We are stuck, but how do we fix it. My suggestions.

[Rimas]

Kevin Willard is our coach. He is awful. We have no discipline. We have no organization. We have no motivation. And the fans know it. And we have complained. And he has been derided. But the administration doesn't give a rat's ass what we think. They care about money. They like him. Regardless of the fact that being inept and bad at your job for five years would get you released anywhere else. We are stuck with an awful coach. Most likely we are going to lose players. We will have no height other than Delgado, no offensive system, no motivation, no discipline, no player accountability for next year. We will sink deeper in a hole. And the school just wants us to shut up about it, stop sending them emails, gives zero response to our criticism, but still ask us to give them money. And we are all supposed be happy about it, be good little supporters, cheer for a coach we don't believe in, an administration who doesn't care what we think, and take our wallets out. I am not going to make it that easy for them...sorry.

But since we are stuck with Willard, here are some changes I think we should make that would drastically help us next year.

1. Motivational Coach.

Willard needs a motivational coach so that he an inject some energy into the team. Right now he couldn't motivate a gumball out of a gumball machine with a pocketful of quarters. Kung Fu Freddie had karate moves, Gonzo was an absolute lunatic, and Tony Bozzella uses a his jacket as both a whip and a matador cape. Willard has the dreaded...CLAPPING. That is about as motivational as a pink slip. My suggestion: Hanz and Franz. If anyone can pump up WIllard, it would be them. Right now he is a scrawny little girly man clapping in the wind, but Hanz and Franz could change that.

2. Actual Coaching

Since we have zero offensive sets, no inbounds plays other than the infamous "throw the ball over half court", and we couldn't box out the geriatric wing at Clara Mass, we need some basketball learning. I suggest instead of a Pirate Blue money donation we all chip in and buy Coaching Basketball for Dummies. Here is the link at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Coaching-Basketball-Dummies-National-Alliance/dp/0470149760/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425994072&sr=8-2&keywords=basketball+for+dummies. At only $15.33 it is a bargain to help our team become successful with complicated plays, such as the pick and roll, Also in the description is something very important. "Make critical half-time adjustments during the game". Wow, that would definitely help us out, because obviously Willard does not make half time adjustments ever. I think he reads the day's obituaries to the team so they come out with worse motivation than they had when the game started.

3. Personality

Unfortunately, our coach has a personality problem. He had a hard time selling candy bars to his mother when he was in grade school. I believe this is a two fold problem that could be correct. First he should read, Dale Carnegies's Classic, "How to Win Friends and Influence People." Two things he is very bad at that need correcting. Also Willard should purchase the musical stylings of Drake, Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa, and Waka Flaka Flame. Learn what recruits like and listen to. Understand their motivations. And maybe just maybe even Willard can close a deal.

 

[HallBall10]

Enjoyed your post. Made me laugh a few times.

That would be funny if Willard and Lyons showed up to work and a stack of "Coaching Basketball for Dummies" was waiting in their mailbox.

 

[hallsoccer03]

Here is the issue with Willard's coaching. Just like in 2011-12 we play well early. Actually play great early. But then teams make adjustments to the team and their style and start to shut us down. From there Willard has no idea what to do to adjust to that. 2011-12 we were playing well, crushed Uconn and WVU. Had a very good record and then South Florida game came along and the last 10 minutes of the game their defense shut us down. The adjustment USF made exposed something and other teams did the same thing and SHU had some horrible offensive performances. Team starting losing and Willard couldn't keep the players on the same page. Fast forward to this season. We start of great, beat 2 top 25 teams. Then whitehead gets injured and teams figure us out and we spiral downward again. Willard cannot adjust anything he does, he keeps at it and it doesn't work and things get worse and worse.

Also a big problem is the beginning of each half and the last few minutes of the first. In soccer you are told the most dangerous time of a game is the last few minutes of the first half. Sometimes a team loses a little focus and energy these last few minutes because they almost feel at ease. Willard has to correct this issue. Against Georgetown SHU was tied or maybe even up with about 4 minutes left. They went into the half down 8? Then the second half starts and Georgetown get 4-6 points in a row.. Boom that was the game. Against providence we have a big lead. Last few minutes of the first half Providence cuts big into the lead. Then start of the second half they erase that lead. More than anything else, more than the X's and O's this is where Willard has done the worst job and we have lost a half dozen game because of the last few minutes of the first half and few first minutes of the second

 

[piratehall]

good post RIMAS. I think yes we are stuck but still its almost impossible to believe that this school with basketball being the number 1 sport being in a new league etc. can possibly keep Willard for another year maybe more. My worry is that we improve next year which cant be that hard to do yet not get in the ncaa tourney. they will keep the coach forever. If we win tomorrow or even then upset Nova but not win the tourney what does it mean. a good couple of days but selection sunday is rapidly approaching and as usual ost of us will be sitting and watching and another year and no SHU. if the school doesn't do something then this is small time all the way. even with this mind boggling extension I believe if the school really wants a change there has to be a way. I thought Lyons and some of the rest were trying to get us really big time. But its all talk. DR. ESTEBAN has to know this is not good for the school . He is doing a very good job on the academic side but he knows how important basketball is. Some say Lyons hands are tied. what school hired an AD and ties his ability to do anything. Some AD s come in like gangbusters and make the necessary changes in a month or more.

 

[statenman]

Post of the year. It's funny because true !

 

[HallLine69]

Rimas, lol. Darkly comic and very entertaining.

 

[hallgrad80]

Rimas
Entertaining and sarcastically funny. The saddest part of all is we're all suffering and Willard keeps cashing pay checks . What a great place to work where performance is not the standard by which you are judged.