Fail. If your logic is applied to the season as a whole, then we must conclude that he is a good coach.
Cold shooting ends Iowa State's season
- Thread starter brentblum
- Start date
Fail. If your logic is applied to the season as a whole, then we must conclude that he is a good coach.
I thought many of the open threes were decent looks, but their shots were rushed. I think FSUs quickness length and size caused that. Poor Seanna looked like a middle schooler next to the 6 5 football player out there she matched up with.
Let's face it, this team is small and thin. 3s had to be our offense. And they weren't going to let our guards get to the rim. FSU wasn't going to come out of that zone unless ISU got hot. If ISU hit a decent % it would have been a blowout by ISU.
Let's face it, this team is small and thin. 3s had to be our offense. And they weren't going to let our guards get to the rim. FSU wasn't going to come out of that zone unless ISU got hot. If ISU hit a decent % it would have been a blowout by ISU.
geno is a master motivator, but he looks for players that have the right aptitude for his program. There have been many top recruits that wanted to go to UConn that he didn't offer because he felt they didn't have the right mentality for his program. He has taken criticism from his own fans for not offering certain players. However, Genos style is often very calm, and he often gets his players to identify and own up. He also is a master x o coach. Tennessee has the most talent by far, but are a hot mess compared to UConn.
Go back and look at some of the tapes of games when Megan Taylor, Anne O'Neil, Stacy Freese and Angie Welle were a part of Bills teams. He may have been aggressive buy he was not abusive, and his players responded. Not now.
I am looking at the whole season! Are you? Same players in March as January. What happened? Coaching failure due to destroyed confidence.
We had a succession of different assistant coaches back then too. Some are successful head coaches now. That's a tribute to Bill. Do we have the same quality now?
So can we agree that DePaul over the Sooners 104-100 might have been a more entertaining game? Wow, missed that score until this morning when I surfed the brackets.
Worst game of the day was ND over Robert Morris by 50. Good grief, why was that even televised after the half? I channel flipped by and the announcers were sickening in there gushing on the great and awesome play of ND. It was an embarrassing travesty of a mismatch and they really really should have gone to a whip around cover of some other game. ND is a really good team but save the gushing sweetness for when they are playing someone that is more than a scrimmage.
Worst game of the day was ND over Robert Morris by 50. Good grief, why was that even televised after the half? I channel flipped by and the announcers were sickening in there gushing on the great and awesome play of ND. It was an embarrassing travesty of a mismatch and they really really should have gone to a whip around cover of some other game. ND is a really good team but save the gushing sweetness for when they are playing someone that is more than a scrimmage.
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OK State / Florida Gulf Coast game was a good one too.
What is really disappointing is if you want to watch a game that is not being televised in Iowa, you have to pay $16 on Directv to watch another game. Sure does a lot to grow the game - not.
I think your arguments (not just this post) are way off base. You are watching as a fan and do not see what happens in the locker room. What you can base an argument on is commentary by former players. They love Fennelly and appreciate what he does to help them grow, not just as players, but as people. Do you think Hal would have reacted like she did at the end yesterday if Bill was considered abusive? Every player you mentioned left for a reason...most completely unrelated to Coach. Take Bingley for example. Her father was extremely complimentary of how Coach Fen helped Emiah find a landing spot when she chose to leave for reasons completely unrelated to the coaching staff. Would players that feel Coach is abusive continue to come back to Hilton and support the program? I saw several yesterday at the game. Needless to say, Coach has mellowed considerably in the past few years. I'll add one final point...do you think players would come here if they thought or heard Fennelly was abusive? Heck no. They talk to other players, see games, sit in the locker room...they know what they are signing up for.
Saying that this program is where it is at because of an abusive coach is so far off base as to warrant any reaction except disbelief.
Times have changed and probably it's different personality required to be floor generals.
After Lacey left, the team hasn't had a floor general: someone who can really fire up the team. I think the ladies are really nice and sometimes too nice.
I'm surprised no one is talking about the 14 day layoff. Isn't that too long to expect a team to keep its edge? Our decisions were tentative, our shooting was self-pressured. We went from rust to panic, not a good way to go out. The only change I would make is someone on the staff has to learn to teach the psychology of shooting in a more effective way. We become afraid of letting down our teammates and crowd, and the weight of that affects our release. We seem to shoot the worse the greater that pressure becomes, over the years. Remember the year we had the first NCAA round at home, and couldn't hit shots the whole end of the conference season? I'm glad we were able to win some crucial games this year, but I think its the same thing we are fighting.
I do think lack of confidence is involved, but not because of Fennelly's anger in the huddles. I think Fennelly communicates his affection in his own way. I do think his interviews are revealing and this forum tends to overlook the negative comments about the team in the interview, and underline the positive. Again this is understandable because Fennelly has been so good for ISU women's basketball. I personally believe he should be much more careful about what he says and does. That is not based on anything except what I have heard so many times over the years in his interviews to the press. I will give one example. Last year I thought he hurt himself terribly when he said the only player giving maximum effort was Poppins. I don't think these kinds of statements are in any way constructive and "do" tend to draw confidence away from players. I would like to add that I support Fennelly, but I think his style is not working as well as it used to when he was new, and got early success, then built on that. He needs to re-think himself, and maybe he already has. I am sure this will cause some controversy, but those interviews have stuck in my craw, and I think something needs to be said.
However, this team was just lacking personnel, and also some of the players don't seem to develop their skills quite as well as they should. Brynn, for example needs to develop an offense that is more versatile, we need to get Kidd's aggressiveness back. Most of all, we need a more dominating inside game. I was always freaked out by Anna Prins, if she would have been my player, I would have said you can practice the three if you like, but you should develop your inside game, work on that offensively. She never really developed her potential as an inside scorer. I am sure injuries had something to do with that, and I am not casting blame, but she had a huge potential in that area and it will always be something that causes me sorrow.
However, this team was just lacking personnel, and also some of the players don't seem to develop their skills quite as well as they should. Brynn, for example needs to develop an offense that is more versatile, we need to get Kidd's aggressiveness back. Most of all, we need a more dominating inside game. I was always freaked out by Anna Prins, if she would have been my player, I would have said you can practice the three if you like, but you should develop your inside game, work on that offensively. She never really developed her potential as an inside scorer. I am sure injuries had something to do with that, and I am not casting blame, but she had a huge potential in that area and it will always be something that causes me sorrow.
Mitten makes some good points. Let me preface my comments by saying I make them from my experiences as a coach and teacher. As for Fennelly's style, its hard to say. Some leaders can make those statements and combined with what is said out of the public eye it works remarkably well. I honestly doubt the public statements on the radio after a game are a blip on the radar for the players. They don't hear it first hand and I doubt they rush out to play back the post-game comments. They pay attention to what is said in practice and in one-on-one meetings with the coaching staff. The bottom line of it all is that the successful player at this level has to be SELF motivated. Pop was the perfect example. In her case there are two points to look at. She ALWAYS brought 110% to the floor at game time. You also have to look at the dramatic improvement in her free throw shooting over her four years. Jake Sullivan is another example. I remember him once saying he put up something like 300 3 point shots a day to hone his skills. As coach often says, the new facility is there and avail 24/7. How many of the players are taking advantage of it?
Player development...they have to be self-motivated. Brynn has to do what Kelsey Bolte did. Once upon a time she was a stand at the 3 point line and wait for the ball type of player. Her senior year she become a much more diverse player and contributed as a complete player...not just a 3 point artist. She obviously was challenged by the coaches and took it upon herself to grow. She put in the time. Brynn needs to do the same thing. You can go down the list and each player has areas to grow in. Perhaps the greatest is consistency. Nikki and Kidd were very inconsistent. They have to learn how to bring it every night. If Kidd's shot isn't falling she needs to find other ways to contribute. Nikki needs to be able to bring her "A" game every night. No lack of focus, no careless ball handling, added aggressiveness, and learn how to make a layup on a hard drive. Be the floor general. Don't pout. Jadda just needs the confidence to take this team on her shoulders. I honestly think she could be the leader. She has the grit. She has the skills. In what I've seen of her over the past few years she is someone that could be that voice that Bill said was missing this year.
I suspect the staff sits down with each player after the season and challenges them and provides specific goals. Look at what happened to Maddie from year 1 to year 2. Huge, massive growth. Self-motivation to put the time in, make the commitment, and grow. That's what it takes.
Player development...they have to be self-motivated. Brynn has to do what Kelsey Bolte did. Once upon a time she was a stand at the 3 point line and wait for the ball type of player. Her senior year she become a much more diverse player and contributed as a complete player...not just a 3 point artist. She obviously was challenged by the coaches and took it upon herself to grow. She put in the time. Brynn needs to do the same thing. You can go down the list and each player has areas to grow in. Perhaps the greatest is consistency. Nikki and Kidd were very inconsistent. They have to learn how to bring it every night. If Kidd's shot isn't falling she needs to find other ways to contribute. Nikki needs to be able to bring her "A" game every night. No lack of focus, no careless ball handling, added aggressiveness, and learn how to make a layup on a hard drive. Be the floor general. Don't pout. Jadda just needs the confidence to take this team on her shoulders. I honestly think she could be the leader. She has the grit. She has the skills. In what I've seen of her over the past few years she is someone that could be that voice that Bill said was missing this year.
I suspect the staff sits down with each player after the season and challenges them and provides specific goals. Look at what happened to Maddie from year 1 to year 2. Huge, massive growth. Self-motivation to put the time in, make the commitment, and grow. That's what it takes.
I'm really not sure what happened this year. I'm still trying to get over the fact that a BF coached team started 14-0 and finished 6-11.
"I told her I loved her and that every single person who is standing up is standing up for what she has done for her school and not for the points or rebounds," Fennelly said while fighting off emotion. "I thanked her for allowing me to be in her life for four years."
Hallie has been my favorite player for the four years she's been here and my thoughts parallel Coach's. Hallie's multi-dimensional talents on-and-off the court embodies the ultimate of an Iowa State Student athlete. Thanks for being a Cyclone and the best to you Hallie! I will lose much of my interest in WBB until when the new class arrives or with some big recruiting news.
Jumping in here late and sorry if I missed this somewhere, but what was the attendance for the ISU/FSU game?
TIA
TIA
It was approximately 6700, but that includes people who only showed up for the 2nd game and did not see the Iowa State/Florida State matchup (it all counts as being sold for a single session). It was the 2nd best attended sub-regional site, following Tennessee, which had just over 7100.
I think folks are human and you have to deal with all kinds of personalities, and be ready to adjust to the person. I think Pop was the exception in that way and not the rule. Most of these players come into here with human issues, just like you and I. I suffer from lack of self-confidence obviously from people's reaction to what I do. Sometimes this is valid, and other times it isn't. I don't say this is an issue at ISU, I just say it could be. Look at Percy Gibson, to go to another issue that most of us know about, the guy used to shoot every-time he got his hands on the ball. Now he hardly shoots at all, basically focuses on defense and rebounding. We all wanted him to stop putting up shots every time he got the ball, but most of us would like to see him still be an offensive threat on the floor while he is playing, whether that be with passing, rebounding, or shooting. He rarely puts up a shot these days, and rarely gets on the floor. You wonder how much all this is an issue of confidence. These are youth that are huge size-wise, but are still growing up. I think about this every-time someone criticizes one of them, we don't even know what the issues are.
I watch women's basketball in a small town environment. We have had absolute stars here before playing, with amazing talent. I have seen small towns destroy the confidence of these stars, and a coach that was not bright enough to notice the problem and counteract it. If I had a star on my team, I would say, forget about those that say you shoot too much, you are our best option much of the time. Shoot if you are taking good shots!
