Gatorsports.com article on Macklin

[HoyaSinceBirth]

I remember last year him saying that he wasn't really looking forward to coaching this years team. He didn't think they'd improve at all. Guess he was kinda right, but sheesh.

[seaweed]

I love the quote under the picture:

"Vernon Macklin, left, showed an ability to hit the offensive glass, grabbing 51 career offensive rebounds in 65 games at Georgetown."

.78 ORebs per game - isn't that more like showing an ability to get hit in the hands with the ball every now and then?

[vcjack]

This would be equivalent to JTIII blaming Julian or Hollis. I was never too fond of the big ticket but calling out his practicing is pretty cold.

I thought Billy took motivating his team to a new level when he locked his team out of their lockeroom after they lost in the SEC tourney last season, but it appears to be more the case that he's been really stubborn these past two years and no longer gives a damn if his players are not immediate winners.


Not to emulate the_way too much (or provoke hifi) but I think Florida would have been better off if Donovan stuck with the Magic and they hired Anthony Grant.

[robbyt]

Macklin's just not that good a player.

But he's one of those guys who frustrates coaches because he *looks* like he should be good, especially with the Georgetown Transfer label.

But he's not.

[hifigator]

First things first: sorry about posting this as a duplicate on the other board. When I saw the article this morning, I didn't think about looking here, I just went to the Pro/College board, and posted it there.

That being said, I did find the wording of the article somewhat odd. As I mentioned on the other post, I haven't heard anything close to that from anyone that I know. Trying to be objective, Billy D. has certainly said some things publicly that other coaches wouldn't. Right or wrong? That's a matter of opinion. In Macklin's case, I think the point was to try to motivate Vern to work a little harder in practice. In fairness to Macklin, I can certainly see how it would be extremely difficult to stay motivated during that mandatory "sit-out" season. You are supposed to work as hard as everyone else, but aren't rewarded with PT and the opportunity to shine. That's got to be a tough position. I think it's totally different from a typical "redshirt" season, where you are sitting out specifically to heal or develop your skills. Either way, I can certainly see how those comments could offend some.

As for Billy's comment last year, that too was greeted with mixed emotions. Basically, the context was that "young" teams are presumed to be taking their lumps now, but also presumed to grow almost exponentially by the next season. He said something to the effect that he wasn't really looking forward to this season. Controversial? Absolutely. But in that case, I don't have any problem with it. He didn't single anyone out, but rather without doing so, made it clear that the learning curve wasn't being met and without a concerted effort, probably wouldn't be.

Finally, I think the tone of the "dominant" comment didn't come through. I don't think Billy was being critical of Vern as much as he was pointing out that the expectations might be a bit high at this point. In a strange way, I honestly think that he was trying to take some of the pressure off of Vern rather than the opposite.

[aggypryd]

I'm expecting Macklin to BEAST next season!!! But at the very least, he'll be a solid player for them next season.

[GPHoya]

Vernon made Dajuan look good.

[EasyEd]

I think Vernon will make a free throw next year.

[HoyasAreHungry]

i saw vernon smile once and have fun on the court

[harwoodhoya]

Donovan has had players transfer as well. Also his team flopped was worst than ours. They played a weak non conference schedule and played in a weak conference. At least we can say we played in the big east and had the #1 SOS.

[hoyaboya]

Interestingly, Macklin's former AAU teammate, DeShawn Painter, has just backed out of his commitment to Florida. No idea if Macklin's year with the program had anything to do with Painter's decision, but one has to wonder...