Harky4 said:

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BeachedBear, having been to multiple practices and having been imbedded with the team on its trip to Nashville to play Vandy (attending all of the film and scouting sessions plus practices there), I felt that our coaches were very thorough in their preparation and making excellent presentations (Mark was not in Nashville to stay home for his 5th child's birth, and Maz took over as the HC). Nevertheless, when it comes to game time, our players are not executing what they have been told to do (albeit their failure to make open shots is not something that truly is coachable). So, the question becomes why are our players not executing. Could it be that the schemes that Mark is teaching are not appropriate for our players? Who knows, because I do not !

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My guess would be that it is hard to put together a winning team with ten-or-so new players, each of whom decided to leave their previous program because of who-knows-why.

Harky4 said:

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BeachedBear, having been to multiple practices and having been imbedded with the team on its trip to Nashville to play Vandy (attending all of the film and scouting sessions plus practices there), I felt that our coaches were very thorough in their preparation and making excellent presentations (Mark was not in Nashville to stay home for his 5th child's birth, and Maz took over as the HC). Nevertheless, when it comes to game time, our players are not executing what they have been told to do (albeit their failure to make open shots is not something that truly is coachable). So, the question becomes why are our players not executing. Could it be that the schemes that Mark is teaching are not appropriate for our players? Who knows, because I do not !

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Thanks Harky, that is good insight and something that anyone who has coached at any level has experienced.

Unfortunately, it is also an issue that is NOT easily addressed mid-season.

What you describe is what I expected (but had no insight). While the team should strive to compete at their best every game, it would also make sense to take the opportunity to invest some effort in addressing these issues for the future. (More Wilinson, less Blacksher)

I would hope the staff can focus on faster development of the players/system/tools that DO communicate and execute effectively.

socaltownie said:

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We are also really short at the four and we are not good shooting from 3. Sometime the pundits who make preseason predictions are right about lack.of talent

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Great point. If only JOJ was two inches taller.....

RedlessWardrobe said:

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socaltownie said:

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We are also really short at the four and we are not good shooting from 3. Sometime the pundits who make preseason predictions are right about lack.of talent

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Great point. If only JOJ was two inches taller.....

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Or if Petraitis were 2-3 inches taller. I also feel like Campbell is about 2 inches away from being a very good defender as an off guard.

Gosh, we kind of lack length at most of the positions, don't we? Combine that with sub-mediocre shooting and...

Tomorrow's game against the Wolfpack is a gut check game for the team. NC State might be the easiest team to beat for the rest of the schedule other than Miami. For those of us who still think 14 wins is possible, this is the game that either infuses hope or begins a steep nosedive.
NC State is beatable.
https://kenpom.com/team.php?team=N.C.+State
98th in Ken Pom. A terrible rebounding team (179th while on offense, a whopping 318th off rebounds allowed while on defense.
We can do this, the players just have to believe. Fans can stop the Madsen-bashing and the "who killed the team" murder mystery stuff and just be Cal fans.
Go Bears!