I wouldn't say they are a basketball school nor a top 20 program. Yes to being good a few years ago but....
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My guess Ben is leaving on his own, and probably doesn't have a warm cuddly feeling because of lack of support. Some of which is on him.
Long story short of where I posted elsewhere. Our older bigs weighed a buck and a quarter. Very weak physically. Our freshmen bigs were freshmen who practiced against our older starters. We had 2-3 players who were weak mentally as far as taking the sneaky way out and getting suspended or sulking because someone said you were not playing at the skill level everyone knew you could.
Now the melt is actually coming from a game we led by 10 with 6 to go. Questionable call on a missed 3 opened up the flood gates. From here I blame Howland. He lost the team mentally from here by not having balls to go ape shit crazy at the refs for the shitty calls and players losing control in their emotions. They saw the same train coming as I saw and that’s when a coach gathers control of that situation.
I will say watching Duke - UCF that theirs should have and would have been a bigger shitting than ours but we just like a UCF are just games to build for the big money payouts
Not arguing with you but recruit guys that have balls to play a game they love. I understand the small crowd is an issue in basketball and baseball due to seating but that’s on the ath department to figure out. But in the meantime it is on the coaches and players to have balls to fight every game because they love the game and love to win.
Look I’ve told y’all I’m old but back in the 80s and 90s a huge amount of guys in the south especially played slow pitch softball. The reason I bring this up is most every team played while having to play and the fight and effort to win at 11 on a Saturday night with a crowd of 5 was impressive. My point is we have to have guys playing every game to win whether there is a damn soul in the hump. Competitors compete all the time. We had a few worried about butts in the seat instead of effort from the heart.
You bring a team together with heart and effort you can fill a gym. It can happen in Starkville! Oh wait it is with the women
Bad year to be shopping for a coach.
Will Wade?**
We had defeciencies. We were soft on the post. Perry and Woodard improved things but they were freshmen and our other 2 bigs are built for the outside. Well Holman was. Ado has weak hands but how do you expect strength in hands from a guy that played soccer all his life.
I think Howland let some rotten apples ruin the bunch. We have a bad culture right now, or had. Maybe with a few of them leaving it will improve, sometimes thats a tough spot to be in. You can chew on them and demand it out of them but sometimes it just doesnt click bc the kids dont want it too. And as a coach you are in a tough spot bc you know if you play them you could get the good version and be hellacious that night but then the other hand, you could get the no give a shit lazy BS we saw time and time again. Me personally, I'd rather play with 5 scrubs and take my lumps than play with 5 that wanna do it their way. I can see why he stuck with them though if he thought they gave us the best chance to win.
That, or Howland just let them walk all over him bc he has lost the fire he had at UCLA.
I don’t think Howland had bad apples. Think he had weaknesses down low physically and had a couple guards who were weak as leaders. How do you coach through that. Well I disagree with myself because I’d be unemployed after goin absolutely ape shit on at least 2 bad calls. Then I’d call a huddle , say 17 the NCAA let’s go win a basketball game. I’m ashamed he let those calls happen and ashamed our guys let that happen to them