In Reply to: Tired and Tight posted by barrya on January 14, 2025 at 10:36:29
To make matters worse, Iowa has been in LA since Sunday. They play today, which gives them plenty of time to rest before Friday's game. Still, I won’t chalk it up to travel alone. While travel is a factor, the reality is we've faced tough teams, dealt with unfavorable calls, and at times, just played poorly.
That said, I place a fair share of blame on Cronin. In the past, he excelled at building his team's confidence, often saying things like, "We shot poorly, but that’ll turn around." This year feels different. Last season, after one game, he went ballistic and questioned his players' aptitude—a controversial move at the time. To his credit, the team responded. This year, though, a similar approach hasn’t worked. Confidence is down, particularly for DA, and others are starting to feel the pressure as well.
Cronin’s substitutions have been perplexing from the start. Some players get benched after one mistake, while others have a longer leash. For example, Bilodeau struggled defensively yesterday but stayed in the game despite offering little on offense. Meanwhile, Mara gets benched immediately after a questionable foul call—one where the opposing player was clearly pushing him in the back with both arms. Andrews is also in the doghouse. Yet, Sebastian, who repeatedly makes poor decisions, stays on the court. To his credit, he’s fighting, and eventually made some plays, but if Dylan had taken those same forced shots or contested threes early in the clock, he’d have been pulled instantly.
This isn’t to defend Mara or Dylan, but the inconsistency in treatment is clear. If I can see it, the players surely feel it too, which doesn’t help build confidence.
Some blame recruiting, but I disagree. The talent is there. Nebraska and Maryland don’t have more talent than us. Rutgers has two standout freshmen, and Michigan has size, but overall, there’s no massive gap. We have All-League players, McDonald’s All-Americans, four-star recruits, and top European talent. Players like Dailey are skilled and athletic, and even our bench consists of former stars in other D1 conferences.
The issue lies in either recruiting players who fit your system or adapting your system to suit your players’ strengths. Right now, I don’t see either happening.