At this point I’ll take John Groce N.I.T berths rather then 2 losing seasons in a row. I’m tired of copping pleas for mediocrity. Great coaches adjust there philosophies to benefit the team. Plus the season was over in December. So the young guys should’ve been playing period. I’m all for rebuilding a culture and program. But to not try to adjust your offense and defense to your personnel all season is inexcusable. The great coaches adjust the system and make it easier and to give the team the best chance to win. I will say Underwood had the kids playing hard but most of all the 2nd halves of games this season the team was dead tired from using all that energy on a gimmicky defense that was easily broke down or drew numerous fouls. Hopefully it gets turnaround but you can tell Underwood is very stubborn in changing his philosophies.
In one of the post game interviews, BU expressly refuted the idea that our team is tired/has lost their legs in second half play. Is he wrong? Maybe. I don't know. Truly, I don't know, and I don't even have a guess -- I'm not holding back an opinion on that. So, in that context, I would offer some questions and comments (and couple of opinions I do have)
for sake of discussion and entertainment . . .
Unless a player tells a reporter that he and/or his teammates are regularly running out of gas during game play, then I'm not sure how I could know what's going on with the players by watching television/video of the games. How are fans "qualified to have an opinion" on whether tiredness is a multiplayer issue in second halves of the games? How are fans to discern whether short shots, slow/sluggish-looking footwork or apparent indecisiveness of players is caused by mental, emotional or physical injury/tiredness reasons? Fans speculate (part of the fun of being fans and being on this board), but I struggle with some of the posts that seem to declare the following as facts: team-wide tiredness and/or inability of any college team to physically perform as BU envisions.
There is a sub-narrative to the tiredness opinion thread that says 18/19 year-olds do not/cannot have the same stamina as 20+year-olds. Is that a
generally true proposition? Seams likely to me, but, again, I don't know. There certainly are college athletes/ex-college athletes who will report that they personally gained much greater physical stamina and greater recovery abilities as they developed from 18 year-olds to 20+, but do those experiences (or the general rule) actually answer the question of whether the 18-19 year-olds that we have on the floor for IL do or do not have the physical stamina required to play the game the way BU draws it up for them?
BU believes our players are in great physical condition and that they have been made so because they they've applied themselves to the conditioning program (including practice frequency and intensity) he has in place. BU is sitting/standing mere feet away watching (even talking to/at/with and listening to) players in real time while the games are being played, and he, the assistant coaches and players are interacting/watching/listening to each other every day ... If the players are too fatigued to play at a high level during the second half of games then wouldn't you think BU would know it?
I think it would be interesting to see the results of voting for/against these possibilities:
P1 - Our players as a team are NOT TOO TIRED to play at a high level in the second half of their games; rather, they suffer some sort of mental or emotional let downs in the second half some games and/or opposing teams adapt their second half play better than we do.
P2 - Our players in fact are TOO TIRED to implement game plans in the second halves, and the coaching STAFF DOES NOT REALIZE IT.
P3 - Players are TOO TIRED, but EMPEROR BU DOESN'T GET IT, and other coaches and players won't say that THE EMPEROR WEARS NO CLOTHES.
P4 - Players are TOO TIRED, and BU KNOWS IT, but he SEES TIREDNESS AS LEAST OF THE EVILS TO CHOOSE FROM in approaching this year's games.
P5 - Players are TOO TIRED, and BU KNOWS IT, but he SEES TIREDNESS THIS YEAR AS A NECESSARY EVIL to endure on the way to making players more physically capable for next year and years after.
My current thoughts on those possibilities are:
P1 - somewhat likely (but, per opening comments, I don't know)
P2 - doubt that entire staff would not realize it, if too tired was the issue
P3 - thank me later for the no clothes BU visual, but openness of communication appears to be in BU's culture
P4 - fairly likely (see similar choices with playing time for ADLR and TU)
P5 - might actually be a reasonable approach; seems to match BU comments on long view "program" approach vs individual-year team outcomes
Couple of parting shots for fun: