ADVERTISEMENT

Time to fire Basketball training staff?

chugspig

Hall Of Fame
Nov 5, 2011
2,423
1,304
113
How many players are constantly hurt and out or playing hurt. It’s incredible how often it’s been under Smith teams. A function of their practice routine? Their conditioning? Strength coaches? I don’t watch the team much but read articles every now and then after games and haven’t seen more than a few that didn’t talk about who was out or limited with injuries. What is going on?
 
Just my opinion but I'm not sure most of the injuries come down to S&C.

Bamba - hand
Jakimovski - turf toe
Rodman, not sure injury type
Gueye hamstring is strange
Jackson/Rice illness

Efe, Gueye and Jackson all had at least some injury history coming into college. I think you take your chances with players like those 3. Too much talent and potential to not take the risk plus it's not like any of the 3 are of the "knucklehead" variety or character risks.
 
How many players are constantly hurt and out or playing hurt. It’s incredible how often it’s been under Smith teams. A function of their practice routine? Their conditioning? Strength coaches? I don’t watch the team much but read articles every now and then after games and haven’t seen more than a few that didn’t talk about who was out or limited with injuries. What is going on?


I've brought this up a few times before. I've never seen a coach be so snakebitten by injuries as coach Smith. As SF has noted, some (most?) are beyond any control that our training or coaching staff can possibly have. Too many just seem really weird (didn't one player miss a game in the past 2 or 3 seasons due to a tooth problem?).

Thinking back on WSU basketball over the past few decades, we've had injuries, but that seemed to be the exception, not the rule. I recall many times when we had a full roster and injuries were nonexistent.

I don't know what to make of it under coach Smith. I wish it was easy to pull data on thus to compare to other teams and also historically. It may be that I'm just not remembering correctly. I've watch WSU basketball for years, and the injury problems seem much worse under Smith.
 
I've brought this up a few times before. I've never seen a coach be so snakebitten by injuries as coach Smith. As SF has noted, some (most?) are beyond any control that our training or coaching staff can possibly have. Too many just seem really weird (didn't one player miss a game in the past 2 or 3 seasons due to a tooth problem?).

Thinking back on WSU basketball over the past few decades, we've had injuries, but that seemed to be the exception, not the rule. I recall many times when we had a full roster and injuries were nonexistent.

I don't know what to make of it under coach Smith. I wish it was easy to pull data on thus to compare to other teams and also historically. It may be that I'm just not remembering correctly. I've watch WSU basketball for years, and the injury problems seem much worse under Smith.
Jackson missed games last year with an eye injury. Don’t think the training staff can do much about that.
 
There have been injuries like Dick losing Low, or Raveling losing Guy Williams, but nothing like what happening to Smith.

Also while at Columbia, St Marie's, San Fran or San Diego, Smith didn't have a lot of injuries at his previous coaching stops, like he has had at WSU.

Maybe the lack of injuries in past by both WSU, and Smith at previous coaching stops, is catching up, in that maybe according to law of averages, maybe WSU, Smith are due some injuries.

I don't know, and it's just speculation.

But Smith, WSU have been TORMENTED by LOTS of injuries, seemingly more so then other College's, coaches.

And despite that WSU, and Smith have still been ok, good, etc, despite that, altho not as ok, good, etc, as would like to be, should be, etc.

Still a lot of colleges, coaches, would have done a heck of a lot worse, if they had had WSU's, Smith's injuries, so because of that, because Smith has done ok, despite the injuries, that's a sign of a good coach.
 
Last edited:
One thing to consider relative to eras gone by, kids play year round these days. And there’s little time for natural recuperation and healing.

It’s part of why load management is such a hot topic in the NBA these days.

This problem goes back well into the high school years.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT