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2024-25 Game 18: 1/16 @Northwestern 9PM BTN


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#121 TwentyThirtyFive

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Posted 17 January 2025 - 10:31 AM

Of course they are massive indictements. The smaller the margins the more a coach matters. Those records say it all. 



#122 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 17 January 2025 - 10:32 AM

Just to expand on this, he's also 4-20 in games decided by five points or less. So not only do his teams routinely underperform on the road, they also can't win close games. Those are massive indictments on the job he's done at Maryland so far.


That's brutal.  

I mean the team last year wound up being really bad with their inability to shoot...  (partly on him of course), so maybe some of that overall record is inflated by the ineptitude of that roster....   but overall 4-20 is 4-20.



#123 You Play to Win the Game

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Posted 17 January 2025 - 10:36 AM

I don't think January is late in the season. I'm pretty furious about the Washington and Northwestern games and think they are symptoms of a poorly disciplined team, so very open to Willard criticisms. But as far as trajectory of a season being in the upswing and improving in February and early March is more important to me than doing so in January. Turgeon always stunk in February and March and that was a huge knock against him for me. I'll forgive a January stumble if they get it together and improve later in the season. Not super optimistic about that at this point, these two road losses to weak competition have dampened a lot of my enthusiasm.

I said later in the season (as in later than Nov/Dec), certainly plenty of time to improve. Like you, not super optimistic. Not hopeless quite yet either. Disappointed though. Very disappointed. I didn't articulate that well and I understand the push back.



#124 You Play to Win the Game

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Posted 17 January 2025 - 10:36 AM


I watched.  

Not executing isn't the same as a lack of effort.  

And multiple things can be true at once.  Meaning you can rightfully call them out for the main points... they weren't ready at the beginning, they lost to an inferior team, and they didn't close out the game when they had the opportunity....  while at the same time acknowledging that they gave themselves a chance to get back into the game once down double digits (vs. just quitting as many teams do these days), and yes... they were helped by NW's multiple errors.

Fair enough, and I wasn't trying to be an ass with the "did you watch" comment - just genuinely curious because I saw things differently. I don't view applying effort as noteworthy, it's the bare minimum. But I hear you.



#125 You Play to Win the Game

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Posted 17 January 2025 - 10:37 AM


That's brutal.  

I mean the team last year wound up being really bad with their inability to shoot...  (partly on him of course), so maybe some of that overall record is inflated by the ineptitude of that roster....   but overall 4-20 is 4-20.

Y'all need to stop with this. It's only 10:30 AM and now I'm fiending. 


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#126 Ravens2006

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Posted 17 January 2025 - 10:40 AM

I'd say a 10 second call without being full court pressed, just bringing the ball up the court so slowly that you take 11 seconds to cross half court is a lack of effort.

Getting a takeaway (sorry I called it a rebound before but it was a steal) with under 2 seconds left on the opposite end of the floor and NOT protecting it was lack of effort to me.

That odd play where they thought maybe NW traveled and Gapare (???) fell off him, Reese stood watching instead of leaving his man, and the dude actually looked confused, hesitated, and then made a free easy uncontested shot from a few feet away looked like low effort to me.

Effort, intensity, fire, whatever we want to call it. This group doesn't show it. This team hasn't played a game since OSU that looked to me like they "wanted it". They just play. There's a difference to me.


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#127 BSLMikeLowe

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Posted 17 January 2025 - 11:26 AM

Not a game they should have lost obviously.

I like that the players kept battling.

I don't like that Willard seems to struggle with changing momentum.

Sorry 2035, thought they'd be ready to go from the jump.


Was Gillespie battling when he nonchalantly brought the ball upcourt and got a 10 second violation with no NW defender within 15 feet of him? Last night was not a case where things just didn’t go their way and they had to fight through it. They were their own worst enemy all night.


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#128 BSLMikeLowe

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Posted 17 January 2025 - 11:47 AM

I'm fine with people being frustrated by Willard and it's a quite reasonable position but I think any insistence Maryland should've been able to land a coach with a much better record at his prior job should probably reckon with the fact that Kentucky just had its job open and they landed someone whose resume was leading his team to a pair of 6-seeds and losing the first tournament game both times. You can swing for the fences for who you're interested in all you want, but most of coaches aren't going to leave a situation where they're already being pretty successful. 


I wonder  how much Pope being an alum worked in his favor.



#129 BSLRoseKatz

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Posted 17 January 2025 - 11:54 AM


I wonder  how much Pope being an alum worked in his favor.

 

Plus BYU certainly has some unique recruiting requirements but I have a hard time believing their internal coaching wishlist had him listed higher than someone like Nate Oats or Bobby Hurley, etc



#130 BSLMikeLowe

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Posted 17 January 2025 - 11:58 AM

Plus BYU certainly has some unique recruiting requirements but I have a hard time believing their internal coaching wishlist had him listed higher than someone like Nate Oats or Bobby Hurley, etc


Seems like BYU is on a roll recruiting wise lately, with kids that don’t fit their usual profile. Demin should be a lottery pick this year and Dybantsa is currently the consensus #1 pick for ‘26.



#131 glenn__davis

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Posted 17 January 2025 - 02:51 PM

I'd say a 10 second call without being full court pressed, just bringing the ball up the court so slowly that you take 11 seconds to cross half court is a lack of effort.

Getting a takeaway (sorry I called it a rebound before but it was a steal) with under 2 seconds left on the opposite end of the floor and NOT protecting it was lack of effort to me.

That odd play where they thought maybe NW traveled and Gapare (???) fell off him, Reese stood watching instead of leaving his man, and the dude actually looked confused, hesitated, and then made a free easy uncontested shot from a few feet away looked like low effort to me.

Effort, intensity, fire, whatever we want to call it. This group doesn't show it. This team hasn't played a game since OSU that looked to me like they "wanted it". They just play. There's a difference to me.

 

Admittedly I did not see any of these plays as I checked out early.

 

I'm going to call it a "lack of engaging in winning".  Reese is a great example.  I love the guy.  I don't want to question his effort.  He clearly put in a ton of work fixing his shot in the offseason.  I think the drive is there.  But the types of plays above scream to me a lack of engagement in doing the things it takes to win.  These guys are here to look good for the next step, whether that be pro ball or their next transfer stop.  I'm not saying they don't care if they win or lose, I think clearly they want to win, but there is that lack of real engagement when you have pride in your team, in your school, in doing whatever it is that needs to be done to make sure your team wins.  

 

It's tough to quantify I know but I don't think I've seen a single player these past few years that made me think "that guy really bleeds MD basketball".  


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#132 BSLMikeLowe

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Posted 17 January 2025 - 04:22 PM

I'm reminded of that Juan Dixon story from either the championship season or the FF season before it. They lost a really ugly game at home to Florida State where some fans actually booed at the end and no one would have guessed they'd end up being a serious title contender. Dixon was so pissed after that game he couldn't sleep and spent half the night in the weight room lifting. I don't expect any of the current guys to have the rare level of desire and drive Dixon had, but I'm curious how well they slept when they got home last night.



#133 BaltBird 24

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Posted 17 January 2025 - 04:37 PM

Don't think you'll see that type of intensity or care when most of these guys are only chasing year to year NIL commitments.

Queen and DHS actually show some intensity and that they want it. Unfortunately for DHS, he's just not that good.

The rest look like they're just going through the motion most of the time. Maybe that's on the coach, maybe just the nature of modern college athletics.

#134 BSLMikeLowe

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Posted 17 January 2025 - 05:35 PM

Don't think you'll see that type of intensity or care when most of these guys are only chasing year to year NIL commitments.

Queen and DHS actually show some intensity and that they want it. Unfortunately for DHS, he's just not that good.

The rest look like they're just going through the motion most of the time. Maybe that's on the coach, maybe just the nature of modern college athletics.

 

I don't buy this. To make a comparison, these kids are now essentially pro athletes who are in a contract year every single season. I'm sure they understand that if they underperform they are only hurting their own potential earnings for next year.

 

One thing I do wonder, and I'm not trying to defend Willard here, but I recently read somewhere there is speculation that coaches who don't have an extensive resume of success to fall back on are now hesitant to hold players accountable for a lack of effort and focus....their fear being that if they get on them too hard the players will just walk away and the coach will have a tough time recruiting new ones, even with a lot of money at his disposal.

 

I tend to think that's a cop-out that vilifies all players in general, and if you do happen to have a kid that would walk away based solely on constructive criticism and expectations of being accountable to his team and himself, he's not worth having on your team anyway.






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