While I have been a strong supporter of Coach K over his tenure, one key missing ingredient that has prevented his Program from joining the MAC elite is "Getting Key Stops At The End Of Close Games". As last year painfully played out, we were cited as the most unluckiest team in Division 1 College Basketball because of the number of close games we lost. There were a number of those games, including the loss to Ohio U in the MAC Quarter Finals, where a defensive stop in the final seconds would have made the difference between winning and losing. While I'm not a coach, I think a lot of what playing defense is about comes down to "effort, attitude and pride." Hopefully Coach K emphasizes this with his players, as we know from past seasons that our team's success or failure will come down to a few games that are won or lost in the last minute.

Is it really being unlucky when you don’t play defense the entire season and then don’t get the key stops in the final minute? I would just call that consistency.

Have more than 6 players who can put the ball in the hole

I think you have to get players that want to play defense. It's like rebounding, it's an attitude. Sure you can coach it, but some kids just love that physical type of play. You can't make a butterfly out of a rock.

(11-02-2017 12:56 PM)Basketball Jones Wrote:  While I have been a strong supporter of Coach K over his tenure, one key missing ingredient that has prevented his Program from joining the MAC elite is "Getting Key Stops At The End Of Close Games". As last year painfully played out, we were cited as the most unluckiest team in Division 1 College Basketball because of the number of close games we lost. There were a number of those games, including the loss to Ohio U in the MAC Quarter Finals, where a defensive stop in the final seconds would have made the difference between winning and losing. While I'm not a coach, I think a lot of what playing defense is about comes down to "effort, attitude and pride." Hopefully Coach K emphasizes this with his players, as we know from past seasons that our team's success or failure will come down to a few games that are won or lost in the last minute.

i hope i'm wrong, but if a coach hasn't been to the ncaa's once in 15 years as a head coach, chances are very high it will never happen. coaches don't learn how to win in their 50's, they learn in their 20's and 30's.

(11-02-2017 02:51 PM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  

(11-02-2017 12:56 PM)Basketball Jones Wrote:  While I have been a strong supporter of Coach K over his tenure, one key missing ingredient that has prevented his Program from joining the MAC elite is "Getting Key Stops At The End Of Close Games". As last year painfully played out, we were cited as the most unluckiest team in Division 1 College Basketball because of the number of close games we lost. There were a number of those games, including the loss to Ohio U in the MAC Quarter Finals, where a defensive stop in the final seconds would have made the difference between winning and losing. While I'm not a coach, I think a lot of what playing defense is about comes down to "effort, attitude and pride." Hopefully Coach K emphasizes this with his players, as we know from past seasons that our team's success or failure will come down to a few games that are won or lost in the last minute.

i hope i'm wrong, but if a coach hasn't been to the ncaa's once in 15 years as a head coach, chances are very high it will never happen. coaches don't learn how to win in their 50's, they learn in their 20's and 30's.

While this may be true, look at Tricia Cullop. It took her 17 years to get to the NCAA's as a head coach. Just saying!

The "key" is having talent. Not sure we have even close to enough. I hope I am proven wrong.

No matter; looking forward to a new season of RBB, and tickled pink I can watch on ESPN3.

(11-02-2017 07:21 PM)Screwball Wrote:  The "key" is having talent. Not sure we have even close to enough. I hope I am proven wrong.

No matter; looking forward to a new season of RBB, and tickled pink I can watch on ESPN3.

We have had the talent, they just don't play defense like we did in the 90s and early 00s, when the talent was not as good. Lack of defense is what I like least about Coach K, but we live in a day and age where scoring sells, not good defense. The same reason why soccer is not popular in the US.

(11-03-2017 05:41 AM)Rocketand2nuts Wrote:  

(11-02-2017 07:21 PM)Screwball Wrote:  The "key" is having talent. Not sure we have even close to enough. I hope I am proven wrong.

No matter; looking forward to a new season of RBB, and tickled pink I can watch on ESPN3.

We have had the talent, they just don't play defense like we did in the 90s and early 00s, when the talent was not as good. Lack of defense is what I like least about Coach K, but we live in a day and age where scoring sells, not good defense. The same reason why soccer is not popular in the US.

The talent has been very mediocre. You only have to look at top 50 programs to realize that.