Wanted: Coaches

[Hofstra]

I only revived this thread last night to show Polito that I wasn't happy with the coach, and mentioned this LAST year. I dont think Michalich should get canned this year. He was COY and did better than expected.

He does need to change some of his defensive flaws though.

[Polito]

Yeah, and I'm fully on board with that. I don't think you get rid of JM at all, not right now for sure. BUT I do still think something needs to change, perhaps in the assistant ranks, as I've said for 3 years now. Sorry staff, nothing personal but something needs to change here. This can't keep happening. Not interested in 18 years becoming 28, which is scary possible.

But heck even in my hard nosed stubborn tough as nails mindset about this staff I realize there is no way in this world with a sane mind that you can a coach who just set the program record for wins, won the conf outright for the first time ever, and only lost in the championship game. I mean that would be AD moron of the year worthy, and I'm not even that out of control!

Look JM has two big elements in play at the same time:

1). He has revived this program from the dead. The only reason we are even upset is because of the winning he and his staff brought here. The guy has won a lot of games at HU, recruits very well, runs a clean program, has great student-athletes, great citizens, and produces one of the top offenses in the league nearly every single year. Even I know things can be much much worse. This program has a least a real chance nearly every year. Many don't. They deserve every ounce of credit for all of this and more behinds the scenes things most of us prob don't even know about.

2). He carries some major flaws that continue to hold this program back, and he's apparently too stubborn, or not good enough, smart enough, or hungry enough to change. So he and HU will continue to choke when it matters most. His ways win a lot of games... regular season games. But it fails for the 3 in 3 every time. And because he and this program are good, it masks the real need for changes. HU's 'good' is the big time enemy of HU's possible 'great'. It gives everyone false hope that maybe things won't play out the way we all knew in our bones that another choke job was more than just a possibility.

Yeah, that's not good, and if HU ever wants to really cut nets then they will need to make some real changes somewhere and start setting higher expectations. This U is perfectly fine with what's happening - HU no matter what they say has no real care or need for his program to truly ball out - they are all perfectly content with a clean program that wins some games. And they continue to pump consolation prize things like it's ok. This mentality is simply not helping.

Hey I'm fine with keeping them all honestly, IF we can spend some money on a defensive coaching clinic for this friggin staff - how about this??? Getting them help in the offseason should be a no-brainer. The players aren't the only ones who need work, this staff needs to be taught some things from the UVA's and VCU's of the world. Because they don't get it - they don't believe in it or simply don't know how to coach/develop it. Or recruit it for that matter.

No staff is ever going to be perfect, and I don't expect them to be - I much rather this than scraping the bottom of the barrel like other programs. And I don't trust HU one bit to bring in a young gun up and comer who will be the guys that VCU and UNCW have traditionally had. So I am truly all for us investing heavily in getting this staff leveled up to win it all.

Would like to see JM as the leader not just admit this, but OWN it and do something about it.

[HUSID74]

Yeah, and I'm fully on board with that. I don't think you get rid of JM at all, not right now for sure. BUT I do still think something needs to change, perhaps in the assistant ranks, as I've said for 3 years now. Sorry staff, nothing personal but something needs to change here. This can't keep happening. Not interested in 18 years becoming 28, which is scary possible.

But heck even in my hard nosed stubborn tough as nails mindset about this staff I realize there is no way in this world with a sane mind that you can a coach who just set the program record for wins, won the conf outright for the first time ever, and only lost in the championship game. I mean that would be AD moron of the year worthy, and I'm not even that out of control!

Look JM has two big elements in play at the same time:

1). He has revived this program from the dead. The only reason we are even upset is because of the winning he and his staff brought here. The guy has won a lot of games at HU, recruits very well, runs a clean program, has great student-athletes, great citizens, and produces one of the top offenses in the league nearly every single year. Even I know things can be much much worse. This program has a least a real chance nearly every year. Many don't. They deserve every ounce of credit for all of this and more behinds the scenes things most of us prob don't even know about.

2). He carries some major flaws that continue to hold this program back, and he's apparently too stubborn, or not good enough, smart enough, or hungry enough to change. So he and HU will continue to choke when it matters most. His ways win a lot of games... regular season games. But it fails for the 3 in 3 every time. And because he and this program are good, it masks the real need for changes. HU's 'good' is the big time enemy of HU's possible 'great'. It gives everyone false hope that maybe things won't play out the way we all knew in our bones that another choke job was more than just a possibility.

Yeah, that's not good, and if HU ever wants to really cut nets then they will need to make some real changes somewhere and start setting higher expectations. This U is perfectly fine with what's happening - HU no matter what they say has no real care or need for his program to truly ball out - they are all perfectly content with a clean program that wins some games. And they continue to pump consolation prize things like it's ok. This mentality is simply not helping.

Hey I'm fine with keeping them all honestly, IF we can spend some money on a defensive coaching clinic for this friggin staff - how about this??? Getting them help in the offseason should be a no-brainer. The players aren't the only ones who need work, this staff needs to be taught some things from the UVA's and VCU's of the world. Because they don't get it - they don't believe in it or simply don't know how to coach/develop it. Or recruit it for that matter.

No staff is ever going to be perfect, and I don't expect them to be - I much rather this than scraping the bottom of the barrel like other programs. And I don't trust HU one bit to bring in a young gun up and comer who will be the guys that VCU and UNCW have traditionally had. So I am truly all for us investing heavily in getting this staff leveled up to win it all.

Would like to see JM as the leader not just admit this, but OWN it and do something about it.

This is all BS, we play the way we do on defense for a reason....we have no depth and we play the zone to protect our limited number of usable bodies...the zone was pretty effective this year except later in the seaon when we played it with less energy...check out the tape from the beginning of the JMU game in Chalreston, when our zone is played properly we generated numerous turnovers and steals...when we play it passively, you see what NE did to it.

But frankly, by the time we tied the game at 54 we were gassed, missed free throws, not challenging the deep threes are NOT coaching issues, they are player issues; players who had NOTHING left in the tank...

I for one would like to see us mix it up a bit and we did lated in the season...watch the second Delaware game when we opened in man to man...should them up...and we did ii in a few spurts in DC...hopefully more next year.

[garyg]

Yeah, and I'm fully on board with that. I don't think you get rid of JM at all, not right now for sure. BUT I do still think something needs to change, perhaps in the assistant ranks, as I've said for 3 years now. Sorry staff, nothing personal but something needs to change here. This can't keep happening. Not interested in 18 years becoming 28, which is scary possible.

But heck even in my hard nosed stubborn tough as nails mindset about this staff I realize there is no way in this world with a sane mind that you can a coach who just set the program record for wins, won the conf outright for the first time ever, and only lost in the championship game. I mean that would be AD moron of the year worthy, and I'm not even that out of control!

Look JM has two big elements in play at the same time:

1). He has revived this program from the dead. The only reason we are even upset is because of the winning he and his staff brought here. The guy has won a lot of games at HU, recruits very well, runs a clean program, has great student-athletes, great citizens, and produces one of the top offenses in the league nearly every single year. Even I know things can be much much worse. This program has a least a real chance nearly every year. Many don't. They deserve every ounce of credit for all of this and more behinds the scenes things most of us prob don't even know about.

2). He carries some major flaws that continue to hold this program back, and he's apparently too stubborn, or not good enough, smart enough, or hungry enough to change. So he and HU will continue to choke when it matters most. His ways win a lot of games... regular season games. But it fails for the 3 in 3 every time. And because he and this program are good, it masks the real need for changes. HU's 'good' is the big time enemy of HU's possible 'great'. It gives everyone false hope that maybe things won't play out the way we all knew in our bones that another choke job was more than just a possibility.

Yeah, that's not good, and if HU ever wants to really cut nets then they will need to make some real changes somewhere and start setting higher expectations. This U is perfectly fine with what's happening - HU no matter what they say has no real care or need for his program to truly ball out - they are all perfectly content with a clean program that wins some games. And they continue to pump consolation prize things like it's ok. This mentality is simply not helping.

Hey I'm fine with keeping them all honestly, IF we can spend some money on a defensive coaching clinic for this friggin staff - how about this??? Getting them help in the offseason should be a no-brainer. The players aren't the only ones who need work, this staff needs to be taught some things from the UVA's and VCU's of the world. Because they don't get it - they don't believe in it or simply don't know how to coach/develop it. Or recruit it for that matter.

No staff is ever going to be perfect, and I don't expect them to be - I much rather this than scraping the bottom of the barrel like other programs. And I don't trust HU one bit to bring in a young gun up and comer who will be the guys that VCU and UNCW have traditionally had. So I am truly all for us investing heavily in getting this staff leveled up to win it all.

Would like to see JM as the leader not just admit this, but OWN it and do something about it.

This is all BS, we play the way we do on defense for a reason....we have no depth and we play the zone to protect our limited number of usable bodies...the zone was pretty effective this year except later in the seaon when we played it with less energy...check out the tape from the beginning of the JMU game in Chalreston, when our zone is played properly we generated numerous turnovers and steals...when we play it passively, you see what NE did to it.

But frankly, by the time we tied the game at 54 we were gassed, missed free throws, not challenging the deep threes are NOT coaching issues, they are player issues; players who had NOTHING left in the tank...

I for one would like to see us mix it up a bit and we did lated in the season...watch the second Delaware game when we opened in man to man...should them up...and we did ii in a few spurts in DC...hopefully more next year.

And that is one of the major,flaws of the JAM era...not recruiting and developing enough talent to have a legitimate 9 player rotation...we can not change defenses regularly because as you said we are gassed, nothing left in the tank

[Cards]

But frankly, by the time we tied the game at 54 we were gassed, missed free throws, not challenging the deep threes are NOT coaching issues, they are player issues; players who had NOTHING left in the tank...

Agree with the observation that guys were gassed, but disagree that these are players issues. This is on the coaches for either not utilizing the roster properly, not developing them properly, or not recruiting the needed type of player properly. If guys were injured or in foul trouble, that would be a different story. But in this case, JAM knew EXACTLY what to expect - 3 in 3 with a very thin rotation. There were no surprises here. If the issue truly is that the guys were too tired to play well, then the coaching staff owns that issue.

[garyg]

Exactly Cards, you hit the nail right on the head...

[Wags]

when our zone is played properly we generated numerous turnovers and steals...when we play it passively, you see what NE did to it.

100%. This is exactly what I was talking about, sounding the alarm bell with the zone lacking the same energy and communication for most of the final seven regular season games compared to the 16-game winning streak and the Elon win at home that preceded those final seven regular season games, and why I said if that didn't change, it would be the one thing that cost them a tournament title in SC - sure enough, that happened during the first half on Tuesday night. The difference between the energy and communication during that first half and the first 10 minutes of the second half playing that zone was night and day. Thus, it's more the effort than the scheme. Why that effort and communication was lacking so much in the first half, some of that is due to how well NU moves the ball and looks for each other to pass up a good shot for a great shot, but a lot of it was not bringing a championship mentality defensively during that first half. There is absolutely no reason why NU should go on a (despite HU tying the game later, game-deciding) 25-10 run with Pusica sitting on the bench the whole time with two fouls - especially when that effort was there to start the second half. Look at the tape - there were guys completely out of position and making half-hearted efforts to cover shooters. I don't know how that happens at any time, let alone in a title game.

But frankly, by the time we tied the game at 54 we were gassed, missed free throws, not challenging the deep threes are NOT coaching issues, they are player issues; players who had NOTHING left in the tank...

I don't think this is a fatigue factor based on the limited rotation (see the postgame presser after the finals when Joe says he doesn't think anyone was tired because they make their practices harder than the games, and they routinely do that for three days in a row, so handling 3 tourney games in 3 days isn't that big of a deal for them by comparison). Rather, I think this is ironically a fatigue factor caused by not giving enough effort earlier in the game, and as you said, HUSID, playing the zone too passively. And then it's a trickle-down effect... because they didn't give the effort and looked confused as to assignments defensively in the first half, they fell behind by 18. Because they fell behind by 18, they had to expend a lot of energy and play very hard just to tie the game. Because they did that, they ran out of gas and couldn't cover shooters (mainly Pusica) down the stretch, after the game was tied. Conversely... give a much better effort defensively earlier on, and you don't fall behind by so much, and then you don't have to expend as much energy having to come back, and then you have more left in the tank down the stretch. It all sounds counterintuitive, but by expending more energy (not less) earlier on, you'll have more energy at the end, when you need it to pull out a close game, instead of being fatigued and letting it get away from you.

I'm a big proponent of mixing up looks at the college level. I think it usually confuses opponents at that level, switching back and forth between man and zone, even if the zone is used for the majority of the game. But this team can't do that with a lot of success, because when they play man, they foul too much, and then even if you want to play zone, you can't have the pieces you want to have on the floor for that because you have to shuffle different guys in and out when you don't want to, due to foul trouble. If they can learn to play man without fouling so much, then obviously, they can mix up defenses more easily, and can be a lot more effective with some of the piece they have and will have next year (especially if Taylor is back).

[joeg1]

I think there are two fatal problems:

1) We don't have an in-house coach to work with the bigs. Although JT was stellar, he came ready-made from Purdue. Even ROK came from a big time prep school where he got top of the line coaching, but he didn't make big progress while here.

2) IMO we have depth, but JM is too stubborn to develop a rotation of bench players. They make mistakes and they are relegated. There were at least 3-4 players who could have seen 5-10 mins a game, right from the start of the season.

[dutchiedoright]

I disagree.

We were constantly changing defenses. Constantly ! Just because people don't recognize it doesn't make that not true.

There was not one player who didn't get the minutes they deserved or could handle !

Not one team has a 9 man rotation !

This is not rec league. this is the big time. You want to win games then you play the best players.

[HU76]

So we were “gassed” but somehow managed to score 48 points in the second half. Maybe Northeastern was just better. Maybe Pusica hitting threes from two feet beyond the NBA line had something to do with it. But somehow it’s all the coaches fault. The same coach that got a team picked third to 15 wins and the championship game. Maybe Coen should have been fired last year for his team blowing a 17 point lead in the championship game.

If the coaches are so terrible where did Taylor come from? That was an amazing piece of recruiting. This is a mid major program. We can’t stockpile players and reload every year. Considering what was lost to graduation this was a great year.

And for those of you who think you can’t win playing zone, tell that to Syracuse.

[Wags]

Very fair points in all that was said in the last two posts from dutchiedoright and HU76.

[joeg1]

You need a rotation to spell players who are ineffective. No one's on all the time

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Polito]

Good Lord, so all of my entire post was BS? LOL, oh HUSID, why do I even try Yeah, you're right, this staff is perfect. Not one issue there. I guess the players were supposed to recruit and develop themselves? To coach themselves on D? To rotate themselves properly? To call a timeout for the team to settle BEFORE the deficit balloons to 16? Cool, I'll look out for that next year. Of course it's up to them to execute and make their shots, I think we all understand that - I think we also all, at least I hope so as intelligent adults, can understand that there are coaching elements that need addressing here. I mean come on.

We just going to skip right over all of the positives I noted right?? There was quite a bit of it. How convenient lol.

Feel pretty good that my post was fair and spot on. Both the good and bad. Some of you (HUSID) just have no capacity to actually talk about holding this staff accountable for literally anything. FYI: It can be done and still love the guys and support them - you do realize that right??? You do realize that I have said to NOT can JM right?? That that would be absolute bananas, you see that right??

I crack up when I see all this staff excusing and yet fully blaming the players - let me get this straight, I'm a moron for noting things with the PAID staff, but others can lay every loss at the feet of the team, the KIDS, and that's ok?? Yeah, NO. Some of you need to check that. How about this: it's probably a good bit of both (<<-- ???). Know why? Because HU IS A MID MAJOR. I fully get and have stated that perfection isn't happening with either - but my goodness it doesn't mean we can't improve elements of both.

Is NU just better? YES. Pretty sure I said that Feb 2nd, if not sooner. I think nearly every person here has said such. That does not mean there are not other discussion points moving forward.

Sounds like all we have to do is have a roster like 'Cuse. Cool! (Just breaking chops lol but it's a little silly for us to justify based on that alone!)

I think we just need to take off the blinders and have a real discussion about things. There's a ton of good, and there are some glaring issues. Let's be real about it please. FD, Hofstra, and many others have made some excellent points all around on both players and staff. IT CAN BE DONE. And BOTH need addressing for this program to dance.

[joeg1]

And I think Joe does the hard things right- recruiting talented, upstanding student athletes. Without players, nothing else matters. I think he is so set in his ways, he doesn't get all he can out of the team. I guess you take the good with the bad.

[HUSID74]

Good Lord, so all of my entire post was BS? LOL, oh HUSID, why do I even try Yeah, you're right, this staff is perfect. Not one issue there. I guess the players were supposed to recruit and develop themselves? To coach themselves on D? To rotate themselves properly? To call a timeout for the team to settle BEFORE the deficit balloons to 16? Cool, I'll look out for that next year. Of course it's up to them to execute and make their shots, I think we all understand that - I think we also all, at least I hope so as intelligent adults, can understand that there are coaching elements that need addressing here. I mean come on.

We just going to skip right over all of the positives I noted right?? There was quite a bit of it. How convenient lol.

Feel pretty good that my post was fair and spot on. Both the good and bad. Some of you (HUSID) just have no capacity to actually talk about holding this staff accountable for literally anything. FYI: It can be done and still love the guys and support them - you do realize that right??? You do realize that I have said to NOT can JM right?? That that would be absolute bananas, you see that right??

I crack up when I see all this staff excusing and yet fully blaming the players - let me get this straight, I'm a moron for noting things with the PAID staff, but others can lay every loss at the feet of the team, the KIDS, and that's ok?? Yeah, NO. Some of you need to check that. How about this: it's probably a good bit of both (<<-- ???). Know why? Because HU IS A MID MAJOR. I fully get and have stated that perfection isn't happening with either - but my goodness it doesn't mean we can't improve elements of both.

Is NU just better? YES. Pretty sure I said that Feb 2nd, if not sooner. I think nearly every person here has said such. That does not mean there are not other discussion points moving forward.

Sounds like all we have to do is have a roster like 'Cuse. Cool! (Just breaking chops lol but it's a little silly for us to justify based on that alone!)

I think we just need to take off the blinders and have a real discussion about things. There's a ton of good, and there are some glaring issues. Let's be real about it please. FD, Hofstra, and many others have made some excellent points all around on both players and staff. IT CAN BE DONE. And BOTH need addressing for this program to dance.

I hold the staff and the program accountable...no one is perfect, let alone us on these boards who cry wolf and scream absolutes anytime anything goes wrong or right. I will take this program and staff where we are right now over virtually any time since Jay Wright left and over any major college program in the area OK?

How can you say the staff does not develop/coach players??? Look at JWF for god's sake...look where he was as a freshman to where he is now...and he continually gives the credit to this staff...Speedy and Joe.

This staff has done an awesome job recruiting terrific kids not only on the basketball court but as young men, and we have won more than 20 games in three of Joe's years here after talking over a program that was left in shambles.

Do I like everything that goes on? Absolutely not! I want a deeper bench, earlier recruit signings, better OOC scheduling, a few CAA Championships just like the rest of us but to say I have blinders is RIDICULOUS and to throw the entire program under the bus because we lost to what was ultimately the better team in the CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP is utter NONESENSE.

Nuff said.

[Flying Dutchmen]

I have to agree with Polito on this one, he's being completely fair.

What we have is really good, but in order to be great, some things objectively have to change. What's maddening is that we lose the same way every year, no defense, no bench, and really, no height/length. I think that's why people after 6 years are fully entitled to ask questions.

Maybe Northeastern was better, I don't really see that as the issue. We lost all our games this year because we couldn't get stops. We didn't have subs to either play more aggressive defense, or better match-up with opposing personnel groups. That's the issue every year, it's not a year 6 issue. It's clearly some kind of philosophical issue.

Why did Staff and Radovic get so choked out of the rotation this year, they seem so perfect for what we want to do. We could have used their size, and 3 point ability down the stretch this year when Coburn slumped. Who knows, maybe one of those guys gets a fingertip on a Puscia 3 and it changes the outcome of the final. Again, I'm not talking major minutes for those guys, just 5-10, give them a chance to earn their way into a larger role. That's really my only gripe with our player development, guys get totally buried. It happened to Radovic, ST, Ty Greer, Walker, even Wormley. Really anyone with any size gets passed up if they falter, those guys take longer to develop, but they never get a chance in-game.

Don't get me wrong, I love the coaching staff, and while I'm highly disappointed we lost, it was an awesome year which I will remember fondly, and I'm actually looking forward to the NIT. But we're asking the same questions every year. I want to see Joe get over the top, like I want to see him and his guys be the people to bring us back. We've had 4 real solid seasons with Joe, two great. I think Joe is the best offensive coach we've had, but we can't win with the 259th best defense, we can't, we played nearly flawlessly on offense this year. Honestly, it's a testament to our team' and coaches mettle, to everything else we do great, to win so many games playing so poorly on that side of the ball.

[triplec2195]

I think we continue to beat a dead horse over the head here and I'm not in any way trying to be disrespectful or rude to the previous posts which bring up some good points. I believe and it is my recollection right from the beginning of the season Joe knew he had a team that was going to score points and emphasized that DEFENSE was what was going to win a championship here. He's on tape and those words came out of his mouth. He preached "HOW TOUGHNESS IS REWARDED IN THIS GAME" I know I'm somewhat paraphrasing what he actually said. Does anyone out there think he was talking about offensive toughness?? He has been preaching DEFENSIVE TOUGHNESS rebounding and stops and he talked about it after the loss at home on SENIOR DAY TO JMU. He said JMU went 16 possessions against us without us getting 1 stop. A very sad day for us in so many ways and IMO coaching lapses contributed to this loss.

HUSID mentions references to absolutes in prior posts terminology like what I remember that our defense sucked all year. I'll chalk this up to the boiling over of total frustration of having lost again in a year that had so much promise and the last time we went to the NCAA tourney 18 years ago. All very understandable but clearly our defense didn't suck all year and for a good part of the year we were rated near the top of the CAA. We were less then stellar down the home stretch I agree with that. Again does anyone really believe that there wasn't a total emphasis on improving our defense that produced 40 point wins over Delaware and Elon. Does anyone believe it was just pure luck that we beat these teams by 40 points and over 30 against Manhattan. Was it luck that we had a 20 + point lead against the COC on the road in a game that was huge for them. Yes it is true that our defense(LACK-OF) was a big contributing factor to our loss against NE. Whether they were a better team then us or whether we got out coached is a matter of a lot of opinions. Certainly coming back from being 18 points down says something from our coaching standpoint and also conversely reflects on Coen as well. I'll be very clear here that anyone who in any way takes shots at JWF IS WAY OUT OF LINE. If you think we get here without him you're delusional and it's a shame after scoring 29 points his effort is questioned is just ludicrous. I thank him for the memories that I enjoyed watching and I've seen plenty of great players since the mid 70's. This kid is something special on and off the court.

Just one other point I would like to make in reference to our bench and per the above post about someone of size getting a fingertip on a Pusica shot I thought the same thing that ST should have been on the floor in this game and this could of behooved us. We will never know and when you think about a kid who started so many games for us not even getting a minute in either the semi-final or final game it makes you wonder. Maybe some of you that talk to the coaching staff can get a comment of the record on this!! Again great year and really proud of this team but again disappointed in the end!!

[stuball888]

Now that I am over my Jet lag. I will chime in. First off very impressed with young Jorden and his take on Hofstra. young man you are wise beyond your years.

Getting back to Jam. He is what he is. He came to stabilize the program w2hich he did. He recruits well. and his players nare all good young men. Now we all know he is not a great Xs and Os guy. Always has a short rotation. Now if you want a coach who is good with offense and defense he probably isnt coaching at a mid major. We have to accept his shortcomings. Not saying we have to like it but those are the facts. If he was great at both he would be caoching in a P5 school.

Now as far as our players, they too have limitations. Was told too bad Pemba is not 6ft7. If he was he would be playing at Duke. Same with Buie Coburn and yes even JWF. Coach Joe gardi was asked about his div1-A football players. he said yes they are a couple inches too short and a step too slow. We take them because you cant measure their heart by just looking at them.

SO lets just enjoy the rest of whats left our season and look foward to next year. Hopefully the staff and underclassmen learn from this season.

[Wags]

I think we continue to beat a dead horse over the head here and I'm not in any way trying to be disrespectful or rude to the previous posts which bring up some good points. I believe and it is my recollection right from the beginning of the season Joe knew he had a team that was going to score points and emphasized that DEFENSE was what was going to win a championship here. He's on tape and those words came out of his mouth. He preached "HOW TOUGHNESS IS REWARDED IN THIS GAME" I know I'm somewhat paraphrasing what he actually said. Does anyone out there think he was talking about offensive toughness??

Actually, yes. I didn't hear it this year (mainly because there was no need, since the offense was fine almost every game this season), but in past years, he has literally said this repeatedly in postgame pressers.

He said... A lot of people think toughness is only on defense, but there's also offensive toughness. You have to be tough on defense, but you've got to be tough on offense, too.

[Dooku25]

Cactus and I made the trip to Charleston for the semi's and final, and first I just want to say it was great seeing and meeting some of the diehards down there. It was also nice flying home with everyone including the team. Imagine had they won what a great plane ride home that would have been. And leaving JFK, JWF thanked us for coming down which he did not have to do, total class and a great guy for being the 2nd leading scorer in the nation. He belongs on the Hofstra Mount Rushmore, he's an all time great here.

I didn't really post much this year because I knew early on this team was something special and I just wanted to sit back and let it all play out. We led the conference from wire to wire. I really thought this would finally be the year. Needless to say, we left Charleston extremely disappointed even though in the back of our minds, we knew this could happen. Northeastern was definitely playing the best ball down the stretch and we lost our mojo the last month, not only defensively, but also offensively as well.

I've read many good points here, agree with most that's been said. We do know what JM is. And it was good enough for 27 wins this year, and we thank him for that. I certainly didn't expect going into this season that we would be in 1st all season and have 27 wins. So kudos for that.

But to win a championship, you have to make in game adjustments. To just blindly play a 2-3 zone knowing a guy like Pusica can beat you, was not the right decision. He did make some long shots, but it should not have surprised them. He is more than capable. 7-12 from 3 is inexcuseable. It was the g-damn championship game. I would have liked to have seen a switch to man at some point, try to double him, or take the ball out of his hands at least for a few possessions. Very stubborn not to make any adjustments, and that is one of the reasons why they are not champions today. I think the team was gassed also. And this is where JM has to change. Please play your bench. Even 5 minutes a game makes a big difference. Does anyone think the decline in offensive and defensive performance the last month is not directly related to the fact that he ran the 6 guys into the ground all year? It takes it's toll. Of course there are media timeouts every 4 minutes, but remember the other team is resting at that time also. So we almost always played a fresher team, and while we struggled to defend late in the year, and struggled to find open shots, our opponents were able to move the ball on us with ease and find open shots to take, and at the same time on the defensive end making JWF earn every point he got.

So I think JM will still be here for awhile and deservedly so. But I am still waiting for his Tom Coughlin moment. An old coach set in his ways, recognzing he needs to make a few changes for the good of the team. Please recruit a defensive specialist (like an Occeus type) And please play 7-8 guys consistently throughout the year. And please make IN GAME ADJUSTMENTS when it is painfully obvious to do so.

JM does everything else right. He won 27 games. He recruits great student athletes. But he is not perfect. He needs to realize he needs to change a few things in order to get over the hump. I hope it happens but I'm not confident it will. So maybe we will be just an NIT team under his tenure. Maybe that is our ceiling with him at the helm. I will try to enjoy the NIT this year. It would be nice to see a run to MSG. But I hope JM realizes he has to make changes if he really wants to cut down the nets. I thought he would have realized it 6 years playing in the CAA, but it hasn't happened yet.

All in all, it was still one of the most enjoyable seasons I have experienced. Hope to see them play a few more games at least in the NIT. Just wished they could have cut down those nets..