Player management: Coaching Contrasts

[97spiderfan]

Saw a couple articles recently on how Will Wade responded to players not performing on the court. Over the weekend, he publically called out a couple players (most notably Lewis) for not playing up to expectations and benched Lewis for the 2nd half in the Wisconsin game. He also called out Brooks in the preseason for not getting his academics in order.

Pretty stark contrast to Mooney's player management, who rarely, if ever publically calls out his players for poor play and similarlily rarely benches player for poor performance.

There are positive and negatives to each approach. Just wondering where folks came down on this issue. I personally think I prefer CM's approach, I think Will Wade has to walk a tight line by calling players out publically, the players may respond to it initially, but I think there is high burnout potential to this approach. And generally calling out players for lack of play in the media, just kind of rubs me the wrong way.

However, I do like the accountability of play, which I think sometimes is lacking in Mooney's approach.

 

[64Spider]

If I where a player I would not like the Will Wade approach. Should be between coach and player. Now if you want to call out the team as a whole, that's a different animal.
Of course we have all seen CM bench a player for long periods.
Bottom line, praise individuals in public, handle the rest in practice or team meetings.

 

[EPJr]

Saw a couple articles recently on how Will Wade responded to players not performing on the court. Over the weekend, he publically called out a couple players (most notably Lewis) for not playing up to expectations and benched Lewis for the 2nd half in the Wisconsin game. He also called out Brooks in the preseason for not getting his academics in order.

Pretty stark contrast to Mooney's player management, who rarely, if ever publically calls out his players for poor play and similarlily rarely benches player for poor performance.

There are positive and negatives to each approach. Just wondering where folks came down on this issue. I personally think I prefer CM's approach, I think Will Wade has to walk a tight line by calling players out publically, the players may respond to it initially, but I think there is high burnout potential to this approach. And generally calling out players for lack of play in the media, just kind of rubs me the wrong way.

However, I do like the accountability of play, which I think sometimes is lacking in Mooney's approach.

TJ Cline may disagree with you on the Mooney approach

 

[keefusb]

Depends on the player, some are more motivated by being called out, some are not. Good coaches know the difference. There is/has been a lot of discussion on LambNation relative to JeQuan Lewis's behavior during the Wisconsin game, which comes on the heels of some of JL's immature social media posts last year. Clearly, Wade feels like calling him out in the media will be a motivator for JL.

I have seen CM really get on some of our guys after they made a bad play and got yanked. But CM seems to prefer to not say anything negative to the media about anything.

 

[Ulla1]

Much prefer Chris Mooney's approach; much more classy and just the proper way to manage. Perhaps a difference in training: Clemson water boy vs Princeton basketball star. OSC

 

[72Spider]

+1

 

[urfan1]

Remember a number of these players are not his guys, his approach is likely to change as time goes on

 

[Eight Legger]

Tough line for a coach to walk. Ideally everything would be conducted in private with the players and team, but I think coaches sometimes feel the need to make it clear publicly that they are frustrated too, so that fans don't think they're just ok with losing or with troubled players, etc. In general, I'd echo the idea about calling a team out publicly being a better option than calling individual players out publicly – unless you have reached a point at which you don't care if the player is upset or leaves the program.

 

[spideroo]

In my view, Wade comes off as an amateur who might be over his head.

 

[mojo-spider]

no VCU sympathizer here, but believe it is much too early to draw any conclusions about Wade's style, or success...

let's see, I've been burnt thinking and debating that Capel, Grant, and Smart may have been a little unorthodox and way too inexperienced to succeed...the outcome is history...

Go Spiders!
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[WebSpinner]

yep, many on here think that every time they switch coaches it is going to be a car wreck but seems, each time, to be even better than the guy before.

 

[Spideroldie]

+1 to most of what I have read, above, about how and when to critique (publicly or privately) players. I would only add that there have been times when I saw a player taken out who was playing very well, and when players who were stinking it up were left in. This is yet another form of team management (which we could call playing time management). And, famously, many of us were not always in agreement about the PT given to a couple of players last season (TJ and DT, in particular. I would rate our coaching staff's "critique" team management as an "A," and our PT team management, last year, as a B-, though it does seem to be an A- this season.

When I originally saw the title of "team management" I was thinking of another (3rd) aspect of it entirely, namely the aspect of managing player turnover. We all know that "turnover" per-se, is not either good or bad, and that there is no "ideal" level of it. The current coaching staff, seems to me, to manage turnover, very effectively. I say this because of the last 4 players who we have "lost" to attrition (you know the names), only one, ANO, was likely to contribute significantly, or get significant minutes. When a coaching staff can sit down with a player, and honestly share their likely future playing time, and suggest that it may be in their best interests to transfer, THIS is to me an equally important aspect of 'team management." This I call "roster" management. Some of our players may disagree, but I would give the current staff a grade of A or A+ for their "roster management' over the past year or two. The loss of ANO, may or may not be "addition by subtraction," but the other players we have lost were not going to add, positively, to our roster depth. I also believe that our offense will be far more effective (some evidence has already been seen) with ANO playing for Pittsburgh.
Summary: Critique management: "A", PT management: "B- to A-," and roster management: "A"!