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When multiple "unlucky" outcomes become about coaching...

How_did_this_happen?

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First, I really like Coach Smith. I want him to succeed at WSU.

Second, I think he needs some major work on his late close game coaching. Instead of showing angst and worry in a tight game with time running out (I've observed this many times), he needs to show CONFIDENCE in his players, CALMNESS, and also have a good plan to finish the game with a good outcome. The players need to SEE THIS and BELIEVE it. You can have all the data and statistics in the world ("nerdball") but if you don't have the confidence in your players, and show the calmness you need to show, the outcome is likely not going to be good.

I'm not just referring to this loss to UCLA. It is now a trend over many games.

Coach Smith needs to change his demeanor. He can do it.

Anyway, my 2 cents. Thoughts?
 
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First, I really like Coach Smith. I want him to succeed at WSU.

Second, I think he needs some major work on his late close game coaching. Instead of showing angst and worry in a tight game with time running out (I've observed this many times), he needs to show CONFIDENCE in his players, CALMNESS, and also have a good plan to finish the game with a good outcome. The players need to SEE THIS and BELIEVE it. You can have all the data and statistics in the world ("nerdball") but if you don't have the confidence in your players, and show the calmness you need to show, the outcome is likely not going to be good.

I'm not just referring to this loss to UCLA. It is now a trend over many games.

Coach Smith needs to change his demeanor. He can do it.

Anyway, my 2 cents. Thoughts?

I think the reason there was so many close games that were lost this season, is a combination of injuries, AND having most, majority of team, replaced, new, that haven't played, JELLED, developed chemistry, learned to win together.

Now in looking at what your saying about Smith's demeanor and whether that's contributed to the injuries, new, young team, that hasn't played, developed chemistry, JELLED, learned to win together, etc, in losing close games, etc, one can look at last season.

Last season there was injuries and some new pieces, and the team was older. But the injuries, and the new players also delayed the team Jelling, developing chemistry, learning to win, and also lost a lot of close game before winning 23 total games, 11-9 in conference, NIT final four.

I think Smith has left meat on the bone last season, and this season. That said only Raveling, and Sampson did better then Smith's 23 total wins, NIT Final Four, 11-9 in conference, last season, and Sampson's BEST 9-9, 500 conference record, was WORSE then Smith's 11-9 conference record, VS a much tougher Pac 12.(PAC 12 last season, was the toughest it had been in decades)

So because of that, I think you kind of have to throw out last season.

So that leaves this 1 season out of 4 seasons, with almost most, majority of team replaced, and LOTS of injuries, and a WAY INSANELY TOUGHER NON CONFERENCE RECORD, causing the team to either not or SLOW to develop, Jell CHEMISTRY, play together, learn to win, etc.

Yes Smith has left meat on bone, and what you say about demeanor, may or may not be true, have factored in, BUT the amount of injuries HAS BEEN INSANE, and having to replace the majority of the team is INSANE, and BOTH have INSANELY affected the development of the team in a very negative way.

Now some like Jourdand, would mention how Blue Bloods like Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Oregon, Gonzaga, Arizona, UCLA, etc, handle what WSU has suffered, but WSU is NOT a BLUE BLOOD, and is a WSU, Ore St, etc, type, and WSU, Ore St types, WILL NOT, DO NOT HANDLE THESE TYPE OF THINGS WELL.

Also there needs to be a comparison between Smith and Dick Bennet.

Dick Bennet in his 4 seasons had YOUNG, LESSER TALENT, LOTS OF INJURIES, etc, and because of that it was ok that Dick Bennet, only won 10,11,12 games a season, and only scored about 38 points per game on average, etc, but yet Dick Bennet was OK, UNLIKE Smith.

Has Smith left meat on the bone? Yes.

Is Smith's Demeanor, or some other coaching thing of Smith causing this season's bad results so far? Maybe, Perhaps.

BUT if Smith had a EXPERIENCED team, that WERE NOT NEW PIECES, NEW PLAYERS, AND IF THE TEAM HAD A UNINJURED, HEALTHY season, ALL COMBINED TOGETHER, AND THEN DESPITE THAT, IF Smith were to then either lose a lot of games, an or lose a lot of close games DESPITE THAT, THEN ONE COULD CLEARLY SAY THAT IT IS, WAS SMITH'S COACHING, AND NOT THE LACK OF EXPERIENCE, AND NOT ALL THE LOTS OF NEW PIECES, PLAYERS, AND NOT ALL THE LOTS OF INJURIES.

But even if it is Smith's coaching, etc, and even if Smith is leaving Meat on the bone, Smith has STILL done BETTER results wise so far, then all past WSU coaches, EXCEPT Raveling, Sampson, Friel, etc, and are being HARDER on Smith then DICK BENNET, and all other past WSU coaches, and are treating Smith the same way that Nebraska treated Tom Osbourne for only winning 9,10 games instead of 11,12,13 games.

But I guess that WSU is now a BLUE BLOOD, that unfairly criticizes or fires its coaches for leaving Meat on bone and only winning 23 games, NIT Final 4, 11-9 in conference, and only winning 7 games in football.

Please do continue to overreact, knee jerk, spaz out over a 1 point loss to likely conference winners UCLA, that might semi probably go-to the NCAA sweet 16, Elite 8, Final 4, Final 2, etc.
 
Smith is a solid recruiter but imo he is lacking in game coaching and offensive prowess.
That being said the team as a whole looked very solid yesterday, solid coaching solid players and solid playing. WSU won that game except for the final score. The coaching comes into question when you put the whole product into view and you realize we lose close games. 23- 31 in games decided by 10 points or less 42 percent . 9-18 in games decided by 5 or less 33 percent. Not actually as bad as I thought.

FYI our Non conference schedule is anything but “insanely tougher” we have only beat 2 teams with a winning record and lost to Prarie View who is presently 4-9.
 
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I tend to agree with the late game criticism of Smith but I'm not sure it has much to do with demeanor, Late in the game the Cougs get very tentative. The plan seems to be for someone like Bamba to drive into the lane and get fouled or kick it out or get it to Gueye and have him kick it back out. I don't criticize the plan but the execution has been horrible. Bamba doesn't actually draw fouls but gets hung up and ends up losing the ball. Gueye constantly brings the ball down to his hip where defenders can knock it away from him. At the end of the UCLA game Powell was literally all alone on the backside but when Gueye got the ball he brought it down and a defender almost tied him up and then he forced a bad pass to Rodman which almost went out of bounds.
 
Smith's problem, if we're going to point to something, has been a challenge recruiting elite wing players who can generate their own offense. He's done an outstanding job of recruiting bigs and solid, if not spectacular guards, but we're missing the dynamic #3 who stirs the drink.
 
Smith's problem, if we're going to point to something, has been a challenge recruiting elite wing players who can generate their own offense. He's done an outstanding job of recruiting bigs and solid, if not spectacular guards, but we're missing the dynamic #3 who stirs the drink.
True. Also no true point guard is a weakness in his recruiting. And please don't mention Rice. We don't know how good he is.
 
Smith's problem, if we're going to point to something, has been a challenge recruiting elite wing players who can generate their own offense. He's done an outstanding job of recruiting bigs and solid, if not spectacular guards, but we're missing the dynamic #3 who stirs the drink.

Rodman, Mullins, Kymany Houinsou, Carlos Rosario(who has been injured, in past) are prototypical 6-6,6-7, 3 spot, wings.
 
True. Also no true point guard is a weakness in his recruiting. And please don't mention Rice. We don't know how good he is.

Rice was supposedly good enough to be NAMED the starter, BEFORE cancer.

And your point was that Smith doesn't recruit true point guards.

Well Rice was a True point guard recruit, that was well thought of as a recruit.

Powell was also a True point guard recruit.

Darling was also a good point guard recruit.

It's REVISIONIST HISTORY to say, suggest that Smith doesn't recruit wings, point guards, when once upon a time Smith had a LOGJAM at wing, and has recruited true Point Guards.

And Bonton, and Flowers, and Roberts, were COMBO guard point guards that both scored a lot, and had lots of assist, etc.

Keep up the revisionist HISTORY.
 
Rodman, Mullins, Kymany Houinsou, Carlos Rosario(who has been injured, in past) are prototypical 6-6,6-7, 3 spot, wings.
I think you missed his point. It isn't that they don't have people who fit the physical description of a wing. The don't have and haven't had a wing who can easily create his own shot and make the defense worry about matching up with him in a late game situation.
 
Personally I doubt rice would have started this year but he would have helped. Powell was recruited to be the starting pg for the next 2 years and has shown flashes of being very solid but then at other times he disappears. I thought he had a very solid game against USC. One of the problems with this team is a lack of a go to scorer down the stretch. I think Bamba and Gueye and possibly Mullins have the ability to be that player but are not yet comfortable in the role. Much like Noah last year he was capable of it but not comfortable with it.
 
Personally I doubt rice would have started this year but he would have helped. Powell was recruited to be the starting pg for the next 2 years and has shown flashes of being very solid but then at other times he disappears. I thought he had a very solid game against USC. One of the problems with this team is a lack of a go to scorer down the stretch. I think Bamba and Queye and possibly Mullins have the ability to be that player but are not yet comfortable in the role. Much like Noah last year he was capable of it but not comfortable with it.
Disagree about Noah last year. He was comfortable but not capable.
 
I kind of agree and that was what I was getting at, I think Noah’s issues came from forcing himself to try and fill a role he wasn’t ever supposed to fill.
 
I kind of agree and that was what I was getting at, I think Noah’s issues came from forcing himself to try and fill a role he wasn’t ever supposed to fill.
I think Noah's issues are related to weed. Lots and lots of weed.
 
I think you missed his point. It isn't that they don't have people who fit the physical description of a wing. The don't have and haven't had a wing who can easily create his own shot and make the defense worry about matching up with him in a late game situation.

Rodman, Mullin have been very potent offensively at the 3 spot, especially semi recently.

Rodman in particular has been making defenses worry, and creating his shot inside recently, and has racked up some high scoring games recently doing so.

And Kymany Houinsou has shown the ability to create his own shot and beat defenders off of dribble, and slash, penetrate, attack, etc, the basket, and get some created lay ups, dunks, shots, etc.

Rodman has been slowed in doing this because he had to play the 4 spot, because of the earlier FRONT COURT injuries.

Now he is able to thrive at his natural 3 spot wing spot now.

Again revisionist history.
 
Rodman, Mullin have been very potent offensively at the 3 spot, especially semi recently.

Rodman in particular has been making defenses worry, and creating his shot inside recently, and has racked up some high scoring games recently doing so.

And Kymany Houinsou has shown the ability to create his own shot and beat defenders off of dribble, and slash, penetrate, attack, etc, the basket, and get some created lay ups, dunks, shots, etc.

Rodman has been slowed in doing this because he had to play the 4 spot, because of the earlier FRONT COURT injuries.

Now he is able to thrive at his natural 3 spot wing spot now.

Again revisionist history.
Mik, please stop this.
 
I kind of agree and that was what I was getting at, I think Noah’s issues came from forcing himself to try and fill a role he wasn’t ever supposed to fill.
I think Noah's issues are related to weed. Lots and lots of weed.
My guy… as someone who is friends with several college basketball players, I can assure you 60-70% of players smoke “lots and lots of weed”
 
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