Woke up this morning and we are 14-1. Could not help but smile as I thought about posts on the following issues during the summer and fall.
1. We have had 3 losing seasons under this staff, they need to be held accountable. Chris and his staff inherited nothing. The first two seasons were just trying to get a team on the floor. Last year we were 10-2 coming back from Orlando. Then the Marcus Lovett debacle occurred and we went on an 11 game losing streak. Marcus was our second leading scorer and an important part of our team. However, we bounced back to beat Duke and Nova in the same week. This is a credit to the staff because it showed that through the adversity, they held the team together.
2. Our OOC schedule is too weak. Yep, we did not play a difficult schedule. Maybe, just maybe our staff put the schedule together because they knew that while we were going to be talented, it was going to take time to become a cohesive unit. I worked in Health Care as part of a team for over 30 years. I know from personal experience that when people are added or subtracted from the team it takes times for the new members to become acclimated and gain trust. The first 10 games, helped the staff and team form an identity. Except for the last 8 minutes of the Seton Hall game, we dominated games 11 through 14. The experience we gained from playing close games at Barclays, probably helped us yesterday against Georgetown. The team was resilient.
3. Simon and Clark are not playing as well as last year. Their roles changed this year, and they had to adjust. Marvin is playing the 5, and Justin does not have the ball in his hands as much as before. It took time for them to become comfortable in their new roles. If you look at the last few games, they are filling up the stat sheet and helping us win.
4. Transfers and JUCO's, why aren't we getting the high profile recruits? Our transfers and JUCO's happen to be working out very well thank you. Simon and Clark are leaders who not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. They have accepted changes in their roles over the last two years and continue to play hard. I have not heard any negativity from or about either of them. What more can you ask of a player. They both have positioned themselves to make money playing basketball when their college careers are over. Heron is playing well and probably still adjusting to not being the focus of the offense as he was at Auburn. LJ Figueroa has been all that was promised and more. While you could tell about his offense from his JUCO stats, his constant hustle and defensive instincts have been a revelation. Keita got hurt and those on here who questioned his commitment should be ashamed of yourselves. He has shown in limited minutes during the past two games that he has a role on this team and is willing to play it.
5. Trimble and the Freshmen. They ain't ready, what are they contributing? Williams and Trimble contributed to our win yesterday on both sides of the ball. They both play hard and within themselves. They understand their roles on this team. There has not been much opportunity for the other freshmen to play. Let's just be patient and see how it works out.
6. Matt A. only recruits transfers. I have always hated this narrative. How about Matt recruited the players necessary to get us to the point where we are currently 14-1, after literally starting from scratch four years ago. This is a hell of an accomplishment for the staff. Chris has taken a group of diverse players and molded them into a cohesive unit with the assistance of Greg and Mitch.
7. During the game criticism. Why did so and so make that dumb play, what do they do in practice, the coaches must not be teaching them anything. Some of y'all must never have raised kids, lmao, or your kids are perfect and do everything you say without question. My wife and I are raising our granddaughter and I can tell you it is not like that in our home. She is 12 years old, there are times she listens, times she wants to debate, and times that she listens and does it her own way anyhow. What makes you think that college players are any different. They are human, they make mistakes, they try to do things on their own.
8. Shamorie probably has a higher basketball IQ than 99% of the members of this group. However, posters are stating how he should be playing. Maybe he deferred to others by design knowing that he had to get everyone involved because it is a long season and the team is going to need contributions from more than just him. Being a Point Guard is not easy, but he is continuing to evolve right in front of us. Let's just appreciate him.
9. Chris and Staff. The team under their guidance is 14-1. Nuff said.
10. As I said before the beginning of the season, all I can do is say "The Serenity Prayer" and root as hard as I can for our team. I will continue to do this "A Day At A Time". Let's Go Redmen.
1. We have had 3 losing seasons under this staff, they need to be held accountable. Chris and his staff inherited nothing. The first two seasons were just trying to get a team on the floor. Last year we were 10-2 coming back from Orlando. Then the Marcus Lovett debacle occurred and we went on an 11 game losing streak. Marcus was our second leading scorer and an important part of our team. However, we bounced back to beat Duke and Nova in the same week. This is a credit to the staff because it showed that through the adversity, they held the team together.
2. Our OOC schedule is too weak. Yep, we did not play a difficult schedule. Maybe, just maybe our staff put the schedule together because they knew that while we were going to be talented, it was going to take time to become a cohesive unit. I worked in Health Care as part of a team for over 30 years. I know from personal experience that when people are added or subtracted from the team it takes times for the new members to become acclimated and gain trust. The first 10 games, helped the staff and team form an identity. Except for the last 8 minutes of the Seton Hall game, we dominated games 11 through 14. The experience we gained from playing close games at Barclays, probably helped us yesterday against Georgetown. The team was resilient.
3. Simon and Clark are not playing as well as last year. Their roles changed this year, and they had to adjust. Marvin is playing the 5, and Justin does not have the ball in his hands as much as before. It took time for them to become comfortable in their new roles. If you look at the last few games, they are filling up the stat sheet and helping us win.
4. Transfers and JUCO's, why aren't we getting the high profile recruits? Our transfers and JUCO's happen to be working out very well thank you. Simon and Clark are leaders who not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. They have accepted changes in their roles over the last two years and continue to play hard. I have not heard any negativity from or about either of them. What more can you ask of a player. They both have positioned themselves to make money playing basketball when their college careers are over. Heron is playing well and probably still adjusting to not being the focus of the offense as he was at Auburn. LJ Figueroa has been all that was promised and more. While you could tell about his offense from his JUCO stats, his constant hustle and defensive instincts have been a revelation. Keita got hurt and those on here who questioned his commitment should be ashamed of yourselves. He has shown in limited minutes during the past two games that he has a role on this team and is willing to play it.
5. Trimble and the Freshmen. They ain't ready, what are they contributing? Williams and Trimble contributed to our win yesterday on both sides of the ball. They both play hard and within themselves. They understand their roles on this team. There has not been much opportunity for the other freshmen to play. Let's just be patient and see how it works out.
6. Matt A. only recruits transfers. I have always hated this narrative. How about Matt recruited the players necessary to get us to the point where we are currently 14-1, after literally starting from scratch four years ago. This is a hell of an accomplishment for the staff. Chris has taken a group of diverse players and molded them into a cohesive unit with the assistance of Greg and Mitch.
7. During the game criticism. Why did so and so make that dumb play, what do they do in practice, the coaches must not be teaching them anything. Some of y'all must never have raised kids, lmao, or your kids are perfect and do everything you say without question. My wife and I are raising our granddaughter and I can tell you it is not like that in our home. She is 12 years old, there are times she listens, times she wants to debate, and times that she listens and does it her own way anyhow. What makes you think that college players are any different. They are human, they make mistakes, they try to do things on their own.
8. Shamorie probably has a higher basketball IQ than 99% of the members of this group. However, posters are stating how he should be playing. Maybe he deferred to others by design knowing that he had to get everyone involved because it is a long season and the team is going to need contributions from more than just him. Being a Point Guard is not easy, but he is continuing to evolve right in front of us. Let's just appreciate him.
9. Chris and Staff. The team under their guidance is 14-1. Nuff said.
10. As I said before the beginning of the season, all I can do is say "The Serenity Prayer" and root as hard as I can for our team. I will continue to do this "A Day At A Time". Let's Go Redmen.
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