b52legend
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
Posts: 453
|
Post by b52legend on Apr 17, 2018 10:24:00 GMT -5
We are a little more than 1 year into the "Patrick Ewing Era", part II, at Georgetown, and I am honestly surprised at the progress he has made and what he has shown as a coach. Count me amongst the many who had hope for Ewing as a coach, but also a good dose of skepticism about his ability to run a program, recruit, develop players and, despite his extensive experience, coach the college game. From what I have seen:
- Work Ethic- I have been blown away by the work ethic and commitment coach has shown. I guess I shouldn't have been skeptical given his playing career and years toiling away on NBA benches, but Ewing has surpassed my expectations in his level of commitment to the program. He is hitting the recruiting trail HARD. He is at the gym early. He is giving interviews and getting the program exposure. He is working with our players. He is doing what it takes. -Player Development - One of my frustrations with JT3 was a failure to develop players. We had guys who showed great promise as freshman fail to progress, and a number of players who seemed to take a step back. In Ewing's first year literally every player on the team looked better at the end of the year than they did at the beginning. Every. Single. Player. I think it is reflective of Ewing's ability to coach up players, and reflective of the culture of hard work and commitment that he is setting. - Recruiting - There is work left to do to get to where we need to be, but Ewing has put together a fantastic first class that is beyond what I think most of us could have hoped for. He addressed needs and attracted good talent. Perhaps the Ewing name still carries some weight, and his style of play is one that should be attractive to every position. - Coaching/Style of Play - Beyond player development (see above), I was impressed with Ewing's coaching this year. He generally coached to the team's strengths and didn't try and fit the players into a system that didn't work for them. He also let the players play (while at demanding that they play smart and within themselves). It is a style of basketball that should resonate with players and one that they should be able to relatively quickly integrate into. There were hiccups (too many turnovers and late game collapses), but it will be interesting to see if those hiccups are to some extent addressed by the additional pieces being added to the team. Lastly, it is just cool to have a 7 foot coach roaming the sideline.
We didn't have a great year from a results perspective. But from what I saw on the floor, the culture I see starting to build, the development on the roster, the players coming in, and the work that coach continues to put in, there is every reason to be (cautiously) optimistic as a Hoya fan. Certainly moving in the right direction, and faster than I anticipated.
|
|
jwp91
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 6,025
|
Ewing
Apr 17, 2018 11:19:03 GMT -5
mapei likes this
Post by jwp91 on Apr 17, 2018 11:19:03 GMT -5
Agree. My only constructive criticism was that when we had chances to see inside the huddle during time-outs, his points of emphasis didn’t seem as powerful as others I had a chance to listen in on. Maybe that comes with experience.
|
|
seaweed
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,667
|
Ewing
Apr 17, 2018 11:36:40 GMT -5
Post by seaweed on Apr 17, 2018 11:36:40 GMT -5
Agree. My only constructive criticism was that when we had chances to see inside the huddle during time-outs, his points of emphasis didn’t seem as powerful as others I had a chance to listen in on. Maybe that comes with experience. Or maybe he doesn't want Fox Sports One broadcasting his most insightful moments. Either way, A+ Patrick for year one imho.
|
|
the_way
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
The Illest
Posts: 5,422
|
Post by the_way on Apr 17, 2018 12:04:14 GMT -5
Ewing is a grinder.
He has no ego. Which helps his already impressive work ethic.
He is no show pony. He is not a talker or boaster. He is a doer and gets things done. His work speaks for him.
It is still early, but like what we've seen in the first year.
|
|
|
Post by ColumbiaHeightsHoya on Apr 17, 2018 12:13:26 GMT -5
Agree. My only constructive criticism was that when we had chances to see inside the huddle during time-outs, his points of emphasis didn’t seem as powerful as others I had a chance to listen in on. Maybe that comes with experience. Or maybe he doesn't want Fox Sports One broadcasting his most insightful moments. Either way, A+ Patrick for year one imho. Maybe basketball just isn't that complex either. Focus on the small things, make the necessary adjustments, and let the players play. Ewing has all of the requisite knowledge necessary but many times mid-game in a huddle, you just have to reinforce the main points for that opponent.
|
|
prhoya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 23,329
Member is Online
|
Ewing
Apr 17, 2018 12:16:45 GMT -5
Post by prhoya on Apr 17, 2018 12:16:45 GMT -5
Agree. My only constructive criticism was that when we had chances to see inside the huddle during time-outs, his points of emphasis didn’t seem as powerful as others I had a chance to listen in on. Maybe that comes with experience. I disagree or maybe it's the fact that we were subjected to JT3 in the huddle asking his players "what do you see out there?" If you want to criticize, maybe we can agree on a bit too much yelling to his players?
|
|
jwp91
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 6,025
|
Ewing
Apr 17, 2018 12:24:16 GMT -5
Post by jwp91 on Apr 17, 2018 12:24:16 GMT -5
You guys are welcome to disagree. I really enjoy those live look-ins into the huddle. I would watch carefully for all the coaches...especially the top coaches. I think PE could do better here. Otherwise, I was extremely pleased.
That PE would potentially sacrifice a game to keep his huddle notes confidential is utterly absurd.
|
|
b52legend
Bulldog (over 250 posts)
Posts: 453
|
Post by b52legend on Apr 17, 2018 12:27:11 GMT -5
You guys are welcome to disagree. I really enjoy those live look-ins into the huddle. I would watch carefully for all the coaches...especially the top coaches. I think PE could do better here. Otherwise, I was extremely pleased. That PE would potentially sacrifice a game to keep his huddle notes confidential is utterly absurd. I actually agree with you. But I think that is to be expected. This year was his first year as the head man...ever. Some of the late game situations. Some of the adjustments. Probably could have been a little better. But if what we are seeing externally is any indication, I would expect he is grinding on his "coaching" game as well. He doesn't strike me as the type of guy who thinks he knows it all and can't improve --- also a +.
|
|
hoyasaxa2003
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 9,867
Member is Online
|
Ewing
Apr 17, 2018 12:48:53 GMT -5
Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Apr 17, 2018 12:48:53 GMT -5
I think there's a lot of truth here. Ewing clearly has a great work ethic and he's been making some strides on the recruiting trail (which is really the biggest make-or-break factor), which is probably the single thing that makes me most optimistic. If we can combine the 2018 class with a very good 2019 class, we will be very well situated for the future.
I generally agree with what was said, but a few thoughts:
Player Development. I'm not sure I would agree that every player looked better at the end of the year. I am thinking primarily of Kaleb Johnson and Mulmore, both of whom seemed to trend downward, not upward. Others improved a lot, like Pickett, and Govan started strong against poor competition, struggled to start the Big East, and came on strong at the end. The coaches certainly deserve credit, as do the players who got better.
Ultimately, it's hard to take a good view of this without seeing multiple classes. It's hard to separate coaching, player developments, etc. But, there are reasons to be optimistic.
Defense. The major improvement, pretty much out of the gate, was that Ewing severely cut down our team's fouling compared to the recent JT3 teams. However, aside from that, I really did not feel like the defense improved at all over the course of the season (and for those more statistically inclined, ratings generally indicated the same thing), which is one of my biggest areas of concern.
The big caveat here is that personnel, to a large degree, dictate defense, so it's very possible that no matter what Ewing tried, it did not work. I think adding Akinjo and LeBlanc are a good start to better defense (and perhaps ironically, one of the small ways in which Derrickson's departure could help, if whoever replaces him is a better defender). So, I think the jury is still out on this one, but better personnel will yield better defense.
In Game Coaching. There are definitely some areas for improvement here, but this was never a good JT3 skill either. Frankly, while I hope Ewing does develop into a better game coach, you can still succeed anyway if you prepare the team right, and I think Ewing does well in that regard.
Overall, I think there are lots of reasons for optimism, and I think the team will show growth. I may be a little less optimistic than some given the loss of Derrickson and that we will be relying on freshman a lot, but I think the long-term outlook will be good as long as the recruiting momentum continues.
|
|
|
Ewing
Apr 17, 2018 13:13:09 GMT -5
Post by Ranch Dressing on Apr 17, 2018 13:13:09 GMT -5
We are a little more than 1 year into the "Patrick Ewing Era", part II, at Georgetown, and I am honestly surprised at the progress he has made and what he has shown as a coach. Count me amongst the many who had hope for Ewing as a coach, but also a good dose of skepticism about his ability to run a program, recruit, develop players and, despite his extensive experience, coach the college game. From what I have seen: - Work Ethic- I have been blown away by the work ethic and commitment coach has shown. I guess I shouldn't have been skeptical given his playing career and years toiling away on NBA benches, but Ewing has surpassed my expectations in his level of commitment to the program. He is hitting the recruiting trail HARD. He is at the gym early. He is giving interviews and getting the program exposure. He is working with our players. He is doing what it takes. - Player Development - One of my frustrations with JT3 was a failure to develop players. We had guys who showed great promise as freshman fail to progress, and a number of players who seemed to take a step back. In Ewing's first year literally every player on the team looked better at the end of the year than they did at the beginning. Every. Single. Player. I think it is reflective of Ewing's ability to coach up players, and reflective of the culture of hard work and commitment that he is setting. - Recruiting - There is work left to do to get to where we need to be, but Ewing has put together a fantastic first class that is beyond what I think most of us could have hoped for. He addressed needs and attracted good talent. Perhaps the Ewing name still carries some weight, and his style of play is one that should be attractive to every position. - Coaching/Style of Play - Beyond player development (see above), I was impressed with Ewing's coaching this year. He generally coached to the team's strengths and didn't try and fit the players into a system that didn't work for them. He also let the players play (while at demanding that they play smart and within themselves). It is a style of basketball that should resonate with players and one that they should be able to relatively quickly integrate into. There were hiccups (too many turnovers and late game collapses), but it will be interesting to see if those hiccups are to some extent addressed by the additional pieces being added to the team. Lastly, it is just cool to have a 7 foot coach roaming the sideline. We didn't have a great year from a results perspective. But from what I saw on the floor, the culture I see starting to build, the development on the roster, the players coming in, and the work that coach continues to put in, there is every reason to be (cautiously) optimistic as a Hoya fan. Certainly moving in the right direction, and faster than I anticipated. Work Ethic A Player development TBD - too early to judge. Will add, too, that part of the player development/recruiting grades (a hybrid category perhaps) should include an assessment of the coach's ability to retain talented/wanted players, avoid transfers, and avoid ill-informed early NBA departures. Along those lines, losing Marcus and Jessie I suppose is a disappointment. I recognize this is incredibly hard to manage these days and Duke/Kentucky lose players and re-load every year. On the other hand, Villanova's success can be traced to good player development and retention. So, tough one, but should be part of the measure. Losing Copeland and White to transfer were big red flags for JT3. Recruiting A Coaching/Style of Play B-/A. He will learn and get better as a coach, but really like the system he is trying to implement on both ends. Increased talent level from recruiting makes all the in-game decisions much easier. Did not like some of the high degree shots he was setting up for Pickett and Blair (e.g., sprinting full-tilt off screens, turn, shoot, for a hand-in-face 3-point shot attempt). That action in the offense seemed to be added later in the season and led to much lower percentages of 3s made, especially for Blair. Very difficult shot, best left to the JJ Redick and Kyle Korver caliber college shooters.
|
|
|
Ewing
Apr 17, 2018 13:59:40 GMT -5
Post by augustusfinknottle on Apr 17, 2018 13:59:40 GMT -5
I had several thoughts when he was hired; some more positive than others. One of my suppositions was that our bigs would value learning from him. For this reason I was somewhat surprised that one big and one semi big declared.
|
|
|
Ewing
Apr 17, 2018 14:19:32 GMT -5
via mobile
hoya1984 likes this
Post by professorhoya on Apr 17, 2018 14:19:32 GMT -5
I had several thoughts when he was hired; some more positive than others. One of my suppositions was that our bigs would value learning from him. For this reason I was somewhat surprised that one big and one semi big declared. I think he actually taught the bigs too well to where they can sniff an Nba career and certainly an overseas career making six figures in Chi'na
|
|
|
Ewing
Apr 17, 2018 16:20:48 GMT -5
Post by michaelgrahmstylie on Apr 17, 2018 16:20:48 GMT -5
Ewing is a grinder. He has no ego. Which helps his already impressive work ethic. He is no show pony. He is not a talker or boaster. He is a doer and gets things done. His work speaks for him. It is still early, but like what we've seen in the first year. Agree. And what I have been saying all along. To the point that one poster asked if I was related to Pat.
|
|
|
Ewing
Apr 17, 2018 16:22:51 GMT -5
Post by michaelgrahmstylie on Apr 17, 2018 16:22:51 GMT -5
I had several thoughts when he was hired; some more positive than others. One of my suppositions was that our bigs would value learning from him. For this reason I was somewhat surprised that one big and one semi big declared. I think he actually taught the bigs too well to where they can sniff an Nba career and certainly an overseas career making six figures in Chi'na That's funny. Hold back Coach; don't teach Yurt too much. Let him stay a second year.
|
|
|
Post by upstatesaxa on Apr 17, 2018 16:41:56 GMT -5
Interestingly, Clifford and staff at Charlotte NBA team just got flushed out. So, as beneficial as Pat's approach has been for GU basketball, the Hilltop has also been a safe haven for him from the vicissitudes of NBA life.
|
|