What I saw last night sitting behind the bench was beyond disturbing.
First off let me say that I hate sitting low. Especially behind the bench. Your vision is blocked. Anyone standing on or near the court, the coaches, the refs, players, they block your view. And you can't see plays developing until they are almost complete.
But with that said you do get a different perspective as you can see reactions on the bench and look into the eyes of everyone there during the game.
Our players played hard until midway into the second half when the outcome was all but over. They became resigned to the fact that this was going to be the last game of the year and they had no clue, none whatsoever how to change that.
When I saw the looks on the players faces during the game the stares were blank. They had no idea what to do to change the outcome. They tried to encourage each other throughout the game. That was admirable. But there was no direction, no energy. no guidance, no game plan, no execution, nothing.
Watching Marquette running their offense, and remember this is a 9th place team who had lost 8 of 10 games coming in was a thing of beauty. There's not a ton of offensive talent on their roster but they squeezed every ounce they had by moving the ball, setting picks, working the ball inside, and taking quality shots. In short 5 guys last night working a quality offense in tandem.
That was in incredible contrast to SHU. They just did what they have been doing since their losing streak started. Throwing the ball around a tight zone, rarely working it inside except on a few occasions, launching quick and bad shots, and playing way too much one on one basketball. Especially in the second half.
All the while, and this was the most shocking part for me, our head coach just stood on the sideline not one time showing any emotion. That while Sha and Fred Hill were up and doing everything possible to motivate the players. To add urgency to their play.
I was one of the first on the site here to criticize Gonzo (after just one game) for being so animated and out of control on the sidelines. I took a ton of grief for that but eventually it proved true. Here Willard is the complese opposite. No emotion, no urgency, nothing. The anti Gonzo. All the while Wojo, a first year coach was like a controlled firecracker on his sideline and his players, just like ours echoed the emotion of their leader.
I have never in my life been so happy for a season to end. In fact I gave away my tickets for the rest of the tournament to a fan and left the arena. I had no desire to go to the interview room and hear the same old same old.
BTW, the free board is out of control and for now I have no desire to read what is being posted or to comment on the complaints.
I have never been so exhausted or frustrated trying to help my Alma mater as I am right now.
There's a ton more I would like to say but I have probably said enough right now.
This post was edited on 3/12 9:34 AM by Halldan1
First off let me say that I hate sitting low. Especially behind the bench. Your vision is blocked. Anyone standing on or near the court, the coaches, the refs, players, they block your view. And you can't see plays developing until they are almost complete.
But with that said you do get a different perspective as you can see reactions on the bench and look into the eyes of everyone there during the game.
Our players played hard until midway into the second half when the outcome was all but over. They became resigned to the fact that this was going to be the last game of the year and they had no clue, none whatsoever how to change that.
When I saw the looks on the players faces during the game the stares were blank. They had no idea what to do to change the outcome. They tried to encourage each other throughout the game. That was admirable. But there was no direction, no energy. no guidance, no game plan, no execution, nothing.
Watching Marquette running their offense, and remember this is a 9th place team who had lost 8 of 10 games coming in was a thing of beauty. There's not a ton of offensive talent on their roster but they squeezed every ounce they had by moving the ball, setting picks, working the ball inside, and taking quality shots. In short 5 guys last night working a quality offense in tandem.
That was in incredible contrast to SHU. They just did what they have been doing since their losing streak started. Throwing the ball around a tight zone, rarely working it inside except on a few occasions, launching quick and bad shots, and playing way too much one on one basketball. Especially in the second half.
All the while, and this was the most shocking part for me, our head coach just stood on the sideline not one time showing any emotion. That while Sha and Fred Hill were up and doing everything possible to motivate the players. To add urgency to their play.
I was one of the first on the site here to criticize Gonzo (after just one game) for being so animated and out of control on the sidelines. I took a ton of grief for that but eventually it proved true. Here Willard is the complese opposite. No emotion, no urgency, nothing. The anti Gonzo. All the while Wojo, a first year coach was like a controlled firecracker on his sideline and his players, just like ours echoed the emotion of their leader.
I have never in my life been so happy for a season to end. In fact I gave away my tickets for the rest of the tournament to a fan and left the arena. I had no desire to go to the interview room and hear the same old same old.
BTW, the free board is out of control and for now I have no desire to read what is being posted or to comment on the complaints.
I have never been so exhausted or frustrated trying to help my Alma mater as I am right now.
There's a ton more I would like to say but I have probably said enough right now.
This post was edited on 3/12 9:34 AM by Halldan1
