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Post by belfieldhappyhour on Jan 1, 2014 14:36:32 GMT -5
Looking at the new year and thankful we have Coach G. When looking at the landscape of coaching in sports today I have nothing but respect for G in how he has handled himself even after his great run last season with nothing but humility (people said I was a bad coach and now they are telling me I am a great coach ...) . Look at the ex-guy from Penn State who just fired two coaches (one was linebacker coach) just a few weeks ago(seems to me this guy knew he was leaving and went out of his way to screw Penn State as much as he could because it didn't make any sense particularly with the regularity that school has with sending linebackers on to the pros) and then turns around and quits after telling his recruits he was staying. G thanks for sticking with us and building a solid program with very little to work with you are a refreshing breeze compared to the dogsh.. which litters our landscape today in the coaching ranks. LWC, read this and tell me how O'Brien is screwing Penn State? By all accounts, he kept that program alive these last two years, and I haven't seen anyone in the media saying he is wrong for leaving. www.pennlive.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/01/bill_obrien_the_outsider_arriv.html
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Post by lwc4591 on Jan 1, 2014 15:33:32 GMT -5
He did his part based on the fact that he was getting paid to do it but just like in life the ones who carried the load were the players of the past to seasons you know the ones he preached to about staying with the program and not bailing, (or workers in real life who receive very little of the credit) you know like he did. He was lying to recruits up to the last minute for his benefit not the recruits just in case his negotiations with pro team didn't work out. All along he just wanted to get a couple of years of head coaching under his belt so he finally had it on his resume. Truth be told just about any average coach could have went 15-9 with all but 6 or 7 of those wins in the bag based on quality of opponent. Big 10 is the poorest I have ever seen it and O'Brien lucked out in that respect. If he just would have been somewhat honest it would have been fine but instead went and mouthed off about how many Paterno loyalist didn't support him which is the biggest crock of shit because most everyone was behind him. As far as the article if you know anything about Davey Jones the writer I shouldn't have to explain (Do you believe everything you read). If G did to us what this ass clown just pulled you would be infuriated.
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Jan 1, 2014 16:28:35 GMT -5
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Post by durenduren on Jan 1, 2014 16:28:35 GMT -5
Leaving my anti-Penn State disposition aside, I don't see how you can slam Bill O'Brien for anything. He came into a crappy position, facing penalties, and he owned it. Takes a man of character to do what he did.
And that time when PSU beat (was it) Michigan in 4OT? Empty win then too? The guy can coach. Bill Self's annual OOS wins might have 8 major cupcakes. Same with Coach K.
And every coach ever tells recruits they'll be there forever because that's what they're paid to do - they aren't paid to steer recruits away. That's not lying, that's the college system for ya.
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Post by lwc4591 on Jan 1, 2014 16:45:23 GMT -5
Duren you are correct about that Michigan game because their final record of 7-6 with a bowl loss was quite impressive. It is clear to me you probably have not followed Penn State and O'Brien very closely like I do because I am not anti Penn State (younger sister graduated from Penn State). Big 10 could possibly go 1-6 in bowl games and if not for LSU missing starting QB and Georgia missing starting QB and wideouts the Big 10 could have ended with a perfect 0-7 in bowl games. Big 10 still has two games left and if a miracle happens they will go 1-1 and end up 2-5 in bowl games which speaks for itself. I give O'Brien some credit for the past two seasons but most of the credit should go to the ones who faced the music which is the players. By the way the crappy situation which O.Brien came into assured him that he never has to work another day in his life if he chose to do so, now that is crappy. He came to Penn State because he was paid a lot more money than what he was making as a Patriot assistant and left for the same reason. I am glad he is gone because I never bought into his bullsh.. but he could have handled it like a professional and not the amateur that he is (ex: telling Penn State he quit 45 minutes after it is nationally announced).
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Jan 1, 2014 17:05:21 GMT -5
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Post by lasalle89 on Jan 1, 2014 17:05:21 GMT -5
Mixed feelings on this. Glad he came and won for two years when the NCAA wanted PSU to fall flat on its face. Hard to imagine anyone walking away from this job. He could have become the next JoPa but I guess the NFL was his dream job. I think it's important they hire a coach that wants to stay a college coach for at least ten years. I wish him well and did not want to go through this every year. Personally I don't want Greg Schiano. Don't know much about the Vanderbilt coach.
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Jan 1, 2014 18:20:28 GMT -5
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Post by theneumann64 on Jan 1, 2014 18:20:28 GMT -5
I like this discussion and I have no problem with it on the main board since it's about a larger issue relevant to all NCAA teams. But please start a new thread since there's already four plus pages in this thread on the original discussion. Thanks guys.
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Post by SICguy84 on Jan 2, 2014 22:02:59 GMT -5
ESPN 2 @ 958pm tonight had a graphic with the four most disappointing teams so far this year...
VCU ND La Salle Boston College
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Jan 2, 2014 23:08:38 GMT -5
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Post by durenduren on Jan 2, 2014 23:08:38 GMT -5
ESPN 2 @ 958pm tonight had a graphic with the four most disappointing teams so far this year... VCU ND La Salle Boston College haha crap. that sucks.
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Post by mookie on Jan 3, 2014 9:49:07 GMT -5
ESPN 2 @ 958pm tonight had a graphic with the four most disappointing teams so far this year... VCU ND La Salle Boston College haha crap. that sucks. On the flip side: * ESPN analysts actually had high expectations for us * We're getting mentioned in the same breath as the ND's and BC's of the world * National Exposure
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MisterD
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Post by MisterD on Jan 3, 2014 11:03:49 GMT -5
Yeah, if ESPN didn't consider us a disappointment that would be DISRESPECT!!!
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Post by vasalos on Jan 3, 2014 14:08:42 GMT -5
How is Marquette not on that list? How about Indiana? Agreed, we are getting respect by being listed one of the most disappointing.
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Jan 11, 2014 16:11:31 GMT -5
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Post by lasalle89 on Jan 11, 2014 16:11:31 GMT -5
Do we watch and wait with cautious optimism or do we start believing right now? I am going with the expectation to rip off five in a row! Why not? G had this planned all along so we don't peak to early!
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Jan 11, 2014 18:19:45 GMT -5
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Post by vasalos on Jan 11, 2014 18:19:45 GMT -5
It's too early for this. Get to Jan 25 with all wins then we can start getting excited.
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Jan 25, 2014 22:03:31 GMT -5
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Post by lasalle89 on Jan 25, 2014 22:03:31 GMT -5
It is now apparent that we need to win the A10 tourny. I thought beating VCU, St Louis, and UMass, would still give us a chance at an at large if we won at least two in the A10 tourny. Disappointing loss today. Let's bounce back and win the next one.
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Post by ltrain38 on Jan 25, 2014 22:13:24 GMT -5
I've been sitting here, trying to take stock of where things stand with the team right now after the game. The last two losses were deflating, but I'll try to be more critical than emotional about it. Last season, we won pretty much every close game, every game that was decided in the final minutes, except for UMass. The VCU game was tight, Butler, Northeastern, Villanova, Dayton, that OT game we almost gave away in Olean, and KState and Ole Miss in the tournament. We had a very good team, but winning tight games is some combination of good play and good luck; making the last shot and simply getting the last possession. Our luck (if you can quantify it) was ridiculously good last year and has really evened out this time around. We didn't have any injuries to speak of until Steve went down against Duquesne, but with the win the next game over GW, the team had done just enough. Close game scenarios have all gone against us this year, except for GW, which never should have gotten that close. Duren was hurt, Mills, Lewis, Wright was sick in the Virgin Islands. And we're now losing close games. Part of it is mental lapses, but sometimes a good player just misses a foul shot. It's not a lack of some magic "clutch" gene, it's the law of averages. We still have the potential to win games against good teams, and if we get big plays and luck, we could still play some good postseason basketball. The difference between a bubble team that gets in - which we won't be, we either win out in Brooklyn or we won't be back to the NCAA tournament - and an middle of the pack team in the A-10 is very slim.
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Post by lasallescreamer on Jan 25, 2014 22:49:48 GMT -5
I think that teams that play with a swagger- a high level of confidence tend to get "lucky" more often. We play as if we are hoping to win, trying to win, but maybe not expecting to win. Hard to say, just got that feeling. Of course, if I was correct, Marshall Henderson would win every game.......; but remember that we matched or exceeded Miss St confidence level in that game. DJs end of that game exuberance needs to be rekindled.
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Post by las71 on Jan 26, 2014 8:31:15 GMT -5
I think we would be a lot "luckier" if we still had Ramon. We were unable to replace him and it shows. Last year when we needed a guard sub we brought in Garland, this year it's Khalid and or DJ, both basically defensive specialists. The drop off in offense is too great to beat good teams. While Sam has struggled this year, I still feel that our starting 5 matches up with any team in the conference but once we go to the bench we simply lose too much offensively.
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Post by victoriouslasalle on Jan 26, 2014 10:29:25 GMT -5
I think we would be a lot "luckier" if we still had Ramon. We were unable to replace him and it shows. Last year when we needed a guard sub we brought in Garland, this year it's Khalid and or DJ, both basically defensive specialists. The drop off in offense is too great to beat good teams. While Sam has struggled this year, I still feel that our starting 5 matches up with any team in the conference but once we go to the bench we simply lose too much offensively. I also wonder how much of the Ramon x factor (explorer 88) we may miss? How much do we miss his steadiness, poise and likely infectious confidence at crunch time? Despite the veteran-ness of this squad, it does not seem to be as poised as last year at crunch time.
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Feb 6, 2014 10:46:28 GMT -5
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Post by lasalle89 on Feb 6, 2014 10:46:28 GMT -5
Well there are so many reasons we are not good. We need longer athletic players for one. We need guys who can shoot the ball. We need to run more plays etc etc. But let's win enough for an an NIT bid. We have got to make post season appearances routine. G MUST coach or motivate these guys to the post season.
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Post by lasalle69bestever on Feb 6, 2014 16:05:07 GMT -5
Well, I don't know what G was thinking as a Sports Psychologist-type after the VCU loss. His comments about maybe not being able to recover from it opened the door to this kind of play.
He should have seized upon it by saying something like "we had a tough start with Tyreek and Kahlid's injury problems, but we've shown ourselves that we can now play with anybody if we close it out". Maybe build confidence and team enthusiasm by saying we'd probably have two more wins without the injuries.
Instead, he chose to say what he did...............to no good effect.
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Post by a10champion15 on Feb 6, 2014 19:39:15 GMT -5
Unbelievably frustrated with G at this point. I give G a lot of credit over the past couple years brought in some great players and brought a program back to national relevance. If the team makes the NIT I will be happy with that. Losing ramon is tough so I understand the regression. However G has made numerous mistakes this season. Last night when I saw that shot clock violation I flipped out. How do you not notice it or when a player points it out make a big deal about it. I blame the way the team played down the stretch against VCU but G is significantly at fault. I was looking at the time clock when there was 3 minutes left watching VCU crawl back. I couldn't believe the rotation on the court at the time. Lewis wasn't out there to defend. Rohan was having the game of his life and wasn't out there. Garland had a great game but he can't play 30 minutes he isn't efficient enough. Zack taken out at random times and Wright didn't develop whatsoever. Bottom line for most of the season I have hated the rotation. When you have this much talent and capable players on a team you need to know how to run an offense. The offensive style of this team has taken a major step back which it shouldn't have. Don't get me wrong ramon was a big lose but the offense shouldn't be this anemic G had all offseason to prepare this team and was in a very good position to do so and right now he is failing.
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Feb 6, 2014 19:45:03 GMT -5
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Post by durenduren on Feb 6, 2014 19:45:03 GMT -5
I wasn't sure which thread to post in because they've all digressed into a "Giannini Sucks" party. How times change so quick.
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Post by fvp47 on Feb 6, 2014 20:08:17 GMT -5
At one point early last year someone posted "we will never win with G". We had a great year last year after having gotten to the first post season tourney in a long time the year before. John didn't all of a sudden forget how to coach. Two years ago Kentucky won the national title and last year went to the NIT and lost in the first round. Did Cal all of sudden forget how to coach. He took it upon himself when we lost to Manhattan. At VCU who would have thought the Tyreek would have missed the front end of a one and one. Then the no call when he was bumped and had to become a hurdler and lost the ball. I find a lot of this bashing of coach and players to be somewhat over the top. I will continue to cheer them on, support the team and give them financial support. Onward and upward.
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Post by a10champion15 on Feb 6, 2014 20:20:44 GMT -5
I don't think G sucks or as I said before nor do I think an NIT bid is a big disappointment. As of now I am concerned about our NIT chances. I just have been displeased with his choices in big games. I don't think G expected Tyreek to miss that free throw but that game was put away long before that and I thought G kind of blew it despite the poor calls.
Still think G is a solid coach, I don't want to dismiss in anyway what he has accomplished as a coach for this program. What my concern is how much did Ramon run the offense?
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Post by lasallescreamer on Feb 6, 2014 21:24:42 GMT -5
Very imp. to win some games and make NIT. At this point, that might be in doubt. Need to get it going.
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Post by lasalle89 on Feb 8, 2014 19:46:18 GMT -5
Let's at least beat St Joes.
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Post by lasallescreamer on Feb 8, 2014 20:14:14 GMT -5
We did not play great but almost beat a very good team. Got to have stronger, more confident starts.We could go 13-17 but also 19-11 heading into Brooklyn.The team and G just needs to focus on being the best they can w/o post season talk. The season can have a happy ending. Guys just need to go make it happen.And G needs to get his emotions in check. Nothing to do w BB-for his sake and sake of his family. His health comes before wins. He just looked so bad at end of game and felt for him.
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Post by stlexplorer on Feb 8, 2014 22:41:54 GMT -5
Let's at least beat St Joes. Watching Jett's layup go in this was my thought exactly. Especially them coming off beating VCU, let's take them down.
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Feb 9, 2014 10:08:52 GMT -5
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Post by stlexplorer on Feb 9, 2014 10:08:52 GMT -5
@jonrothstein: Don't know if I've seen a team have 2 more excruciating losses in big spots than La Salle had against VCU 2 weeks ago + vs. SLU yesterday.
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Feb 15, 2014 21:13:56 GMT -5
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Post by lasalle89 on Feb 15, 2014 21:13:56 GMT -5
Recruit harder. G Needs players who can win in this system. And players who can overcome any coaching deficiencies
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