[washingtonismoney]

Trent Johnson also had far better players. The reason I feel Trent Johnson is incompetent is because he dramatically underachieved given the talent on hand. It\'s not clear that this team is vastly more talented than the record.

Trent Johnson\'s conference record at LSU this year: 3-10. Don\'t pretend as if Johnson would somehow be an improvement. He wouldn\'t be.

[washingtonismoney]

Trent Johnson also had far better players. The reason I feel Trent Johnson is incompetent is because he dramatically underachieved given the talent on hand. It\'s not clear that this team is vastly more talented than the record.

Trent Johnson\'s conference record at LSU this year: 3-10. Don\'t pretend as if Johnson would somehow be an improvement. He wouldn\'t be.

[mark3k]

Trent Johnson\'s conference record at LSU this year: 3-10. Don\'t pretend as if Johnson would somehow be an improvement. He wouldn\'t be.

Too true.  Please forgive Garvin... he can\'t help but defend the indefensible (begin Wilner-bashing now) -- notwithstanding the facts ;-)

[mark3k]

Trent Johnson\'s conference record at LSU this year: 3-10. Don\'t pretend as if Johnson would somehow be an improvement. He wouldn\'t be.

Too true.  Please forgive Garvin... he can\'t help but defend the indefensible (begin Wilner-bashing now) -- notwithstanding the facts ;-)

[gtrplyr1]

Regardless of Johnson, it\'s hard to say that Dawkins has done a good job this year. Even a young team ought to have been coached on how to beat a press that they\'ve seen before in the same season.

[gtrplyr1]

Regardless of Johnson, it\'s hard to say that Dawkins has done a good job this year. Even a young team ought to have been coached on how to beat a press that they\'ve seen before in the same season.

[Hank 91]

Sadly, I haven\'t watched enough of the basketball team this year to comment intelligently here, but I have a question for the masses. Is it unreasonable to say that Dawkins should be allowed more time? Has there been development of this highly-regarded freshman class? If the class is allowed time to develop and if Chasson Randle comes in and is as good as advertised, isn\'t there hope? After all, if there\'s one thing Johnny Dawkins should be able to do, it\'s coach and develop a point guard/shooting guard like Randle. So is there hope?

Thoughts?

[Hank 91]

Sadly, I haven\'t watched enough of the basketball team this year to comment intelligently here, but I have a question for the masses. Is it unreasonable to say that Dawkins should be allowed more time? Has there been development of this highly-regarded freshman class? If the class is allowed time to develop and if Chasson Randle comes in and is as good as advertised, isn\'t there hope? After all, if there\'s one thing Johnny Dawkins should be able to do, it\'s coach and develop a point guard/shooting guard like Randle. So is there hope?

Thoughts?

[Hank 91]

One other note on the press. During the early years of the Montgomery era, it seemed like every time an opposing team started pressing it was as if they had just invented a new defense that no one had ever seen before. Every attempt to bring the ball up the court was an absolute adventure, and I was never sure what pissed me off more -- the inability of the team to beat the press, or the crowd\'s applause each time they did. (Why should we cheer for something that shouldn\'t be difficult?)

[Hank 91]

One other note on the press. During the early years of the Montgomery era, it seemed like every time an opposing team started pressing it was as if they had just invented a new defense that no one had ever seen before. Every attempt to bring the ball up the court was an absolute adventure, and I was never sure what pissed me off more -- the inability of the team to beat the press, or the crowd\'s applause each time they did. (Why should we cheer for something that shouldn\'t be difficult?)

[washingtonismoney]

People often assume the press is some easy thing to beat. It\'s not, if the opposing team is reasonably well-coached themselves. The reason you see so many presses abused is that many coaches throw it in as an afterthought, which means their team neither has the coordination to pull it off nor the fitness to sustain it. The other reason people assume the press is easy to beat is that you never see it in the NBA, which has more to do with the grind of the season than the intrinsic effectiveness of the system.

As to Dawkins: we\'re basically right in line with what our expectations were at the beginning of the season. There have been a few positives in regards to the future and the team has many obvious holes not immediately related to Dawkins\'s coaching. Dawkins has had to face a dilemma of either putting a decent offensive team on the floor, or a decent defensive team. Through the first half of the season he chose the latter; now he\'s chosen the former. Either looks incomplete, for obvious reasons. That said, there are quite a few negatives and disconcerting things--I\'m not happy that Dwight Powell, for example, looks like a worse player now than he did at the beginning of the season.

Since the experience of the team and its personnel-related holes will be remedied next year, Dawkins should have very few excuses. The team should either win an NCAA berth or, at the very worst, just miss it. The seat isn\'t on fire, but it should be getting toasty...

[washingtonismoney]

People often assume the press is some easy thing to beat. It\'s not, if the opposing team is reasonably well-coached themselves. The reason you see so many presses abused is that many coaches throw it in as an afterthought, which means their team neither has the coordination to pull it off nor the fitness to sustain it. The other reason people assume the press is easy to beat is that you never see it in the NBA, which has more to do with the grind of the season than the intrinsic effectiveness of the system.

As to Dawkins: we\'re basically right in line with what our expectations were at the beginning of the season. There have been a few positives in regards to the future and the team has many obvious holes not immediately related to Dawkins\'s coaching. Dawkins has had to face a dilemma of either putting a decent offensive team on the floor, or a decent defensive team. Through the first half of the season he chose the latter; now he\'s chosen the former. Either looks incomplete, for obvious reasons. That said, there are quite a few negatives and disconcerting things--I\'m not happy that Dwight Powell, for example, looks like a worse player now than he did at the beginning of the season.

Since the experience of the team and its personnel-related holes will be remedied next year, Dawkins should have very few excuses. The team should either win an NCAA berth or, at the very worst, just miss it. The seat isn\'t on fire, but it should be getting toasty...

[gtrplyr1]

I agree. There has been almost no improvement this year, though. I think we can agree that the team needs to be dancing next March for Johnny to keep his job.

[gtrplyr1]

I agree. There has been almost no improvement this year, though. I think we can agree that the team needs to be dancing next March for Johnny to keep his job.

[washingtonismoney]

Sure. I felt there was a chance that we\'d do better. We\'ve also underperformed Pomeroy\'s prediction at that point in the season.

On the other hand, the media poll had us in ninth, and felt we\'d be pretty poorly ninth if the points totals are anything to judge by. The coaches felt similarly, also ranking us ninth.

So "right in line with expectations" is not as goofy as you make it out to be. As I\'ve said earlier, the excuses for poor performance disappear at the end of next year barring reoccurrence of the bubonic plague or similar.

[washingtonismoney]

Sure. I felt there was a chance that we\'d do better. We\'ve also underperformed Pomeroy\'s prediction at that point in the season.

On the other hand, the media poll had us in ninth, and felt we\'d be pretty poorly ninth if the points totals are anything to judge by. The coaches felt similarly, also ranking us ninth.

So "right in line with expectations" is not as goofy as you make it out to be. As I\'ve said earlier, the excuses for poor performance disappear at the end of next year barring reoccurrence of the bubonic plague or similar.

[CrazedZooChimp]

That incompetent Trent Johnson was .671.

As has been noted, anyone who watched the Sweet Sixteen year knows that team didn\'t win anything due to coaching.  granted, I don\'t think Johnson was incompetent, but the play of that team was sloppy and almost unwatchable (to me), despite their winning.

I think I give JD one more year, but the team needs to be in the top half of the conference and in the NCAA tournament.  The current team has won some games they shouldn\'t have, and lost games they shouldn\'t have.  That sounds like what happens with a very young team with promising talent.

[CrazedZooChimp]

That incompetent Trent Johnson was .671.

As has been noted, anyone who watched the Sweet Sixteen year knows that team didn\'t win anything due to coaching.  granted, I don\'t think Johnson was incompetent, but the play of that team was sloppy and almost unwatchable (to me), despite their winning.

I think I give JD one more year, but the team needs to be in the top half of the conference and in the NCAA tournament.  The current team has won some games they shouldn\'t have, and lost games they shouldn\'t have.  That sounds like what happens with a very young team with promising talent.

[Pastor]

I will be disappointed if we do not go .500 in conference play (which looks likely).  There is talent and effort here.  The youth excuse is OK but only for this year.  Two key issues for me, recruiting and how we perform next year.  If we don\'t recruit well and get to .700 next year, time for the tar and feathers.

[Pastor]

I will be disappointed if we do not go .500 in conference play (which looks likely).  There is talent and effort here.  The youth excuse is OK but only for this year.  Two key issues for me, recruiting and how we perform next year.  If we don\'t recruit well and get to .700 next year, time for the tar and feathers.

[washingtonismoney]

Speaking of the bubonic plague...: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-25...-says.html

I think Dawkins should be nervous.

[washingtonismoney]

Speaking of the bubonic plague...: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-25...-says.html

I think Dawkins should be nervous.

[fullmetal]

I\'m surprised Dawkins is not coaching better.  How is he going to show himself deserving of that post-CoachK Duke HC spot if he can\'t teach his offense how to break a press?

[fullmetal]

I\'m surprised Dawkins is not coaching better.  How is he going to show himself deserving of that post-CoachK Duke HC spot if he can\'t teach his offense how to break a press?

[gtrplyr1]

Stanford has to deny the renewal of a scholarship to a player currently on scholarship, presumably Andy Brown given his medical problems the past two years.

[gtrplyr1]

Stanford has to deny the renewal of a scholarship to a player currently on scholarship, presumably Andy Brown given his medical problems the past two years.