Bronze Medal Game

[WSUwatcher]

Due to his (in my opinion) lack of ability to evaluate talent, as well as his inability to coach the players into ANY direction once they were chosen, I must say I am glad Mark Few coaches a team that I don't care about.

It sounds as though Few wasn't the only guy picking players, although I suppose you can question his judgment of the appropriate roles for the guys he had / was given. The job of assembling and coaching a team under the circumstances that the US has adopted for the PanAm games is extremely difficult, to put it mildly, and coaches even more successful than Few (Tom Izzo?) have also come up short.

If the US wants to give a coach his best chance (and thus, by extension, the US team its best chance, once a coach is chosen), they should allow whoever is willing to do it have complete free rein to pick his own staff and his own roster with no interference from anyone else. Just let him be the final arbiter of all personnel and coaching decisions -- in other words, a true collegiate style head coach, the way K is at Duke, Calipari is at Kentucky, or Marshall appears to be here. And then just stay the hell out of the way.

The current setup is almost hopeless, and certainly thankless.

[ShockdaWorld]

It sounds as though Few wasn't the only guy picking players, although I suppose you can question his judgment of the appropriate roles for the guys he had / was given. The job of assembling and coaching a team under the circumstances that the US has adopted for the PanAm games is extremely difficult, to put it mildly, and coaches even more successful than Few (Tom Izzo?) have also come up short.

If the US wants to give a coach his best chance (and thus, by extension, the US team its best chance, once a coach is chosen), they should allow whoever is willing to do it have complete free rein to pick his own staff and his own roster with no interference from anyone else. Just let him be the final arbiter of all personnel and coaching decisions -- in other words, a true collegiate style head coach, the way K is at Duke, Calipari is at Kentucky, or Marshall appears to be here. And then just stay the hell out of the way.

The current setup is almost hopeless, and certainly thankless.

I agree with this theoretically

[wu_shizzle]

Perhaps most interesting to me about this tournament was one of the main explanations around why certain guys did nor did not make the team: Versatility. Yet no one really played more than their base position (especially the guards) and the coaches basically ran the same sub patterns throughout the 5 days. Trimble clearly struggled running the point, yet he was never out there in the 2 spot along with Brown (the only other PG). Ron never was given the opportunity to run the point.

I think it was more about defensive match ups and having the ability to switch screens than it was about having multiple PGs.

[ArtVandalay]

I think it was more about defensive match ups and having the ability to switch screens than it was about having multiple PGs.

I don't remember defense being much of an emphasis with this team.

[engrshock]

After watching them play I don't think that offense was an emphasis with this team other than drive to the basket, try to draw and foul and throw up a shot.

[ShockdaWorld]

After watching them play I don't think that offense was an emphasis with this team other than drive to the basket, try to draw and foul and throw up a bad shot.

FIFY

[another shocker]

Keep in mind there are a lot more cooks in the kitchen with USA basketball. Few may have wanted FVV, but was overridden by those who thought more desirable physical attributes were required to be effective.

that's what i heard.

fvv would have been a great facilitator.. to more than just ron baker, too. he would have gotten everybody involved.

[The Mad Hatter]

Wasn't Melo primarily a shooting guard last season?

No. He was Maryland's point guard, but he certainly was a shoot first point.

[WuDrWu]

Lotta black helicopters flying around these days.

[1972Shocker]

Regardless of who coaches the USA team the way this PanAm team was put together makes it very difficult to put in much of a system. Still you would like to think a high BBIQ PG like FWinner would figure out how to get the most out of his teammates strengths and skills and to get them involved.

[WSUwatcher]

Lotta black helicopters flying around these days.

Didn't you hear? That's how Bobby Brown arrived at the trials, in a black helicopter.

[forevershockerfan]

Much has been said about the Offense and leadership that FVV could have offered at this tourney and he sure could have. Just imagine Fred's disrupting defense we were lacking overall by some other players for USA. I think Baker did lead the USA team in steals and played great overall defense. FVV led the Shocks in steals here last Season and it will be very difficult for another Shocker to get more steals than Fred will get this Season. Baker and FVV will be our defensive stoppers.

We knew cutting Fred was a mistake upfront. Then after watching the games, it was even more evident we missed a much, much better chance at the gold if they would have kept FVV. Now FVV will show the world he is for real, even the skeptics will know, as he leads WSU this coming Season. How many teams wish they had Baker and Fred in their backcourt. Now add all of our other solid guards with them and you are cooking in olive oil where even the 'cooks in the kitchen' know their own roles.