Apologies for taking so long to get to this.........

This game was the Cliff Notes version of where we are vis-a-vis the SoCon as a whole - and thus our season. One could easily argue (and I do) that athletically, we were *at least* the equal of the Samford team in that regard - and perhaps in that regard only - with the probable exception of effort. Yes, our guys do sometimes fail to get back on D, but I don't think that's a "quit" thing - just weariness of the whole season and the flow of the tide/game against them. Maybe one could say they "quit" on a very few plays here and there, but I wouldn't even say that. I'd say just worn down emotionally. In general, the effort has always been solid by all the guys.

But that aside............Sammie's whole team just had a better feel for what their place was in the scheme of things - on virtually every possession. Their guys were rarely out of place; the spacing was superb; the passing was crisp and on target. Above and beyond that............if not every time, then virtually every time, when one of their guys got doubled, or switched off on, the guy who had the ball knew, more or less immediately, where/who to get the ball to. It was actually beautiful execution, WITH TOTAL POISE. We, uh.............weren't like that. They were a well-oiled machine, we were a cranky old lawnmower that runs good part of the time.

The question is................how much of that is "coaching" ("Bucky ball"), and how much is just lifetime basketball IQ of their players. I'm surmising it's some of both. No doubt he's selected those players who fit into his system, and don't need to be stars. And they've had injuries. "Next man up" is a pithy saying, but for Sammie it's really been that. The Bucs *really* struggled with even 1 key player out, much less 2. It's like Sammie's guys have been cross-trained to do their jobs so well, that they know the jobs of the others, too. When an ETSU guy gets doubled, or trapped somehow, it's very often panic time and frantically searching for an outlet or release. Fortunately they're good enough athletes to most times wiggle out of it. But several times a game, it's a turnover, often leading to a break. I would guess, at the margin, that that difference costs us something like 5-12 pts. per game, both in turnovers and poor shot selection due to the pressure. Depending on the opponent, of course. Those situations don't hurt as much when playing El Cid or VMI. Which is why, as I noted earlier, we're beating the teams we're supposed to beat, and *not* beating those above us. It's a pretty clear demarcation.

So....................yes, Savage clearly gets a pass on this season. And clearly he's already got his list of needs and is checking it twice. And he's clearly already made clear who's not in his plans for next season - and (possibly even) communicated that to them(??). So we'll just see. But the big question, in terms of moving back up to the upper echelon of the SoCon (where we belong, of course), can he match his recruiting to his schemes - but maybe more importantly.................can he make his 'stuff' adequate to be competitive against the top teams. There's more than 1 way to skin a Cat(amount), or Moc or Spartan, but you've got to have the plan, and the players who can implement it. I have my opinions on this, but don't feel it proper to express them. Just let's see who all he can bring in, and how they mesh. Surely he can get some ideas from Forbes on talent - or I would hope so. Forbes has been absolutely *killing* the portal, for those who haven't noticed. Maybe some of his 'leftovers' can find their way here. Also.........one could make a decent case that he's done 'ok' with the team he was able to bring together. He's still young, and also was quite plainly learning some things that most of us would have assumed he already knew. But I personally think he performed better than Oliver his first year - altho that was totally weird for all kinds of reasons. But I just got the impression that Savage was further along in overall coaching skill this year than Oliver was his first year. And yeah, I know, not such a high bar there.

Sorry for the long post. This has just been bubbling up for a while, and just thought I'd finally get it all out.

One of the 10 worst Buc teams of the last 30 years? Maybe. Quite likely; but nowhere near worst 5. Maybe *about* 10th worst. We're 15-15, and may end up something like 16-17, if we beat VMI that first tournament game. We've had several teams over the last 30 years with far worse records - which is of course not the sole measuring stick. Just sayin'.

(03-01-2024 06:24 AM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote:  Apologies for taking so long to get to this.........

This game was the Cliff Notes version of where we are vis-a-vis the SoCon as a whole - and thus our season. One could easily argue (and I do) that athletically, we were *at least* the equal of the Samford team in that regard - and perhaps in that regard only - with the probable exception of effort. Yes, our guys do sometimes fail to get back on D, but I don't think that's a "quit" thing - just weariness of the whole season and the flow of the tide/game against them. Maybe one could say they "quit" on a very few plays here and there, but I wouldn't even say that. I'd say just worn down emotionally. In general, the effort has always been solid by all the guys.

But that aside............Sammie's whole team just had a better feel for what their place was in the scheme of things - on virtually every possession. Their guys were rarely out of place; the spacing was superb; the passing was crisp and on target. Above and beyond that............if not every time, then virtually every time, when one of their guys got doubled, or switched off on, the guy who had the ball knew, more or less immediately, where/who to get the ball to. It was actually beautiful execution, WITH TOTAL POISE. We, uh.............weren't like that. They were a well-oiled machine, we were a cranky old lawnmower that runs good part of the time.

The question is................how much of that is "coaching" ("Bucky ball"), and how much is just lifetime basketball IQ of their players. I'm surmising it's some of both. No doubt he's selected those players who fit into his system, and don't need to be stars. And they've had injuries. "Next man up" is a pithy saying, but for Sammie it's really been that. The Bucs *really* struggled with even 1 key player out, much less 2. It's like Sammie's guys have been cross-trained to do their jobs so well, that they know the jobs of the others, too. When an ETSU guy gets doubled, or trapped somehow, it's very often panic time and frantically searching for an outlet or release. Fortunately they're good enough athletes to most times wiggle out of it. But several times a game, it's a turnover, often leading to a break. I would guess, at the margin, that that difference costs us something like 5-12 pts. per game, both in turnovers and poor shot selection due to the pressure. Depending on the opponent, of course. Those situations don't hurt as much when playing El Cid or VMI. Which is why, as I noted earlier, we're beating the teams we're supposed to beat, and *not* beating those above us. It's a pretty clear demarcation.

So....................yes, Savage clearly gets a pass on this season. And clearly he's already got his list of needs and is checking it twice. And he's clearly already made clear who's not in his plans for next season - and (possibly even) communicated that to them(??). So we'll just see. But the big question, in terms of moving back up to the upper echelon of the SoCon (where we belong, of course), can he match his recruiting to his schemes - but maybe more importantly.................can he make his 'stuff' adequate to be competitive against the top teams. There's more than 1 way to skin a Cat(amount), or Moc or Spartan, but you've got to have the plan, and the players who can implement it. I have my opinions on this, but don't feel it proper to express them. Just let's see who all he can bring in, and how they mesh. Surely he can get some ideas from Forbes on talent - or I would hope so. Forbes has been absolutely *killing* the portal, for those who haven't noticed. Maybe some of his 'leftovers' can find their way here. Also.........one could make a decent case that he's done 'ok' with the team he was able to bring together. He's still young, and also was quite plainly learning some things that most of us would have assumed he already knew. But I personally think he performed better than Oliver his first year - altho that was totally weird for all kinds of reasons. But I just got the impression that Savage was further along in overall coaching skill this year than Oliver was his first year. And yeah, I know, not such a high bar there.

Sorry for the long post. This has just been bubbling up for a while, and just thought I'd finally get it all out.

One of the 10 worst Buc teams of the last 30 years? Maybe. Quite likely; but nowhere near worst 5. Maybe *about* 10th worst. We're 15-15, and may end up something like 16-17, if we beat VMI that first tournament game. We've had several teams over the last 30 years with far worse records - which is of course not the sole measuring stick. Just sayin'.

Last 30 years:

20 winning seasons
10 losing seasons (4 seasons with 10 or fewer wins)

In 1785 Robert Burns wrote “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”. He would say today - the Transfer Portal and NIL certainly adds fuel to that for these modern college coaches.

There's an Athletic article covering Samford's rise. It's no surprise now how they were able to give their entire starting 5 NIL deals

https://theathletic.com/5324808/2024/03/...asketball/

For those who can't read it all.. here's an excerpt

Quote:Gary Cooney is a multimillionaire insurance broker who played on one of Samford’s all-time great football teams in the 1970s. His last name is on buildings all over campus, including the football fieldhouse and Cooney Hall, which houses the business school and opened in 2015 thanks largely to a $12.5 million gift from its namesake. Cooney has known McMillan since he was a baby, coached him in youth baseball and shared a beer with him the day he buried his son, McMillan’s childhood friend.

So when Samford was looking for a new coach in 2020, coming off nine losing seasons in the previous 11 years, even though athletic director Martin Newton had already locked in on McMillan as his top choice, Cooney left nothing to chance. “If you hire him, I’ll give you a solid six-figure gift to get it started,” he told the school’s administration. “Because this one is personal to me.”

Call me late to the party, but it’s looking like it’ll be more important to pay players rather than the coaches.

Look at Bartow. He had his best year when he inherited Wadood, Fields, and Smith. It’s almost like you can surround any competent coach with top level players and have major success. Is that where this is headed? I guess the NFL and NBA aren’t much different.