ADVERTISEMENT

BASKETBALL Middle Tennessee (3-11, 0-1) vs (9-5, 0-1), 5PM, Saturday, January 5, 2019

Yeah, not impressed by anyone except Green on this team. Even Sims seems to have regressed, going way out of control and bad passing. Hopefully things will start to get better.
 
Yeah, not impressed by anyone except Green on this team. Even Sims seems to have regressed, going way out of control and bad passing. Hopefully things will start to get better.

Sims gave FIU 17 and 9 the other night.. for a guy who averaged 1.7 pts & 1 board, 1 assist per game last year he’s averaging well above that this year.. but he’s not a 25+ minute guy and there are reasons he was a preferred walk on coming out of HS.. he’s improved but he’s expected to do more than he is capable of as are all these players due to the situation.. knock him for being passive as that is fair but he’s improved by the numbers..
 
Raiders up by 7 at the break thanks to a Green half court buzzer beater.

MT was up 15 at one point though..
 
ESPN+ announcer: "There must be a lid on the rim!"

No, we just suck. lol
 
This is a game MT could very well have won. I still don't have any understanding as to why Hawthorne is in the back court, especially when the other team has a press on. He is not a ball handler and it is not only a terrible position to put him in, but it hurts the team's ability to bring the ball up.
 
I would say the idea of the forwards bringing the ball up instead of Sims, Green, or Farquhar is their ability to pass over traps. I agree that it is not working. I think Crump would have been where Hawthorne was if he was not injured.
 
Sims gave FIU 17 and 9 the other night.. for a guy who averaged 1.7 pts & 1 board, 1 assist per game last year he’s averaging well above that this year.. but he’s not a 25+ minute guy and there are reasons he was a preferred walk on coming out of HS.. he’s improved but he’s expected to do more than he is capable of as are all these players due to the situation.. knock him for being passive as that is fair but he’s improved by the numbers..
I find it hard to believe you have ever been critical of mcdevitt. Sims started while dixon was out with a concussion at the end of last year and played big minutes and was fantastic. Most assumed he would be the starter going forward in 2018-19 for Kermit. These huge runs by opponents are ridiculous at this point. You can blame the personnel/time in system all you want but I do believe coaching is a factor.
 
Coaching is definitely a factor. Mcdevitt's press offense does not work with our current personal. As you can tell by the horrific amount of turnovers the last two games. Instead of adapting to the players we have. He is forcing his system on them. His press offense may work just fine once he gets more of his players in place but its obvious that hes not gonna change now.
 
I find it hard to believe you have ever been critical of mcdevitt. Sims started while dixon was out with a concussion at the end of last year and played big minutes and was fantastic. Most assumed he would be the starter going forward in 2018-19 for Kermit. These huge runs by opponents are ridiculous at this point. You can blame the personnel/time in system all you want but I do believe coaching is a factor.

I was stating that Sims is markedly improved from last season in case you read that wrong.. played 14-24 mins per game at the end of the year last year (looking specifically at the last 7 games)- scored 25 pts, 24 assists, 13 boards, 8 TO's total in those games.. he's playing close to 30 minutes /game and his numbers are inconsistent but on average per minutes played he's far more productive.. the turnovers are up due to his utilization and my point is that he's not a 25-30 minute type player at this point in his career. It's not a knock it's just an observation..
 
Coaching is definitely a factor. Mcdevitt's press offense does not work with our current personal. As you can tell by the horrific amount of turnovers the last two games. Instead of adapting to the players we have. He is forcing his system on them. His press offense may work just fine once he gets more of his players in place but its obvious that hes not gonna change now.
A far cry from his press rounds when he said he would be adaptable and play as fast and or slow as he felt the team needed ect
 
Coaching is definitely a factor. Mcdevitt's press offense does not work with our current personal. As you can tell by the horrific amount of turnovers the last two games. Instead of adapting to the players we have. He is forcing his system on them. His press offense may work just fine once he gets more of his players in place but its obvious that hes not gonna change now.

What are the consequences for poor performance for players who can't pass the ball on a team that dresses 8 guys? There's one guy with a positive assist/TO ratio and he's a freshman- the 2 best players on the roster beat up on these same 'starters' each day in practice and for those that have observed practice know exactly what I'm talking about.. talent level is subpar, the basketball IQ is subpar, none of these guys have the reps to facilitate adaptation/reads at game speed- I'm just saying you can make adjustments all day long but these current 7-8 players aren't going to yield much different results no matter what..
 
What are the consequences for poor performance for players who can't pass the ball on a team that dresses 8 guys? There's one guy with a positive assist/TO ratio and he's a freshman- the 2 best players on the roster beat up on these same 'starters' each day in practice and for those that have observed practice know exactly what I'm talking about.. talent level is subpar, the basketball IQ is subpar, none of these guys have the reps to facilitate adaptation/reads at game speed- I'm just saying you can make adjustments all day long but these current 7-8 players aren't going to yield much different results no matter what..
Crump was an Asheville recruit (mcdevitt guy!) and showed the least amount of talent/basketball IQ on the team. Find it hard to believe jones and dishman push us to a 500 team next year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: blueraiderJT
I find it hard to believe you have ever been critical of mcdevitt. Sims started while dixon was out with a concussion at the end of last year and played big minutes and was fantastic. Most assumed he would be the starter going forward in 2018-19 for Kermit. These huge runs by opponents are ridiculous at this point. You can blame the personnel/time in system all you want but I do believe coaching is a factor.

This is 100% coaching.
 
What are the consequences for poor performance for players who can't pass the ball on a team that dresses 8 guys? There's one guy with a positive assist/TO ratio and he's a freshman- the 2 best players on the roster beat up on these same 'starters' each day in practice and for those that have observed practice know exactly what I'm talking about.. talent level is subpar, the basketball IQ is subpar, none of these guys have the reps to facilitate adaptation/reads at game speed- I'm just saying you can make adjustments all day long but these current 7-8 players aren't going to yield much different results no matter what..

If these players can't pass that's on the coach. 100%. If I'm the coach, we don't leave that gym until we pass it like a top 25 program. That you can control. If these players can't do it, I'll go out and get walk ons who can. I'd walk on every court around MT and find people who could do what I wanted in regards to feeding the ball. It ain't hard. I could go out there and secure the rock better than this team. It's inexcusable. No D either which is exactly what I called when we hired him. He doesn't understand it. CNM doesn't know defense or how to teach it. Therefore, it isn't getting taught and we are losing to F?U's. We won't win 5 games. It's just how it is.
 
You’ll see plenty of new faces next year.. just watch. Go to a practice and then let me know if you don’t think you win these last 2 games easily with those guys sitting this year.. I find it funny how many guys here think they can coach just because they played JV ball in HS 10-30 years ago.. most of you have no real idea how fast the college game actually is..

At least let the current coaches get their own players in over the next couple years before you intelligently comment on their abilities.. you simply cannot get a read on anything they’re building on today.. short term ideas dont yield long term results and that’s where MTSU is..

Crump is right where he would’ve been in an ideal situation although the injury is unfortunate- he’s better served redshirting but by necessity didn’t/couldn’t initially.. now he gets that opportunity to develop but has to spend much of it rehabbing..
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hop45 and crposton
You’ll see plenty of new faces next year.. just watch. Go to a practice and then let me know if you don’t think you win these last 2 games easily with those guys sitting this year.. I find it funny how many guys here think they can coach just because they played JV ball in HS 10-30 years ago.. most of you have no real idea how fast the college game actually is..

At least let the current coaches get their own players in over the next couple years before you intelligently comment on their abilities.. you simply cannot get a read on anything they’re building on today.. short term ideas dont yield long term results and that’s where MTSU is..

Crump is right where he would’ve been in an ideal situation although the injury is unfortunate- he’s better served redshirting but by necessity didn’t/couldn’t initially.. now he gets that opportunity to develop but has to spend much of it rehabbing..
 
I don’t think we can tell anything by the way things r going. Team plays hard just young. Two freshmen are athletic but would probably b redshirted in most instances. We r playing like a young team very inconsistent. We r small but out rebounding most teams. I agree our iq is not real high I’m disappointed also but believe me the players don’t always do what coach says. Give the coach a break he came into a terrible situation that’s not his fault. 8 years ago a lot of people wanted Kermit gone. How did that work out for the experts. We r terrible right now no doubt. It’s always someone else’s fault I assume. We r just going to let it play out as hard as that may me
 
You’ll see plenty of new faces next year.. just watch. Go to a practice and then let me know if you don’t think you win these last 2 games easily with those guys sitting this year.. I find it funny how many guys here think they can coach just because they played JV ball in HS 10-30 years ago.. most of you have no real idea how fast the college game actually is..

At least let the current coaches get their own players in over the next couple years before you intelligently comment on their abilities.. you simply cannot get a read on anything they’re building on today.. short term ideas dont yield long term results and that’s where MTSU is..

Crump is right where he would’ve been in an ideal situation although the injury is unfortunate- he’s better served redshirting but by necessity didn’t/couldn’t initially.. now he gets that opportunity to develop but has to spend much of it rehabbing..

I've been to several Kermit camps and have watched his practices and CMD does not roll like CKD. I can tell you that. I know you like the guy but come on. CKD would still have those guys practicing right now until they got it right. Not even in his worst years would he allow such bad form and sloppy play. It just wouldn't happen. Not to mention defense. CKD and is assistants knew D. This coach never even heard of it.

You can defend him all you want but we won't make the conference tourney. That's not rebuilding, that's off the cliff. He better improve next year. I don't see how he will but he better. He'll only have 10 more years to prove to Massaro that he's worth keeping. LOL.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: FranklinRaider315
When I saw the halftime score, my first thought was of Wiley sitting in a bar somewhere just waiting to count his winnings after the final buzzer.

This basketball team is absolutely terrible.
 
  • Like
Reactions: blueraiderJT
I don’t think we can tell anything by the way things r going. Team plays hard just young. Two freshmen are athletic but would probably b redshirted in most instances. We r playing like a young team very inconsistent. We r small but out rebounding most teams. I agree our iq is not real high I’m disappointed also but believe me the players don’t always do what coach says. Give the coach a break he came into a terrible situation that’s not his fault. 8 years ago a lot of people wanted Kermit gone. How did that work out for the experts. We r terrible right now no doubt. It’s always someone else’s fault I assume. We r just going to let it play out as hard as that may me

This situation could have been easily adverted. Grensing would have made a much better transition than this dude. We would have kept more players and the recruiting would have been better. Fundamentals are fundamentals and we have none. It's not about do what the coach says. It's about training them until it's second nature. Fundamentals are not running plays, it's about doing things a certain way and making things a certain priority. When it's said and done in 2 months and we have 3 wins total, y'all can come back and tell me how wrong I am. What season did CKD have where we got 3 wins? Let that sink in.
 
You’ll see plenty of new faces next year.. just watch. Go to a practice and then let me know if you don’t think you win these last 2 games easily with those guys sitting this year.. I find it funny how many guys here think they can coach just because they played JV ball in HS 10-30 years ago.. most of you have no real idea how fast the college game actually is..

At least let the current coaches get their own players in over the next couple years before you intelligently comment on their abilities.. you simply cannot get a read on anything they’re building on today.. short term ideas dont yield long term results and that’s where MTSU is..

Crump is right where he would’ve been in an ideal situation although the injury is unfortunate- he’s better served redshirting but by necessity didn’t/couldn’t initially.. now he gets that opportunity to develop but has to spend much of it rehabbing..
You are wasting your time man. In case you have not noticed we have some pretty horrible "fans". Fair weather is an understatement. These same guys that want Nick gone and refusing to show up to games will dust off their Raider gear and sing his praises when he starts winning. Drives me crazy man. I have never watched practice and I can already see if we had Jones and Dishman this year we would have at least won the last two games. What do you or anyone else think about Butler?
 
You are wasting your time man. In case you have not noticed we have some pretty horrible "fans". Fair weather is an understatement. These same guys that want Nick gone and refusing to show up to games will dust off their Raider gear and sing his praises when he starts winning. Drives me crazy man. I have never watched practice and I can already see if we had Jones and Dishman this year we would have at least won the last two games. What do you or anyone else think about Butler?

Don’t have a good read on him yet. Hasn’t been healthy long enough- would add some outside shooting for sure onthis squad but unsure if that alone helps if he is hampered injuries.. do question his toughness
 
You are wasting your time man. In case you have not noticed we have some pretty horrible "fans". Fair weather is an understatement. These same guys that want Nick gone and refusing to show up to games will dust off their Raider gear and sing his praises when he starts winning. Drives me crazy man. I have never watched practice and I can already see if we had Jones and Dishman this year we would have at least won the last two games. What do you or anyone else think about Butler?
Give me a break. Who cares about the last two games. You think we are going to jump for joy next year beating fiu and fau?

I thought this was an open community to discuss the current state of the program? My desire for this program to be great makes me a horrible fan/alum? Que kingaling to say my opinion on Fundamental basketball is void because I only played high school basketball and not college.
 
I have no problem with anyone's opinion- just as I hope folks understand that making uninformed posts may get my attention as well.. that is what these boards are for... debate. CNM & CKD have different philosophies.. that's what this is all about- there is no one way to coach/play basketball but the objectives are the same. Fans shouldn't simply accept unfavorable results- but I can't blame the cook for walking in the kitchen early when the cake is being prepared but not finished either...

As another poster put it blaming the coaches at this point is 'lazy' and unless you’re in practice daily you don’t know what players have been told or what they are doing in drills/schemes/film study etc.. there are plays that are not being run, instructions not being followed, etc.. simple stuff which goes back to my comments of the bball IQ of these players and the team overall. Collectively they're all performing poorly- that includes the coaches as well as this is a TEAM game.

Honestly I think the 2nd half letdowns are more mental fatigue showing than it is physical conditioning because the effort on the defensive side and during loose balls/hustle plays is still high late in games.. some here are saying it due to adjustments by the opposing coach but that's lazy too because in many of the games I went back to a few games in particular (FIU, FAU, Libscomb, Belmont of note) and it's simply the results that changed, not really the schemes- in other words the other team started executing the same stuff that didn't work as well in the first halves or in some cases they simply made shots (FIU)... but back to mental fatigue, the short bench/limited rotation certainly doesn’t help.. the main point of mine all along in defense of the coaches has been that none of these guys have played at this high of a level for extended game time against players better than them.. I could be more specific but it serves no point belittling 18-21 y/o guys and singling out their pros/cons but it's pretty obvious if you're really watching the games. Since I know what CNM ran at UNCA I see the same press break being used by MTUS this year with guys out of position or in some cases the guards not even coming back to help (which is not the design and is being drilled in practices).. so when I see coaching comments you should understand why I can't find fault- that is if we're playing what many here seem to prefer in the blame game.. so be a fan, but be an educated fan at least..

Put any of these players in a gym by themselves and they can do the fundamentals (and play better far than any random guy on the MTSU campus as one poster was talking about).. but put these players in extended pressure and they simply aren’t the same- especially for 25-30 minutes of game time.. the coaches can’t replicate game speed and situations in practice with walk-ons and only a small handful of quality players.. these players are learning how to play at a pace they haven’t played before but that’s not due to designed tempo by the staff- it’s because they haven’t learned when to go and when to pull back, many of the forced passes are in secondary break situations or when pressed.. but the players are forcing passes and bad shots in all types of situations.. the coaches are tracking/charting the turnovers and the situations in which they occur (live action, dead ball, press, half court, transition, etc) and there's no singular trend- these are young guards with not a single guy who is stable on the court. Usually the consequences for poor passes, unforced TO's, bad shot selection, etc is a trip to the bench- what are these coaches doing when 2 guards on 2 consecutive plays make bad decisions with only 1 guard sub on the bench? Which bad player do they take out vs which bad player stays in the game?

For those of you posting about adjustments- what does that mean exactly? What specific idea do you think you have that would work with these players, with this bench, with their aptitudes? There is a reason that not all players play beyond HS, that not all college players go pro, that not all pro's play in the NBA- it's not just about running the drills in practice or coaching or their physical abilities- players have other limitations as well..

What is indicative of coaching is how hard this team is playing- do y'all know how hard it is to keep a team that is continually losing to keep their heads up and keep competing at their highest level? they may have limitations but the energy and respect that they are showing to themselves, their teammates and the fans of MTSU should also get your attention. That's a cultural foundation to build on that will resonate far more than wins/losses this year.

My last comment is that it is comical to keep talking about what CNM said during his intro press-conferences regarding tempo and the brand/philosophy of basketball he wants to play- guy makes a few statements about his overall philosophy and you're holding him to it year one with all the things that have transpired since those same comments were made? You think he's able to do that this year with this team? He made those comments when he thought he could still keep the recruits in the fold and had quality returners capable of executing basic plays/following instructions.. overall it is what he believes in- but we should keep those comments in the proper perspective.
 
You are wasting your time man. In case you have not noticed we have some pretty horrible "fans". Fair weather is an understatement. These same guys that want Nick gone and refusing to show up to games will dust off their Raider gear and sing his praises when he starts winning. Drives me crazy man. I have never watched practice and I can already see if we had Jones and Dishman this year we would have at least won the last two games. What do you or anyone else think about Butler?

Yeah, I'm a fair weather fan. LOL Been on these boards for over 15 years and have gone to games year in and year out since 87 but I'm a fair weather. :) If this dude starts winning, I'll gladly eat crow and say I was wrong. My gut says otherwise but I've been wrong plenty of times before and will freely admit it if I am. I don't think I will be but we'll see. I don't blame anyone for not showing up to see a 3 win team.
 
I have no problem with anyone's opinion- just as I hope folks understand that making uninformed posts may get my attention as well.. that is what these boards are for... debate. CNM & CKD have different philosophies.. that's what this is all about- there is no one way to coach/play basketball but the objectives are the same. Fans shouldn't simply accept unfavorable results- but I can't blame the cook for walking in the kitchen early when the cake is being prepared but not finished either...

As another poster put it blaming the coaches at this point is 'lazy' and unless you’re in practice daily you don’t know what players have been told or what they are doing in drills/schemes/film study etc.. there are plays that are not being run, instructions not being followed, etc.. simple stuff which goes back to my comments of the bball IQ of these players and the team overall. Collectively they're all performing poorly- that includes the coaches as well as this is a TEAM game.

Honestly I think the 2nd half letdowns are more mental fatigue showing than it is physical conditioning because the effort on the defensive side and during loose balls/hustle plays is still high late in games.. some here are saying it due to adjustments by the opposing coach but that's lazy too because in many of the games I went back to a few games in particular (FIU, FAU, Libscomb, Belmont of note) and it's simply the results that changed, not really the schemes- in other words the other team started executing the same stuff that didn't work as well in the first halves or in some cases they simply made shots (FIU)... but back to mental fatigue, the short bench/limited rotation certainly doesn’t help.. the main point of mine all along in defense of the coaches has been that none of these guys have played at this high of a level for extended game time against players better than them.. I could be more specific but it serves no point belittling 18-21 y/o guys and singling out their pros/cons but it's pretty obvious if you're really watching the games. Since I know what CNM ran at UNCA I see the same press break being used by MTUS this year with guys out of position or in some cases the guards not even coming back to help (which is not the design and is being drilled in practices).. so when I see coaching comments you should understand why I can't find fault- that is if we're playing what many here seem to prefer in the blame game.. so be a fan, but be an educated fan at least..

Put any of these players in a gym by themselves and they can do the fundamentals (and play better far than any random guy on the MTSU campus as one poster was talking about).. but put these players in extended pressure and they simply aren’t the same- especially for 25-30 minutes of game time.. the coaches can’t replicate game speed and situations in practice with walk-ons and only a small handful of quality players.. these players are learning how to play at a pace they haven’t played before but that’s not due to designed tempo by the staff- it’s because they haven’t learned when to go and when to pull back, many of the forced passes are in secondary break situations or when pressed.. but the players are forcing passes and bad shots in all types of situations.. the coaches are tracking/charting the turnovers and the situations in which they occur (live action, dead ball, press, half court, transition, etc) and there's no singular trend- these are young guards with not a single guy who is stable on the court. Usually the consequences for poor passes, unforced TO's, bad shot selection, etc is a trip to the bench- what are these coaches doing when 2 guards on 2 consecutive plays make bad decisions with only 1 guard sub on the bench? Which bad player do they take out vs which bad player stays in the game?

For those of you posting about adjustments- what does that mean exactly? What specific idea do you think you have that would work with these players, with this bench, with their aptitudes? There is a reason that not all players play beyond HS, that not all college players go pro, that not all pro's play in the NBA- it's not just about running the drills in practice or coaching or their physical abilities- players have other limitations as well..

What is indicative of coaching is how hard this team is playing- do y'all know how hard it is to keep a team that is continually losing to keep their heads up and keep competing at their highest level? they may have limitations but the energy and respect that they are showing to themselves, their teammates and the fans of MTSU should also get your attention. That's a cultural foundation to build on that will resonate far more than wins/losses this year.

My last comment is that it is comical to keep talking about what CNM said during his intro press-conferences regarding tempo and the brand/philosophy of basketball he wants to play- guy makes a few statements about his overall philosophy and you're holding him to it year one with all the things that have transpired since those same comments were made? You think he's able to do that this year with this team? He made those comments when he thought he could still keep the recruits in the fold and had quality returners capable of executing basic plays/following instructions.. overall it is what he believes in- but we should keep those comments in the proper perspective.

My friend, you've never been to a Kermit practice. He replicated game speed just fine. They ran high pressure drills until dudes dropped and I saw a few drop. Their passing drills were harder than any I've watched in person including an Eddie Folger coached Vandy the season they beat #1 Kentucky. I watched several VU practices from 91-95. Ask UCLA, Michigan state, Vandy multiple times, Minnesota, UT, Ole Miss etc. if Kermit's drills were effective.

You can write another Tolstoy novel if you want but this new guy doesn't come close to that level. His decisions, the teams lack of discipline. It's not a good product. You can paint it anyway you want but we have 3 wins and it looks like we won't win more than 3. Randy Weil was better than that. LOL.
 
My friend, you've never been to a Kermit practice. He replicated game speed just fine. They ran high pressure drills until dudes dropped and I saw a few drop. Their passing drills were harder than any I've watched in person including an Eddie Folger coached Vandy the season they beat #1 Kentucky. I watched several VU practices from 91-95. Ask UCLA, Michigan state, Vandy multiple times, Minnesota, UT, Ole Miss etc. if Kermit's drills were effective.

You can write another Tolstoy novel if you want but this new guy doesn't come close to that level. His decisions, the teams lack of discipline. It's not a good product. You can paint it anyway you want but we have 3 wins and it looks like we won't win more than 3. Randy Weil was better than that. LOL.

Kermit replicated game speed in practice because he had players.. never said that coaches in general can’t replicate game situations in practice.. CNM replicated game speed at UNCA practices too but if you don’t have enough quality players you cannot do it.. that’s called lack of depth and is applicable to this years team.. I may have written a lot but keep up with what I said..
 
I'm glad you like this guy. You must be related or a creepy stalker but seriously, he's a downgrade IMO. Time will prove me right on this one I'm afraid. I just haven't seen anything that will change my mind. If we lose to USM, we are not gonna get 5 wins. That means that he couldn't even do what Randy Weil did and that is freaking scary. People talk about Kermit not producing in his early years. Go look again, he produced way more than this dude ever will. 16 wins? We should be so lucky. If we ended up with 16 wins this year, I'd take back everything I said. We might not get to 1/4th of that total. So sorry, I'm not buying what you're selling. ever.
 
I'm glad you like this guy. You must be related or a creepy stalker but seriously, he's a downgrade IMO. Time will prove me right on this one I'm afraid. I just haven't seen anything that will change my mind. If we lose to USM, we are not gonna get 5 wins. That means that he couldn't even do what Randy Weil did and that is freaking scary. People talk about Kermit not producing in his early years. Go look again, he produced way more than this dude ever will. 16 wins? We should be so lucky. If we ended up with 16 wins this year, I'd take back everything I said. We might not get to 1/4th of that total. So sorry, I'm not buying what you're selling. ever.

I'm a little confused. With football and coach stock's almost 15 years of mediocrity and disappointment, you have typically been almost evangelistic for football and coach stock's tenure. With CNM who is just closing in on his first 1/2 of a season, you seem to be the opposite of the enduring support shown in football. I guess I'm just not seeing or understanding the hostility towards CNM.
 
I'm glad you like this guy. You must be related or a creepy stalker but seriously, he's a downgrade IMO. Time will prove me right on this one I'm afraid. I just haven't seen anything that will change my mind. If we lose to USM, we are not gonna get 5 wins. That means that he couldn't even do what Randy Weil did and that is freaking scary. People talk about Kermit not producing in his early years. Go look again, he produced way more than this dude ever will. 16 wins? We should be so lucky. If we ended up with 16 wins this year, I'd take back everything I said. We might not get to 1/4th of that total. So sorry, I'm not buying what you're selling. ever.

Come on JT, first of all, I know you love MT, there is no doubt, but you cannot compare Kermit's first year with CNM first year...I spelled this out before, the roster on Kermits first year was Senior laden with good players - Tommy Gunn, Willie Pippen, and Humphrey's who had a career with the Globe trotters. Their PG was a SR. Whats interesting is none of the F on that team developed to become core players moving forward (a common theme in the Davis era)...and their schedule was much easier.

Our new coach may not make it here successfully, but this year is a wash, it really is. It was a perfect storm that happened to our roster, even with the 4 guys that left we were not going to win the conference or close to 19-20 wins. Then with Crump getting hurt and Butler hurt - its been a lot of crazy bad luck. This program was not left in good stead, its a rebuild.

One more thing, this is our school, the idea that you only go and support if they win is not your MO. Lets not abandon our team, the guys play hard. They may not win many, but I hope I am there to see it. CNM has not lost the team, they are trying.
 
To me, the FAU loss was quite possibly the most frustrating loss from this fan's perspective. Mostly, I think it had to do with getting some hopes up in the first half that MT could possibly pull out a win early in conference play.

Admittedly, the same turnovers before even before crossing the half-court line was quite high blood pressure inducing. Despite my frustration with the FAU game, reading the board this morning has me almost in a defensive mood for the coaches and team.

Like TrueBlue147 said earlier in this thread, I too have wondered if CNM would benefit the team by slowing down their offensive play. Then again, kingaling42 likely makes a good point about CNM already trying various approaches including slowing them down.

All of these things add up to what most of us already knew back in the summer, it's going to be a long year with a patchwork of players that still does not add up to a full roster. An extremely young and inexperienced roster. Does this mean I'm happy with only 5 wins? Heck no! I don't like it. At the same time though, I don't want to trash the HC over circumstances he did not create.

Folks, Kermit is gone. He is not coming back. In my opinion, it is not right nor fair to compare CNM in 1/2 a season to Kermit who was here for about 15 years. In some regards, it seems CNM is getting the blame for the mess that Kermit left. For all of Kermit's investment in the MT program, some of those conditions he left the program was somewhat disappointing considering Kermit's reported interest in the future health of the MT program even after he moved on.

We all complain about varying aspects with MT athletics. That MT is currently in a long losing streak in bball, most to all of us will field our share of complaints I'm sure. I do prefer to not see the new HC, CNM, harshly judged in the early going when very few could be expected to experience much success given his circumstances.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kingaling42
I'm not comparing Kermit, other folks were saying that Kermit took a while before he started winning and he was winning when he got here. You can say that Kermit had all of these players but what did Weil do with them? I'm comparing CMD to Weil right now not Kermit.

As far as why I'm hard on this guy, I'm just tired. I'm tired of our admin dropping the ball over and over again. I thought this hire was not a good one and just showed how inept Massaro really is. Now you guys can disagree with me but Men's BB over the last 6-7 years was awesome and was our main deal since the 2016 season. 2011-2013 was awesome too. Then it's utterly destroyed in less than a month. I saw this coming when this guy was announced as our coach. That's where I'm completely frustrated I suppose. It was the way it happened and the choice was desperate did not fit us or our style in any way. It kind of made no sense. It was a mess and now we have a mess on the court. My frustration is on Massaro more than this coach but I'm not impressed. Can he change it? Maybe but he never killed it down at UNCA and our competition is tougher. I don't even see .500 for a long time. It's what it is. The program is completely dead again. I've accepted it but I don't have to like it.
 
I think that I, as a fan, waffle back and forth between wanting to give McDevitt wide leeway considering the terrible situation he is in and in being frustrated at the play we continue to witness on the floor.

To those of you who are critical of some of my recent comments with the implication that I don't know coaching let me assure you that while I have never played or coached on the college level in a previous life I probably sat on a bench at more competitive games (I'm not talking about Sat. morning rec. leagues), done more scouting back in the days before video taping and computers, attended dozens of weekend and summer coaching clinics (H.S, college, and NBA presenters), spent more time at summer camps, picked more coaches' heads for ideas in bull sessions, and spent more time on the practice floor than 99% of you. I turned down offers to apply for coaching jobs that would shock some of you (quite possibly a big mistake in my life but water over the dam - the road untraveled, etc.), and yes, I have attended many college practices.
That said: I don't watch MT as a coach but as a fan. I'm not at practice and don't analyze as if I am scouting or coaching. I'm not in the huddle during a timeout or in the locker room at halftime. I realize that the game has changed since I coached and it's college, not high school. I'm a fan, and as a fan I can be critical just as I have been of each prior coach when I see issues (although as an ex-coach I've never called for a coach's head realizing just how much each of them put into their work).
I don't doubt that McDevitt wants to be successful and is doing everything he can to get through the season. I just wish it would be a little more obvious, to me as a fan, that we are making an effort to cut down on the excessive unforced turnovers and the late game meltdowns. I'm going to refrain from any critical posts, try to put on my ancient coaches' hat and analyze the play until after the next home stand (4 games away). I'm looking for some signs of progress. Physical errors on the floor I can live with, it's the mental errors which drive me crazy (and caused me many sleepless nights when coaching).
 
  • Like
Reactions: SpaceRaider
McD gets an outright pass this year. No way around it. Team needs to show improvement next year and then expect some winning in year 3. The team was decimated after Kermit left. No way anyone can say Grensing for sure would have done better. I liked him, but he wasn't a name that was going to keep the recruits either. CNM needs at least 2 more years and then we can have the discussion.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT