Needed: “player onlyâ€￾ team meeting!!!

[Wesley]

Makes me want to change my avatar.

Maybe he expects to goi NBA no matter what....

 

[isufbcurt]

A former ISU assistant said the whiners on the team have been calling him to complain about the coaching changes and increased emphasis on defense among other things.

Hope that helps

Cornell Mann

 

[mjhavlo76]

No joke. The post below is the best I have ever read on this forum. I believe it to be golden true!

I shared this in another thread, but in view of last night’s performance I felt it was worth mentioning again.

I have a friend with connections to a few NBA scouts, former assistants and the team. A while back we had an interesting discussion. Apparently, on multiple levels, it is believed the team has a few self-perceived alpha males who are or have been difficult to coach and/or are seemingly incessant whiners. It is believed their “tale wages the dog†attitude and actions have had a synergistically negative impact on team chemistry and performance. Hearing this the scout commented saying, “the NBA has the best athletes in the world playing a spectacular game better than it has ever been played before and we have almost zero-tolerance for pacifier prima donnas.†He went on to say one of the greatest constants in basketball is change. If you can’t accept changes in coaching staff, philosophies or positions played, you will almost certainly never make it in the NBA! It was interesting to hear it said that no other trait will help you if you are not humble enough to listen, learn and execute. Prior to that discussion, I hadn’t really considered that being coachable was almost as highly regarded as athletic ability.

With the comradery and team chemistry apparently being compromised in what was characterized as a “whiner vs winner†battle among teammates, it appears more coachable team leaders may have become frustrated with the whiners attitudes, actions and tale wages the dog displays. A former ISU assistant said the whiners on the team have been calling him to complain about the coaching changes and increased emphasis on defense among other things. This former assistant said, the arrogance and lack of willingness to be coached among some players has prompted a new strategy. Apparently, the coaches are now attempting to encourage, coach or direct certain “pacifier prima donnas or whiners†through handlers or other third party intermediaries rather than “mano e mano.â€

I left that discussion believing the arrogance and resistance to coaching directives has already greatly reduced the stock value of some of our players from a NBA perspective. From my chair, it appears the players need to wake up, assume the mantel of responsibility, call a “player only†team meeting and resolve the issues that are alleged to exist.

 

[Clone_12]

I have yet to see any lack of effort and puhlease do NOT point to losses as lack of effort. Because then half the teams in america fail to live up to your standards each and every game.

There's two players in particular that are EXTREMELY slow getting back to stop other teams in transition on a nightly basis. They aren't tough to spot at all if you're at the game...

On tv it's pry tougher to tell because they're off the screen on the other side of the court when the other team is getting it's layup, or getting it's offensive rebound off a missed transition 3.

And that IS an effort problem. One of them happens to be the fastest player on our team line to line.

 

[SpokaneCY]

Not attacking you, but do we really know facts about some of these things? I guess I fall into the category that I see a lot more caring, effort, desire to win and fix things, frustration, feeling they let us and each other down, more than many are claiming.

It really boils down to we're not as good as we (the fans) want us to be. And conference play just started and this team IS going to the tourney.

Wish we could appreciate the things we have and not get all moony over the things we think our players should do. CSP spends more time with these individuals in 1 day than the most hooked-in anonymous chatboard poster known to man so to take 4th or 5th hand info (or much worse) and call it insider info is crap.

CSP is going to prove himself again to be a great young coach with a few special pieces to a very incomplete team. I think he'll get as much if not more than what CFH would do on top of planting the seeds for the programs sustained excellence with his players going forward.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Not sure what kind of behavior everyone expected when Fred left. We're going from a guy that was a millionaire college legend, solid NBA career guy with a talent for managing egos that was identified long ago in his previous NBA roles...to a guy who's claim to fame was sleeping in a towel room at Alabama or something. It was too much of a leap. Guys are gonna act out now.

 

[Clone_12]

Not sure what kind of behavior everyone expected when Fred left. We're going from a guy that was a millionaire college legend, solid NBA career guy with a talent for managing egos that was identified long ago in his previous NBA roles...to a guy who's claim to fame was sleeping in a towel room at Alabama or something. It was too much of a leap. Guys are gonna act out now.

Right or wrong...I think people expected our veteran team with high expectations to act like veterans.

They got a rough deal coming to play for a coach that left them...but you either learn to move on, or you make excuses and use it as a crutch.

Georges deserves better than he's getting out of a couple of players on this team. He's out there battling his *** off every night.

 

[Palmer]

Some doubt on this after last year.

Not sure what kind of behavior everyone expected when Fred left. We're going from a guy that was a millionaire college legend, solid NBA career guy with a talent for managing egos that was identified long ago in his previous NBA roles...to a guy who's claim to fame was sleeping in a towel room at Alabama or something. It was too much of a leap. Guys are gonna act out now.

 

[carvers4math]

Some doubt on this after last year.

And perhaps this year.

 

[CyStalker]

Some doubt on this after last year.

I would say FH did an excellent job managing kids that had a sorted past. I give him a ton of credit understanding the psychology of what motivates people. I did appear that he struggled some with BDJ, but that's a pretty low percentage considering who we brought into the program year in and out. I think praising FH in deserved here.

 

[dualthreat]

I liked hearing Prohm come in and say he was going to ease off on the guys this year; give them some freedom.

After watching the last few weeks, I wish he would've come in and put the hammer down. These guys have no discipline, respect or toughness!

 

[ProhmDate]

So, my question is, is the assistant helping the situation or making it worse? And would you just generalize it as being "I don't want to do something different than what Fred did"? You can tell that Niang has gone out of his way to say "its on the players" and "the players have to get it done" as if this is some may haven't bought in. Although, when teams go through what this one has, everyone is going to speculate stuff and probably not fairly or accurately. While I already knew this before, I can at least officially say, "I don't know what is all the struggles for this team nor how to fix it". But neither do most of people on here claiming they do.

No one indicated the assistant was making the situation worse or better. So, I can’t say one way or the other.

Keeping the entire discussion in context, one point was crystal clear. That being the actions and attitudes of a few were creating conflicts within the team. Another point that was made clear was, “if you can’t accept changes in coaching staff, philosophies or positions played, you will almost certainly never make it in the NBA!â€￾

Given the history of this team and the time they have spent together, I was surprised by what I heard. The hopes and aspirations for this team were so high. I only hope they can have a “come to Jesusâ€￾ type meeting and resolve these issues for the better of the team and individual players.

 

[67CY]

Would Randy Pete be allowed to report on this meeting? That way we would all really know what happened...right?

Pete wouldn't know it happened until someone else reported it

 

[Wesley]

There's two players in particular that are EXTREMELY slow getting back to stop other teams in transition on a nightly basis. They aren't tough to spot at all if you're at the game...

On tv it's pry tougher to tell because they're off the screen on the other side of the court when the other team is getting it's layup, or getting it's offensive rebound off a missed transition 3.

And that IS an effort problem. One of them happens to be the fastest player on our team line to line.

McKay does not run the court as much lately in either direction.

 

[SpokaneCY]

How about a "team meeting" where they actually listen to Prohm instead of doing their own thing?

Isn't that called practice and they do it like 20+ hours a week?

 

[Palmer]

Multiple issues with these team that were present prior to Prohm arriving or out of his control.

No bench
Recruiting shortfall
Loss of graduating grinder to do the dirty work.
Loss of Naz.

Really too bad. Niang deserves to go out the best possible way but the tools are not there.

 

[CyPack]

There is a poster on CR that stated "I got word last night that a few in this group have become fond of the downtown DM bar scene... even on nights before games". If true that certainly won't help things any.

 

[JackTrice3]

Isn't that called practice and they do it like 20+ hours a week?

You said effort isn't a problem. Several people responded to that comment, including myself, questioning how you could possibly think effort isn't a problem. There has been a noticeable lack of effort by a couple different players on the defensive end. If you haven't noticed that then you aren't watching or if you are watching you have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[CyStalker]

As I stated in an earlier post the bright side of this is that it is something that the players CAN CONTROL. If the players can come together and work this out as a team and as young men, they will reap the rewards. There is a big learning opportunity here that goes way beyond the nylon nets. Hope they grab a hold of it and do the right thing.

 

[ProhmDate]

No joke. The post below is the best I have ever read on this forum. I believe it to be golden true!

There is a lot that is not being said, but I can assure you the issues and perspectives shared were reflective of a far greater insight than I can ever lay claim to holding.