http://www.bcsn.tv/news_article/show/640368

1. On the transfer question, K is on solid ground when he points out that the problem is throughout college basketball. But he says Stuckey is the only transfer he's had who played and would have continued to play. What about the guy from New Mexico who played here for only half a year? Can't remember his name, but he definitely played, and I assume he would have continued to play had he stayed for his senior year.

2. On the question of poor defense, K says that was only a problem last year. I don't think that the Rockets have ever played good defense under this coach.

3. On the question of assistant coaches, he cherry-picks one guy's experience to argue that there is no problem. I have no idea what the average stint of a mid-major assistant coach is, but I'm assuming we're way under the average.

(04-24-2016 05:53 AM)Dwight Wrote:  1. On the transfer question, K is on solid ground when he points out that the problem is throughout college basketball. But he says Stuckey is the only transfer he's had who played and would have continued to play. What about the guy from New Mexico who played here for only half a year? Can't remember his name, but he definitely played, and I assume he would have continued to play had he stayed for his senior year.

2. On the question of poor defense, K says that was only a problem last year. I don't think that the Rockets have ever played good defense under this coach.

3. On the question of assistant coaches, he cherry-picks one guy's experience to argue that there is no problem. I have no idea what the average stint of a mid-major assistant coach is, but I'm assuming we're way under the average.

I can't remember anyone from Mew Mexico. Certainly, Reese Holladay was going to continue to get minutes and he left for Missouri-KC, where he was second on the team in scoring and made the All-Conference Tournament team. He was a grad assistant after graduating. Have to believe he had a role here.

(04-24-2016 05:53 AM)Dwight Wrote:  1. On the transfer question, K is on solid ground when he points out that the problem is throughout college basketball. But he says Stuckey is the only transfer he's had who played and would have continued to play. What about the guy from New Mexico who played here for only half a year? Can't remember his name, but he definitely played, and I assume he would have continued to play had he stayed for his senior year.

2. On the question of poor defense, K says that was only a problem last year. I don't think that the Rockets have ever played good defense under this coach.

3. On the question of assistant coaches, he cherry-picks one guy's experience to argue that there is no problem. I have no idea what the average stint of a mid-major assistant coach is, but I'm assuming we're way under the average.

Curtis Dennis. He left when UT was given the post season ban. He was able to transfer without sitting out a year. But he also used the excuse that he wanted to move closer to home due to family issues. He ended up going to 3 different colleges, and 4 different high schools/prep schools.

(04-24-2016 07:43 AM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  I can't remember anyone from Mew Mexico. Certainly, Reese Holladay was going to continue to get minutes and he left for Missouri-KC, where he was second on the team in scoring and made the All-Conference Tournament team. He was a grad assistant after graduating. Have to believe he had a role here.

Reese initially left UT to attend to personal issues at home in Kansas City. He didn't leave to play basketball anywhere else. But when Coach Thorpe left UT and was hired at UM-KC, Reese decided to continue playing since AT was there.

In what couple sound bites Coach K got, he was asked to reference the past. That's going to always sound like excuse making or picking and choosing. He was't given opportunity, apparently, to address his desires for the future, changes he would make, type of recruits he wants....

In the "I said it" dept., early season threads I said it would be difficult for the Freshmen to handle an entire season not just of basketball, but of college. The end was disappointing but not unfathomable. My approach, take the season as a whole, be happy, look forward to the development.

Defense is a major need and the recruiting news we're getting seems organized around distributing and scoring. Will be have strength in the front court and be able to challenge the ball in the back?

(04-24-2016 08:07 AM)MidnightBlueGold Wrote:  

(04-24-2016 05:53 AM)Dwight Wrote:  1. On the transfer question, K is on solid ground when he points out that the problem is throughout college basketball. But he says Stuckey is the only transfer he's had who played and would have continued to play. What about the guy from New Mexico who played here for only half a year? Can't remember his name, but he definitely played, and I assume he would have continued to play had he stayed for his senior year.

2. On the question of poor defense, K says that was only a problem last year. I don't think that the Rockets have ever played good defense under this coach.

3. On the question of assistant coaches, he cherry-picks one guy's experience to argue that there is no problem. I have no idea what the average stint of a mid-major assistant coach is, but I'm assuming we're way under the average.

Curtis Dennis. He left when UT was given the post season ban. He was able to transfer without sitting out a year. But he also used the excuse that he wanted to move closer to home due to family issues. He ended up going to 3 different colleges, and 4 different high schools/prep schools.

(04-24-2016 07:43 AM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  I can't remember anyone from Mew Mexico. Certainly, Reese Holladay was going to continue to get minutes and he left for Missouri-KC, where he was second on the team in scoring and made the All-Conference Tournament team. He was a grad assistant after graduating. Have to believe he had a role here.

Reese initially left UT to attend to personal issues at home in Kansas City. He didn't leave to play basketball anywhere else. But when Coach Thorpe left UT and was hired at UM-KC, Reese decided to continue playing since AT was there.

Thanks. I honestly STILL don't remember him. The name is familiar and I remember him coming from New Mexico but I don't remember him ever playing. Getting old is so much fun.

(04-24-2016 08:30 AM)eastisbest Wrote:  In what couple sound bites Coach K got, he was asked to reference the past. That's going to always sound like excuse making or picking and choosing. He was't given opportunity, apparently, to address his desires for the future, changes he would make, type of recruits he wants....

In the "I said it" dept., early season threads I said it would be difficult for the Freshmen to handle an entire season not just of basketball, but of college. The end was disappointing but not unfathomable. My approach, take the season as a whole, be happy, look forward to the development.

Defense is a major need and the recruiting news we're getting seems organized around distributing and scoring. Will be have strength in the front court and be able to challenge the ball in the back?

I agree with you about freshmen transitioning to college. It's not playing the sport that is the problem though, imo. These kids play as much with AAU/club ball in high school as they ever will in college. But getting used to the academic rigors/expectations of college is for many something that takes those first 2 semesters.

(04-24-2016 05:53 AM)Dwight Wrote:  1. On the transfer question, K is on solid ground when he points out that the problem is throughout college basketball. But he says Stuckey is the only transfer he's had who played and would have continued to play. What about the guy from New Mexico who played here for only half a year? Can't remember his name, but he definitely played, and I assume he would have continued to play had he stayed for his senior year.

2. On the question of poor defense, K says that was only a problem last year. I don't think that the Rockets have ever played good defense under this coach.

3. On the question of assistant coaches, he cherry-picks one guy's experience to argue that there is no problem. I have no idea what the average stint of a mid-major assistant coach is, but I'm assuming we're way under the average.

Despite the fact that it appears that they haven't played defense at all under Coach K, they were #1 in the MAC in three point defense in 2014-2015.

Assistant coaches have a variety of good reasons for changing jobs. A few more UT examples: Ryan Pedon left for Illinois and is now an assistant at Butler: two bigger name programs than UT. Angres Thorpe's best friend became head coach at UMKC and he wanted to coach with him. Jason Kemp left Saul Phillips' staff at North Dakota State in the Summit League for a step up in the MAC. When Saul left for OU in the MAC, he decided to rejoin his friend.

Dennis played big minutes for that 1/2 season, and was the 2nd leading scorer on the team behind Pearson.

Humes also played big minutes, and although his time would probably have gone down with the 3 transfers coming in, it's hard to imagine he wouldn't still have been a contributor.

(04-24-2016 09:45 AM)northcoastRocket Wrote:  Dennis played big minutes for that 1/2 season, and was the 2nd leading scorer on the team behind Pearson.

Humes also played big minutes, and although his time would probably have gone down with the 3 transfers coming in, it's hard to imagine he wouldn't still have been a contributor.

Didn't Dennis leave to go back home to NY due to the opportunity to leave after NCAA sanctions on Toledo due to prior poor APR? scores when coach K was here only a year or two?

(04-24-2016 01:27 PM)PTLROCK Wrote:  

(04-24-2016 09:45 AM)northcoastRocket Wrote:  Dennis played big minutes for that 1/2 season, and was the 2nd leading scorer on the team behind Pearson.

Humes also played big minutes, and although his time would probably have gone down with the 3 transfers coming in, it's hard to imagine he wouldn't still have been a contributor.

Didn't Dennis leave to go back home to NY due to the opportunity to leave after NCAA sanctions on Toledo due to prior poor APR? scores when coach K was here only a year or two?

You are 100% correct

and played on ncaa tourney team i believe

(04-24-2016 08:53 AM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  

(04-24-2016 08:30 AM)eastisbest Wrote:  In what couple sound bites Coach K got, he was asked to reference the past. That's going to always sound like excuse making or picking and choosing. He was't given opportunity, apparently, to address his desires for the future, changes he would make, type of recruits he wants....

In the "I said it" dept., early season threads I said it would be difficult for the Freshmen to handle an entire season not just of basketball, but of college. The end was disappointing but not unfathomable. My approach, take the season as a whole, be happy, look forward to the development.

Defense is a major need and the recruiting news we're getting seems organized around distributing and scoring. Will be have strength in the front court and be able to challenge the ball in the back?

I agree with you about freshmen transitioning to college. It's not playing the sport that is the problem though, imo. These kids play as much with AAU/club ball in high school as they ever will in college. But getting used to the academic rigors/expectations of college is for many something that takes those first 2 semesters.

Another big issue is dealing with the pressure/consequences of winning and losing. There is none on the AAU level and relatively little at HS. But with standings/tournament seedings/potential byes/multiple rivalries all coming into play in college ... not to mention a coaches job ... that's a lot for freshmen to process/handle while in the midst of it all.

It's why most good contending teams rarely have more than one big freshman contributor ... responsibility for winning is on the veterans.

No wonder more and more teams have a psycologist as part of the coaching staff.

He has done a good job. UT was horrible in many ways before he took the job. We all want a winner and he has done we has had to do to win. Now he is doing what he has to do to win next year. Most coaches juggle their roster every year. Coaches always move on. I like that Hack wrote an article about UT (keep em coming) but there isn't much there.

Now give me an article on the QB situation at UT! Are we gonna go with a talented redshirt and let him develop into all league or a 5th yr guy whom we have already seen what he can do.

Woodside is a Junior and this will be his fourth and not fifth year-although he did graduate early so you may be technically correct about the 5th year--anyhow he has two more years of eligibility since he redshirted last season.

(04-24-2016 08:30 AM)eastisbest Wrote:  In what couple sound bites Coach K got, he was asked to reference the past. That's going to always sound like excuse making or picking and choosing. He was't given opportunity, apparently, to address his desires for the future, changes he would make, type of recruits he wants....

In the "I said it" dept., early season threads I said it would be difficult for the Freshmen to handle an entire season not just of basketball, but of college. The end was disappointing but not unfathomable. My approach, take the season as a whole, be happy, look forward to the development.

Defense is a major need and the recruiting news we're getting seems organized around distributing and scoring. Will be have strength in the front court and be able to challenge the ball in the back?

Very well said. Water seeks its level. Overachieved early, slid at the end. And having a bad matchup twice in the last six games is not a friendly schedule either. they won some games we didn't think they would win as well.

Boys will be boys. We hope they grow up to be men, but it takes time

Actually, Navigato and Sanford outperformed their previous efforts in almost every statistical category over the last six games. Playing an EMU team for whom we had no answer three times hurt badly and lousy perimeter D which plagued us all year hurt, too. But the main frosh showed some improvement throughout the season and with some additional strength training will be much greater contributors. The other freshman didn't see the floor enough to measure whether they faded. If Adway can contribute that'll be a nice core for the next three years.

(04-25-2016 03:18 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  Actually, Navigato and Sanford outperformed their previous efforts in almost every statistical category over the last six games. Playing an EMU team for whom we had no answer three times hurt badly and lousy perimeter D which plagued us all year hurt, too. But the main frosh showed some improvement throughout the season and with some additional strength training will be much greater contributors. The other freshman didn't see the floor enough to measure whether they faded. If Adway can contribute that'll be a nice core for the next three years.

Don't forget about Luke Knapke from that class. We haven't seen him on the floor, but he may have the highest ceiling.

EMU had a 9-9 conference record. Interesting that almost everyone else could beat them.

(04-25-2016 03:53 PM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  

(04-25-2016 03:18 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  Actually, Navigato and Sanford outperformed their previous efforts in almost every statistical category over the last six games. Playing an EMU team for whom we had no answer three times hurt badly and lousy perimeter D which plagued us all year hurt, too. But the main frosh showed some improvement throughout the season and with some additional strength training will be much greater contributors. The other freshman didn't see the floor enough to measure whether they faded. If Adway can contribute that'll be a nice core for the next three years.

Don't forget about Luke Knapke from that class. We haven't seen him on the floor, but he may have the highest ceiling.

EMU had a 9-9 conference record. Interesting that almost everyone else could beat them.

Sometimes teams just don't match up. EMU women have our number, too.

I find it a little bothersome that Coach K doesn't seem to think there is any issue on defense, at least from what he said. Certainly doesn't seem to feel there is a pressing need to improve it. That could be the problem in a nutshell: he doesn't understand defense well enough to know when it sucks.