(POST-GAME) @DePaul, Sun. Mar. 3, Noon, FS-1 / 970 AM

Well, I can't say I am surprised. This team has been playing itself out of the Tournament for a few weeks now. Now don't get me wrong. I like the guys on our team. They all seem like good kids and I have enjoyed cheering for them. However, a few things (many in fact) should have been addressed a long time ago.
1- Certain players have gotten way to comfortable with loose play. Careless passes (cross court??) and treating the ball like possession doesn't matter. No basketball discipline whatsoever.
2- Someone should be coaching them as to what a shot is. Just watch some of the "attempts" by Simon and to a lesser extent Figueroa. Bad shots are really just turnovers. I don't see any accountability. Coaches? Teammates? This is not about kids and/or a style. Watch other teams. The best teams value each possession.
3- Defense. No way should this kid from DePaul be allowed to score 43 points. That is pathetic. We have too many good athletes to allow someone to be wide open, time after time after time. Also, how many stupid and asinine fouls must we commit?
I won't get dragged into coaching changes and all that as it doesn't help in season. Yet another change also signals yet another 3 or 4 years of excuses for another guy. I am mystified as to where we go from here.
 
It's games like this make me wish I was I was not so invested in the success of this team.
Fans are great, this site is more than you could wish for, the coverage here superb. I just wish we had a vote in who the coach should be.
 
Any truth to Mullin stepping down after this year, regardless of outcome? A lot of rumors going around on social media.
 
[quote="sjc88" post=327525]Well, I can't say I am surprised. This team has been playing itself out of the Tournament for a few weeks now. Now don't get me wrong. I like the guys on our team. They all seem like good kids and I have enjoyed cheering for them. However, a few things (many in fact) should have been addressed a long time ago.
1- Certain players have gotten way to comfortable with loose play. Careless passes (cross court??) and treating the ball like possession doesn't matter. No basketball discipline whatsoever.
2- Someone should be coaching them as to what a shot is. Just watch some of the "attempts" by Simon and to a lesser extent Figueroa. Bad shots are really just turnovers. I don't see any accountability. Coaches? Teammates? This is not about kids and/or a style. Watch other teams. The best teams value each possession.
3- Defense. No way should this kid from DePaul be allowed to score 43 points. That is pathetic. We have too many good athletes to allow someone to be wide open, time after time after time. Also, how many stupid and asinine fouls must we commit?
I won't get dragged into coaching changes and all that as it doesn't help in season. Yet another change also signals yet another 3 or 4 years of excuses for another guy. I am mystified as to where we go from here.[/quote]



You talk about accountability. How about our guys continuing to get technicals. Don't seem to worry about any discipline from Mullin.
 
[quote="Adam" post=327530]Any truth to Mullin stepping down after this year, regardless of outcome? A lot of rumors going around on social media.[/quote]



Sounds good to me.
 
[quote="Adam" post=327530]Any truth to Mullin stepping down after this year, regardless of outcome? A lot of rumors going around on social media.[/quote]

I have long thought this to be the case and I am guilty of posting it here with no direct knowledge or source. We can only wait and see.
 
[quote="JackofVirginia" post=327532][quote="sjc88" post=327525]Well, I can't say I am surprised. This team has been playing itself out of the Tournament for a few weeks now. Now don't get me wrong. I like the guys on our team. They all seem like good kids and I have enjoyed cheering for them. However, a few things (many in fact) should have been addressed a long time ago.
1- Certain players have gotten way to comfortable with loose play. Careless passes (cross court??) and treating the ball like possession doesn't matter. No basketball discipline whatsoever.
2- Someone should be coaching them as to what a shot is. Just watch some of the "attempts" by Simon and to a lesser extent Figueroa. Bad shots are really just turnovers. I don't see any accountability. Coaches? Teammates? This is not about kids and/or a style. Watch other teams. The best teams value each possession.
3- Defense. No way should this kid from DePaul be allowed to score 43 points. That is pathetic. We have too many good athletes to allow someone to be wide open, time after time after time. Also, how many stupid and asinine fouls must we commit?
I won't get dragged into coaching changes and all that as it doesn't help in season. Yet another change also signals yet another 3 or 4 years of excuses for another guy. I am mystified as to where we go from here.[/quote]
You talk about accountability. How about our guys continuing to get technicals. Don't seem to worry about any discipline from Mullin.[/quote]
Jack, I could only fit the lowest of the low points in one post. Not enough space here. Everyone (most?) seem to ignore the basic fundamental flaws when this team was winning. My guess is there are many coaches and people who teach basketball on here and they must die a thousand deaths watching this team kill itself. Damn, this school is in NY (defense?/fundamentals) and the lack of attention to the details is driving me crazy. CM lived it and....shouldn't the team be a reflection of the coach?
 
[quote="MJDinkins" post=327396][quote="SLYFOXX1968" post=327392][quote="MJDinkins" post=327384][quote="SLYFOXX1968" post=327378][quote="Mean Gene" post=327296]What will it take for these guys to feel totally embarrassed by their performance? The problem is the team has taken on the personality of their coach. Laid back we’ll get’em next time attitude. This team lacks Balls!! Plain and simple. You guys like Artest, Grant, Glover and Postell would ever allow themselves to be pushed around like this. That team didn’t have a lot of size either but they had balls!![/quote]. You forgot Erick Barkley, arguably , one of the best PG to play his 2 years for us . And Reggie Jessie. . This team has No Barkley . That team had 3 NBA players , Artest, Barkley and Postell. This team , likely just 1 .That team had way more talent . Also too, I and many others overrated the individual talent of this team . Our 5 Starters all have various good skills but, each one has weakness too. The weaknesses at the Individual level then added up to Team Weakness and the pluses were not enough to offset being more than a hopefully .500 team . Of course, Mullin will receive all the blame but, the Players have to be responsible too. But, doubt many posters will ea t to hold the Players accountable . I don’t want to add up the individual Weaknesses because it involves naming that player . The more Astute posters know the weaknesses of each player . Remember too, BE Coaches had us as a 4 or 5 th place team , which is about where we are . It’s disappointing to accept that fate but, it’s really pretty correct .[/quote]

What does having NBA talent has to do with gumption and balls? None! Talent? Yes. But not gumption and gonads.

This team was picked anywhere from 2nd-4th by MOST prognosticators. You were also one of the posters hollerin' this was one of our best teams in many years, but now moving the goalposts when your predictions are going down the toilet. All to not admit you were wrong. But more importantly, to not place any blame on Mullin.[/quote]. You must have not been watching . But, who cares what you think . Anyway, I did confess to wrong predictions in the preseason .. I also missed the Yanks in the World Series and the Giants in the playoffs ..Guilty . I would look up your predictions , if you made any but, I don’t care about your predictions . I know you delight in trashing Mullin . If that makes you a big man , go ahead . BE Coaches had us 4 th , not 2 Nd like you said . You forgot too, the Artest, Barckly had courage and Balls too . Plus more talent .[/quote]

You're FOS and don't know shite. Most things you say hardly makes sense and usually lack any logic.

I said MOST prognosticators had us between 2nd-4th. Trashing on Mullin.... More stupidity. You call it trashing while I call it critiquing. I'm not blinded. I'm actually an optimistic person, but I won't close my eyes to what I'm witnessing. Just keep moving the goalposts and talking foolishness. That kinda stuff is your wheelhouse.

If you wanna know about my predictions.... Ask Maher my predictions. He can tell you.[/quote] Dinkins definitely been cautious for a long time. Even when things were going well when we would text he was happy for the wins but cautious would be an understatement probably
 
Many of us are seeing the same signs we saw when Lav was on the ropes.

1. Lack of development if not regression of players
2. Only recruiting mostly athletes instead of basketball players
3. Freestyle play on offense with no real system
4. Recruiting is poor
5. Scratching and scraping even with greatly talented teams to either barely make the tourney or to miss it

You just watch the games and you can see our players are not motivated...Ponds sleepwalks through many games, some of these guys are up at 3 AM on social media the night before games, coaching isn't anywhere near where it needs to be, etc. When we get scared to play DePaul, you know something ain't right. I got the feeling with Lav teams that anyone in the country could beat us and that we would never put it all together. I feel the same way about us now with Mullin unfortunately. No one wanted it to work more than me, but you have to know when to cut your losses and get fresh blood.
 
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[quote="Knight" post=327529]It's games like this make me wish I was I was not so invested in the success of this team.
Fans are great, this site is more than you could wish for, the coverage here superb. I just wish we had a vote in who the coach should be.[/quote]
Get your point about being invested. It's like we have no choice or it's an addiction. It's like being stuck in a bad marriage or in a bad job.
 
[quote="MJDinkins" post=327331]1-7 against any team with any decent sized bigs (Georgetown, Xavier, Providence, DePaul and Duke). Most haven't been close games, either.[/quote]

The committee looks at stuff like that, which means that if we made the tournament as a middle-ish seed they'd figure out a way to send us to get beaten on by Tennessee in a potential second round matchup. If we played the way we should have, they would have found a way to send Daum and South Dakota State our way in the first round.
 
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[quote="Adam" post=327385]Lol. Hard to even care at this point.[/quote]

Man, what a kick in the balls it would be to miss the tournament after all your NET work.:lol:
 
[quote="MarkRedman" post=327521]Why are we comparing Lavin, Roberts and Mullin?[/quote]

Exactly. At this point we should compare Mullin to potential successors. Will an Oats do a better job with next year's roster than a Mullin? I'm sure there are others, but he's my default mid-major guy.
 
Must say, CM's post game comments are disturbing as they have become more and more dismissive and disconnected. Comments like "Don't ask me" or "I can't explain" or "you have to ask someone else" seems to be laying his frustrations with the players out there and kind of throwing them under the bus.

That speaks of a guy who as many have noted, maybe can't relate to the talent deficiencies or lapses of college athletes.

But, maybe that's just his general demeanor, akin to his on-court demeanor.

Bears watching and concern.
 
[quote="redmanwest" post=327575]Must say, CM's post game comments are disturbing as they have become more and more dismissive and disconnected. Comments like "Don't ask me" or "I can't explain" or "you have to ask someone else" seems to be laying his frustrations with the players out there and kind of throwing them under the bus.

That speaks of a guy who as many have noted, maybe can't relate to the talent deficiencies or lapses of college athletes.

But, maybe that's just his general demeanor, akin to his on-court demeanor.

Bears watching and concern.[/quote]

Could be totally wrong and totally going off gut here, but he doesn't seem totally committed and he seems to be tiring of this role. Everyone hates losing but he HATES it. The refs have been under his skin to no end, recruits don't care who he is for the most part, he's leaving for extended periods of time, his comments make it seem like he's at his wits end, etc. Can anyone really say he gives a good indication he's fully committed at this point? I was ready to run through a wall after his introductory press conference saying he will knock down all the NYC area HS gym doors for recruits. Now I just roll my eyes. I believe we are back to being 30+ games under .500 in conference play. Yes I repeat it but it's for emphasis, because I'm not sure some truly realize how bad that is. If he were 10 games under that would be really bad. 30 games under or more is atrocious and puts us in a conversation with DePaul competitively. Just can't see him going through another year of this with all the frustration and the difficulty this has caused his family.
 
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redmanwest wrote: Must say, CM's post game comments are disturbing as they have become more and more dismissive and disconnected. Comments like "Don't ask me" or "I can't explain" or "you have to ask someone else" seems to be laying his frustrations with the players out there and kind of throwing them under the bus.

That speaks of a guy who as many have noted, maybe can't relate to the talent deficiencies or lapses of college athletes.

But, maybe that's just his general demeanor, akin to his on-court demeanor.

Bears watching and concern.

I couldn't agree more. Quotes like the one below from yesterday's media conference can't exactly inspire confidence in his team that their coach has a plan to turn things around.
On if he could explain why the momentum shifted in DePaul’s favor…
“No. It’s mysterious. I thought the momentum changed and we got back into the game. I thought it was one of our better starts to a game all year. We just weren’t able to maintain it.”
 
I don’t think CM doesn’t care or that he is done, I read his comments as him being at a complete loss to explain what is going on. Not saying that’s a good thing... it ain’t, just saying that’s what I think is going on with him.
 
[quote="JohnnyFan" post=327535][quote="Adam" post=327530]Any truth to Mullin stepping down after this year, regardless of outcome? A lot of rumors going around on social media.[/quote]

I have long thought this to be the case and I am guilty of posting it here with no direct knowledge or source. We can only wait and see.[/quote]

I'm in this same boat. No direct knowledge but somehow get that sense.
 
[quote="Monte" post=327597]I don’t think CM doesn’t care or that he is done, I read his comments as him being at a complete loss to explain what is going on. Not saying that’s a good thing... it ain’t, just saying that’s what I think is going on with him.[/quote]

Well if the head coach can't explain what is going on who can? If he has no idea what is going on he certainly is not going to be able to fix it. Seems pretty obvious to me that no matter how many years he is given he simply doesn't get it.
 
I thought a nice late-season wrinkle we implemented yesterday - perhaps to show a new look seeing a team for a second time - was not offensive rebounding and somehow still getting beaten in transition the other direction for easy buckets. I was under impression those were close to mutually exclusive, very impressive to be able to execute on that, especially with a short turnaround for a key road game.

Perhaps reflective of the depth of college coaching experience of everyone on the staff DOBO and above - sans Matt, zero years combined for the other 4 individuals. High major D1 staff, 4/5 in their first college coaching stint.

Despite that inexperience it's not all good or bad and there has been a lot of good particularly this year. But man, days like yesterday that inexperience is really pronounced.

DePaul entered the game 13-13/5-10, on a 4 game losing streak and in sole possession of last place in the conference. In the last ~34 minutes they went 86-65. That's close to a wire to wire blowout.

Which happens. What happens less is allowing that to happen with few if any identifiable adjustments besides playing the end of the bench more minutes largely due to foul trouble and ineffectiveness.

How do you let Strus - a nice player, but not what he did yesterday - go for 43 on 22 shots without at least showing him something besides different individual defenders? Maybe a hard trap every time he gets it? A few possessions of zone? Can one time, as DePaul runs him off dozens of screens, the guy guarding the screener get a real chip to run Strus off his course, and when that person happens to be Keita or Roberts or Earlington they can take a hard clean foul just so Strus doesn't feel like he can run around freely like it's a summer pick-up game?

Maybe trying any of that or something else impacts the outcome not at all. But at least you tried. And what is extra confounding about this particular bit is that it shouldn't be about coaching inexperience. I can't imagine Mullin or Richmond the players letting Max Strus go for 43 without making him work for it more, maybe even pay for it.

And it's not like our guys don't play hard! They play so hard. But there is such a lack of discipline and so much game-to-game inconsistency, something just doesn't seem to fundamentally translate from staff to players. It's almost illogical at this point. And that seems to largely contribute to these volatile performances let alone results. Weird season.
 
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