Again, kudos, Kev, for having the clarity to do a great wrap up after another agonizing loss. My hot take: I really respect Corey's loyalty to the program but think he's a liability in crunch time.
The lack of late game execution is baffling. Just when it looks like it can’t get any worse, it does. What was coach English thinking when deciding not to use his last timeout with the score tied and 20 seconds to go? Has he not watched the horrible late game execution. I’ve been a leader of the “give Kim another year, look at the young talent he has brought in” camp. But last night threw me over the edge. Kim is not showing improvement in his late game decision making, nor has been able to address the defensive shortcomings. Maybe it’s time to move on, and deal with the talent loss that will follow.
Both in regulation and overtime PC had like 90%+ odds of winning. To loose a game like that, you are talking about a really, really low probability. It was impossible to watch that one--more so than any other game to date--and not see bad coaching as the reason for the loss. The defense in the first half, and then most notably having Floyd handle it at the end. And in other ways that you and others have already recounted.
And to have Daniels and Pinnis in at the same time...sending what message? That the Coaches have so little control over the players, or that the players have so little discipline, that he has to send a message like this 20 games into the season? That's not good a good look for him, and I don't think it communicated to the fans and players alike what he thinks it did.
I have tried to see it other ways, but what I realized last night as I blankly stared at the wall for almost half and hour after shutting my TV, is that we have a young coach who is learning on the job. He's 36 and he's not a boy wonder. I have lots of confidence in his upside, but I didn't confront the reality of his still to be traversed learning curve until just now.
Some thoughts:
I think Floyd is a fine player, much like Malik White was a fine player. Or Brian McKenzie, and many other guards we've had through the years. I think he is a replacement level Big East guard, and I mean that as a compliment, not an insult. But English needs to abandon this pattern of pretending he is something that he is not, pretending that he earned "Captain" status when in reality he was granted that along with an NIL uptick because he leveraged the roster fragility last year--remember it seemed like he had every intent to leave if a better offer came along. English kept him with money and promises of playing time. And it is really, really hard to not see that last play and the ensuing loss as a function of an immature coach making a game deciding decision based on politics, not merit. That moment could be looked back on as where English lost the ship for good.
Additionally, the amount of turnovers on interrupted passing lanes - in the exact same flavor and variety as we saw in the Seton Game - and the inability to make an adjustment on this for half the game - was beguiling and to me is directly attributable to coaching.
On the positive side:
**Numbers get inflated on this team by the pace of play and last night by overtime, but Oswin has back to back career highs in rebounds and for the first time that I can remember, didn't make me want to hurl my remote at the TV. I want to think he's making some improvements, and not that he has had two games without a significant opponent presence down low. Can both things be true?
**Glad to see Powell having emerged as exactly what we hoped he'd be.
**We can score in so many different ways it's fun to watch.
**I can live with the Jones play last night....he will learn from it and I don't know if you really want to press the "off" button on his aggressiveness--it's what makes him, him. And he shoots like 70% from that area. Shouldn't have done it, but people have the vices of their virtues and if his is to take the shot when he has it...I can live with it.
**No Hargrove again. I wonder if he's in the doghouse or on the Island of Elba.
**KenPom 68, which kinda feels right. I am a glutton for punishment and a love a good, desperate stretch run where men get separated from boys--so on to the Hoyas and I still think we can make the NIT.
Cory Floyd Jr. should be the last guy handling the ball. The non time out call with 10 seconds left put be over the edge. Love Coach Kim but we are not a training school for head coaches. Four overtime losses that we should have won. What a frustrating season it’s been.
Thanks Kevin. It’s just getting uglier by the game. Kim, I’m routing for you but you have to show some improvement, especially on defenseAnother team with 50 points in a half…
Out on Kim. Sorry. I know Jones, Oswin, Vaaks, etc will go when he leaves, but this mess can't continue another year. Get someone in here who can coach and run a program. This team over two years now has shown zero growth, zero smarts. They refuse to (or don't know how) to play defense. They make bonehead play after bonehead play. The Coach isn't at fault for all of it, but his own mistakes don't exactly build confidence. He looks both pissed off and arrogant at the same time. He's gotta go.
Again, kudos, Kev, for having the clarity to do a great wrap up after another agonizing loss. My hot take: I really respect Corey's loyalty to the program but think he's a liability in crunch time.
Kevin you have a gift of putting words to things.
The lack of late game execution is baffling. Just when it looks like it can’t get any worse, it does. What was coach English thinking when deciding not to use his last timeout with the score tied and 20 seconds to go? Has he not watched the horrible late game execution. I’ve been a leader of the “give Kim another year, look at the young talent he has brought in” camp. But last night threw me over the edge. Kim is not showing improvement in his late game decision making, nor has been able to address the defensive shortcomings. Maybe it’s time to move on, and deal with the talent loss that will follow.
Both in regulation and overtime PC had like 90%+ odds of winning. To loose a game like that, you are talking about a really, really low probability. It was impossible to watch that one--more so than any other game to date--and not see bad coaching as the reason for the loss. The defense in the first half, and then most notably having Floyd handle it at the end. And in other ways that you and others have already recounted.
And to have Daniels and Pinnis in at the same time...sending what message? That the Coaches have so little control over the players, or that the players have so little discipline, that he has to send a message like this 20 games into the season? That's not good a good look for him, and I don't think it communicated to the fans and players alike what he thinks it did.
I have tried to see it other ways, but what I realized last night as I blankly stared at the wall for almost half and hour after shutting my TV, is that we have a young coach who is learning on the job. He's 36 and he's not a boy wonder. I have lots of confidence in his upside, but I didn't confront the reality of his still to be traversed learning curve until just now.
Some thoughts:
I think Floyd is a fine player, much like Malik White was a fine player. Or Brian McKenzie, and many other guards we've had through the years. I think he is a replacement level Big East guard, and I mean that as a compliment, not an insult. But English needs to abandon this pattern of pretending he is something that he is not, pretending that he earned "Captain" status when in reality he was granted that along with an NIL uptick because he leveraged the roster fragility last year--remember it seemed like he had every intent to leave if a better offer came along. English kept him with money and promises of playing time. And it is really, really hard to not see that last play and the ensuing loss as a function of an immature coach making a game deciding decision based on politics, not merit. That moment could be looked back on as where English lost the ship for good.
Additionally, the amount of turnovers on interrupted passing lanes - in the exact same flavor and variety as we saw in the Seton Game - and the inability to make an adjustment on this for half the game - was beguiling and to me is directly attributable to coaching.
On the positive side:
**Numbers get inflated on this team by the pace of play and last night by overtime, but Oswin has back to back career highs in rebounds and for the first time that I can remember, didn't make me want to hurl my remote at the TV. I want to think he's making some improvements, and not that he has had two games without a significant opponent presence down low. Can both things be true?
**Glad to see Powell having emerged as exactly what we hoped he'd be.
**We can score in so many different ways it's fun to watch.
**I can live with the Jones play last night....he will learn from it and I don't know if you really want to press the "off" button on his aggressiveness--it's what makes him, him. And he shoots like 70% from that area. Shouldn't have done it, but people have the vices of their virtues and if his is to take the shot when he has it...I can live with it.
**No Hargrove again. I wonder if he's in the doghouse or on the Island of Elba.
**KenPom 68, which kinda feels right. I am a glutton for punishment and a love a good, desperate stretch run where men get separated from boys--so on to the Hoyas and I still think we can make the NIT.
Cory Floyd Jr. should be the last guy handling the ball. The non time out call with 10 seconds left put be over the edge. Love Coach Kim but we are not a training school for head coaches. Four overtime losses that we should have won. What a frustrating season it’s been.
Thanks Kevin. It’s just getting uglier by the game. Kim, I’m routing for you but you have to show some improvement, especially on defenseAnother team with 50 points in a half…
There is playing with fire, and then there is self-immolation.
Out on Kim. Sorry. I know Jones, Oswin, Vaaks, etc will go when he leaves, but this mess can't continue another year. Get someone in here who can coach and run a program. This team over two years now has shown zero growth, zero smarts. They refuse to (or don't know how) to play defense. They make bonehead play after bonehead play. The Coach isn't at fault for all of it, but his own mistakes don't exactly build confidence. He looks both pissed off and arrogant at the same time. He's gotta go.