Performance Against Duke An Embarassment

Performance Against Duke An Embarrassment

Ten thoughts about the 21 point loss to Duke:

1. Craig Brackins is NOT ready for the NBA--too soft, doesn't attack basket, doesn't rebound.
2. Our offensive strategy is worse than a junior high team--I'll get to this at the end.
3. Nobody hustles
4. Nobody rebounds—It’s not for lack of size: Hamilton—6’11; Brackins—6’10; Gilstrap—6’6. Even our guards are big! Staiger—6’5; Garrett—6’4
5. There’s no discipline
6. There’s no help defense
7. There’s no heart
8. Why did Wesley Johnson leave, again? Perhaps the only thing worse than watching the Cyclones get crushed last night was watching Wesley Johnson lead #7 Syracuse to victory in the game televised right before it. The announcers were gushing over Johnson and his talent. Not to mention his 18 points and ability to score from anywhere on the court.
9. We haven’t beaten a top 25 team in McDermott’s tenure and it doesn’t look like we’re anywhere close to being able to
10. There’s no adjustments being made by the coaching staff during games

I don’t like to publicly ridicule coaches on message boards/blogs, but I’ve seen enough. I’m a season-ticket holder, and last night’s performance was just an extension of every other game I’ve seen this year. So many of those problems listed above are related to coaching: hustling, lack of heart, rebounding, discipline on offense and defense, lack of adjustments being made during games, and especially our offensive strategy. I can maybe count on one hand the number of times during a game that this team actually runs an offensive set. There’s absolutely no movement, no teamwork, very few screens, and very few cuts. It’s pathetic. When Brackins has the ball, the other four players stand and watch, literally. Maybe the answer to thought #8 lies in everything I’ve just complained about. Maybe, by the end of the season, McDermott can get this figured out? By then, it's another lost season.