Ute Hoops- The 2013 - 2014 thread

[UBlender]

Had a few thoughts on the Utes and thought I may as well stick them here (if they fit better in the Cal-Stanford games thread then feel free to move them)...

-Possible silver lining to a couple of ugly games, Delon should be that much less likely to turn pro after last week. Both teams were able to scheme to keep him from the rim and he struggled against the length in the paint. This is what he would face in the NBA every week. Until he can come up with some ways to score outside of the key he will struggle at the next level. Those games should have him realizing that he isn't ready yet.

-Regarding the end-game meltdowns, I've seen a lot of criticism of the coaching. I won't argue against that, but it really does seem like it is a mental issue at this point. Against Stanford, Utah took the timeout and drew up a play looking for Taylor coming off a screen at the top of the key where he could shoot or draw and dish. Cal denied the pass and it appeared that Utah simply panicked when it's first option was taken away. I am pretty sure Larry didn't say that everyone should congregate on the same wing if the first option broke down but that's what they did. I think they all wanted to come get the ball and rescue the play, but it turned into a ball of confusion and indecision. Having failed in that situation so many times this season causes panic to take over when things go off script. It may just be something that will have to improve next season with a fresh start.

-Utah's other problem in those end-game situations is that all of our potential go-to guys are limited in some way and when the defense needs one stop to win the game their bigger, longer athletes can make it extremely difficult. Wright can't shoot so the defense sags and when they are so alert at a critical stage he can't use any of his tricks (like where he lulls the defense to sleep and then drives). Onwas can't shoot and we sure don't want him at the line in crunch time. Taylor's size makes it difficult for him to get a clean look in that situation when the defense is ramped up. Loveridge is too inconsistent from outside but struggles with the length inside--again, something that he can overcome more often in the first 38 minutes but when it is one possession for the win the longer defenders aren't going to let him have anything (and Loveridge struggles to get calls about as much as any good player I can recall).

When it's a final possession for the win situation you really want a guy who can get into the lane, but also one who can pull up and hit the jumper if the defense sags. Utah doesn't really have that guy.

-Sometimes I can't decide if Utah is good team that is poorly coached or a mediocre team that is well coached. As I mentioned above, pretty much all of our players, including the best on the team, are severely limited in some way (too small for their position, can't shoot, poor defenders, etc) so maybe the coaches are getting as much from this group as they can. Almost every game against the other top eight teams in the PAC, I watch and think "wow, this team is so much bigger, longer, better than us" yet we stay in the game the whole way.

But for a team that seems to overachieve based on its talent level, this team sure seems to do a lot of dumb stuff. Not just the end-game meltdowns, but the inability to remember to box out consistently and some of the mind-numbing turnovers as well as some of the shot selection. It's very perplexing is all. I think we have good coaches, not sure why coaching doesn't show up more consistently in the players' decision-making and ability to execute.

-It's a shame we didn't see Stanford until the final game. I really missed out the on the opportunity to cheer for their opponents all year. That is easily one of the most hateable teams in the conference.

-It will be interesting to see how next year's roster shakes out now that we are one over the scholarship limit and still pursuing the big Austrian.

[sancho]

-It's a shame we didn't see Stanford until the final game. I really missed out the on the opportunity to cheer for their opponents all year. That is easily one of the most hateable teams in the conference.

You know I'm with you on this.

-It will be interesting to see how next year's roster shakes out now that we are one over the scholarship limit and still pursuing the big Austrian.

Makes me sad to think about this. I am fine with Kova leaving - we barely knew him. But I will be sad if someone else has to go. Everyone left has contributed at some point in a big game.

[Solon]

-Sometimes I can't decide if Utah is good team that is poorly coached or a mediocre team that is well coached.

I like how you phrased this. I think Krystko gets a lot out of his players, esp. on the defensive end. Although it's frustrating to see the team making the same mistakes at the end of the season as they did at the beginning of the season, I have to remind myself that these are just college kids who make the same mistakes over and over again in all English, in math, etc. They're just kids in college.

[Scratch]

I still would have liked to see us try to get the ball to Olsen in the post in those late-game, one-shot situations. I know it's a bit unorthodox to go into the post in those situations, but Olsen (despite his many flaws) is the least flawed offensive player on this team if you can get the ball in his hands. That is, I like the chances of Olsen scoring on the blocks, even against a double team, more than I like any other player on this team trying to create a shot against a high-level P12 defense.

[LA Ute]

But for a team that seems to overachieve based on its talent level, this team sure seems to do a lot of dumb stuff. Not just the end-game meltdowns, but the inability to remember to box out consistently and some of the mind-numbing turnovers as well as some of the shot selection. It's very perplexing is all. I think we have good coaches, not sure why coaching doesn't show up more consistently in the players' decision-making and ability to execute.

I have heard it said that Larry does not strike fear into the hearts of the players the way a Majerus or Bob Knight would. He seems to be somewhere between Boylen and Majerus in that regard. It's just not who he is. That might -- might -- be related to the frequent losses of focus. It might be (and now I am totally speculating) that he's learning to do that. Example: removing Loveridge from the Colorado game early, for a few minutes. I think he pulled Wright Saturday too, after a lapse.

-It's a shame we didn't see Stanford until the final game. I really missed out the on the opportunity to cheer for their opponents all year. That is easily one of the most hateable teams in the conference.

I, um, noticed that too. The Powell kid comes to mind.

[UBlender]

I, um, noticed that too. The Powell kid comes to mind.

Yeah, it was Powell, with the body slam on Lenz (and did we ever see Lenz after that? He honestly looked concussed to me) and then having the audacity to plead for a foul on Lenz that really soured me on them. Yuck! I found both Randle and the big foreign guy to have very punchable faces that were only exacerbated by their demeanor as well.

Other than our bitter rivals from Boulder, I can't recall disliking an opponent in real time as much as I did Stanford.

[LA Ute]

Yeah, it was Powell, with the body slam on Lenz (and did we ever see Lenz after that? He honestly looked concussed to me) and then having the audacity to plead for a foul on Lenz that really soured me on them. Yuck! I found both Randle and the big foreign guy to have very punchable faces that were only exacerbated by their demeanor as well.

Other than our bitter rivals from Boulder, I can't recall disliking an opponent in real time as much as I did Stanford.

So in that situation can you imagine Majerus sending Kovacevic in just to...send a message to Powell? I can.

[sancho]

I have heard it said that Larry does not strike fear into the hearts of the players the way a Majerus or Bob Knight would. He seems to be somewhere between Boylen and Majerus in that regard. It's just not who he is.

This is a good thing. Majerus' style worked in Marjerus' time, but nowadays it's considered abusive. The Pete Carroll type coach is the coach people want to play for now. Coach K (the Duke one) has mellowed out a lot in the past 5 years. I think he noticed that harsh was not in anymore. Most of today's respected coaches are guys who can mentor with a softer touch.

Somewhat related - how many technical fouls did our Coach K pick up this year?

[Applejack]

I have heard it said that Larry does not strike fear into the hearts of the players the way a Majerus or Bob Knight would. He seems to be somewhere between Boylen and Majerus in that regard.

That is a great quote. I'm not sure any coach in America falls outside of those two extremes.

[LA Ute]

That is a great quote. I'm not sure any coach in America falls outside of those two extremes.

Touche. Still, I'd put Bob Knight farther out on the bell curve than Majerus. I'd say Krysko is in the middle in terms of putting fear in his players' hearts. I attended several Majerus practices and the kids jumped when he looked at them or mentioned their names. A player who screwed up in practice would be singled out and yelled at -- not only by Majerus but by some of the assistants. I've only attended one Krysko practice and he was pretty stern (and loud) a couple of times, but he's much more a cerebral kind of teacher. The kids clearly respect him greatly. They just don't seem to fear him. Boylen's players didn't even respect him, would goof off n practice, etc. Some have said LK needs to be a bit more of an A-hole, but I don't think that's who he is. He'll have to find another way to keep his players focused.

Somewhat off-topic: John Wooden's final assignment for his players, in every practice, was a simple free throw shooting exercise. Players were permitted to end their practice session after making ten successive free throws. I wonder how long some Ute players would be in the gym every day if that were the requirement? (Onwas, I'm looking at you....)

[UBlender]

Touche. Still, I'd put Bob Knight farther out on the bell curve than Majerus. I'd say Krysko is in the middle in terms of putting fear in his players' hearts. I attended several Majerus practices and the kids jumped when he looked at them or mentioned their names. A player who screwed up in practice would be singled out and yelled at -- not only by Majerus but by some of the assistants. I've only attended one Krysko practice and he was pretty stern (and loud) a couple of times, but he's much more a cerebral kind of teacher. The kids clearly respect him greatly. They just don't seem to fear him. Boylen's players didn't even respect him, would goof off n practice, etc. Some have said LK needs to be a bit more of an A-hole, but I don't think that's who he is. He'll have to find another way to keep his players focused.

Somewhat off-topic: John Wooden's final assignment for his players, in every practice, was a simple free throw shooting exercise. Players were permitted to end their practice session after making ten successive free throws. I wonder how long some Ute players would be in the gym every day if that were the requirement? (Onwas, I'm looking at you....)

When Kyle Whittingham (who is also squarely in the middle of the spectrum) was hired as head coach, I knew a couple of people that worked very closely with the program his first two years. There was a lot of unrest and inconsistency in the program and the results showed up with two disappointing seasons. One of the big reasons that I was told was that KW was trying too hard to be an Urban Meyer type A-hole rather than just being himself. It was near the end of his second season that he came to terms with this and started to be true to himself as a coach. From there, Utah went on a very successful run....right up until they joined the PAC 12 and QBs and OCs started spontaneously combusting every few months (but that's another issue).

I don't claim to know where Larry is on the A-hole spectrum, other than I think he is a long way from either extreme. But I do think that in general, the worst thing a coach (or any leader, for that matter) is to try to be someone they are not. People see right through that and lose respect for them rapidly.

[Diehard Ute]

Onwas by his own admission is battling a mental issue on free throws. He says he's never struggled like he has this year and it's frustrating him.

As for coaching styles, I don't want Fred a Whittingham on the sideline. The "I'm a tyrant and feared" days are gone. As much as I loved Rick, I think his coaching style probably affected who he could recruit the longer he was here. I'm comfortable with the accountability Larry has with the players.

[LA Ute]

Onwas by his own admission is battling a mental issue on free throws. He says he's never struggled like he has this year and it's frustrating him.

As for coaching styles, I don't want Fred a Whittingham on the sideline. The "I'm a tyrant and feared" days are gone. As much as I loved Rick, I think his coaching style probably affected who he could recruit the longer he was here. I'm comfortable with the accountability Larry has with the players.

I like it too. Reportedly he is very intelligent, just as RM was. That inspires some confidence that he'll figure things out -- like how to teach the players to finish games.

[Diehard Ute]

I like it too. Reportedly he is very intelligent, just as RM was. That inspires some confidence that he'll figure things out -- like how to teach the players to finish games.

On more than one occasion it's been obvious on Larry's post game that at least one player has made a mistake on one of those plays. Larry has refused to dime them out publicly, and it's obvious it's not the same guy each time.

I imagine as a coach of a roughly 10 man team it's difficult to find a way to fix it when none of your options are always 100% effective.

[LA Ute]

On more than one occasion it's been obvious on Larry's post game that at least one player has made a mistake on one of those plays. Larry has refused to dime them out publicly, and it's obvious it's not the same guy each time.

I imagine as a coach of a roughly 10 man team it's difficult to find a way to fix it when none of your options are always 100% effective.

Yep. Just to be clear, I am not criticizing Kodiak, I'm sympathizing with him. As Ublender very perceptively suggested, I think Kodiak has coached these players up and has cobbled together a team that is greater than the sum of its parts. It will be interesting to see how they do in the PAC-12 tournament.

[Applejack]

I think this is the first team that I've ever followed that over-achieved in heartbreaking fashion.

[concerned]

I think this is the first team that I've ever followed that over-achieved in heartbreaking fashion.

To appropriate the title of the Dave Eggar's book, and taking into account LA Ute's comment on Larry K's basketball IQ, I guess you could call this "A heartbreaking Work [Season] of Staggering Genius."

[sancho]

A chance to vote against Swoop:

http://pachoops.com/2014/03/the-pac-...s-death-match/