hoopsupstate noted: I feel bad for Red. He wants it more than the players.
Those of us old enough to have watched Red play at Syracuse, then go pro and play overseas, mostly in Europe, come back and put in time as an assistant know he loves the game and desperately wants to succeed as a head coach. Imagine pouring a lifetime of blood, sweat, and tears into a sport you are passionate about and you wind up with a squad that has no chemistry, is soft on the court, and appear to be whiners and cry-babies, at least more than one, on the bench and in the locker room. Yes, some of this is on Red because he is in charge and makes the ultimate call on who's on the squad, or not, but first year coaches inherit an existing program and need time to build it in their image.
Red will get a pass for this year, but given the nature of this years beat-down losses if there isn't discernible improvement next year, and especially the year after, it's gonna be lights out for AA. And the hard truth is building a program in this day and age is tougher than it has ever been . . . by a wide margin. Kids parachute in and out of programs the way most people change underwear. How do you "build" a team and a culture with that type of player churn?
This squad is beginning to show signs of imploding. Nine games to go. Red has to be worried about a China Syndrome style meltdown right here.
Very stormy seas right now.