How much of this mess is coaching?

[RGV Pony]

How much better would SMU be if Bamba and Dia could just hit the gimme, easy 3 to 4 to 5 Foot jump shot?

Lots. But they can't.

and they won't.

[EastStang]

Rice was shooting out of their minds last night. One of the backbreakers was a three from at least 5 (maybe even 10) feet behind line at an angle and the guy was guarded. You can't stop that shot. And there were several others not much different from that one. I think the announcers said that Rice was leading CUSA in 3 point shooting (which makes sense after last night). Doherty was mixing things up on offense and defense, he was trying different combinations to find somebody who could hit a jump shot. The players were not standing still on offense or defense and were moving the ball back and forth. I tend to agree about Fall. He has had three and a half years to show what he can do, and he can't box out, and he can't score with any regularity in the paint. If I was coach, I'd probably sit him down and try someone else at the five position as a move to the future. This would signal to the rest of the team, that no one is safe if we lose. Bamba can come off the bench for defensive purposes if you need a blocker. Faye looked good inside he reminded me a lot of Simpson, but he was tentative. Dia looked great last night when I saw him in there. We need a few shooters who can hit a three now and then, and perhaps, the offense will start clicking.

[friarwolf]

The players have all the earmarks of a team trying to avoid getting screamed at or having to run sprints......They looked like they had no legs and were tight at the same time - a very hard combo. They couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in the first half and most of the shots were short. In addition, our fundamentals suck......

We lost to a team with inferior athleticism but they ran their offense efficiently, blocked out, and fought for every rebound.....

[George S. Patton]

Rice was shooting out of their minds last night. One of the backbreakers was a three from at least 5 (maybe even 10) feet behind line at an angle and the guy was guarded. You can't stop that shot. And there were several others not much different from that one. I think the announcers said that Rice was leading CUSA in 3 point shooting (which makes sense after last night). Doherty was mixing things up on offense and defense, he was trying different combinations to find somebody who could hit a jump shot. The players were not standing still on offense or defense and were moving the ball back and forth. I tend to agree about Fall. He has had three and a half years to show what he can do, and he can't box out, and he can't score with any regularity in the paint. If I was coach, I'd probably sit him down and try someone else at the five position as a move to the future. This would signal to the rest of the team, that no one is safe if we lose. Bamba can come off the bench for defensive purposes if you need a blocker. Faye looked good inside he reminded me a lot of Simpson, but he was tentative. Dia looked great last night when I saw him in there. We need a few shooters who can hit a three now and then, and perhaps, the offense will start clicking.

And I so enjoyed when he put the ball on the floor a couple of times and got his pocket picked. That's more on him because any big man has to understand that you can't do that because of the higher dribble. Nothing good ever comes out of it.

But Fall is what he is. 8-10 pts. 7-9 rebs. 2-3 blocks. Solid numbers but just not an impact player.

[The XtC]

[quote="JasonB"]When guys are missing every wide open shot in the first 5 minutes, that isn't being outcoached.

Those things happen to a young team on the road - miss open shots, lose confidence, down 17-2. Fight all the way back because of superior athleticism, then have your heart broken by a couple of tough 3's by Rice and fall apart at the end.

This team will start winning by the end of this season and will be the best bball team around here in a long while next season.[/quote]

You may want to check the schedule and try that last sentence again. Right now (Rice, Tulane, ECU, Marshall) is the soft part of the schedule, these are the winnable games. At the end of the year we're @Memphis, @UTEP, @Houston, and get Tulsa, Southern Miss and Rice at home. Rice is the only winnable game out of the last 6. If SMU is going to win games, it needs to be now.

[EastStang]

We have to win at least enough games to get into the conference tournament. So we need to start winning against the less strong teams in the conference. Memphis, Houston, UAB, Tulsa, UTEP are tough opponents. Hey some coaches are sideline screamers - Dean Smith comes to mind and let us not forget some guy whose first name was Bobby. Every time I heard John Thompson interviewed after a game he was hoarse and he has a booming voice. Also remember, for some coaches screaming is a necessity in order to be heard during a game and perhaps they You're not going to change a coach's persona.

[DickerJames]

We have to win at least enough games to get into the conference tournament.

Everyone makes the tournament regardless of record.

[DallasDiehard]

We won't win a lot of C-USA games, but we haven't won our last. The youth has a lot of effects that aren't good - bad shooting in some (Rice) games, general fear, silly turnovers/fouls, etc., but we have enough athletic ability that we'll beat some teams, too. We'll be frustrating, but we'll be exciting.

[StangBry]

The players have all the earmarks of a team trying to avoid getting screamed at or having to run sprints......They looked like they had no legs and were tight at the same time - a very hard combo. They couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in the first half and most of the shots were short. In addition, our fundamentals suck......

thats all doherty - always has been, always will be. sorry if you don't like it or disagree, but if you motivate through fear and always try to stay on a higher level than your players this will always be the case. do all the recruiting you want, it doesnt matter.

[ponydawg]

We have to win at least enough games to get into the conference tournament.

Everyone makes the tournament regardless of record.

So you're saying there's a chance!

[817pony]

We won't win a lot of C-USA games, but we haven't won our last. The youth has a lot of effects that aren't good - bad shooting in some (Rice) games, general fear, silly turnovers/fouls, etc., but we have enough athletic ability that we'll beat some teams, too. We'll be frustrating, but we'll be exciting.

I am not sure why this team couldn't win it's fair share of conference USA games. This conference seems to be pretty even this year. Look back the the UTEP game. UTEP, by some people estimations, could be one of the top two teams in the conference and SMU gave them a run for their money down the stretch. Even Memphis won't have a walk in the park all year as they had to make a shot with no time left in Tulsa to win their game last week. The point is that this team is athletic enough and good enough to be a factor this year in Conference but they have to be mentally tough. Doh says it himself that it is time for this team to grow up and stop using age as an excuse. The players are going to have to get to a point where they can stop flaking out at the end of games and start looking confident and sure of themselves at the end of close games. This team is 0-8 is games where they trailed with 5:00 left in the game. If stats like that one can change, this team can be a big factor.

[Erion]

The players play tentative...but I dont think its all fear of being screamed at. Cuz if that was the case...youd see more people sprinting their [deleted] off to get back on D...or more pride in defensive stops.

With the Senegal 3 they have the makings of a great defensive frontline...if they can get them to play with heart and brains consistently.

I think they should completely scrap that motion offense. Inexperienced teams need structure and definition...set plays...defined shots...all helps with confidence and rebounding.

I played for 2 coaches at SMU. Shumate was excellent excellent at defense and inspiring intensity...but he was a negative on the Xs and Os. We played great D...but our offense hurt us more than anything cuz we never knew where our shots were coming from and that put our transition D in peril.

Dement was the opposite. Xs and Os whiz...but didnt care a lick about defense. With his offense we got great shots (turned Woods and Poerner into all conference players) and our rebounding skyrocketed. And it was nothing more than knowing when/where shots could come.

[FriscoPMG]

I think they should completely scrap that motion offense. Inexperienced teams need structure and definition...set plays...defined shots...all helps with confidence and rebounding.

I played for 2 coaches at SMU. Shumate was excellent excellent at defense and inspiring intensity...but he was a negative on the Xs and Os. We played great D...but our offense hurt us more than anything cuz we never knew where our shots were coming from and that put our transition D in peril.

Dement was the opposite. Xs and Os whiz...but didnt care a lick about defense. With his offense we got great shots (turned Woods and Poerner into all conference players) and our rebounding skyrocketed. And it was nothing more than knowing when/where shots could come.

Erion - Thanks for the excellent insight. This is exactly how I recall the Dement-coached teams, but of course I don't have the first hand experience that you had.

And I couldn't agree more that this current team desperately needs an offense that is 100% structured (with the exception of fast break opportunities). Whether it's youth (I don't buy that) or just low basketball IQ, clearly they haven't grasped the motion offense.

I remember talking to Coach Lineburg one time and he jokingly stated that their teams ran more 5-on-0 in practice than any other team in the country. Therefore those players knew exactly how to execute each and every offensive set and it showed -- whether it was Woods or Sasser or Hanc0ck or Q or BHop, they all had their fair share of open looks thanks to offensive execution.

This current team, on the other hand, is lucky to get a handful of open looks in a game because it all relies on the players creating those open looks instead of the offense setting them up.