02-21-2021, 08:01 AM
(02-21-2021, 05:44 AM)winflop Wrote: What an awful performance, both on the court and on the sideline. I think it was more on the court though.Many of the turnovers are a function of the offense. The passes Stanford attempts are sometimes very hard to accept. I think in most games there are 5 or 6 passes that create really easy layups, but there are usually 10-12 passes that appear very reckless.
- It's not the coaches' fault that the team shot 50% from the free throw line
- It's (mostly) not the coaches' fault that they had 21 turnovers (I think 18 in regulation), although this is somewhat up for debate because it's been a problem for at least 3 years
- It is the coaches' fault for not calling a timeout when WSU went to a trap on the final play of regulation (or maybe one of the OTs?) and they were clearly unprepared. They had one left.
Haase is a better recruiter than Dawkins, but just like Dawkins he can't seem to develop that talent into a cohesive unit. I've heard multiple commentators this year talk about how talented and deep this team is. Well the results certainly indicate something else, even if they make the tournament. It's gonna be a tough road to that now. Two tough opponents in the last three games and then the conference tournament. Depending on how the regular season ends, they may need to make the finals to get a bid.
It is possible the current team is the most talented at Stanford in the last 15 years. What would that imply about this season?
Perhaps the record and the struggles closing out games are a function of the quirks of the COVID-19 challenges, or maybe a function of the coaching.
For 2020-2021 I can put a good chunk on COVID-19 challenges, but we've been here before with the team limping and stumbling more and more often at the end of games and at the end of a season.
Haase might have been a good option to get Stanford from awful to respectable, but might not be able to coach talent Stanford can typically recruit from respectable to a top 25 level. Maybe 2021-2022 can be that breakthrough season, but I fear even without COVID-19 the multi-year pattern of weak finishes will remain.
Under Haase, I feel like I watch the wins and tournament expectations fade away as we approach mid-March with many noting that NEXT season will be the one.

