[BostonCard]

I still am not sold on Dawkins.  I thought he should have taken the team to the NCAA's last year (after winning the NIT the year before), and I think with a senior laden and talented team, the NCAA's should be a foregone conclusion.  Although I think we'll make it, that we are still talking about what we need to do over our last 4 games (plus the conference tournament) is in my mind a sign that we have somewhat underperformed this year.  At this point, we should be a lock.

Any coach looks better when his players are playing better, and our guys are playing better which is gratifying to see.  But given the talent in the 2010 recruiting class (and Randle the following year), I have to say that their slow development has bothered me.  I would understand it if this were football, where it takes a few years for even stars to see the field.  However, in basketball a talented freshman can make an immediate difference (though maybe at Stanford it takes a little longer).  These our guys in their third and fourth years in the program.  It's hard not to try to make the comparison of what Montgomery would do with a senior laden team, even one without dominant stars.

As long as Dawkins is our coach, I will support him and hope he succeeds.  While I think he has underperformed as coach so far, I do not hold on to the notion that a coach cannot learn.  He's a plus recruiter, he's liked by his team, and he is a good representative of our school.  Right now player development and game preparation and strategy are his weak spots.  Some of those will benefit from hiring good assistants (player development, especially), and I think X's and O's are a bit overrated, especially in basketball.  So I think he could improve, and I hope we do.  But I'm not sold yet.

BC

[BostonCard]

I still am not sold on Dawkins.  I thought he should have taken the team to the NCAA's last year (after winning the NIT the year before), and I think with a senior laden and talented team, the NCAA's should be a foregone conclusion.  Although I think we'll make it, that we are still talking about what we need to do over our last 4 games (plus the conference tournament) is in my mind a sign that we have somewhat underperformed this year.  At this point, we should be a lock.

Any coach looks better when his players are playing better, and our guys are playing better which is gratifying to see.  But given the talent in the 2010 recruiting class (and Randle the following year), I have to say that their slow development has bothered me.  I would understand it if this were football, where it takes a few years for even stars to see the field.  However, in basketball a talented freshman can make an immediate difference (though maybe at Stanford it takes a little longer).  These our guys in their third and fourth years in the program.  It's hard not to try to make the comparison of what Montgomery would do with a senior laden team, even one without dominant stars.

As long as Dawkins is our coach, I will support him and hope he succeeds.  While I think he has underperformed as coach so far, I do not hold on to the notion that a coach cannot learn.  He's a plus recruiter, he's liked by his team, and he is a good representative of our school.  Right now player development and game preparation and strategy are his weak spots.  Some of those will benefit from hiring good assistants (player development, especially), and I think X's and O's are a bit overrated, especially in basketball.  So I think he could improve, and I hope we do.  But I'm not sold yet.

BC