Game 15, 2022-23: at GW (1/7)

[BillGASox1]

Nile Gold =

[MakeMullinsGreatAgain]

Frank Martin fucking sucks.

so you will be that guy that when they win Frank is great and when they lose Frank sucks and he's playing his kid too much. Frank is the best coach we have had since Cal. You may not agree with his coaching philosophy but he didn't get to 2 wins shy of 300 because as you say - "he sucks". This team is young and has had only 15 games together so what experience we do have is offset by that. I said 2 weeks ago that we'd be .500 through the first 8-10 games of A-10 play. They still don't play offense without thinking and without Levesques thats a big loss on D around the rim. Kante is good, but he cannot play 30 minutes a game. When he comes out, teams get very easy looks down low. I am confident if they can play .500 for the next 5-6 games things will start to click and they will make a run and be very difficult to beat come late January and into Feb and March.

[jrdupe]

Looks like the kid with the whiteboard caught the wrath of Frank there in that timeout

haha saw that too. There was a chubby kid earlier in the year who had that job - Frank lit into him one game...pretty sure he crapped his pants and I've never seen him since. Hey, these kids are obviously in some kind of sports management or coaching intern program so right now they have one job, clean the whiteboard after time outs and make sure its ready for Frank next TO, if you can't do that, how the heck are you going to be a head coach one day???

[Jack]

haha saw that too. There was a chubby kid earlier in the year who had that job - Frank lit into him one game...pretty sure he crapped his pants and I've never seen him since. Hey, these kids are obviously in some kind of sports management or coaching intern program so right now they have one job, clean the whiteboard after time outs and make sure its ready for Frank next TO, if you can't do that, how the heck are you going to be a head coach one day???

Correct. If you can't clean a white board then you're not Asst Whiteboard Tech. material. Go see if People's Market is hiring.

[Worcester_To_Amherst]

The team sparked optimism by winning the tourney in Myrtle Beach, but they’ve got a long way to go to be contenders. I think there’s a lot of talent on this squad that hasn’t been fully utilized yet. Diggins, Gapare, and Cross could all be contributing a lot more IMO.

I’ll stay patient in year 1 and hope the team has a good run in the A10 tourney.

[vanmeter]

As an FYI - amount of wins in Division 1 does not necessarily make you good or bad. Frank had 297 in 16 + seasons, Steve Lappas had 280 in 17 seasons. Travis Ford has 400 in 23 seasons. (These are division 1 wins).
Not making any comments either ways except to number of wins does not denote how good a coach you are. (Conference you are in amount of losses NCAA appearances etc should all be factored in)

[Berkman]

I have said it before and I will say it again, I think he is playing too many players. IN my opinion he should have 3 regular starters for every game and then use the 2 best players in practice that week with 3 others the best for subs. They don't have to be the same for every game. Using too many players disrupts the rhythm of the game. When it was time for the women's game I just switched and watched them.

[NilesGold]

Frank Martin fucking sucks.

Yikes. A little harsh? The guy is a pretty damn good coach and has the track record to back it up. I've been clear that I don't think Brandon should get more than 5-8 minutes per game, but that's really my only gripe so far.

Care to explain your comment?

The lineups and substitution patterns that Frank is employing are idiotic. He's got a veteran roster with at least two really promising freshmen but it's going to waste right now.

[inthescoop]

Frank Martin fucking sucks.

Yikes. A little harsh? The guy is a pretty damn good coach and has the track record to back it up. I've been clear that I don't think Brandon should get more than 5-8 minutes per game, but that's really my only gripe so far.

Care to explain your comment?

The lineups and substitution patterns that Frank is employing are idiotic. He's got a veteran roster with at least two really promising freshmen but it's going to waste right now.

I feel your frustration, so what are you proposing?

[uz2b-len]

The honeymoon is over.

[Juice Stand]

Frank Martin fucking sucks.

Yikes. A little harsh? The guy is a pretty damn good coach and has the track record to back it up. I've been clear that I don't think Brandon should get more than 5-8 minutes per game, but that's really my only gripe so far.

Care to explain your comment?

The lineups and substitution patterns that Frank is employing are idiotic. He's got a veteran roster with at least two really promising freshmen but it's going to waste right now.

I agree with that and figured that was where you were going. I think it's a bit of a stretch to say he fucking sucks though. Even though I don't like it, I understand why he's doing what he's doing. He's not coaching to win one game today, he's coaching for the season and trying to build a program, and this is the way he thinks he can accomplish that. My concern is not only that we're losing games by playing the wrong guys, but that someone like Gapare might get frustrated with his lack of playing time and decide to play somewhere else. Yesterday sucked, but I'm still optimistic that this team will improve and be formidable in February and March.

[Juice Stand]

^Expanding on my optimism a little bit. I think Tafara is good enough right now to get about 20 minutes. I've been frustrated by his lack of usage, but starting with the Harvard game, he's averaging 15.7 mpg. I'd like to see a few more, but whatever. I disagree with the folks calling for 25+ because there are times when his inexperience gets exposed, but I think that's probably where he should be by February or mid-February. His ability to play consistently will be the key. I think that's what Frank is looking for from him.

Some of the lineups are absolutely wild, but I think every coach struggles with that to some extent. Sometimes the flow of the game gets to you and you put out a lineup that just can't score. Some of the issue right now is that Cross and Diggins are struggling. I think Cross is a beast and will find it, but I'm not sure about Diggins. He had a high recruiting ranking apparently, but that hasn't translated to D1 college ball yet.

This can be a very good team. If Frank's message and methods are effective, these guys can find some consistency in their efforts, and Tafara can continue to be eased into the flow, then I think the stretch run will be very enjoyable.

[stevemaz]

i concur mostly with the lineup situation keeping in mind that his philosophy is to play 10 or 11 guys (this is very common today). But, especially in road games he needs to tighten things up. Just go with the best 7 players, which are in no particular order are Fernandes, Weeks, Cross, Luis, Kante, Gapare, and Dominquez. When Wildens comes back he would make 8 and then just a sprinkle of Martin and Thompson or Diggins.

Yesterday was disappointing, especially because the game was lost in 5-7 minute stretch in the first half. I think the team needs to make adjustments to how they prepare for road games as Frank eluded to in the postgame. They should have won this game.

On another note, they have got to improve on the fastbreak. There were at least 8-10 pts they should have had yesterday.

[Worcester_To_Amherst]

Idk what’s going on with Diggins but this team needs solid minutes from him. Keon is limited at this point and you can’t count on him to be impactful against good teams. Diggins has as much pedigree as anyone on the team and he had some flashes in the first few games, but he’s buried now. His play hasn’t warranted more time but Frank needs to figure out how to get him contributing. Noah needs help.

[Juice Stand]

^Big time. We have an all-league caliber point guard, but he can't play 40 minutes every night and bail this team out. We need a solid backup at that spot. I think Keon is steady, but his shooting is so limited that it's tough to put him out there with certain other offensively-challenged lineups.