USF Men's BasketBall: Lots of questions

[bulls96go]

coach mac has the answers

[USFCollin]

You are SO jumping the gun here.  Last night SFA was 20-20 from the line, had guys (especially the point guard Clark) making shots with people draped all over them.  Give credit to SFA, they played very well (that's a team that will be a force in their league I'm sure).  Let's not jump the gun here either and say this season is shot, however.  We've got a lot of young players, some talented vets, and a great nucleus to build for the future.

The thing we should be the most excited about is that 1/2 court trap (I think it was a 1-2-1-1) we were running.  The past two seasons we didn't even have the bodies to run such a thing!  Our defensive problems were many, but all fixable with court time and practice.  Not bodying up on the boards (especially when we were in zone), challenging shooters (on one play late, I said "everyone in the gym knows where the ball is going," and it did, to Clark, and he was wide open after just running the baseline... that can't happen!) and picking up the right man or spot on the floor after they broke the trap.  But the effort was there, and clearly the athleticism and talent were there to make this work.  They just need time to gel.

I'm not saying book your flights for St. Louis in April, but we're gonna be OK.  We'll win more games than last year, we'll be better than last year, and you'll see a marked improvement in the team.  What else can you ask?

[smazza]

i am optimistic

[dabull80]

On our way to my 9-2 prediction.  Don't you just love early season optimisim.

[Brad]

Optimism, indeed dabull...

The prediction contest had about 10 people picking the Bulls to win big - you know 20 points big.

Personally, I am just happy with a win.  I did not see or hear the game, but simply in poring over stats, I saw a lot of good things - many of the things mentioned here.

The Bulls shot well from the line, only 14 turnovers (with 5 committed by Preke and 3 from TL.  Sounds like good discipline and control from the rest.

Who woulda thunk that Swifty would come out and drop in 19?  Brigman leading the team in boards - gotta like that.  We all expect TL and Jones to reel some in, but BB got 8 I believe.

We don't need statement wins (big margins) we just need wins - we got one Saturday night and I am very content with that.

[TripleB]

One of the questions I have is about Leather. I think as he goes, the team goes but he seems to have a little bit of an attitude problem at times on the court when things aren't going good. Those who were at the game, am I overreacting here?

Also, the sitting out the first five minutes due to a coaches decision scares me a bit. We NEED him this year .........

[Markeymark]

Basket - we had a new coach before the move to BE was known. You say it was a step backwards to get rid of Seth, and I don't disagree but the change had to be made since the writing was on the wall. USF has had a problem attracting quality recruits all along, and most of the quality guys under Seth were head cases who wouldn't hack it with coach MAC. I'm just hoping the players buy into MAC's concept and work hard, but also fans need to set realistic goals. Winning the conference championship or going to the conf. tournament semi-finals is probably not realistic with this team. If the team works HARD and applies a TEAM concept and doesn't make DUMB MISTAKES then we could perhaps see some NIT bids in a few years. But be aware that this is a marathon and we are only in the first couple miles right now. If the team can build and improve, the quality recruits will begin to appear.

BB2k - The problem with getting another coach is who are you going to get for the $$ that USF can afford? Only a glutton for punishment would want this gig if MAC can't get the job done. It's a job with little room for error, no matter who it is.

Triple - Leather has always had a bit of temperment problem. Good thing for him that he is able to keep it in check or he would be off MAC's team.

The biggest problem I see with USF moving to the Big East is resources to support Men's Basketball. We are not in the same league financially with the UConn's, Syracuses, Louisvilles, Cincy's and others who dominate year-in and year-out. It's going to be a constant uphill battle as long as that's the case. A big state school like USF has a lot of different athletic teams who each want a piece of the money pie. Hoops just doesn't draw fan interest in Florida the way it does up north, so there's little incentive to improve facilities or hire better coaches until more people start showing up on a consistent basis. It's a catch-22. UF has money to burn so they can afford to "buy" a national contender by hiring a rainmaker of a coach and giving him virtually unlimited recruiting resources. USF doesn't have the same luxury. I hate to sound so bleak, but that's what we're up against.

[GarySJ]

Markey, that's a pretty fair assessment of our situation heading into the Big East. We have some definite disadvantages, and whoever coaches here will have to work hard to overcome them.

Man, I remember thinking what a tall order C-USA hoops would be when we joined. The BIG EAST is going to be an even greater challenge.

[Guest HowieP1]

One of the questions I have is about Leather. I think as he goes, the team goes but he seems to have a little bit of an attitude problem at times on the court when things aren't going good. Those who were at the game, am I overreacting here?

Also, the sitting out the first five minutes due to a coaches decision scares me a bit. We NEED him this year .........

Evidently, Leather was feeling dizzy well right before the game and that is why he sat out the first five minutes:

Calling it a "coach's decision," McCullum didn't start Leather, who didn't see action until 15:22 was left in the first half.

"I was feeling dizzy at shoot-around," Leather said. "I told coach and he didn't start me."

http://www.usforacle.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/11/22/41a1f284f1aba

[TripleB]

Evidently, Leather was feeling dizzy well right before the game and that is why he sat out the first five minutes:

Calling it a "coach's decision," McCullum didn't start Leather, who didn't see action until 15:22 was left in the first half.

"I was feeling dizzy at shoot-around," Leather said. "I told coach and he didn't start me."

http://www.usforacle.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/11/22/41a1f284f1aba

I saw that too, but if he was dizzy, why didn't Coach Mac just say that? "Coach's decision' makes it sound ominous ........ I guess I'm still just a little gun shy after last year.