It seems to be the opinion of many that a coach could suddenly, as if by magic, teach players to box out, shoot free throws better, etc. These are habits formed since these players first picked up a basketball. They have been through AAU, high school, prep school and junior college coaches, and been through numerous skills clinics as well. Yet these habits still exist. You can't change years of muscle memory and years of poor positioning in a year. Some never get it. Why couldn't Davey Johnson just get Hojo to hit the curveball? It just doesn't work that way. There is also a mistake being made equating our superior athleticism with talent. We have players that are behind on essential skill sets. The great coaches won because they had great players. They coach a system they know. When they get players that already come with the skill sets they are looking for, it works. Maybe not right away, but soon. Is Calipari so much smarter than the average coach? He needed 4 or 5 pros on his team to win his first title.
You win with talent, and we don't have enough of it. No one we flirted with hiring as a coach is better at bringing it than coach Lavin. Our need is better players, not a better strategist on the sidelines.
