He did throw him under the bus. He could have said that Space was in better shape than he anticipated and was playing well...or Malik showed a little more spark than he did against UNO. But he didn't. He blamed the player.

How about blaming himself for having a 400lbs guy try and guard a very good inside/outside big straight up. Or not having an effective zone (or 2!) ready. We're lucky Cooley didn't run every play to Bentil in the corner while Hollaway was in (as he should have), because he would have scored every single time and we would have lost by 50.

[natwam2547]

^ People on here love to pile on DK. DK didn't throw TBerg under the bus, the media asked him why TBerg played so few minutes and he answered the question. Move on.

Sorry Niles, I'm not going to "move on". It's a message board. I saw the quote and was pissed. I'm hardly a DK basher on this site BTW so I wouldn't consider it piling on. The question could have been answered a different way in my opinion. Last year T-Berg averaged 9 minutes a game. And yes to this point in the season, he's played more, but with Space back it's easy to see why his minutes would decrease.

[NilesGold]

^ You're pissed off to no end (your words) because the coach answered the question honestly. To me, it sounds like you just want to complain about something that DK did.

[Jackson96]

Wow. That answer has got folks' panties in a bunch? That was not throwing someone under the bus (one of the most overused phrases in recent years). It was matter of fact, not malicious, and honest. It wasnt even very pointed. No idea what is wrong with that. Perhaps it will serve as motivation.

Anywho, just my two cents.

[natwam2547]

I'm not going to sit here and get drastic and say that DK is blaming the loss on T-Berg or that he is "throwing him under the bus". I understand it was a simple question and he gave his answer. It's not like he got up there and just started railing away at T-Berg. I just feel it could have been answered differently. Like I said he hardly ever talks about his players like that and T-Berg is who he is. A bit player who played a little bit because his game is limited. I'm inclined to my opinion, and some disagree in this case. I'm cool with that.

[Floyd]

Who recruited TBerg? Umass, right? If people say he's limited or borderline d1, that's the recruiters fault. Kid has been a good student, rep for the school, and good community kid. If you're offered a scholarship and you take it, and do all they ask of you, what more can you do? If he's not as talented as they thought on the court, they misread the talent. It's just another excuse

[69MG]

I have a question for all of the DK bashers who have repeatedly asked why DK doesn't yank someone and put his behind on the bench when they make bad plays. He did it and now you're complaining because he admitted that he did it? I don't want to hear about Donte, because he makes 10 good plays for every bad play and with this level of talent he needs to be on the floor. Yes, better players are treated differently than mediocre players. It happens on every team in every sport.

[Floyd]

69, then I call that a token move if it's done that way. Sending a "message" to your 10th man doesn't do anything to 1-9. It's more meaningful if it's done to your best players when necessary