Some basketball diagnosis
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Tevin Mack laying it in (Will Gallagher/IT)[/caption]
It's my nature to attack adversity/difficulty with positivity (so many -ty words). Something doesn't go my way? I move on. Can't control/change something? I look for how to incorporate this new reality into my life as seamlessly as possible.
I ain't Tony Robbins, but I don't know any other way. It truly is my personality to do that because it's an immediate response, not something where I have to tell myself to accept it and move on.
Some of that stems from my time as a coach.
While basketball is my passion, tennis was always my main love as an athlete. I loved the individual nature of the sport. The opportunity to dominate somebody, both physically and emotionally, on the court. To impose my will.
I was good, too. Good enough to get recruited by colleges and be all conference twice once I got there.
However, my time as a coach has been vastly different.
I teach at an urban (for Iowa) school where over 50% of our population gets free or reduced lunch (that's public education-ese for "poor"). I'm the head boys' tennis coach at that school and have been for almost a decade.
We suck.
Last year we went winless. I have zero country club kids. Of the two kids I have that take private lessons, one of them is pretty severely autistic and the other one is brand new to the game. Every year I have multiple players on varsity who had never picked up a racket before they came to our high school and started playing for me.
Those are excuses.
We work hard. It doesn't result in wins all that often, but we do work hard.
We've had nice seasons, too, of course.
But the reality that I'm facing is simple...I coach a rich person's sport at a poor person's school.
I begin with that because I'm a Language Arts and Journalism teacher; context is my world (and it should be yours too, people!).
So, then, what's the context of this year's struggling Texas Basketball team and how does any of what I just wrote apply to how UT fans should approach it?
Let's begin.
1. The sinking tide of missing shots.
Would this team be better with a true point guard? Of course. Kerwin has been better about forcing his way into the paint over the last few games (turnovers notwithstanding, unfortunately). But there is little in the way of playmaking with the ball in dribble penetration.
Look, though, there are plenty of teams around the country with weak or poor point guard play. That shouldn't/can't be the harbinger, single-handedly, for whether or not your team is going to score points.
And it's not with this team.
Point guards and creating open shots are not synonymous terms. Open shots come from spacing, ball movement (whether via dribble penetration or passing), solid player movement, screening and preparation. Texas, for their issues scoring, is doing much of that, though they definitely can be doing much of that better.
The point of any offense is to create open looks. Texas' offense is doing that.
They're just not making shots. Davis' issues are documented. Roach's issues are documented. Jones and Young haven't shot as well as they are capable. Isom hasn't even suited up.
But where do we fault the system and where to we fault plain and simple missed shots?
My eyes and notes tell it's more of the latter, even as the former isn't exactly easy on my vision.
2. Guys are going to do what they feel empowered to do.
This is my Jordan Hamilton as a freshman moment.
If you remember, Jordan's freshman year was an up and down mess that magnified the player/coach relational hell that could be Rick Barnes and talented offensive players who struggled on defense.
The issue was this...Rick demanded defensive execution from his players...Jordan was lost on defense and was victimized for that by opponents somewhat regularly...Jordan also was a good teammate and person who wanted to help his team win...he wasn't capable of impacting winning on the defensive end...so he did what he did think he could do to impact winning...which was shooting the ball.
So he shot and shot and shot and shot. And Rick's face got redder and redder and redder.
The conflict was obvious.
But it wasn't a question of Jordan being selfish or cruddy or whatever. He simply was doing what he thought he could to help the team.
Enter Young, Jones, Banks, whoever, right?
Young's defense is trash. He's not particularly physically predisposed for it in the first place, but his awareness and positioning aren't good, even if his energy is.
Jacob knows this. It's not some big mystery.
But he's got to play. And he knows the team is struggling. So he does what he feels empowered to do...shoot.
Jones is falling into that trap. Davis is falling into that trap. Mack has lived that trap from the moment he stepped on campus.
They are complementary players who are feeling the need to step up when they aren't ready.
So we're seeing what we are right now.
3. This year has been a throw away year from the start.
It's no easier to write than it is for you all to stomach. But it's true.
Shaka, for better or worse, has built his coaching philosophy on the progression of his players. That process, as he puts it over and over, comes through team building, personal accountability and overcoming adversity.
All of those things take time and, often, are painful.
I'm not telling you anything you don't know.
I'm simply telling you that Shaka Smart is taking a calculated risk with the 2016-17 version of his team.
He knew damn well that going into a season with Andrew Jones and Kerwin Roach as your only "point" guards was dangerous. He spoke about that at great length to begin the season and even after the early season wins.
However, that's his reality and there were certainly point guards he could have brought in (plus, Texas has three open spots available, scholarship-wise).
But he also knew that he was all in for Matt Coleman. He knew that if he could get either Roach or Jones (or both) playing at a competent level with the ball that next year could be a special one.
He's right about that, too.
But what about this year? If they don't figure it out, this could be the worst year Texas has had since Penders' last season on the 40 Acres.
And if Coleman sees that dumpster fire and chooses to go elsewhere...then the risk will have been an unmitigated failure.
We'll see.
4. Every single coach, ever, is either the right one or not.
I happen to trust in Shaka's process.
I think he's the right man for this job and that his teams will have the chance to be very successful, even to the highest of levels.
And, if last season is any indicator, I believe we'll see a vastly different team in February than the one we do right now.
That would be nice.
But, of course, I may be wrong.
We will see.
Thanks for reading, friends.
Tevin Mack laying it in (Will Gallagher/IT)[/caption]
It's my nature to attack adversity/difficulty with positivity (so many -ty words). Something doesn't go my way? I move on. Can't control/change something? I look for how to incorporate this new reality into my life as seamlessly as possible.
I ain't Tony Robbins, but I don't know any other way. It truly is my personality to do that because it's an immediate response, not something where I have to tell myself to accept it and move on.
Some of that stems from my time as a coach.
While basketball is my passion, tennis was always my main love as an athlete. I loved the individual nature of the sport. The opportunity to dominate somebody, both physically and emotionally, on the court. To impose my will.
I was good, too. Good enough to get recruited by colleges and be all conference twice once I got there.
However, my time as a coach has been vastly different.
I teach at an urban (for Iowa) school where over 50% of our population gets free or reduced lunch (that's public education-ese for "poor"). I'm the head boys' tennis coach at that school and have been for almost a decade.
We suck.
Last year we went winless. I have zero country club kids. Of the two kids I have that take private lessons, one of them is pretty severely autistic and the other one is brand new to the game. Every year I have multiple players on varsity who had never picked up a racket before they came to our high school and started playing for me.
Those are excuses.
We work hard. It doesn't result in wins all that often, but we do work hard.
We've had nice seasons, too, of course.
But the reality that I'm facing is simple...I coach a rich person's sport at a poor person's school.
I begin with that because I'm a Language Arts and Journalism teacher; context is my world (and it should be yours too, people!).
So, then, what's the context of this year's struggling Texas Basketball team and how does any of what I just wrote apply to how UT fans should approach it?
Let's begin.
1. The sinking tide of missing shots.
Would this team be better with a true point guard? Of course. Kerwin has been better about forcing his way into the paint over the last few games (turnovers notwithstanding, unfortunately). But there is little in the way of playmaking with the ball in dribble penetration.
Look, though, there are plenty of teams around the country with weak or poor point guard play. That shouldn't/can't be the harbinger, single-handedly, for whether or not your team is going to score points.
And it's not with this team.
Point guards and creating open shots are not synonymous terms. Open shots come from spacing, ball movement (whether via dribble penetration or passing), solid player movement, screening and preparation. Texas, for their issues scoring, is doing much of that, though they definitely can be doing much of that better.
The point of any offense is to create open looks. Texas' offense is doing that.
They're just not making shots. Davis' issues are documented. Roach's issues are documented. Jones and Young haven't shot as well as they are capable. Isom hasn't even suited up.
But where do we fault the system and where to we fault plain and simple missed shots?
My eyes and notes tell it's more of the latter, even as the former isn't exactly easy on my vision.
2. Guys are going to do what they feel empowered to do.
This is my Jordan Hamilton as a freshman moment.
If you remember, Jordan's freshman year was an up and down mess that magnified the player/coach relational hell that could be Rick Barnes and talented offensive players who struggled on defense.
The issue was this...Rick demanded defensive execution from his players...Jordan was lost on defense and was victimized for that by opponents somewhat regularly...Jordan also was a good teammate and person who wanted to help his team win...he wasn't capable of impacting winning on the defensive end...so he did what he did think he could do to impact winning...which was shooting the ball.
So he shot and shot and shot and shot. And Rick's face got redder and redder and redder.
The conflict was obvious.
But it wasn't a question of Jordan being selfish or cruddy or whatever. He simply was doing what he thought he could to help the team.
Enter Young, Jones, Banks, whoever, right?
Young's defense is trash. He's not particularly physically predisposed for it in the first place, but his awareness and positioning aren't good, even if his energy is.
Jacob knows this. It's not some big mystery.
But he's got to play. And he knows the team is struggling. So he does what he feels empowered to do...shoot.
Jones is falling into that trap. Davis is falling into that trap. Mack has lived that trap from the moment he stepped on campus.
They are complementary players who are feeling the need to step up when they aren't ready.
So we're seeing what we are right now.
3. This year has been a throw away year from the start.
It's no easier to write than it is for you all to stomach. But it's true.
Shaka, for better or worse, has built his coaching philosophy on the progression of his players. That process, as he puts it over and over, comes through team building, personal accountability and overcoming adversity.
All of those things take time and, often, are painful.
I'm not telling you anything you don't know.
I'm simply telling you that Shaka Smart is taking a calculated risk with the 2016-17 version of his team.
He knew damn well that going into a season with Andrew Jones and Kerwin Roach as your only "point" guards was dangerous. He spoke about that at great length to begin the season and even after the early season wins.
However, that's his reality and there were certainly point guards he could have brought in (plus, Texas has three open spots available, scholarship-wise).
But he also knew that he was all in for Matt Coleman. He knew that if he could get either Roach or Jones (or both) playing at a competent level with the ball that next year could be a special one.
He's right about that, too.
But what about this year? If they don't figure it out, this could be the worst year Texas has had since Penders' last season on the 40 Acres.
And if Coleman sees that dumpster fire and chooses to go elsewhere...then the risk will have been an unmitigated failure.
We'll see.
4. Every single coach, ever, is either the right one or not.
I happen to trust in Shaka's process.
I think he's the right man for this job and that his teams will have the chance to be very successful, even to the highest of levels.
And, if last season is any indicator, I believe we'll see a vastly different team in February than the one we do right now.
That would be nice.
But, of course, I may be wrong.
We will see.
Thanks for reading, friends.
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