JB, criticism, and taking responsibility

[Delmar]

JB enjoys coaching highly talented players. His experience with the last 6 years at SU and with the Olympic Team have been his best years as a coach. Now, because of 1 and done, 2 and done, he has a team of lesser talent, especially at point guard where he thought he was set for the next 2 years.

He looks disgusted, or at least thoroughly discouraged. I half expect him to walk off the court some night (not really). His comments are pretty harsh, and the players seem tight. This year isn't the one he thought he was going to have with one of the best point guards in college.

If this team can get it together, get to the tournament and do a little damage there, I think JB may change his tune some. He also might look to next year with a little more enthusiasm.

 

[dlegend44]

So what is the percentage of importance of what JB says in a press conference about a player, in the total of all interactions he has with a player? He has many hours of interaction with a player every day and we are picking apart 10 seconds.

Many great coaches (Bill Parcels, Greg Popovich, Bill Bellichek) hate talking to the media because they consider it to be a waste of time. Coaches handle most issues in a private team setting. That being said, there are times when a coach uses the media to reach a player that does not respond to normal coaching methods. One example that comes to mind was Bill Parcels talking about Keyshawn as "the player" and "she" in interviews.

I have absolutely no insight nor am I insinuating that my hypothetical situation is true. But what if....Boeheim has tried to reach McCullough multiple, multiple, multiple times with no response. What if McCullough looks at SU as a 9-month pitstop on his way to being a "Billionaire" because people in his camp tell him he walks on water. Maybe Boeheim is just old and crotchety and out of touch with today's players. Maybe it is a combination of both, or maybe it is neither.

I guess my point is that we as fans don't even know 10% of what we think we do. Boeheim does seem frustrated and overly critical but maybe there is a method to his madness.

Maybe pigs will fly out of Buzz Williams' ass.

 

[rrlbees]

Guys like buzz I wouldn't group in with JB. His kids against CUSE were playing their butts of and he had to cover his mouth when talking to players. He showed them up during the games when they were giving max effort. That's a bully in my opinion. This season when players come to the side line more often JB has been more of coach in pointing things out than covering his mouth and yelling. He has dealt with Joseph pretty fairly after mistakes when explaing things to him. In the press conferences he is just answering the questions and his opinions havn't been wrong. As a player I would rather have my play discussed like that rather than getting screamed at when I come to the sidelines. My HS coach was an absolute nut job on the sidelines and I got my fair share of covered mouth talks. I played hard cause I wanted to win not because he was cursing at me or breaking a clip board on the floor in front of my face during a timeout. It's didn't hurt my feelings and I don't dislike my ex coach, but his antics didn't help me at all.

I assumed Buzz was sick and didn't want to spread germs and that's why he covered his mouth with a towel when talking to the players. He did the same when talking to refs and someone at the scorers table.

 

[rrlbees]

JB may be tough on the kids. But there's a reason so many players come back for tourney games or big games. He's always there for them and don't dare trying to talk bad about a player yourself. He's always got their back.

 

[Eagles20]

I assumed Buzz was sick and didn't want to spread germs and that's why he covered his mouth with a towel when talking to the players. He did the same when talking to refs and someone at the scorers table.

He also looked real calm too right? That was my point I guess more than the just covering of the mouth. He seems to be a yeller. thanks for dropping knowledge tho.

 

[Shawn91111]

This is a really good post. I've always been vocal on the same topic. When I was playing basketball, I didn't find motivation in getting screamed at by some middle-aged man. It's interesting to me that the angriest coaches seem to get the most recognition, especially from broadcasters. They're always "coaching their butts off" when they're ripping into some 18 year old kid or tearing their sports jacket off. Remember how much ESPN talking heads worshiped pre-videotape Mike Rice when he was Rutgers? Or how much they loved Bobby Gonzalez's "intensity"? Or the fawning over Buzz's manic outbursts last week? It's just embarrassing.

As good a tactician as he was, I blame it all on Bobby Knight.

I was the opposite, would take screaming and anger thrown at me and use it as motivation in high school and college rather than a any other way. Then again everyone is different, much like CMac, he just might not respond to JB's style

 

[rrlbees]

He also looked real calm too right? That was my point not so much the covering of the mouth. thanks for dropping knowledge tho

He's never calm.

 

[Eagles20]

He's never calm.

Yea he's a clown on the sidelines

 

[MSOrange]

I wonder what Coach Hinson thinks about all this.

 

[NineOneSeven]

It's simple- everybody learns and takes criticism differently.

Certain ways of coaching will thus benefit certain personalities better.

From what I gather from Chris, he seems like a reserved player. Almost shy. Other guys, and for some reason a guy like Eric devendorf comes to mind, can handle the other side of the coaching style. They can feed off of it. Others lose confidence.

My buddy growing up was on a baseball team with me, our coach was the classic "mean" coach that many didn't want to play for but knew the game. The outcome? Guys who were good at baseball, often the ones who had parents involved as assistants, etc, didn't mind the coaching because they made less errors, and if they did, could feed off it. Kids like my friend were legit so scared to not mess up, the opposite happened. He got like one hit all season. I was somewhere in the middle- decent enough to field grounders cleanly, etc, but still was on the more "shy" side and almost dreaded practices at times.

This is obviously not a great comparison to college bball, nor should it be, but the point is, kids respond differently to certain coaching/"motivational" styles.

In fact, maybe it's not simple at all! Lol

 

[LennX6]

I have never understood anger and criticism as a coaching technique and it is used universally by coaches. It seems one cannot have a sunshine and lollypops coach. I wish someone could help me understand why anger is used to motivate in sports? It has to have something to do with testosterone, the same way estrogen seems to cause humans to comfort and soothe and care take.

What I have liked seeing is JB being pretty calm during time outs. It seems he is teaching and reassuring. The press conference snark, I don't get. I do worry that the kids seem to be floundering.

I have a friend who's a Duke fan who doesn't like K. He says K is mean to his players. My other Duke fan friends idolize K. I suppose we could say this coaching thing is complicated.

Fear is never a long term motivator. Fear demotivates.

 

[stuckinbig11]

First of all, JB is likely exhausted after a game. Heck, I am exhausted after watching one. Then he has to participate in an obligatory press conference where he is sometimes asked stupid questions. He tries to humor them, and it goes right over the head of many (including here). I enjoy his press conferences because he always tells it like it is.

 

[TheCusian]

This is a fantastic thread. Really beautiful to see the community come together in such a loving fashion. Really, really proud of you all. Not your best work - but we're all winners anyways!

Free tacos if EITHER team gets to 75.

 

[Orangeman]

JB may be tough on the kids. But there's a reason so many players come back for tourney games or big games. He's always there for them and don't dare trying to talk bad about a player yourself. He's always got their back.

Very valid point

 

[Antiprodigy]

Interestingly enough, I will mention, as I didn't see anyone else say it, that Xmas was the one player who was called out by JB, probably more than any other player the previous 3 years. And almost always for good reason. There were many a post on how JB was too hard on him.

And here we are now, he is the best player on the team, graduated in 3 years, and JB rarely has anything but praise for him. You can argue whether JB's methodology has held Xmas back, or made him who he is now, and I am sure you all will.

The only truth I know, is that JB was very had on him, and he is comfortably the best player on the team now. JB can't make him grow, but if he was a legitimate 2 inches taller, he would be sitting fairly comfortably in the first round of next years draft.