So what was Red doing all those years under JB?

[Newhouser]

I understand JB didn't delegate a lot of game day stuff to his staff. I also understand the learning curve that goes with being one seat over. What I don't understand is how a guy who has spent his whole life either playing or coaching basketball is totally inept at nearly every facet of building and coaching a team.

It just seems impossible to me.

 

[OrangeCrush22]

JB doesn’t have a glowing record of developing coaches. The assistants were always those close to him. Autry was an assistant from 2011-2023. He only had a few years to observe how a top program should be run. Most of his coaching career has been during the slide.

 

[CuseCPT]

He was learning the 2-3 zone, recruiting and playing good cop. His recruiting is the only one that is still relevant and his only passing grade.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

JB doesn’t have a glowing record of developing coaches. The assistants were always those close to him. Autry was an assistant from 2011-2023. He only had a few years to observe how a top program should be run. Most of his coaching career has been during the slide.

Red was on the staff at Virginia Tech from 2008-2011 under Seth Greenberg.

 

[djcon57]

Red was on the staff at Virginia Tech from 2008-2011 under Seth Greenberg.

Very true, for context, VT was an NIT level team these years and Greenberg was fired the year after Red left

 

[PeteCalvin]

Hmm, what was Red doing…..

Ok, the answer is

 

[Irishsecra1]

He was learning the 2-3 zone, recruiting and playing good cop. His recruiting is the only one that is still relevant and his only passing grade.

Well you would think this team could at least play a decent zone.
Nope - they cant.

 

[Eric15]

I also understand the learning curve that goes with being one seat over.

With the exception of Bernie Fine who always sat directly to JB's right if you're looking at them, none of the assistant coaches (GMac, Autry, Hopkins, etc.) ever sat next to JB during games. There were always 3-4 players inbetween JB and the assistants.

That may seem like an insignificant thing on the surface, but I actually think it speaks volumes about how prepared and groomed the assistant coaches were to potentially become head coaches.

At almost every other school, you see the head coach and the assistants huddled up close together on the bench working as a collective unit. At Duke for instance which had a similar dynamic as SU with former players as assistants, you would see Coach K talking and listening to Scheyer, Wojo, Collins, etc.

But at SU on gameday, it was 100% JB and nobody else. It was almost like the assistant coaches may have well been equipment managers.

 

[Newhouser]

With the exception of Bernie Fine who always sat directly to JB's right if you're looking at them, none of the assistant coaches (GMac, Autry, Hopkins, etc.) ever sat next to JB during games. There were always 3-4 players inbetween JB and the assistants.

That may seem like an insignificant thing on the surface, but I actually think it speaks volumes about how prepared and groomed the assistant coaches were to potentially become head coaches.

At almost every other school, you see the head coach and the assistants huddled up close together on the bench working as a collective unit. At Duke for instance which had a similar dynamic as SU with former players as assistants, you would see Coach K talking and listening to Scheyer, Wojo, Collins, etc.

But at SU on gameday, it was 100% JB and nobody else. It was almost like the assistant coaches may have well been equipment managers.

I agree the game day role was odd. That said a guy who has lived hoops his whole life and he looks lost. Not saying he should have been hired but Gmac seemed to have a plan.