the biggest problem this year has been the poor defense, but I don't understand why that happened. We only lost one impact player (Paris), and although Paris's defense improved his senior year, you can hardly call him a lock down defender. The other player we lost was South, an undersized 2, and another player who only had average at best defense.
Just don't get why we were so much worse defensively than last year after you'd expect us to improve with everyone being bigger/stronger and with a year of Fox's defense under their belt, plus the addition of Celestine who looks to be a pretty good defender
They should be better, but these kids don't seem to understand the defensive concepts Fox is trying to play as there are way too many blown assignments. Missing practice time for COVID may have played some role, who knows. Plus, we don't have an anchor down low. Our 7-footer in theory SHOULD be a rim protector, but he is just lost defensively, and pretty soft.
Jaylen and Ivan leaving did not sink the program. One and dones are more often than not a necessary trade off of building a basketball power. We would have faced a tough road the year after Cuonzo left regardless of who we hired, but the fact that we made one of the worst hires in modern basketball history sealed our fate. That is our sin. And followed that sin by making another with Fox’s uninspired hire. That is why we are where we are.
Monty and Cuonzo had this program stable enough that losing 4 NBA players should've caused a blip, but definitely NOT sink the program. Buffoon interim AD Mike Williams set the program back a decade, tho, with the Wyking Jones hire. Even at the time, it was just a flat out bad hire, even in the coaching community...there was a reason Wyking had never had been handed the keys to a program before.
We had a Twitter stream on the contract yesterday...getting out of Fox's contract is really not remotely feasible until after next season (we're still paying Wyking, too) and probably not even then given financial constraints. Chances are pretty good Fox will get AT least 4 years, which means 2 more, unless he really shee-ayts the bed next year and we play a majority of the season like we have the past 4 games, which were Wyking era messes. Unfortunately, many of us can totally see that happening.
Yeah, Fox will for sure be here next year, but I wouldn't suppose a fourth even with the messy financials. It will come down to how hot for change major donors get and how much they are willing to pony up to help the program turn the page. There was a moment there when it seemed like the athletic department was almost threatening to bring Wyking back for year 3 before apparently some donors cried "uncle" and stepped in. Even if Fox is let go in the next 12-13 months, I don't trust Knowlton to make a good hire. I get the feeling he is completely risk averse.
the biggest problem this year has been the poor defense, but I don't understand why that happened. We only lost one impact player (Paris), and although Paris's defense improved his senior year, you can hardly call him a lock down defender. The other player we lost was South, an undersized 2, and another player who only had average at best defense.
Just don't get why we were so much worse defensively than last year after you'd expect us to improve with everyone being bigger/stronger and with a year of Fox's defense under their belt, plus the addition of Celestine who looks to be a pretty good defender
They should be better, but these kids don't seem to understand the defensive concepts Fox is trying to play as there are way too many blown assignments. Missing practice time for COVID may have played some role, who knows. Plus, we don't have an anchor down low. Our 7-footer in theory SHOULD be a rim protector, but he is just lost defensively, and pretty soft.
Jaylen and Ivan leaving did not sink the program. One and dones are more often than not a necessary trade off of building a basketball power. We would have faced a tough road the year after Cuonzo left regardless of who we hired, but the fact that we made one of the worst hires in modern basketball history sealed our fate. That is our sin. And followed that sin by making another with Fox’s uninspired hire. That is why we are where we are.
Monty and Cuonzo had this program stable enough that losing 4 NBA players should've caused a blip, but definitely NOT sink the program. Buffoon interim AD Mike Williams set the program back a decade, tho, with the Wyking Jones hire. Even at the time, it was just a flat out bad hire, even in the coaching community...there was a reason Wyking had never had been handed the keys to a program before.
We had a Twitter stream on the contract yesterday...getting out of Fox's contract is really not remotely feasible until after next season (we're still paying Wyking, too) and probably not even then given financial constraints. Chances are pretty good Fox will get AT least 4 years, which means 2 more, unless he really shee-ayts the bed next year and we play a majority of the season like we have the past 4 games, which were Wyking era messes. Unfortunately, many of us can totally see that happening.
Yeah, Fox will for sure be here next year, but I wouldn't suppose a fourth even with the messy financials. It will come down to how hot for change major donors get and how much they are willing to pony up to help the program turn the page. There was a moment there when it seemed like the athletic department was almost threatening to bring Wyking back for year 3 before apparently some donors cried "uncle" and stepped in. Even if Fox is let go in the next 12-13 months, I don't trust Knowlton to make a good hire. I get the feeling he is completely risk averse.
Agreed...Knowlton seems like a safe, re-tread-kind-of-hire guy.