|
Post by luhoopsfan on Mar 5, 2013 9:34:48 GMT -5
Anyone see the latest episode featuring La Salle in the opening segment? There's a nice interview with Duren on there. He openly talks about questioning his decision to come to La Salle after his disastrous freshman year (J. Williams, Ruben, Murray) and how he now looks back and doesn't regret it for a minute.
Has a ton of great things to say about the team and the accolades he may or may not get and how it doesn't matter because if the team wins he looks good because he's the PG.
The thing that stuck out the most to me, however, was when they talked about possibly going to the NCAA tournament that he wants it most of all for G, as do the rest of the players, because they want to see G happy because he deserves it.
I've said a million times to people that the difference between great coaches isn't so much about you gameplan or scheme but being able to get the players to do what you want them to do. For a long time Doc either didn't have players with enough ability (Rodney and Co were very gifted athletically but seriously lacked in ball handling/passing) or players that would listen and follow instructions (Murray, Ruben, etc). What's clear to me is that all the guys on this team listen to G and do what is asked of them. Because they are winning, they continue to buy into it more and more and now they really are playing FOR him, not just playing on his team.
Go back and listen to the post game press conferences, almost every game there's a mention of "Coach said that if we do "X", then we will have "Y" opportunity and we will win the game and that's what happened". These guys have totally bought in and take the right approach, if this culture can continue, we should see great basketball for the next several seasons.
|
|
MisterD
The Baptist Himself
Voted Most Popular Poster 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023
Posts: 8,558
Likes: 6,426
|
Post by MisterD on Mar 5, 2013 9:36:40 GMT -5
Pretty impressive for a guy this board has tried to fire a few dozen times.
|
|
|
Post by goexplorers on Mar 5, 2013 9:50:29 GMT -5
The episode is available On Demand on Comcast. If you go to Sports & Fitness -> College Sports -> Comcast Network, it should be there. It's a pretty awesome piece and definitely solidifies how these kids feel about G.
|
|
|
Post by 23won on Mar 5, 2013 10:45:33 GMT -5
Did not see it but look forward to it.
Really shows the selfless side of TD on and off the court. I really enjoy seeing him as floor general/leader by action, but when he calmly but emphatically corrects a younger player on what they should be doing and you see their immediate response to improve that really speaks volumes about TD's leadership.
|
|
|
Post by explorer88 on Mar 5, 2013 10:51:07 GMT -5
Did not see it but look forward to it. Really shows the selfless side of TD on and off the court. I really enjoy seeing him as floor general/leader by action, but when he calmly but emphatically corrects a younger player on what they should be doing and you see their immediate response to improve that really speaks volumes about TD's leadership. He was giving Jerrell crap for not being in the right position during the Rhode Island game last Sunday. When you are a coach and get the players to police each other you are golden. Duren also said in the Big Men On Campus episode he think G will cry if we get a bid and had a smile on his face. I think the players want G to show his softer side just as much as winning the bid. Neil Hartman asked G if he will cry and G just said "I don't know".
|
|
|
Post by victoriouslasalle on Mar 5, 2013 10:53:49 GMT -5
I watched this and enjoyed the heck out of it. Over the years some on these boards have expressed concerns about the coach's game time interactions with his teams. But in the grand picture, over and over again we find this is a guy who has qualtiy relationships with his guys. Guys want to play for him!
Have to beat GW!
|
|
|
Post by luhoopsfan on Mar 5, 2013 11:05:23 GMT -5
I'm not trying to say Tyreek is anywhere near the player Jameer Nelson was, but I will say that Tyreek has the same influence on the team that Jameer had for Martelli. Nelso was basically the coach on the floor and did what was asked of him, Tyreek does the same thing and makes sure everyone on the floor does what is necessary. He steadies the ship and keeps it going in the right direction when he's on the floor, which is why he is so crucial to their success and a huge reason why the 1st half was such a mess against Temple.
|
|
|
Post by victoriouslasalle on Mar 5, 2013 11:25:19 GMT -5
I'm not trying to say Tyreek is anywhere near the player Jameer Nelson was, but I will say that Tyreek has the same influence on the team that Jameer had for Martelli. Nelso was basically the coach on the floor and did what was asked of him, Tyreek does the same thing and makes sure everyone on the floor does what is necessary. He steadies the ship and keeps it going in the right direction when he's on the floor, which is why he is so crucial to their success and a huge reason why the 1st half was such a mess against Temple. Boy do I spot on! agree,, and we have another year of Tyreek
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2013 12:34:37 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by coachd on Mar 5, 2013 13:07:29 GMT -5
Would love another crack at any of the A10 teams we lost to including Temple... assuming Zack is good to go.
|
|
|
Post by jellybean on Mar 5, 2013 16:58:40 GMT -5
I had a slightly different reaction to Marshall Harris asking Tyreke if he had any thoughts on regretting his decision to attend La Salle. I had a Gonzo flashback to the Aaric Murray piece. Speaking of Gonzo, I wonder what he is thinking of his old school. I don't think we'll find out.
|
|
|
Post by theneumann64 on Mar 5, 2013 17:02:22 GMT -5
He's got at least 1 more sh!tty tweet in him along the lines of "La Salle fans celebrating getting a 12 seed. I guess it really HAS been a while"
|
|
|
Post by SICguy84 on Mar 5, 2013 17:30:47 GMT -5
I had a slightly different reaction to Marshall Harris asking Tyreke if he had any thoughts on regretting his decision to attend La Salle. I had a Gonzo flashback to the Aaric Murray piece. Speaking of Gonzo, I wonder what he is thinking of his old school. I don't think we'll find out. Gonzo is hiding his very large head under a large rock, strike that – a boulder.
|
|
|
Post by 23won on Mar 5, 2013 19:28:24 GMT -5
Did not see it but look forward to it. Really shows the selfless side of TD on and off the court. I really enjoy seeing him as floor general/leader by action, but when he calmly but emphatically corrects a younger player on what they should be doing and you see their immediate response to improve that really speaks volumes about TD's leadership. He was giving Jerrell crap for not being in the right position during the Rhode Island game last Sunday. When you are a coach and get the players to police each other you are golden. Exactly
|
|
|
Post by lasalle89 on Mar 5, 2013 22:05:25 GMT -5
Was G like this the whole time he was here or did he just recently find his way? I was happy that LaSalle hired him over Dunphy. I read his bio and felt this is the guy. I saw he got close twice to getting to the post season and his Div 3 success. Then it seemed to go from bad to worse. We were not even competitive. Nice guy can't coach came along. I remember telling Tom Brennan that I heard there was a student petition to get rid of G. Them when contract talks came up I really did not want him to get an extension. I felt any coach could do what he was doing. Well now he has the kids playing well. I also notice the players always saying well coach G said this and that. I never questioned his nature.. I just thought he couldn't do it. Now we are close to a bid. I hope we make it. Then I hope we make the most of it! I believe in G. I went full circle on this one.
|
|
bernards
Mop-Up Time
Posts: 97
Likes: 21
|
Post by bernards on Mar 6, 2013 5:24:52 GMT -5
IMO G was in a position where he had to take the best a available athlete, regardless of fit, when he arrived, and fit a style of play around them. He had to field a team. Lately, he has been able to recruit the type of athlete and personality he feels can run his style of play. This makes all the difference. how many of the original recruits would replace the current players? It has come together for G now. His true test will be if he can keep this success up over time. I believe he will.
|
|
MisterD
The Baptist Himself
Voted Most Popular Poster 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023
Posts: 8,558
Likes: 6,426
|
Post by MisterD on Mar 6, 2013 9:24:01 GMT -5
IMO G was in a position where he had to take the best a available athlete, regardless of fit, when he arrived, and fit a style of play around them. He had to field a team. Sooo many people forget this, just getting a competent group like Rodney, Kimmani and Yves in here early was a semi-miracle given what Dr. Coach G inherited with this program. The guy deserves all the credit in the world for what he's done for us.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2013 11:31:04 GMT -5
Was G like this the whole time he was here or did he just recently find his way? I was happy that LaSalle hired him over Dunphy. I read his bio and felt this is the guy. I saw he got close twice to getting to the post season and his Div 3 success. Then it seemed to go from bad to worse. We were not even competitive. Maybe it's me, but I don't remember even one of G's teams not being competitive. Even the teams with losing records rarely got blown off the floor.
|
|
|
Post by luhoopsfan on Mar 6, 2013 13:40:39 GMT -5
Looking back on what is now almost a 10 year process here's how I see it. I will openly admit that at times I questioned whether we needed new leadership for the team. I now have to give credit to the Department for giving Doc the time needed to do what was necessary for long-term stability. We wanted a quick turnaround, which maybe that was possible, maybe not, but it would have likely ended in only short term success and then back to the abyss.
2004/05 - get hired and try to navigate a season and win a couple eyebrow-raising games (USC comes to mind) and play hard, which they did, with basically half a team 2005/06 - land a recruit (Paul Johnson) and show signs of progress - whcih the did (1st winning seasons, 1st A10 Top4 finish, beat Temple) 2006/07 - bring in the players that could be a foundation for something long term - this is the Rodney Green & Co year, 5 recruits all with pretty high accolades and talent, and try to put some pieces around them 2007/08 - start grwoing and developing a young team after going 10-20 as freshmen, which i think they did 2008/09 - make some real steps to legitamacy, and they certainly did that, beating a couple Tourney teams in SJU and Dayton that year and providing real hope for the future along with an overall winning record 2009/10 - Time to make the big leap - plenty of pre-season hope and hype that was destroyed by injuries 2010/11 - Demonstrate that success wasn't fleeting - Locker room issues were never going to allow this to happen, but looking at the players on the roster, there was reason to hope for the best 2011/12 - addition by subtraction - REAL progress made and a stable core of perimeter players began to emerge and legit success found in an NIT bid 2012/13 - take the next step, and a win tonight probably puts them right where they want to be. Even though not living up to expectations in 2010 and 2011 looked bad, I think the fact that there WERE expectations put us back on the fringe of the map and allowed us to land guys like mills, Duren, Galloway, Wright and Garland.
It's been a slow climb, but nothing was sacrificed to get to this point to make you think that it's built on a house of cards.
|
|