What Smitty said, plus in our system, the bigs sometimes find themselves playing backstop to a broken press, and that leads to more fouls (because imagine the yelling if they just ole-ed everything).
Exactly, and is this a supposed "failure" because we cut our losses and he transferred out, or because we had more capable players on the team while he was here who earned the majority of the playing time? Is the last guy on the depth chart always going to be a failure? Would it have been better to play Reco no matter what so he wouldn't become a "failure of the coaching staff" even if it meant that the team would not do as well. This isn't youth league where every kid plays 3 quarters and gets orange slices after the game no matter what and the score doesn't matter. You have to play the players who are the most capable of winning games.
I get what cvanvol is saying, but I think the word 'failure' is a little heavy and has different implications that imply negligence on the part of the coaching staff. It didn't work out, I agree with that, but that's not just a certain party's fault. It's over-simplifying things to make that statement. That's happened at VCU since we started a basketball program, and it will happen long after Shaka Smart coaches his last game for VCU. It's just the reality of competitive D1 basketball.
Correction you have to give scholarships to the players who are the most capable of winning games. Every single scholarship should amount to something. If it doesnt it is a setback.
Reco contributed in practice as a red-shirt and a freshman. He didn't play all that much less than Jarred or Teddy did. In the grand scheme it was as small a setback as you can have in basketball. That 'setback' didn't prevent us from setting a school-record winningest season, and we ended up getting a top 100 player out of that same scholarship that we wouldn't have been able to take if Reco stayed. If Reco were let go immediately, people would complain he never got a chance. If we kept him for 5 years, it would have been a wasted scholarship. He got plenty of chances to prove that he could do what was being asked of him from the coaches, and he failed to do that. Just because we didn't get to see it, doesn't mean he didn't get several opportunities to show it. The red-shirt itself is evidence of that. The coaches jobs are to put the best team on the floor that gives them a chance to win games, Reco was never part of that. That should say it all.
I am not saying it is their fault per se. If you wanna says hits and misses than Reco was a big miss. Success vs failure it was a failure.
In that same school of thought if Recos scholarship was used on a player that contributed we are a better team. All that mystery player had to do was block a shot/score a bucket/get a steal and we probably beat indiana. It isnt about who is taking the scholarship now but what it could have been.
You're way into over-simplification lol! Nothing in coaching works like that. Sure if we had gotten a player like Isaiah Canaan, we could have been in the Final Four. At some point realism has to enter the picture. You have 13 scholarships, reality and probability dictates you're not going to hit gold on all of them. You want to hit enough so that you can have an excellent program that wins games while developing players to keep that success going. We've done that and then some. Our coaching staff has done as good a job at this as any at our level in the country. If you want to put the absolute that unless every one of those 13 scholarship pans out, the staff has failed, then yes, they failed. They will fail every year that they are here in that case...and they will still be considered one of the best mid-major staffs in the country while they do it.
I dont think you should look at it as all 13 scholarships at once. 13 at bats. We have had some home runs and some doubles a few singles and maybe even a SAC fly but on Reco we struck out. We are still one of the best hitters in college basketball in recent years.
In my six or seven trips to Italy, I never attended a sporting event. But I did meet some very nice people and had several opportunities to observe their rich culture, enjoy their excellent food, and acquire a great appreciation for their beautiful collection of art. The only country I enjoyed more was Russia (and perhaps England).
Thread hijacked again by Reco.. How about that upcoming trip to Italy fellas? What sorts of "experimental" lineups can you all envision coach Smart trying that may or may not see minutes during the season?
The coaches and staff did not fail with Reco. Reco failed with Reco. I don't mean by that that Reco is a failure...he just didn't fit our system. We take people on we believe will fit our system and do our best to direct them. Reco could go on to have an excellent career...but the press game just didn't seem to be his game. I teach college and have 80 students in my class. There are some educators that think if a student is taught correctly they will always pass. I don't subscribe to that philosophy. If they don't pass, it is not because I failed as a teacher. Rather it is because they failed as a student. If the passing grade is a 70% ("D"'s aren't passing) and the class average is an 80, a student that is below a 70 can't even meet "average". They failed....I didn't fail them. This is especially true if 79 people passes and one did not. We can't be all things to everybody. Reco failed our system. Our coaches did not fail. Again, Reco may flourish in a different type system...but our system didn't fit Reco.
So if you recruited 13 people into your class that you thought would pass and one did not.... that would be you failing in recruting. This isnt a class that kids pick to be a part of. They are hand selected. If they dont pass that class they shouldnt have been selected in the first place.
As far as Reddic, I think he can get frustrated in a game. I don't know how many times Ju went to the top of the key, set a screen, and then ran back completely uncovered to the hoop, hand raise for a ball that never came. I would get frustrated with that too. Time will tell this year since we have lost our top scorer in Burgess. Ju was the #2 scorer on the team and he will be counted on more this year IMO. He hopefully will get the ball more often. He needs to prove more than ever that he deserves to be one of our main go to guys by making sure he puts those extra balls in the hoop. I think that will do a lot for his "motor". But I also disagree with some of you on the severity of his lack of "motor". He was our 2nd leading scorer on the team as a sophomore and has more than held his own on the defensive end against some really good competition. Some of you act like he is Reco II. Not even close.
I dont see it either. I thought he was the best player on the court most nights, getting about half the touches that he should have. He will lamost surely get better this season and I think he is going to be scary good.
