In Reply to: Re: The change needs to come at a higher level than that. posted by SehornBlew on January 14, 2025 at 10:39:33
They went courting another player and saw him on the team. As a school kid he had a friend of his get hit by a stray random bullet and be shot dead as they sat together in the cafetorium eating lunch,
He was the hardest worker - or as hard a worker as any there was in our basketball program.
Like you, no idea how he'd be as a college basketball coach, head of a major college program. But I would like him as our coach. I would respect him as our coach. And he would earn the respect of everyone.
Just not sure how his teams would do. He's a pure blooded Bruin, an all-timer in my book. But he doesn't bring John Wooden's system. Mick is a disciple of Rick Pitino - you kind of get that system. Team we have today wouldn't do well at all with a pure NBA system. That would take a whole different approach to recruiting. And I do believe defense is the essential element for success. Not sure how an Earl team would do at defense.
I like Mick's public persona. Guy is really genuine and he really cares, for his team, for his kids. But right now it appears he has only one approach to coaching - drive them to be their best, drive them to realize they can be even more than they think they can be, drive them to excellence always by refusing to allow them to get away with committing any mistake at all.
At this point, last two years, that isn't paying off.
Maybe if he were to land Burries and bring in a dominant rim protector and if current players also mature some, by next year it will click together and we'll have a very good team.
But like one questions about our final four team - will that be a replicable formula for the future or just the coincidence of having some players stay in the program a lot longer than is the current norm with NIL and the portal and all AND having a couple super stars to go along with them. We made the final four on the genius talent of Jaime Jaquez coupled with the PG play of Tyger Campbell including his mind for the game and the effort and smarts of Cody Reilly - and the fact that Johnny Juzang went on a crazy hot streak through the playoffs. That level of talent. We don't have that this year. The system and approach alone aren't turning this group into that - the final four group. Not this year anyway.
So I guess we'll see how this finishes off (will it rise from the dead yet this year?) and what it produces next year.
As always, hope Mick nails it and rise to be a national champion. Hope we do that every year for the rest of my life. But in the real world, we'll just have to wait and see
Thanks for your comments - have enjoyed and am thinking about all the responses to my initial post above and to the threads below as well. Plus I found the post-game comments by Mick and also by Eric and Sebastian interesting at at least hopeful as well - thanks to mh for all you do