Emotion

[Hoov50]

You can point to a lot of reasons why this team has struggled lately, but one thing I notice and it has been this way all year is a complete lack of emotion. No one on this team gets fired up. If the score wasn't on the screen I doubt you could tell if SU was winning or losing based on how the players act.

Most team sports are games of emotion. Emotion is one of the intangibles people always talk about. It is tough, if not impossible, to teach it or fake it. Emotion can help teams overcome disadvantages. When a team shows no emotion they are already at a disadvantage. Granted, too much emotion can also be a disadvantage, but I would gladly trade too much emotion for no emotion.

When a student trainer is the guy trying to get the team fired up before the game in the middle of the huddle, you have to ask yourself, "is there a leader on this team?" (Not meant as a knock on the student trainer, but this shouldn't be left to him to do.)

 

[djcon57]

There was an and-1 layup by MCW where he got pumped and did a little knee-up-jump-step... and the team just looked at him.

Kinda had a feeling...yeeeeeah...that's not good.

 

[AZOrange]

There was an and-1 layup by MCW where he got pumped and did a little knee-up-jump-step... and the team just looked at him.

Kinda had a feeling...yeeeeeah...that's not good.

I had SAME thought

 

['72 Orange]

My only interaction with Brandon has been what I have seen on the tube and at games I have attended. Brandon has always struck me as being a nice, decent and very likable type of kid. He has never been demonstrative and has always internalized his feelings. Unfortunately he never morphed into the vocal team leader we were looking for and this team so desperately needs. I guess it wasn’t in his DNA.
Over his four years as a starter he has had some very good games interspersed with performances where he would completely disappear. Until recently he never has had long stretches of games where he was playing consistently one way or the other. I had hoped his senior season would be more CJ like. A “Mr. Consistent” or “Old Reliable”. If he couldn’t lead in the locker room he would at least lead by example on the floor.
At this stage of the season I definitely don’t like where he and the team are trending. It seems that the troubles they are facing on the court are really getting into their psyches and the more they try to fix it the worse it gets. While I feel bad for Brandon, this is completely under his control to turn it around. Assuming no injury or other outside issues, he has no one to blame but himself.
I still have hope that we can start our next game hot from the floor and beyond the arc and finish it that way, but with each passing game it seems less likely it will happen. I hope and pray that Brandon gets back on track and can carry us to some post season wins. It would truly suck for him and the team if they were to close out the rest of the season in this tailspin.

COME ON GUYS - MAKE ME PROUD OF YOU!

 

[jdubs30]

There was an and-1 layup by MCW where he got pumped and did a little knee-up-jump-step... and the team just looked at him.

Kinda had a feeling...yeeeeeah...that's not good.

Meaning there's some kind of animosity against MCW or that in general this team is emotionless?

because the only player who shows any kind of emotion consistently is MCW

 

[Hoov50]

My only interaction with Brandon has been what I have seen on the tube and at games I have attended. Brandon has always struck me as being a nice, decent and very likable type of kid. He has never been demonstrative and has always internalized his feelings. Unfortunately he never morphed into the vocal team leader we were looking for and this team so desperately needs. I guess it wasn’t in his DNA.
Over his four years as a starter he has had some very good games interspersed with performances where he would completely disappear. Until recently he never has had long stretches of games where he was playing consistently one way or the other. I had hoped his senior season would be more CJ like. A “Mr. Consistent” or “Old Reliable”. If he couldn’t lead in the locker room he would at least lead by example on the floor.
At this stage of the season I definitely don’t like where he and the team are trending. It seems that the troubles they are facing on the court are really getting into their psyches and the more they try to fix it the worse it gets. While I feel bad for Brandon, this is completely under his control to turn it around. Assuming no injury or other outside issues, he has no one to blame but himself.
I still have hope that we can start our next game hot from the floor and beyond the arc and finish it that way, but with each passing game it seems less likely it will happen. I hope and pray that Brandon gets back on track and can carry us to some post season wins. It would truly suck for him and the team if they were to close out the rest of the season in this tailspin.

COME ON GUYS - MAKE ME PROUD OF YOU!

I completely agree. Every good and great team we have had in the past has had a leader. Not someone "elected" or "appointed" because they are a senior, but a guy you could tell was a leader from watching games as a spectator. This year there is no leader and unfortunately leadership is not something that can be developed.

 

[Hoov50]

There was an and-1 layup by MCW where he got pumped and did a little knee-up-jump-step... and the team just looked at him.

Kinda had a feeling...yeeeeeah...that's not good.

It's almost like his teammates were embarrassed he was acting that way!

 

[Cuseregular]

is it ok to start critiquing JB yet? The other thread on it and leadership was nuked so I may have the answer already, but that's where I start (and Townie let me stop you before you start, none of this is asking for JB to go, he deserves to hang as long as he wants and when that time comes when HE decides he's had enough he has earned and is deserved of a - serious now - a royal sendoff).

This issue has hit here on a recurrent basis and is the crux of why he's left himself open to the public debate and why we have to hear of the (very) good vs. great (elite) coach debate. When he has natural leaders, developed leaders, especially when combined with the grit and moxie others elsewhere have mentioned today, this is where he's second to none as no one knows more than him with the coaching of the game and is in large part as to why he's been so successful and we have a HOF coach here.

Now when these attributes are lacking in his players he doesn't seem to be able to "fire up the troops" and do the cliche of, "making a average team good or a good team great." Or in the analysis of his "strengths vs. weaknesses" this is where his weakness is as I see it lays. Especially with todays Kids they need to be motivated positively in this day and age. In my college prof job we had to take a seminar on how to teach the "modern day student". Basically it was filled with a pathetic and ridiculous amount of positive reinforcement and affirmation. But it is what it is.

For right or for wrong, this is lacking in JAB and when it is seen it's done old school in a negative fashion. Waters and Pitoniak have written volumes on why he is the way he is and it is in point of fact valid. So I'm saying this more as it simply is as it is and not as a harsh criticism. It's tough and unfair perhaps to get someone to try and be someone they are not.

But I'm a firm believer that it is within this deficiency that opens up the whole dang good vs. great coaching debate. Today they needed a fire breather, or someone who on occassion could morph into a fire breather couched in a manner that ends up being a positive affirmation and fires them up. By all account from players this is what we may have with our new football coach.

Anyway, we have a HOF guy whose second to none in terms of knowlege but he'd have done well at some point IMHO to have attempted as and old dog to learn new tricks.

 

[djcon57]

Meaning there's some kind of animosity against MCW or that in general this team is emotionless?

because the only player who shows any kind of emotion consistently is MCW

I have no clue nor wish to speculate about animosity.

I just know it felt weird to me. MCW was pumped up and the other guys had blank stares

WHY? no idea.

 

[Hoov50]

is it ok to start critiquing JB yet? The other thread on it and leadership was nuked so I may have the answer already, but that's where I start (and Townie let me stop you before you start, none of this is asking for JB to go, he deserves to hang as long as he wants and when that time comes when HE decides he's had enough he has earned and is deserved of a - serious now - a royal sendoff).

This issue has hit here on a recurrent basis and is the crux of why he's left himself open to the public debate and why we have to hear of the (very) good vs. great (elite) coach debate. When he has natural leaders, developed leaders, especially when combined with the grit and moxie others elsewhere have mentioned today, this is where he's second to none as no one knows more than him with the coaching of the game and is in large part as to why we have a HOF coach here.

Now when this is lacking in his players he doesn't seem to be able to "fire up the troops" and do the cliche of, "making a average team good" or a good team great. Or at least this is where his weakness as I see it lays. Especially today Kids need to be motivated positively in this day and age. In my college prof job we had to take a seminar on how to teach the "modern day student". Basically it was filled with a pathetic and ridiculous amount of affirmation. But it is what it is.

For right or for wrong, this is lacking in JAB. Waters and Pitoniak have written volumes on why he is the way he is and it is in point of fact valid. So I'm saying this more as it simply is as it is and not as a harsh criticism. It's tough and unfair perhaps to get someone to try and be someone they are not.

But I'm a firm believer that it is within this deficiency that opens up the whole dang good vs. great coaching debate. Today they needed a fire breather, or someone who on occassion could morph into a fire breather couched in a manner that ends up being a positive affirmation. By all account from players this is what we may have with our new football coach.

Anyway, we have a HOF guy whose second to none in terms of knowlege but he's have done well at some point IMHO to have attempted as and old dog to learn new tricks.

I agree with some of what you posted. JB is definitely not a "rah rah" guy at this point in his career. I can tell you from coaching, obviously not at the same level, that a coach can begin to get the troops fired up, but the players have to continue the emotion. Leaders are also tough to develop. In fact many people will tell you leaders are born not built. I think some leadership qualities can be taught, but a lot of it is intangible.

 

[longislandcuse]

We have two senior leaders. One is a goofball and the other plays the game likes hes playing poker. The rest of the team just follows suit except for MCW who plays like normal, non-robot basketball players play. The coach seems like he could care less even though I know thats not the case.

 

[Hoov50]

We have two senior leaders. One is a goofball and the other plays the game likes hes playing poker. The rest of the team just follows suit except for MCW who plays like normal, non-robot basketball players play. The coach seems like he could care less even though I know thats not the case.

I think you are spot on with all but one thing. JB has been coaching and acting the same way ever since he got married to Juli. His marriage and probably to a certain extent his age seems to have mellowed (sp?) him. With that being said I don't think you can knock it since two of the last four years minus a late season loss of a center we would have been a final four and maybe national championship team.

 

[jekelish]

This is one of the areas where we most miss Scoop and Dion. You need some fire on the court.

 

[Hoov50]

This is one of the areas where we most miss Scoop and Dion. You need some fire on the court.

Absolutely! The most emotion a player has shown this year was Coleman when he made a layup in one of the first games of the year.

 

[jdubs30]

I have no clue nor wish to speculate about animosity.

I just know it felt weird to me. MCW was pumped up and the other guys had blank stares

WHY? no idea.

We've never really been a team that gets pumped up for each other on the court, at least since Rautins left. Kris, Rick, Dion, Fab, Scoop, Fair, Triche never really get pumped up unless it's THEM who makes a play. It's not a bad thing necessarily, but we haven't had those type of guys normally.

 

[Hoov50]

We've never really been a team that gets pumped up for each other on the court, at least since Rautins left. Kris, Rick, Dion, Fab, Scoop, Fair, Triche never really get pumped up unless it's THEM who makes a play. It's not a bad thing necessarily, but we haven't had those type of guys normally.

But this year they don't even get pumped when it is THEM who made he play. MCW every now and then and Coleman when he his three shots of the season.

 

[DoctorBombay]

My only interaction with Brandon has been what I have seen on the tube and at games I have attended. Brandon has always struck me as being a nice, decent and very likable type of kid. He has never been demonstrative and has always internalized his feelings. Unfortunately he never morphed into the vocal team leader we were looking for and this team so desperately needs. I guess it wasn’t in his DNA.
Over his four years as a starter he has had some very good games interspersed with performances where he would completely disappear. Until recently he never has had long stretches of games where he was playing consistently one way or the other. I had hoped his senior season would be more CJ like. A “Mr. Consistent” or “Old Reliable”. If he couldn’t lead in the locker room he would at least lead by example on the floor.
At this stage of the season I definitely don’t like where he and the team are trending. It seems that the troubles they are facing on the court are really getting into their psyches and the more they try to fix it the worse it gets. While I feel bad for Brandon, this is completely under his control to turn it around. Assuming no injury or other outside issues, he has no one to blame but himself.
I still have hope that we can start our next game hot from the floor and beyond the arc and finish it that way, but with each passing game it seems less likely it will happen. I hope and pray that Brandon gets back on track and can carry us to some post season wins. It would truly suck for him and the team if they were to close out the rest of the season in this tailspin.

COME ON GUYS - MAKE ME PROUD OF YOU!

This article could've been written last year, and the year before, and the year before that.
Triche is an "in-the-mix" kinda player/person, IMO- a "final piece of the puzzle" type, not the leading man.
Again, for FOUR(4) long years we've been told the kid "doesn't realize how good he is". Well, at this point the light-bulb might come on playing in Estonia somewhere, but its unlikely it'll be at SU.
He's always seemed like an avg-to-above avg player to me, but numerous reports had him as a quiet star in the making.
I'm a fire-n-brimstone kinda guy, those are my favorites types of players. Brandon reminds me of a white bread, chicken-breast sandwich, slathered in mayonnaise, that you wolf down with some warm butter milk, on a muggy Wednesday afternoon- ie; BLAND & BORING!
And we all know that kinda meal leaves you feeling...CONSTIPATED. Not unlike the SU offense.
OK- why am I feeling hungry all of a sudden???

 

[longislandcuse]

I miss players like Devendorf, Rautins, and Flynn so much. These dudes are boring as %$#@. MCW im good with...the rest of you, act like you care. The Ravens won the Superbowl beasting out on Deer Antler spray before games. We act like we drink chamomile tea and eat crumpets prior to tip.

 

[Hoov50]

I miss players like Devendorf, Rautins, and Flynn so much. These dudes are boring as %$#@. MCW im good with...the rest of you, act like you care. The Ravens won the Superbowl beasting out on Deer Antler spray before games. We act like we drink chamomile tea and eat crumpets prior to tip.

Add GMac and Waiters to that list. Those guys were cocky. The type of guys you hate on other teams, but live in your own team. Other than MCW trying to steal a bathrobe there is no reason opposing fans would hate anyone on our team. We need to have guys who are hated by opposing fans. That's we're emotion comes in!

 

[djcon57]

Add GMac and Waiters to that list. Those guys were cocky. The type of guys you hate on other teams, but live in your own team. Other than MCW trying to steal a bathrobe there is no reason opposing fans would hate anyone on our team. We need to have guys who are hated by opposing fans. That's we're emotion comes in!

Even Scoop had that streak in him where he would drill a ridiculous 3 and flash a HUGE smug smile.

This team has nothin'.