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.