In Reply to: A thing that bugs me about micks comment abt the fans posted by TheHappyBurgermeister on February 20, 2025 at 09:56:28
This is based on my belief that Mick uses his media accesses primarily to speak to his players first and foremost. So, I think
1) he is telling his players to ignore the fans and play for one another - block out all outside noise (hardly an unusual strategy for coaches to employ)
2) He has at times thanks fans - most pointedly the student section - for their support. (The students do not sit on their hands and observe, they get involved and try to boost their team)
3) I took his comments about the fans not helping in their loss was. in context directed at the groans every time a player missed another free throw. (Don't know how as a fan I could do anything other than groan - perhaps shout out? That was excruciating to sit through. But I'm sure the crowd reaction did little for the players other than to reinforce their frustration over missing their FTs - which further turned their attention to their shots not going in and away from the necessity of picking up their game focused on their defense. However, the problem disappears if the players (A) don't keep missing gummies like Free Throws and/or (B) tune out the crowd as they must in road games and just focus on executing the game plan and playing lights out defense.)
4.) slightly different but related comment - if a coach discusses what his players did not do well in a game, he gets attacked for "throwing his players under the bus." But these are young men, getting paid to play basketball and seeking to have a career playing the sport. One thing they are learning is taking responsibility for their actions. Cronin usually includes the coach - himself - in the list of things, saying he didn't do his job of getting them focused on the scouting report and ready to play in both halves of the game. Saying that player A or B failed to follow the scouting report does NOT automagically mean "It's his fault and NOT MINE." It's just a statement of what happened in the game that needs to be focused on and corrected.
Now see #1 - it's another way to get his coach's message through to the players on his team.
I think criticism of strategic and tactical decisions by a coach are fair game. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone could make better choices. Of course that's a lot easier to do with the benefit of after sight especially when a specific choice or decision made in the heat of the game didn't succeed. Fair enough. It's part of being a fan.
And I'm not a fan of Mick's sideline antics - his language is unnecessary. "Oh ----" covers a lot of territory and is helpful to me in easing tension but it's particularly nonspecific and unhelpful. Plus I think at times Mick makes decisions in the heat of anger that really aren't helpful (like pulling a specific player after one mistake, glaring or not. At this point, accept that that is going to happen and - as you coach the players - focus on the next play, the next thing up.
But this is a team game and these kids, for worse as well as for better, are getting paid good money while going to college (I took jobs on campus in my day washing university vehicles and bussing tables in the faculty club. They didn't pay very much, those jobs.) These guys are getting really nice salaries to play the game. They are also seeking to learn to master their game which they hope is going to be their profession. They go over every mistake, every play in the film room with the coaches and fellow players. Plus we all bore witness to what Cronin is talking about.
I think this obsession with what coaches say and this driving need we have to make sure the coach only makes nice-nice talk to his players is really very beside the point. The point is that the guys tightened up like a drum and blew 10 of 15 free throws in the second half including two separate first shots of potential one and one opportunities. That's 17 points thrown away in game that was a one point loss (until an irrelevant extra two because of an intentional foul with the clock running down). Make ONE more and it's a tie game. Make TWO of the MISSED 17 point chances and the entire situation is different.
Have at it about Mara in the game the last play (I'm certainly guilty of that one and I stand by it) But the fact that the coach acknowledged that the guys missed all those free throws? To me that's a huge "so what?" Or that he noted that the scouting report said do not let Garcia go to his left and we allowed Garcia to go to his left or that #25 wants to drive on you, play him to keep him from driving and yet on his last score, our defender was right up in his face 30 feet from the basket, allowing him to easily drive around him for a wide up, undefended layup with two points that were crucial late in the game.
I think that's part of the coach's job. As I read the transcript, he was interacting with the reports knowing what they were asking and acknowledging it but telling them - and telling his players - yes, we practiced that, yes we talked about it, no we didn't get it done. And that's what is most frustrating to every one of us, fans, reporters, coaches and players alike