http://www.richmond.com/sports/coll...cle_d86ad995-7c58-5c3a-9d1a-323bd7aaa9ac.html
Posted to ON-Line edition of T_D
Posted to ON-Line edition of T_D
Smoke or Fire?
- Thread starter 9Legs
- Start date
I'M afraid this is not smoke or fire, but rather dumpster fire. Slick Mooney trying to spin this any way he can. I've had enough of him. If he is back next year, I am 50 % AztecNation, 45 % HighlanderNation, 2% Lambnation, and 1 % Spidernation. Don't ask the other 2 percent.
Ok, FriendshueNation
Ok, FriendshueNation
This reminds me of Jason Conley, a dominant VMI player, who transferred after his freshman year to Missouri. He never started again.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Conley
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Conley
"keep his young core intact"
Wish the article would have addressed why we are heavy on a young core and light on an experienced senior core.
Wish the article would have addressed why we are heavy on a young core and light on an experienced senior core.
Right, RTD is a spin doctor for Mooney. WHY?
If Mooney had half a brain, and wasn't a stubborn, mediocre SOB, he would drive an hour down to Charlottesville every day and watch the best coach in the country and take notes. I do think you have to be your own man. But you have the best coach in the country (and I don't even like UVA) an hour away - you should make friends and try to emulate. But no, keep doing your weave and passive defense.
If Mooney had half a brain, and wasn't a stubborn, mediocre SOB, he would drive an hour down to Charlottesville every day and watch the best coach in the country and take notes. I do think you have to be your own man. But you have the best coach in the country (and I don't even like UVA) an hour away - you should make friends and try to emulate. But no, keep doing your weave and passive defense.
I don't see anything there between the lines other than the writer asking the question. It is only natural that the players might be discussing transferring during the season they had. Add to that the SS and PF situations and there is plenty of reason for discussion.
Ask yourselves if we have any highly regarded players who are currently playing out of position and will be for the foreseeable future, and you'll understand why there are rumblings.
The only palatable thing to me of keeping Mooney is keeping this core together. If anyone leaves, I hope they have Mooney follow them out the door.
I don't see anyone playing blatantly out of position, except for Buck having to guard power forwards.
Yikes!! Cannot afford to lose him, that's for sure. We would be back to year 0 in the 8 year Mooney rebuild.
My friends who do not think Mooney will be/should be fired all believe that if one of the core young players transfers he has to go.
I have stated in previous posts he is/could be the odd man out. Jack of all trades, but master of none. The glue guy. He does all the dirty work while the other 4 get the headlines. The most serious aspect of it is that for the team to improve, there needs to be a change at the position he is currently playing. Deep down, I think he knows it as well. I know anyone reading this board does not want to hear that, but that is the reality. Now there is the speculation about GG's brother. Fore had a good A10 tourney. You don't think Buck is pondering what if scenarios? People whispering in his ear? It might be time for a fresh start.
All UR players are here for a reason as Dick Tarrant so eloquently stated years ago. If Jacob Gilyard was 6' tall he would not be playing at UR.
Buck is a tweener. If he could handle the ball and shoot great from outside and play the "3", he would have received P5 offers and probably would not be here. For example, if he went to the ACC look at who he would have to be guarding at the 2 or 3 position. He can play the 3 in the A-10 if we had bigger players and yes he has to guard guys who are 3 to 4 inches taller and weigh 25 to 30 pounds more. I love Buck as we all do, but he is here for a reason and I hope he realizes this is the best place for him. He will always be a starter here. Go recruit somebody who can give the kid a break.
By the way, Nick Sherod is here for a reason too. He is a great scorer and improved in that area tremendously this year as he transitioned from just being a shooter to being a scorer. A good friend high school coach told me NS was one of the slowest afoot defenders he had seen to be so good on the other side of the floor. Opponents blow by him all the time. That's probably why he is here. Love Nick to death!
Grant Golden spends half his time guarding guys on the wings, that's our system.
Go get a big man rim protector to help protect these guys and then find somebody, coach or assistant, who can coach big men and this transfer stuff would be moot.
Buck is a tweener. If he could handle the ball and shoot great from outside and play the "3", he would have received P5 offers and probably would not be here. For example, if he went to the ACC look at who he would have to be guarding at the 2 or 3 position. He can play the 3 in the A-10 if we had bigger players and yes he has to guard guys who are 3 to 4 inches taller and weigh 25 to 30 pounds more. I love Buck as we all do, but he is here for a reason and I hope he realizes this is the best place for him. He will always be a starter here. Go recruit somebody who can give the kid a break.
By the way, Nick Sherod is here for a reason too. He is a great scorer and improved in that area tremendously this year as he transitioned from just being a shooter to being a scorer. A good friend high school coach told me NS was one of the slowest afoot defenders he had seen to be so good on the other side of the floor. Opponents blow by him all the time. That's probably why he is here. Love Nick to death!
Grant Golden spends half his time guarding guys on the wings, that's our system.
Go get a big man rim protector to help protect these guys and then find somebody, coach or assistant, who can coach big men and this transfer stuff would be moot.
players on most teams look at, ponder, transferring and have forever. even when DT coached and we were very successful, guys were always looking. if this is going to happen, it will be after discussions with CM leaving his post as opposed to being fired. don't think anyone wants to fire him so it will be the big donor(s) giving him an option which feels better and he will take it.
good article. I'm glad we don't have our heads in the sand. seems the program (if not the fans) recognized early that we're building towards something.
the team is very close. they've been through a lot so if they weren't close this would implode. we can be good with everyone back. and if everyone comes back, that's on Mooney. that's no small feat coming off a losing season these days.
the team is very close. they've been through a lot so if they weren't close this would implode. we can be good with everyone back. and if everyone comes back, that's on Mooney. that's no small feat coming off a losing season these days.
So now we're going to give Mooney credit when good players don't leave the program? I'm actually curious to know how much lower we can set the bar of expectation for this program.
you see how many kids transfer any given year, Eight? you don't think it's difficult and important for a coach to maintain morale and keep a team together in trying times?
I don't know it he'll keep them together but I sure hope so. I can't see use being strong next year if we lose anyone in the core.
I don't know it he'll keep them together but I sure hope so. I can't see use being strong next year if we lose anyone in the core.
Of course it is important to attract and retain good players. But that is part of the job of the head coach. It is expected, not something that should earn praise. Good god, he's making $1.2M a year! (Or $2M a year, if recent rumors are to be believed). No, I'm not going to get excited just because no good players leave us. I'll get excited if we win twice as many games next year as we did this year.
There is a small fire at this time. This is the first time UR has even been in this situation, where we are coming off a terrible season, and next year is more than likely not an NCAA year either. We are probably 2 years away. So if your a guy like Fore, who can likley use the grad transfer rule and play somewhere right away next year for a chance at the NCAA tourney or someone like Buckingham or Sherod who have 2 years remaining and could transfer, sit out a year and have 2 years left somewhere else - its not crazy to think. Choices are limited however, which works in our favor as only so many teams have room for a transfer - but it could be a viable option for some guys who might not think the future is bright enough soon enough.
I've always thought an SEC team would take Khwan in a heartbeat, and he's from Alabama. As much as I hope he stays, I can't honestly fault him if he decides to go chase that dream.
Eight, your negativity seems to be growing. We all get that it was a lousy season. We all get that we played awful defense this year. We all get that missing the NCAA's as many times as we have is not acceptable. We all get that recruiting in the past has not been good and that has lead to a short bench. But, good God, man, take a deep breath. Let's look at a few positives.
1. After a horrible start to the season, the team stayed together and played hard. We got better as the year wore on and were just about as good as any team in the league at the end. You HAVE to give credit to Mooney and his staff for keeping the team playing hard.
2. We beat VCU twice.
3. We beat the tournament champion (Davidson) twice.
4. We trailed by a lot in the second half against the Bonnies in the tournament and did not give up but came back to be down 2 with the ball and a chance to tie or take a lead.
5. We had all 5 starters average in double figures. Offence was NOT the issue this year. For those that rail against our "weave," I hope that you watched a lot of the games this past weekend because there are some awful offenses out there. Most are simply high ball screen after high ball screen and then a (sometimes contested) 3 point shot. Look how many points in the paint we had this season. We have a good offense.
6. Our rebounding actually improved!
7. Sherod became a man on the court and was very tough to stop.
8. Grant was unstoppable in many games. He may end up much better than TJ plus he rebounds.
9. Kwam made free throws down the stretch!
10. Gilyard is the real deal and will be exciting to watch.
As much as I love Ulla's positivity, I am not satisfied and want more. Should changes be made? Absolutely, and they probably will, but not at the head coach level. The past is the past and to keep complaining about it is meaningless. As for me, I am behind this team 100% and can see MUCH better days ahead. GO SPIDERS!
Agree that next season is almost a certain no NCAA year without big time grad transfer help. The following year could be a maybe.
I think we need to get off taking grad transfers. Mooney has tried it twice and it just doesn't work with his system. Our transfer this year never played and the last one, I can't even remember his name was nothing more than the 8th man. Given Mooney's intricate systema and tough to learn defense scheme - getting a guy for one year does not work. In other systems, where its much more basic and man-to-man style, most guys can pick that up quickly and make an impact - either as a started or off the bench. But in Mooney's system - I don't see it working.
FIFY. I should hope you want more than 12 wins. And what changes are you advocating being made if not at the head coaching level? Do you think any changes will be made?
Here's the thing. I was one of the most positive people heading into this season because I felt we had arguably our most athletic team under Mooney and a TON of talent.
But what I realized after 2-10 was that every year I am excited and positive for the season to start, and every year we underachieve. Every year since the last NCAA bid. The reasons vary. Sometimes, too young! Sometimes, injuries! Sometimes, bad luck! Sometimes, the schedule is too hard! Sometimes, we played teams at the wrong time!
I'm just tired of it all. And sorry, but as much as I would like to think we will win 25 games and make the tournament next year, past history is something I cannot ignore. There will be some other excuse, some other reason why we underachieve with this coach in place. If this were his first or second or even third year, yeah, I'd be a lot more positive than I am now about our future. But I've been fooled 7 years in a row. I can't allow myself to be fooled anymore.
Show me a coach at our level or higher who missed 7 NCAAs in a row and THEN all of a sudden figured it out. You can't, because no coach like that exists. That's the reality we are staring down. It's us and Penn State among the top 100 programs (by league) who have had the same coach for the past 7 years and missed every tournament. That's it.
+1 Trap.
If we were Kentucky, and we had a coaching staff and "systems" that were easy and fast to learn, then grad transfers might be workable. Instead, it takes our guys over a year to learn the system. How does that work for a player who will be here for only one year? It does not. Kwesi and JMA have been two of our most extreme failed experiments in the history of the program, and that is truly saying something
Why don't we stick with what we have done well the last couple of years, and get early commitments for the fall signing period, PERIOD. We will go 11-deep next season with no additional signings. There is absolutely no need to "reach" on a spring guy or a Grad transfer, and both come from "pools"' that have not worked well for us. Develop the current players, teach them to play a couple of standard zone defenses 2-3, 1-2-2, drive up to C-Ville and watch great offensive and defensive schemes, take lots of notes, AND apply what is learned. Most of all, learn from your mistakes, and do not continue to repeat them. It gets old.
If we were Kentucky, and we had a coaching staff and "systems" that were easy and fast to learn, then grad transfers might be workable. Instead, it takes our guys over a year to learn the system. How does that work for a player who will be here for only one year? It does not. Kwesi and JMA have been two of our most extreme failed experiments in the history of the program, and that is truly saying something
Why don't we stick with what we have done well the last couple of years, and get early commitments for the fall signing period, PERIOD. We will go 11-deep next season with no additional signings. There is absolutely no need to "reach" on a spring guy or a Grad transfer, and both come from "pools"' that have not worked well for us. Develop the current players, teach them to play a couple of standard zone defenses 2-3, 1-2-2, drive up to C-Ville and watch great offensive and defensive schemes, take lots of notes, AND apply what is learned. Most of all, learn from your mistakes, and do not continue to repeat them. It gets old.
You should have learned by now that we only win when you expect us to lose, Eight Legger. Please try your best not to get excited this off season no matter what happens.
I guess that means we're going to win the national championship next year, then...
Kwesi was a 1.0 ppg guy at Northeasten and JMA not much better at Chicago St. I'm not going to write off all grad transfers because those two didn't pan out. I agree I'd prefer developing 4 year guys but there's no reason not to look at the grad transfer market for an opening this late.
for those not able to watch recent games, our offense was beautiful and effective. UVA should take notes instead of the other way around. defense is another story but I don't believe it's scheme as much as individual defensive ability/intensity. we played well against SBU but Mobley killed us. and trust me ... no conventional zone was going to slow him down that night. we were out to him for most of those bombs. sometimes guys make shots.
for those not able to watch recent games, our offense was beautiful and effective. UVA should take notes instead of the other way around. defense is another story but I don't believe it's scheme as much as individual defensive ability/intensity. we played well against SBU but Mobley killed us. and trust me ... no conventional zone was going to slow him down that night. we were out to him for most of those bombs. sometimes guys make shots.
