BASKETBALL Middle Tennessee @ Murray State (ESPN+), 7PM, Saturday, December 7, 2019

[sWiley]

And I just want to be clear. I do not have an axe to grind with McDevitt even though it may seem I do. He seems like a stand up guy, good family man, well-intentioned dude. I've never met him personally but I have a friend who's been around him in non-professional settings and by all accounts he's a good dude.

My concerns are purely from a basketball and roster management standpoint. Where we are at as a program is very worrisome after all the street cred and good will that we built. It is very upsetting what has happened and now it is becoming alarming to watch our program sink, quite literally, to the bottom of D1. I think we can all agree that there is never an excuse for that. Ever.

I want McDevitt to succeed. I want him to take us even further than Kermit did. But the further this program declines the more difficult it's going to be to rebuild it. Nobody likes to play for a loser and you are not going to find programs at the bottom of D1 consistently signing 3 star talent and getting 4 star transfers. With the amount of money we are paying for our HC and staff along with our recent history of the program, it shouldn't take long to at least be competitive in this conference, right? Or am I being unrealistic with my expectations?

 

[kingaling42]

Sounds like someone is getting outcoached to me.

Sure you easily make that argument and like I said it is ultimately on the coaches- way to avoid providing any specific feedback. Didn't mean to make you think too hard..

BTW Sims is still having a better year now than his freshman campaign if you want to really compare- his best year was last under whom? Same for Green offensively last year was his best career year in college so you may need to rethink your position there my friend.. on a serious note though look no further than Sims FT% this year compared to the previous 2 and tell me you don't think that something is between the ears and his confidence is obviously waned... those are deadball shots with no defense, no offense- just him, the ball and the hoop 15 feet away- how else do you account for that when the team FT% is slightly up from last year (not great mind you but still).. how do either of you account for that if it's not on the player, not part of the game plan; just an individual facet of the greater game... I'll wait..

 

[sWiley]

I would argue Sims best year was his freshman year. He outplayed Tyrik Dixon (1st team all CUSA defender) into a starting job towards the end of the year and was a true facilitator of the offense, as a PG should be. He gave the team exactly what it needed at that time to be honest and was excellent at feeding our big men down in the post and creating open shots for our guards. He hardly ever shot the ball but when he did, it was effective (44.4% from 3 as a freshmen).

Only reason he had the offensive explosion his sophomore year was because he had to. The team lost so much from a scoring standpoint and someone had to try and step up so he did. Even during his big scoring games, he never looked comfortable to me as a scorer. He strikes me more as a true PG and facilitator of the ball.

I have no idea what the F is going on this year. The entire team looks lost, uninterested, discombobulated, etc. They don't even look like they belong on the same court as their opponents. I have a hard time believing they all just lost passion in the game or forgot how to play ball. They look ill-prepared (especially at the tip) and disinterested and it's been an ongoing issue. I'm all for putting some accountability on the players but when problems like this persist then it starts to point to a culture problem. Looks like nothing has been cultivated over the last 2 years.

 

[kingaling42]

I would argue Sims best year was his freshman year. He outplayed Tyrik Dixon (1st team all CUSA defender) into a starting job towards the end of the year and was a true facilitator of the offense, as a PG should be. He gave the team exactly what it needed at that time to be honest and was excellent at feeding our big men down in the post and creating open shots for our guards. He hardly ever shot the ball but when he did, it was effective (44.4% from 3 as a freshmen).

Only reason he had the offensive explosion his sophomore year was because he had to. The team lost so much from a scoring standpoint and someone had to try and step up so he did. Even during his big scoring games, he never looked comfortable to me as a scorer. He strikes me more as a true PG and facilitator of the ball.

I have no idea what the F is going on this year. The entire team looks lost, uninterested, discombobulated, etc. They don't even look like they belong on the same court as their opponents. I have a hard time believing they all just lost passion in the game or forgot how to play ball. They look ill-prepared (especially at the tip) and disinterested and it's been an ongoing issue. I'm all for putting some accountability on the players but when problems like this persist then it starts to point to a culture problem. Looks like nothing has been cultivated over the last 2 years.

Its funny how you switched in your arguments reliance from offensive data (Green) to intangibles (Sims) when it suits you.. that’s my point really is that these players have shown skills and abilities in the past that do not reflect current performance and it is unlikely that coaches are suddenly coaching them differently this year than last- that seems highly unlikely.. the numbers/stats aren’t that off- the efficiency stats are notably worse.. so it’s in the intangibles and it’s a teamwide problem that is is fair to hold both players and coaches accountable to rectify..it really shouldn’t be an either/or debate.

 

[MT01]

I love how this guy who may or may not have even set foot in the Boro knows more about our hiring search than someone such as myself that - you know worked in the AD - has been engaged in athletics at MT for over two decades. But sure kingaling Odom wasn’t interested. Whatever you say bro.

And to cr to answer your question it’s when he says it’s coaching BUT the players bear most of the responsibility.

The “but” totally negates saying it’s coaching. Thats how someone tries to pretend like they’re putting it on coaching but in reality deep down it’s not the coaches fault. He has bad players and it has nothing to do with him as the coach.

And for the record I don’t give a damn who the coach is. I just want to win, do it with class, and have the men represent the university in the right way. If that’s Nick. Awesome. Means we won’t have to try to figure out how to buy out a loser. My point all along is not that I wanted someone else. It is that there are things that concerned me with the hire that have absolutely been validated to the nth degree. And there has yet to be any evidence to support the premise that those concerns can be refuted. I said it the day he was hired that this style has failed in c-USA previously and pointed to specific examples. I also said the day he was hired that my top concern was lack of defense. Both of those have proven to be completely true. So, I don’t want to be correct. I want him to prove me wrong as wrong can be. And I would be ok with that. But we’re a long ways from that. Hell, at this point I’m just looking for any evidence - nugget or a morsel that maybe just maybe we are moving in the right direction, but we aren’t even getting that.

 

[sWiley]

Its funny how you switched in your arguments reliance from offensive data (Green) to intangibles (Sims) when it suits you.. that’s my point really is that these players have shown skills and abilities in the past that do not reflect current performance and it is unlikely that coaches are suddenly coaching them differently this year than last- that seems highly unlikely.. the numbers/stats aren’t that off- the efficiency stats are notably worse.. so it’s in the intangibles and it’s a teamwide problem that is is fair to hold both players and coaches accountable to rectify..it really shouldn’t be an either/or debate.

Wrong again. I cited his 3 point % which was amazing, his FG % wasn't too shabby either. His stats towards the end of the year when he was starting games were just fine. And facts are facts. He was more of a facilitator in Kermit's offense versus a shooter. He was an efficient PG who distributed it well and also shot well when he had to. Both the film and the stats will back that up.

Try again.

 

[sWiley]

I love how this guy who may or may not have even set foot in the Boro knows more about our hiring search than someone such as myself that - you know worked in the AD - has been engaged in athletics at MT for over two decades. But sure kingaling Odom wasn’t interested. Whatever you say bro.

And to cr to answer your question it’s when he says it’s coaching BUT the players bear most of the responsibility.

The “but” totally negates saying it’s coaching. Thats how someone tries to pretend like they’re putting it on coaching but in reality deep down it’s not the coaches fault. He has bad players and it has nothing to do with him as the coach.

And for the record I don’t give a damn who the coach is. I just want to win, do it with class, and have the men represent the university in the right way. If that’s Nick. Awesome. Means we won’t have to try to figure out how to buy out a loser. My point all along is not that I wanted someone else. It is that there are things that concerned me with the hire that have absolutely been validated to the nth degree. And there has yet to be any evidence to support the premise that those concerns can be refuted. I said it the day he was hired that this style has failed in c-USA previously and pointed to specific examples. I also said the day he was hired that my top concern was lack of defense. Both of those have proven to be completely true. So, I don’t want to be correct. I want him to prove me wrong as wrong can be. And I would be ok with that. But we’re a long ways from that. Hell, at this point I’m just looking for any evidence - nugget or a morsel that maybe just maybe we are moving in the right direction, but we aren’t even getting that.

Very well stated and I 100% agree. I WISH there was a silver lining with this team and program but there just isn't, other than it can't get much worse so we can only get better? That's kind of sad.

I would love for McDevitt to prove me wrong. Kermit did, finally, 47 years later....but whatever. Nobody here hates McDevitt or has a grudge against him. He's actually very likable in my opinion and I would love for him to be wildly successful here at MT and land a Power 5 gig or something along those lines.

I'm just really worried about the product we are putting on the floor and his ability to manage a roster. Managing a roster is not easy. It's not easy at all. And this isn't UNC-Asheville or the Big South.

 

[kingaling42]

I love how this guy who may or may not have even set foot in the Boro knows more about our hiring search than someone such as myself that - you know worked in the AD - has been engaged in athletics at MT for over two decades. But sure kingaling Odom wasn’t interested. Whatever you say bro.

And to cr to answer your question it’s when he says it’s coaching BUT the players bear most of the responsibility.

The “but” totally negates saying it’s coaching. Thats how someone tries to pretend like they’re putting it on coaching but in reality deep down it’s not the coaches fault. He has bad players and it has nothing to do with him as the coach.

And for the record I don’t give a damn who the coach is. I just want to win, do it with class, and have the men represent the university in the right way. If that’s Nick. Awesome. Means we won’t have to try to figure out how to buy out a loser. My point all along is not that I wanted someone else. It is that there are things that concerned me with the hire that have absolutely been validated to the nth degree. And there has yet to be any evidence to support the premise that those concerns can be refuted. I said it the day he was hired that this style has failed in c-USA previously and pointed to specific examples. I also said the day he was hired that my top concern was lack of defense. Both of those have proven to be completely true. So, I don’t want to be correct. I want him to prove me wrong as wrong can be. And I would be ok with that. But we’re a long ways from that. Hell, at this point I’m just looking for any evidence - nugget or a morsel that maybe just maybe we are moving in the right direction, but we aren’t even getting that.

Never claimed to know about the entire coaching search- I know Nick and Ryan personally since they both have UNCA ties and Ryan's wife and mine work together- I don't feel any need to further explain my relationships with these men as I really don't give a sh!t what you think about me or if you believe me.. working for the AD doesn't provide you any special vantage point at how any of the candidates truly felt during the process.. but I'm glad you provided your bona fides- I sure do feel better now...

I surmise you no longer work in the AD so that explains a lot as well.. having worked in the AD for so long evidently you've never seen 18-23 years old do anything that they weren't coached/instructed to do and I reckon you've had a truly exceptional experience if you expect anyone to believe that.. this really shouldn’t be an either/or debate- regardless of my friendship with CNM I've made it clear that both the coaches and the players share credit/blame for their successes and failures to date.

It's interesting how you've complained post after post and in games ad nauseam about the lack of defense and somehow think that ANY coach in America would've instructed some of the things we've seen on the court by allowing straight line drives to the goal.. evidently you think there's a lot of guys out there teaching defenders how to olé the ball handler and just go fairly unimpeded to the basket... CNM may not have the emphasis on D that you prefer but the stuff we're seeing is simply beyond that.. it truly is unexplainable- again in all your years in the AD you've never seen a player do what wasn't coached.. no BUTS about it- it's gotta be solely the coaches who are in over their heads even though there's more talent/skill on this years roster..

To me, you know sitting in Avl, since I haven't been to the Boro yet this season to see this years team in person (since you ask) it's harder to imagine that the coaches are suddenly coaching differently than last year on that end of the court. I've been around a lot of teams and I've seen talented teams simply not gel for various reasons- defense requires more attitude than skill and the lack of heart/passion this early in the season is telling me that there is a void in team leadership- so you continue to believe what you want with all your years of AD experience..

 

[kingaling42]

Wrong again. I cited his 3 point % which was amazing, his FG % wasn't too shabby either. His stats towards the end of the year when he was starting games were just fine. And facts are facts. He was more of a facilitator in Kermit's offense versus a shooter. He was an efficient PG who distributed it well and also shot well when he had to. Both the film and the stats will back that up.

Try again.

Sims was very efficient that first year no doubt about it- he shot the ball 31 times in 28 games total and he started 4 games that year but not when it mattered most- he contributed most significantly the final 7 games which is a pretty small sample size..

So you think the new coaches took a proven facilitator and coached him to do the opposite of his 28 assists to 8 TO's in the final 7 games the season before? Or that his muscle memory in shooting the ball was somehow coached out of him the last 2 seasons? Or is it more likely that he was wide open for those final 7 games where his minutes increased because the defense was focused so much more concerned with King, Potts, Johnson and others that he wasn't even on the other teams scout. CKD didn't start him in that CUSA tourney opener and that is also telling about how much trust the staff had in him when it matters most- I have no doubt he developed over that first year but to consider it his best that's seems more like fools gold..

If that's your argument- then compare those 7 games his freshmen year to his last 7 games last season and tell me which Sims you'd rather see this year.. or am I still wrong?

 

[sWiley]

Sims was very efficient that first year no doubt about it- he shot the ball 31 times in 28 games total and he started 4 games that year but not when it mattered most- he contributed most significantly the final 7 games which is a pretty small sample size..

So you think the new coaches took a proven facilitator and coached him to do the opposite of his 28 assists to 8 TO's in the final 7 games the season before? Or that his muscle memory in shooting the ball was somehow coached out of him the last 2 seasons? Or is it more likely that he was wide open for those final 7 games where his minutes increased because the defense was focused so much more concerned with King, Potts, Johnson and others that he wasn't even on the other teams scout. CKD didn't start him in that CUSA tourney opener and that is also telling about how much trust the staff had in him when it matters most- I have no doubt he developed over that first year but to consider it his best that's seems more like fools gold..

If that's your argument- then compare those 7 games his freshmen year to his last 7 games last season and tell me which Sims you'd rather see this year.. or am I still wrong?

You are wrong because he shines as a facilitator of the offense and someone more focused on getting others involved, not a scorer. For the 3rd or 4th time, he is a true PG. I'd rather have him getting the other 4 guys going vs. being forced to score himself because he isn't surrounded with quality offensive players.

Our team was much more successful with him doing what he's comfortable doing his freshman year, which is facilitating. You can look at stats all you want but there's no pictures or videos in that book. Some of the passes and things he did as a freshman were amazing which is why he got so many minutes at the end of the year and every single person on this board can attest to that.

Which team was more successful, his freshman or sophomore team??????

 

[kingaling42]

You are wrong because he shines as a facilitator of the offense and someone more focused on getting others involved, not a scorer. For the 3rd or 4th time, he is a true PG. I'd rather have him getting the other 4 guys going vs. scoring himself.

Our team was much more successful with him doing what he's comfortable doing his freshman year, which is facilitating. You can look at stats all you want but there's no pictures or videos in that book. Some of the passes and things he did as a freshman were amazing which is why he got so many minutes at the end of the year and every single person on this board can attest to that.

Which team was more successful, his freshman or sophomore team??????

I don’t anyone on the board considers either team successful over those final 7 games each year.. 4-3 down the stretch with that great team and 3-4 last season

 

[sWiley]

I don’t anyone on the board considers either team successful over those final 7 games each year.. 4-3 down the stretch with that great team and 3-4 last season

Consider quality of opponent and the season as a whole.

If those two teams played each other the line would be 20+ points and rightly so.

 

[kingaling42]

Consider quality of opponent and the season as a whole.

If those two teams played each other the line would be 20+ points and rightly so.

stay focused Wiley- don’t keep moving the target.. we’re not debating which team is better- or who would win head to head- that’s clear cut.. we’re talking about why a player has seemed to have regressed or if it’s a reflection on the adjustments that teams make when you’re a limited role player vs a key contributor.. my thought is that Sims hasn’t regressed but that he hasn’t adjusted to how teams are playing him in combination with seeming to have lost the confidence he clearly had last season.. I also feel his best individual season was last year and not his limited role as a freshman- that’s how we got to the comparison of the 7 games.. stay with me and don’t worry about the shiny squirrels or whatever else is distracting you.. you, I thought, feel the coaches have more to do with his regression this year in comparison to last but that doesn’t make sense to me as his role from last year to this has been consistent.. and while he’s relied upon to score it’s not as much this year as last with Jones & Green in the lineup.. so if he’s a born facilitator then he has more opportunities to do just that- I’m not seeing that either though- are you? you also ignored any response to why his FT% is off this year which has no bearing on his role.. so I believe it’s a lack of confidence/sophomore slump..

 

[sWiley]

stay focused Wiley- don’t keep moving the target.. we’re not debating which team is better- or who would win head to head- that’s clear cut.. we’re talking about why a player has seemed to have regressed or if it’s a reflection on the adjustments that teams make when you’re a limited role player vs a key contributor.. my thought is that Sims hasn’t regressed but that he hasn’t adjusted to how teams are playing him in combination with seeming to have lost the confidence he clearly had last season.. I also feel his best individual season was last year and not his limited role as a freshman- that’s how we got to the comparison of the 7 games.. stay with me and don’t worry about the shiny squirrels or whatever else is distracting you.. you, I thought, feel the coaches have more to do with his regression this year in comparison to last but that doesn’t make sense to me as his role from last year to this has been consistent.. and while he’s relied upon to score it’s not as much this year as last with Jones & Green in the lineup.. so if he’s a born facilitator then he has more opportunities to do just that- I’m not seeing that either though- are you? you also ignored any response to why his FT% is off this year which has no bearing on his role.. so I believe it’s a lack of confidence/sophomore slump..

If you want to compare his FT% this year to last year then wait until it's a fair sample size to compare them. Things like FT%'s have a way of evening out over time.

He has regressed because he hasn't progressed under this staff. I can't think of a single player outside of Jayce Johnson who has actually appeared to have any semblance of improvement to their game. That is the players fault though I guess, right? Because they played better last year and now they're playing bad it's surely on them, right? Or maybe this staff just doesn't know how to utilize Sims strengths (or Green for that matter) with the roster as it is. Bad roster management.

Maybe they had better players on the team last year because we still had more of Kermits recruits. With Gamble and Hawthorne gone what offensive big men do we have? Tyson isn't bad around the rim, when he's on the court, but he's still not that good. Do any of the big men have any type of mid-range game? Gamble and Hawthorne weren't world beaters but they at least made the defense respect them and could score. I assure you none of our opponents have any respect for our current big men. To say they are offensively challenged would be the understatement of the century. Bad roster management.

Sims is a player that hits open shots and likes to get his Forwards working. He has incredible skills passing the ball down inside the paint and working the inside/outside game and also driving the ball and handing it off to a big but he's been unable to do that with this team because our forwards are offensively challenged. Tyson isn't bad but he's just a freshman and can't stay out of foul trouble, so Sims literally has nobody to work his game with. Doing 15 dribble hand offs and then jacking up a bad shot isn't going to utilize his strengths. At all. He is not some 1v1 lets-get-the-best-match-up isolation player, clearly.....but let's keep beating that dead horse, right? Does Nick know any other type of offense? Serious question.

We are the easiest team in the world to game-plan for and this staff has zero answers for it, both from a scheme standpoint and a lack of talented available players standpoint.

Again, bad roster management.

 

[dukewayne]

I get the feeling that frustrations are high with all of us especially because the team is looking lost on the court for a bulk of this season. Understandably frustrated, in my opinion. Most of us hate to see the years of progress, success, and momentum seem to be falling away in barely more than one full basketball season.

It's my rather limited observation that CNM has a style of coaching that is more instructive with granting of responsibility to the players. That is both responsibility and freedom. With a few of his new players, that approach appears to make sense. Admittedly, at least half of the players are not a good match for that approach. Maybe that approach could be successful in a couple of years with a roster full of players he carefully selected and recruited. Ultimately, only time will tell.

Whatever the case, CNM's approach is currently not cutting it for the team as a whole. My main and huge concern right now is the lack of effort & fight etc etc. My opinion is that CNM is going to to have to break bad on the team, so to speak, in order to get the team in line disciplined and exerting maximum effort.

In my view, CNM has enough quality players that are capable of successfully scoring and overall performing as a reasonably decent offense when they play as they are supposed to play. On the other hand, defense & rebounding are more about attitude and effort. Hence the overall poor play. As such, that lack of effort & attitude are the primary concern that is unacceptable.

Despite the horrible play, effort and attitude are something that each player can dig down into their heart to turn on, today! The team has the power and choice to change their effort today. Consistently employing that effort as a team may take weeks to come together for 40 minutes each and every game, but they can start today.

I'm down on the lot of them, coaches and players. Hopefully though, the coaches & players will see this problem as a challenge that they can begin to fix immediately by great effort, hard work, and fighting through fatigue, pain, and exhaustion no matter how much their bodies may be screaming at them to let up and take it easy. It all starts with the HC, and hopefully they will fight with great effort to turn things around. Hopefully the next time we see the team play they will be exhibiting outstanding effort.

I think just about all of us would be willing to extend some patience in racking up win totals if we see the team fighting with great effort each and every game. Certainly with tremendous effort & fight, the wins won't be far behind.

 

[MT01]

kingaling

1. You said you don't blame players but then continue to blame players (but then try to come back and say well coaches too).
2. You are correct not much has changed from last year, because they didn't play good defense last year either.
3. Yes, I absolutely do think, unequivocally, there are coaches out there that could teach this team to defend.

Like Wiley and I have both said. We want CNM to succeed. Have no vendetta or personal issue with him. And truth be told given you are close to him I'm sure you want to see him succeed too. So, we both would like to see the same thing.

That said, and I hate to repeat myself I've also yet to see any evidence that he can get there from this point. Nor have you provided anything objective that makes that point (because being honest there simply isn't any). We are in a wait and see time will tell situation. However, there is absolutely nothing that will convince me that we should be this bad right now regardless of the challenges he walked into.

So, time to move on. No hard feelings.

 

[TrueBlue147]

Does anyone think there might be a lack of discipline problem. Watching games on TV, I have noticed three or four times where McDevitt was trying to say something to one of the players coming off the floor and they just walk right past him like he is not even there. They totally ignore him. The lack of discipline would also explain the poor defense and rebounding we have been seeing. I wonder if McDevitt is too much of a "players coach" where he is more concerned with being buddies with his players as oppose to being a disciplinary leader. I could see where the players would lose respect for him and you could have the inmates running the prison.

 

[kingaling42]

kingaling

1. You said you don't blame players but then continue to blame players (but then try to come back and say well coaches too).
2. You are correct not much has changed from last year, because they didn't play good defense last year either.
3. Yes, I absolutely do think, unequivocally, there are coaches out there that could teach this team to defend.

Like Wiley and I have both said. We want CNM to succeed. Have no vendetta or personal issue with him. And truth be told given you are close to him I'm sure you want to see him succeed too. So, we both would like to see the same thing.

That said, and I hate to repeat myself I've also yet to see any evidence that he can get there from this point. Nor have you provided anything objective that makes that point (because being honest there simply isn't any). We are in a wait and see time will tell situation. However, there is absolutely nothing that will convince me that we should be this bad right now regardless of the challenges he walked into.

So, time to move on. No hard feelings.

I never once have said that I don't blame the players (or the coaches if you're paying attention).. I laid blame at both groups feet in my very first post in this topic; find it if I ever said otherwise this season.. do you not understand what I've been clearly saying in that both groups have issues/fault/blame- my issue with you & Wiley is that you're only blaming the coaching staff.. I've even been specific on what both groups have failed to do and where I think each group has responsibilities to clean up..

I have been specific about Sims & Green in particular because they are the only 2 players who played last year for the same staff that are performing a a level worse than what we've seen. I'm not picking on them for any other reason, and I have nothing personal towards them- just an honest look at how they've performed over both years and then Wiley and I have discussed Sims regarding our differing thoughts on which has been his best season thus far (you know stuff that these boards are for) and the issues with this team are NOT their sole responsibilities- let me make that perfectly clear.

I expect more from upperclassmen and generally most coaches do as well- so any of the upperclassmen have additional responsibility on any team in my eyes.. I'm comparing them from one year to the next because they've both performed worse this year than last and it's the only apples-apples look we are afforded at player development from year to year. We haven't seen Scurry yet, we didn't see Jones in games last year, Crump is a freshman and was hurt, Johnson is a soph and is noticeably improved this year and his improvement doesn't shed any light on the teams dismal performance thus far- the others just weren't around last year..

 

[kingaling42]

Does anyone think there might be a lack of discipline problem. Watching games on TV, I have noticed three or four times where McDevitt was trying to say something to one of the players coming off the floor and they just walk right past him like he is not even there. They totally ignore him. The lack of discipline would also explain the poor defense and rebounding we have been seeing. I wonder if McDevitt is too much of a "players coach" where he is more concerned with being buddies with his players as oppose to being a disciplinary leader. I could see where the players would lose respect for him and you could have the inmates running the prison.

It is quite possible he is too soft on them in public for some guys that respond well to hard, public discipline- but that's his style.. that's also his style in individual meetings. It's not what I've seen in practices/small workouts etc though and he's certainly not buddy-buddy with them in those sessions- he tends to get in their a$$es away from public view.. in my opinion he should do it more at times.

 

[sWiley]

Bottom line is we need better players. We are not winning any championships or fielding a competitive team with what we have on the floor right now outside of maybe Tyson Jackson down the road and maybe C.J Jones. We also clearly need a better culture and more effort. This team is so far away from being competitive/championship caliber it's disturbing.

Some of these transfers better be the real deal or Year 3 is gonna be a clunker also. Really hoping the Dayton transfer can play. Is Dishman getting a medical year for his injury? He's still an unproven commodity as well but at this point anything is going to be better than what we've got.

 

[MTLynn]

In 2018-19 the team had an 8-10 conference record... we can judge performance more fairly by comparing it with the 2019-20 conference record

 

[MightyRaider]

In 2018-19 the team had an 8-10 conference record... we can judge performance more fairly by comparing it with the 2019-20 conference record

Give me a break... exact same response Chris Massaro gives when he defends Stockstill.

 

[MTTim]

Doesnt matter what sport, the coach is ultimately responsible for the results of the team. I would bet a years paycheck CNM holds himself and his staff accountible for the teams poor play.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

One of the most diehard Blue Raider fans and alums that I know did not renew his court side seats this year for Men’s Basketball. He had them for years.

 

[abarnett]

I’ve had seats for 44 years plan on many more. Season is disappointing so far. Nick came in in a tough situation. Decimated roster short time to recruit. This year he still has short bench and young players. Sorry but most freshmen we recruit are developmental. Yes some r ready as freshmen but not many. I know we want instant success but may not be possible. Verdict is still out on nick but I’m not jumping ship yet

 

[MTLynn]

Give me a break... exact same response Chris Massaro gives when he defends Stockstill.

I will look for conference record improvement with any coach in their second season...

If a coach has a losing conference record in their 14th season, then they should be fired

 

[crposton]

One of the most diehard Blue Raider fans and alums that I know did not renew his court side seats this year for Men’s Basketball. He had them for years.

I may be wrong, but not renewing seats after one bad year does not seem very "diehard".

 

[MTFNBY5]

I’ve had seats for 44 years plan on many more. Season is disappointing so far. Nick came in in a tough situation. Decimated roster short time to recruit. This year he still has short bench and young players. Sorry but most freshmen we recruit are developmental. Yes some r ready as freshmen but not many. I know we want instant success but may not be possible. Verdict is still out on nick but I’m not jumping ship yet

I appreciate your loyalty and what you do for the BkB program. I was afraid you might give it up after Davis left. Glad to see you haven't. I just wish we had 100s more like you.

 

[TrueBlue147]

King, How did McDevitt win games at UNC Ashville in the Big South conference? Were his teams usually just more talented than conference foes with better players that he was able to recruit, or were his teams average talent wise but he was able to out scheme other coaches?

 

[kingaling42]

King, How did McDevitt win games at UNC Ashville in the Big South conference? Were his teams usually just more talented than conference foes with better players that he was able to recruit, or were his teams average talent wise but he was able to out scheme other coaches?

Mostly execution I'd say.. we certainly had some great talent come through but the peppering of some studs alone doesn't account for the overall team success- the other thing that was set is the nice rotation of 3-4 year players in the same system- so you have mentors aside from just the coaching staff for the younger players, guys that know the system, know how to lead by example in practices/workouts and off the court stuff, etc.. to me he is a coach that wants to empower his players, he doesn't want robots, and is willing to live with limited poor shots/choices in order to get guys on board over time.. allowing guys to screw up occasionally doesn't impact their confidence seems to be the thought process.

You've seen the defensive philosophies in changing looks/schemes to keep teams off-balance- the 1-3-1 really worked well at UNCA even against OOC teams like G'town a few years back.. that look won the Libscomb game on a key late possession, so I chalk that up the players executing on that possession in which the defensive plan allowed (i.e both players/coaches did a great job in that instance).. CNM has really done well in situational plays/setting like that.. UNCA won a handful of games on key OOB plays offensively and defensively- so I've seen him put players in better positions than this year.. which leads to..

Offensively I'm seeing more of that motion, hand off stuff from the Raiders which is prevalent in a lot of college ball right now- I'm not a big fan personally but it's better than the Shaka patented high-ball screen action over/over again.. last season we saw plenty offensive set plays that he ran here- off-ball screen actions for Green coming to the perimeter.. some duck ins, post exchanges, stuff to get the bigger guards he likes matched up in the paint against a smaller guard, etc.. I haven't seen nearly as much of that so far but since most of that action relies on the frontcourt guys and we've seen nothing but foul plague guys down low I wonder if that's why we've seen so much less of that.. or if they've adopted more of that approach like some other coaches recently - if so you have to recruit different guys for that scheme.. I think the coaches need to do more of the set play action, that would allow Sims to facilitate for Jones & Green and have Johnson/Jackson/Crump/Millin to be involved more in the paint actions..

 

[abarnett]

I think it is crazy if anyone thinks they know whether nick is the right person or not at the present time. I don’t like losing to Murray state by 35 either. He has a short bench and young player. I’m sorry but we typically don’t recruit freshmen players ready to start there is exceptions. Nick may not be the right person but no one knows right now I don’t care who u are. Some people on here think they know everything are just want to start something support your team. Go Blue