Hello,
I have not given up on you yet, however I am disappointed in the lack of recent success, and lack of accountability that I see in the last several years. Here is what you can do to gain back my confidence:
1) Recruit better. Yes, Buck, Grant, Fore, Golden Nick, Gilyard are all guys I would consider very very good recruits. But we always seem to have 5-6 guys. We need 10 guys that are competing for playing time. I think Nick and Buck are very motivated young men, but geez they know if they show up breathing they will by default play 30+ minutes. Go get Golden, a stud grad transfer guard, and another player (transfer, h.s player, whatever) that was highly sought by A10 level teams or above. This will go a long ways to making me feel better about your recruiting prowess. And I want to see 2 out of Phoenix, Tomas or Cayo be solid contributors.
2) Create an atmosphere of competition. A big part of this is number 1 above. You had this on your earlier teams. We had Ryan Butler, Kevin Smith and Francis Martel all competing for minutes at the 3 - and able to play the 2-4 if needed. We had Darien sitting behind Gonzo. Garrett waiting his turn. Etc. Now, I don't see this. We can't be recruiting guys to be red shirts and not compete with the current players.
3) Player Development. What is going on with this. I read about other teams players playing on junior teams, going to different NBA camps, etc in the off season. I remember reading about Harper doing this - worked great for him. Obviously TJ got a lot better and had access to some great opportunities because of his mom. Now, I hear nothing. Leverage that relationship with the GOAT girl Nancy. How about Atkinson and Flem?? Push these guys to go to these off season opportunities, instead of working out with your redshirt level guys you recruit. Don't give me excuses, pick up the damn phone and do it.
4) Scheduling - When I read some of Chris Mack's newsletters and the other coaches that participate, I see some have mantra is: We will play anyone anywhere anytime. I realize some teams are hard to get, but we can do better. We can do better. No excuses.
5) Admissions - Stop being so nice. If you have a border line guy academically, tell Hardt and PQ they better pull strings and get him in or you are not going to play golf with them anymore. You don't recruit bad apples, so if we have to take a chance on a guy academically let's make sure it happens.
6) Commit yourself to excellence. I feel the big contracts and early success have dulled your fire. I probably would do the same if 1 month salary would pay for almost 4 years of my kids college. People were telling you how good you are. If needed, keep reading these posts and wake up pissed off each day and do not allow for complacency among your players. Make a public announcement about your goals. Create excitement around the program.
7) Constantly evaluate and don't be afraid to change. JB brought in a defensive coach at age 65. You seem to change at a snails pace. Don't bring in "yes" men that only know your philosophies.
8) Have some fun. Get mad, get happy, show some emotion.
You can do it, I know you can, let's start today to make this program great. If not, hopefully Hardt knows what to do.
23
I have not given up on you yet, however I am disappointed in the lack of recent success, and lack of accountability that I see in the last several years. Here is what you can do to gain back my confidence:
1) Recruit better. Yes, Buck, Grant, Fore, Golden Nick, Gilyard are all guys I would consider very very good recruits. But we always seem to have 5-6 guys. We need 10 guys that are competing for playing time. I think Nick and Buck are very motivated young men, but geez they know if they show up breathing they will by default play 30+ minutes. Go get Golden, a stud grad transfer guard, and another player (transfer, h.s player, whatever) that was highly sought by A10 level teams or above. This will go a long ways to making me feel better about your recruiting prowess. And I want to see 2 out of Phoenix, Tomas or Cayo be solid contributors.
2) Create an atmosphere of competition. A big part of this is number 1 above. You had this on your earlier teams. We had Ryan Butler, Kevin Smith and Francis Martel all competing for minutes at the 3 - and able to play the 2-4 if needed. We had Darien sitting behind Gonzo. Garrett waiting his turn. Etc. Now, I don't see this. We can't be recruiting guys to be red shirts and not compete with the current players.
3) Player Development. What is going on with this. I read about other teams players playing on junior teams, going to different NBA camps, etc in the off season. I remember reading about Harper doing this - worked great for him. Obviously TJ got a lot better and had access to some great opportunities because of his mom. Now, I hear nothing. Leverage that relationship with the GOAT girl Nancy. How about Atkinson and Flem?? Push these guys to go to these off season opportunities, instead of working out with your redshirt level guys you recruit. Don't give me excuses, pick up the damn phone and do it.
4) Scheduling - When I read some of Chris Mack's newsletters and the other coaches that participate, I see some have mantra is: We will play anyone anywhere anytime. I realize some teams are hard to get, but we can do better. We can do better. No excuses.
5) Admissions - Stop being so nice. If you have a border line guy academically, tell Hardt and PQ they better pull strings and get him in or you are not going to play golf with them anymore. You don't recruit bad apples, so if we have to take a chance on a guy academically let's make sure it happens.
6) Commit yourself to excellence. I feel the big contracts and early success have dulled your fire. I probably would do the same if 1 month salary would pay for almost 4 years of my kids college. People were telling you how good you are. If needed, keep reading these posts and wake up pissed off each day and do not allow for complacency among your players. Make a public announcement about your goals. Create excitement around the program.
7) Constantly evaluate and don't be afraid to change. JB brought in a defensive coach at age 65. You seem to change at a snails pace. Don't bring in "yes" men that only know your philosophies.
8) Have some fun. Get mad, get happy, show some emotion.
You can do it, I know you can, let's start today to make this program great. If not, hopefully Hardt knows what to do.
23
