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re: Men’s Basketball Program
Posted on 3/20/24 at 9:27 am to mcspufftiger7
Posted on 3/20/24 at 9:27 am to mcspufftiger7
If next season is more of the same, and there are no difference maker players on the roster, then year 4 should be his last. Unless he somehow has a monster recruiting class coming in for year 5, which seems unlikely.
Fans won’t show up to see a mediocre team from a coach who may not be able to recruit any better than Trent Johnson.
Fans won’t show up to see a mediocre team from a coach who may not be able to recruit any better than Trent Johnson.
2
Posted on 3/20/24 at 11:32 am to Skillet
First, this is not a pile-on Baker. I love his sweet outside shot, and he genuinely seems well liked by the other players. But man, it was tough to watch him play, outside of a couple of games where the defense inexplicably left him alone outside and let him get hot. Can't dribble. Can't guard. Hands too soft for rebounding. He legitimately has two options (high shot at the key or iso play with his back to the basket assuming there is no weakside help)
Yes it is a fair criticism to say that Coach MM has a set way of playing offense, and the struggles (especially last year, but at times this year) come from his inability to make changes when needed. But since he IS our coach, no amount of wishful thinking is going to change the fact that it's gonna take until next season to (hopefully) get his "system" players in. And no amount of complaining is going to change that either. Next year is the year, fair to him or not.
I completely agree that Reed's lack of development and Baker's inability to run any kind of ball screen / g&g offense was a killer to this team.
My throat hurts from yelling at the TV every time Baker set a weak pick this season, and then botched the roll (if he even attempted it.)
By the way, whoever said Dean can't play pick and roll--that's not what I've seen, albeit it's a very limited sample size. I can't count the number of times the guards seem to miss Dean flashing open after a pick at the FT line to the side of the lane waiting on a dump pass or lob with nothing to show for it.
Yes it is a fair criticism to say that Coach MM has a set way of playing offense, and the struggles (especially last year, but at times this year) come from his inability to make changes when needed. But since he IS our coach, no amount of wishful thinking is going to change the fact that it's gonna take until next season to (hopefully) get his "system" players in. And no amount of complaining is going to change that either. Next year is the year, fair to him or not.
I completely agree that Reed's lack of development and Baker's inability to run any kind of ball screen / g&g offense was a killer to this team.
My throat hurts from yelling at the TV every time Baker set a weak pick this season, and then botched the roll (if he even attempted it.)
By the way, whoever said Dean can't play pick and roll--that's not what I've seen, albeit it's a very limited sample size. I can't count the number of times the guards seem to miss Dean flashing open after a pick at the FT line to the side of the lane waiting on a dump pass or lob with nothing to show for it.
This post was edited on 3/20/24 at 11:33 am
Posted on 3/20/24 at 12:07 pm to Skillet
quote:
then year 4 should be his last
Why wait for year 4? To confirm what what already be known by the end of year 3? That would be doing nothing more than prolonging the inevitable. By the end of year 3 McMahon would have had 3 shots to build a good roster and perform according on the court. If three times aren't the charm, why on earth would you expect the 4th to be?
It's difficult to change long held beliefs and perspectives. Particularly for those who aren't big college basketball fans outside of following LSU for a month or two. But the game has changed DRASTICALLY since the legalization of NIL and the freedom of transfer rules that were enacted in earnest ahead of the 21-22 season. Therefore, you simply can't view the trajectory of a program through a perspective that doesn't exist anymore.
Prior to the freedom of transfer rules when a new coach took over he was mostly stuck in his first year with what was left over on the roster. Guys were reluctant to transfer because they didn't want to sit out a year. And if the new HC had a bad roster, his only means of immediately improving it was to sign HS seniors, JUCO players, or grad transfers. Given most new coaches take over late in the recruiting cycle it was hard to sign great HS players. And the field of JUCO and grad transfers was limited. Thus, it would take a bit of time to revamp a roster.
That is not the case anymore. And it has been shown each season since 2022, multiple times, that a new HC can come in, totally flip the roster, and significantly improve IMMEDIATELY. Now, that doesn't always happen. But it's far from impossible with the right guy. If after next season McMahon has significantly flipped three times and can do no better than barely average (no, 17-14 is not "good"), then why wait another year to see if he can do in year 4 what he hasn't been able to do in years 1, 2, or 3?
On the surface, his hire wasn't "bad". If you compared his career resume with the other 5 SEC coaches that were hired that year it was one of the better resumes. The "bad" would be unnecessarily prolonging the inevitable once it became clear it isn't going to work.
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