Why do some coaches get their teams consistently better at the end of the year than other coaches and programs do ? How do they do it ?

(03-15-2014 06:00 PM)CincyBro Wrote:  Why do some coaches get their teams consistently better at the end of the year than other coaches and programs do ? How do they do it ?

Ancient Chinese secret.

Having that roster helps.

(03-15-2014 07:05 PM)mptnstr@44 Wrote:  

(03-15-2014 06:00 PM)CincyBro Wrote:  Why do some coaches get their teams consistently better at the end of the year than other coaches and programs do ? How do they do it ?

Ancient Chinese secret.

excellent

(03-15-2014 07:10 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Having that roster helps.

UL lost Behanon and Ware, yet they seem to have progressed more at the end of the year. Pitino just won his 12th conf. cfhampionship. Alford has UCLA kicking ass at the end of the year, he did it at N.M., what do they do ? Same coaches consistently do this.

(03-15-2014 07:24 PM)CincyBro Wrote:  

(03-15-2014 07:10 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Having that roster helps.

UL lost Behanon and Ware, yet they seem to have progressed more at the end of the year. Pitino just won his 12th conf. cfhampionship. Alford has UCLA kicking ass at the end of the year, he did it at N.M., what do they do ? Same coaches consistently do this.

Alford, the model of a coach that gets his team to play better at the end of the year??

He hasn't been to the Sweet 16 since his Missouri State days in the late 90's!

(03-15-2014 07:24 PM)CincyBro Wrote:  

(03-15-2014 07:10 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Having that roster helps.

UL lost Behanon and Ware, yet they seem to have progressed more at the end of the year. Pitino just won his 12th conf. cfhampionship. Alford has UCLA kicking ass at the end of the year, he did it at N.M., what do they do ? Same coaches consistently do this.

Probably a combo of recruiting style and offensive philosophy. This time of year teams are wearing down and playing a lot tighter. You need to have guys who run disciplined sets and who can make a shot that isn't a dunk or layup. And you need multiple offensive weapons.

I've always heard that Pitino puts an extraordinary emphasis on conditioning all year. That comes in handy late in the year.
And as Rath said, they are loaded with talent which is the main reason.

(03-15-2014 09:47 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  I've always heard that Pitino puts an extraordinary emphasis on conditioning all year. That comes in handy late in the year.
And as Rath said, they are loaded with talent which is the main reason.

Talent, conditioning, deep bench all make for peaking at the right time.
Avoiding injuries helps too.

Michigan State, Louisville, and Duke have better players than everyone else.

I think I saw that Duke and North Carolina are getting 7 of next year's 20 McDonald's All-Americans.

Would make life easier.

(03-15-2014 07:05 PM)mptnstr@44 Wrote:  

(03-15-2014 06:00 PM)CincyBro Wrote:  Why do some coaches get their teams consistently better at the end of the year than other coaches and programs do ? How do they do it ?

Ancient Chinese secret.

Very easy: Well known Chinese secret, known those coaches.

If you look at what most people were saying about UC at the beginning of the year, I am amazed we are going to end up a 4 or 5 seed in the ncaa tournament. A lot of us thought this team was a toss up just to get in. So great accomishment for UC and Cronin.

However, it's Cronin that recruits these guys and is responsible for getting them to play together as a team. It's obvious we are deficient in talent compared to UofL, Memphis, and UCONN. But damn these kids play hard.

...still, if the talent level seems to be improving- I'd like to see it materialize on the offensive side of the ball in the next year or two.

And for much as i like this team and what they have done. Let's face it- they are not a serious contender with their lack of ability to score points.

(03-16-2014 12:49 PM)Bearcatbdub Wrote:  If you look at what most people were saying about UC at the beginning of the year, I am amazed we are going to end up a 4 or 5 seed in the ncaa tournament. A lot of us thought this team was a toss up just to get in. So great accomishment for UC and Cronin.

However, it's Cronin that recruits these guys and is responsible for getting them to play together as a team. It's obvious we are deficient in talent compared to UofL, Memphis, and UCONN. But damn these kids play hard.

...still, if the talent level seems to be improving- I'd like to see it materialize on the offensive side of the ball in the next year or two.

And for much as i like this team and what they have done. Let's face it- they are not a serious contender with their lack of ability to score points.

Good summary; I agree right down the line. This was a breakout season worthy of our celebrating and commending Mick and the team. I've also moved from being deeply concerned about next year's team to being cautiously optimistic. Just having size and depth in the post, moving Lawrence to his more natural position and a year's experience for our freshman guards, this team will have better scoring balance and depth.

(03-16-2014 12:49 PM)Bearcatbdub Wrote:  If you look at what most people were saying about UC at the beginning of the year, I am amazed we are going to end up a 4 or 5 seed in the ncaa tournament. A lot of us thought this team was a toss up just to get in. So great accomishment for UC and Cronin.

However, it's Cronin that recruits these guys and is responsible for getting them to play together as a team. It's obvious we are deficient in talent compared to UofL, Memphis, and UCONN. But damn these kids play hard.

...still, if the talent level seems to be improving- I'd like to see it materialize on the offensive side of the ball in the next year or two.

And for much as i like this team and what they have done. Let's face it- they are not a serious contender with their lack of ability to score points.

This. We are playing with house money at this point. That is a great thing, too.

I think it is several things: better talent, player development, coaching, depth, with depth being the biggest factor, you can play younger players more and not wear out your starters. Cronin has no choice but to play his three seniors a lot of minutes and we are seeing the effects the last weeks. I think it will change in the coming years with better recruiting. No different than when Hugs coached some of our 2 or 1 and out teams.

(03-15-2014 07:24 PM)CincyBro Wrote:  

(03-15-2014 07:10 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Having that roster helps.

UL lost Behanon and Ware, yet they seem to have progressed more at the end of the year. Pitino just won his 12th conf. cfhampionship. Alford has UCLA kicking ass at the end of the year, he did it at N.M., what do they do ? Same coaches consistently do this.

I believe that teams with good shooters play better at end of the season. They usually hit crucial free throws and open shots. Teams with a poor offense are hurting when they get tired defensively as the season winds down. Usually, it seems that the better teams with offense end up winning the tourney.

(03-16-2014 02:54 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  

(03-16-2014 12:49 PM)Bearcatbdub Wrote:  If you look at what most people were saying about UC at the beginning of the year, I am amazed we are going to end up a 4 or 5 seed in the ncaa tournament. A lot of us thought this team was a toss up just to get in. So great accomishment for UC and Cronin.

However, it's Cronin that recruits these guys and is responsible for getting them to play together as a team. It's obvious we are deficient in talent compared to UofL, Memphis, and UCONN. But damn these kids play hard.

...still, if the talent level seems to be improving- I'd like to see it materialize on the offensive side of the ball in the next year or two.

And for much as i like this team and what they have done. Let's face it- they are not a serious contender with their lack of ability to score points.

This. We are playing with house money at this point. That is a great thing, too.

I don't know. This hasn't felt like a 1 and done team all yr to me, so let's beat Harvard and then I'll agree we are free rolling.

Maybe I'm wrong ... teams with alot of NBA talent seem to make runs in the tourny ... probably more of a general rule and not the exception ...

If it weren't for our poor shooting, I'd say this team would be a candidate for the surprise team in the Final Four.