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A coach can only do so much

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  • A coach can only do so much

    From today's Eagle:

    One factor that can't be ignored, players and coaches say, is that WSU played tougher, more inspired defense in front of its own bench.

    "You can get a lot of help," WSU junior Wendell Preadom said. "As you can see, in the last two games, second half, when we get away from the bench, and we can't hear the coaches in our ears, we lose our focus."
    Lose your focus? A coach cannot make his players focus on their job when they are a greater distance away. Coaches coach and players play.

    WSU coach Gregg Marshall is not sure how much the voices influence defense in each half. In 12 Missouri Valley Conference games, WSU allowed better shooting percentages in the first half six times and the second half five times. One team shot the same. He wants to believe his team is mature and dedicated enough to perform equally well at both ends of the court.

    "I also know that the whole time we're on defense in front of me and my coaches in the first half, that I'm up as basically a sixth defender," he said. "We can tell them what's coming. You would hope they can do that on their own."
    You shouldn't have to tell a good, experienced team what's coming. We have neither a good or experienced team. Coaches coach and players play.

    "Definitely, the coaches have something to do with it because they have scouted and they know," WSU senior P.J. Couisnard said. "It helps us a lot. In the second half, it seems like teams just get hot."
    Accepting the inevitable run by the other team demonstrates the lack of confidence the team has in their ability to control their destiny. "Innocent bystanders" - a term that surfaced a few times the past several seasons. The coaches cannot be the ones to always demand a stop when that run starts. Players have to play.

    And transitioning to leadership...

    For McKenna, it boils down to communication. Some players aren't talkers. In the first half, coaches can compensate.

    "You can alert guys to what's happening," he said. "That might help take away a basket or two."

    McKenna, who played six seasons in the NBA, talks to his players about how much the pros -- and good college teams -- communicate.

    "It's a personality thing with some guys -- it's just not in their nature to talk and that's a concern," he said.

    Marshall is a willing and talented talker. He knows his intense coaching can lift his team. Often this season he says he is the one who needs to push in practices and timeouts, because the team lacks vocal leaders. At Winthrop and WSU, Marshall would experiment by remaining quiet in practice to see how the energy changes.

    "It's amazing how the practice just flutters away, it just has no passion or emotion," he said. "The quality of practice goes down, because they get used to it. They get used to me and our coaches urging them and in their ear on every cut, every screen."

    In the second half, it is up to the players to talk and focus on defense without as much help from coaches. Like many things this season, progress comes and goes for the Shockers. In the past two games, the lack of progress stood out as WSU watched halftime leads disappear as the opponent got hot from three-point range.

    "I don't think we're communicating," Preadom said. "We're not talking and they're getting wide open looks."
    Again, they're becoming innocent, helpless bystanders. When they don't have the coaches riding them and helping them, the leadership and communication void on the floor paves the way for fluttering confidence and failure.

    So...they recognize the problem, isn't that the first step toward recovery? We will see.

    Coaches coach and players play.

  • #2
    The article in today's Eagle is very disturbing. Goodness, there are NO leaders on this team. As evidenced last year by MT begging for the team to have a players only meeting and now this apparent guilty plea of "no leader" that they play better in front of the coach and are lost without him. HCGM said it from day 1, "we have some very nice players", but I get the feeling he is looking for some independent, thinking, "assassins." Please do not tell me how someone on this year's team will be a leader next year. There is a leadership void right now and a true leader would step up and fill that void, not wait until next year.

    After reading the article in the paper about playing better only when the coach is "on them" made me depressed for the rest of the season. Anyone else?

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    • #3
      Yes, I read the article and immediately wished that I had not done so.

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      • #4
        If this hypothesis is right then when they are watching film make one player at a time stand up and call things out as if it was game time. Call it practice.

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        • #5
          Obligatory Allen Iverson Practice Rant: http://youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI

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          • #6
            Just wanted to say that when I read the part about the players on defense when on the other side of the court, it really reminded me of our game vs. Vanderbilt.

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            • #7
              at least this evansville game wasn't on Around The Horn on ESPN to make fun of.

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              • #8
                One factor that can't be ignored, players and coaches say, is that WSU played tougher, more inspired defense in front of its own bench.
                I wonder if we should try to get the defensive end of the court near the bench for the second half and hope we're not too far behind in the first half.

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                • #9
                  "It's amazing how the practice just flutters away, it just has no passion or emotion," he said. "The quality of practice goes down, because they get used to it. They get used to me and our coaches urging them and in their ear on every cut, every screen."

                  In the second half, it is up to the players to talk and focus on defense without as much help from coaches. Like many things this season, progress comes and goes for the Shockers. In the past two games, the lack of progress stood out as WSU watched halftime leads disappear as the opponent got hot from three-point range.
                  These current players need to grow a pair...............


                  Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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                  • #10
                    Next year's leader will be Garrett Stutz.
                    Deep in the heart of couldn't give a crap about college basketball-land and I miss the SHOX.
                    Students > Alumni
                    If you EVER want to open your damn mouths about Selection Sunday, READ THIS FIRST: http://www.midmajority.com/p/1296
                    The ONLY document that means ANYTHING: http://www.bbstate.com/schools/WICH/sheet

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                    • #11
                      I agree a coach can only do so much. I will go further to say that 75% of a team's success depends on the studs that play on the floor. My argument has never been about whether a coach or a player has more effect on the outcome of the game, it has been about our inconsistent play and lack of development throughout the year considering the talent that I believe we have.

                      I firmly believe that our coach is struggling to adapt to the MVC and also to work with the kids that he inherited. I am of the opinion that he is under-performing with the current crop of players that we have. I think you would get most of the fans of MVC teams that have watched our team play and the chaos that ensues to agree with me. Most have been shocked if not silently pleased at what has happened this year.

                      What is so amazing to me is that nearly everybody on Shockernet predicted either a top-3 or at worst a top-5 finish in the Valley with our current crop of "losers" yet now it seems so understandable that we should be the 2007-2008 Valley doormat. Somebody is losing focus on reality. Maybe everybody is losing focus because losing THE WAY WE LOSE tests the heart and soul of every fan.

                      Let's hope that tonight everybody does a good job and makes us proud with their effort and determination. If we put forth a strong effort we can win nearly any game on any night. We proved that against LSU, UAB, in Omaha and various other halves throughout the season.

                      GO SHOX!


                      T


                      ...8)

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                      • #12
                        I think there is 3 or 4 games that we should have won, but didn't. Whose fault is that, the players, the coaching staff, both?

                        CGM has received criticism on VT and other areas for his lack of intervention in the Creighton and Evansville games.

                        We could have been very easily 12-11, instead of 9-14.

                        Coach should pick and challenge certain players to be leaders on the team, and tell them what he expects a leader to do.

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                        • #13
                          I picked WSU 6th preseason. Hoping for more but we lost a lot from last years team. Throw in the injuries and what you see is what you get.

                          Cold you are an extraordinary wordsmith. I think you are a less than average evaluating this teams past recruits, talent, and coaches. JMHO.

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                          • #14
                            I agree with you cold. We have not played close to our talent. I blam it on the coaches because we can see it but they cant? I think Marshall is used to playing in a weak conf. and not used to being in a mid major. If you listen to him he will say we dont have the talent or something but he has no real answers. Mark took us to the sweet 16 with a no talent team. If people remember we used to get soo mad at Paul Miller because he had no talent. But we still beat Tenn. My point is we have a ton of talent and for some strange reason we cant do anything with it. I'm just mad. Now lets go take it out on ISU. :-x
                            " If you build it they will come ", Koch Arena

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by lilshock
                              My point is we have a ton of talent and for some strange reason we cant do anything with it.
                              LOL!!!

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