LCPolo18
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,406
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Post by LCPolo18 on Aug 15, 2020 9:44:27 GMT -5
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LCPolo18
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,406
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Post by LCPolo18 on Aug 15, 2020 13:39:18 GMT -5
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LCPolo18
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,406
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Post by LCPolo18 on Aug 16, 2020 10:07:22 GMT -5
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BigmanU
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 915
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Post by BigmanU on Aug 16, 2020 13:26:48 GMT -5
Must watch, West Coast Hoyas!!
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BigmanU
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 915
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Post by BigmanU on Aug 16, 2020 18:40:43 GMT -5
Listening to Sapp interview and DMV's Bobby Maze jumped on. Dante Harris is his cousin, were in good shape!!!
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Loyal Hoya
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 554
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Post by Loyal Hoya on Aug 16, 2020 21:49:28 GMT -5
Did they address the "self-internal jealousy" issue?
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vv83
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 1,326
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Post by vv83 on Aug 16, 2020 22:31:25 GMT -5
Did they address the "self-internal jealousy" issue? They addressed it at length. They both believe it was massively overblown. They said they had an argument in the locker room, no fight. They did not really think anything of it at the time, and have long been mystified/frustrated by the way fans have made such a big deal about it. They have been in steady communication ever since leaving Georgetown, and based on the podcast - have a very solid relationship. The real revelation from the podcast is that Sapp was not very happy with the coaching staff during his jr/sr years, based at least in part on his claim that Coach Burke telling him that the program would have been better off if Sapp had left after his sophomore year. That conversation really hurt Sapp, and it seems like he never felt the same way about the program afterwards. Listening to all these conversations with former JTIII players a few things come into focus. Note that these are all just my perceptions of what the former players have said on these podcasts, and are probably somewhat shaped by my own biases. But these podcasts are really forming a pretty striking oral history of the JTIII era, especially when you hear these themes emerging from multiple players: -They respected JTIII, but did not feel much of a personal relationship with him. For example - Sapp has spoken to him only 4 times since he graduated, and tells a story about JTIII practically ignoring him when they ran into each other in Las Vegas. They seem to find him somewhat emotionally distant. They don't seem to view him as a bad guy, but it feels like he is almost a cypher to them, like they don't have any real sense of what he is all about emotionally. They have some fond feelings for him because they shared this powerful 4 year experience together, but there is no sense of "I love my coach, I would run through a wall for him, and he would always be there for me" kind of feeling that you find in programs with a really strong culture. -They love and respect Big John, to the point of holding him in a certain amount of awe. Sapp talks about a moment after a tough loss where Big John saw that Jesse was really upset - and Thompson just walked over and hugged him. It was clearly a really powerful moment for Sapp, and very different from the way his Georgetown coaches were dealing with him. Then Big John called him the next day and they had a powerful heart to heart talk in his office. -They respect the effectiveness of a well run Princeton offense, but at least the guards felt pretty stifled by having to play this way. The guards all feel that they would have been a better team playing a more conventional offense. They are very jealous of the offense the team currently runs under Ewing - every guard talks about how much better they would have played had their teams run this kind of offense. Wright did recognize today that the JTIII offense was great for skilled big men, but that it stifled the ability of athletic guards to fully utilize their talents. The inside jokes about learning how to "chop their steps" come up almost every week. Their frustration with the Princeton offense is probably the strongest recurring theme. In retrospect - JTIII probably never had a chance to build a sustaining program running that offense. Players would burn out on it over time for all the reasons the former players discuss every week, and we were eventually going to lose the ability to recruit any big time athletic guards. In some ways the collapse of the program under JTIII was kind of predictable from the start because of the Princeton scheme. Seeing Wright, Freeman, Clark and Starks (our highly recruited DMV guards under JTIII) never make it in the NBA after playing the Princeton probably played a big role in the collapse of our DMV recruiting. Hopefully our next round of guards can play well enough to show that Ewing's style of play is more attractive to guards, and we begin to get some DMV kids again. Tyler Beard might end up being the key here. From all reports he is playing at a very high level right now, and if he can hit the ground running next season it will help us both on the court and in our recruiting. -the main thing on just about every player's mind from day one in college (and before) is getting to the NBA/professional basketball. Any time they discuss a former player having a decision to make between staying in school or leaving for the pros, they always favor leaving for the pros if there is any chance of going in the first round. Sapp said he should have left after his junior year, even though he would have been lucky to get drafted in the 2nd round. This leads to the other concern about the Princeton - they did not learn the pick/roll game that the pros are looking for, and feel that having to play in the Princeton ended up hurting their pro prospects because they lacked this experience, and because scouts could not see them playin in a more pro style offense in order to evaluate them. The Sapp conversation is almost 3 hours long, but it is all very interesting. Sapp does not hold back. Clearly he is just sharing his perspective - who knows, for example, what the coaches (especially Burke) would say about the concerns he expressed today. But it is worth listening to if you have the time.
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blueandgray
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 6,753
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Post by blueandgray on Aug 17, 2020 0:40:48 GMT -5
Must watch, West Coast Hoyas!! Ashanti and Brandon continue to represent the university exceptionally well. Ashanti will go down as one of my all time favorites. A very solid ball player and an even better human being. Love the guy.
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LCPolo18
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,406
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Post by LCPolo18 on Aug 17, 2020 19:14:04 GMT -5
Did they address the "self-internal jealousy" issue? They addressed it at length. They both believe it was massively overblown. They said they had an argument in the locker room, no fight. They did not really think anything of it at the time, and have long been mystified/frustrated by the way fans have made such a big deal about it. They have been in steady communication ever since leaving Georgetown, and based on the podcast - have a very solid relationship. The real revelation from the podcast is that Sapp was not very happy with the coaching staff during his jr/sr years, based at least in part on his claim that Coach Burke telling him that the program would have been better off if Sapp had left after his sophomore year. That conversation really hurt Sapp, and it seems like he never felt the same way about the program afterwards. Listening to all these conversations with former JTIII players a few things come into focus. Note that these are all just my perceptions of what the former players have said on these podcasts, and are probably somewhat shaped by my own biases. But these podcasts are really forming a pretty striking oral history of the JTIII era, especially when you hear these themes emerging from multiple players: -They respected JTIII, but did not feel much of a personal relationship with him. For example - Sapp has spoken to him only 4 times since he graduated, and tells a story about JTIII practically ignoring him when they ran into each other in Las Vegas. They seem to find him somewhat emotionally distant. They don't seem to view him as a bad guy, but it feels like he is almost a cypher to them, like they don't have any real sense of what he is all about emotionally. They have some fond feelings for him because they shared this powerful 4 year experience together, but there is no sense of "I love my coach, I would run through a wall for him, and he would always be there for me" kind of feeling that you find in programs with a really strong culture. -They love and respect Big John, to the point of holding him in a certain amount of awe. Sapp talks about a moment after a tough loss where Big John saw that Jesse was really upset - and Thompson just walked over and hugged him. It was clearly a really powerful moment for Sapp, and very different from the way his Georgetown coaches were dealing with him. Then Big John called him the next day and they had a powerful heart to heart talk in his office. -They respect the effectiveness of a well run Princeton offense, but at least the guards felt pretty stifled by having to play this way. The guards all feel that they would have been a better team playing a more conventional offense. They are very jealous of the offense the team currently runs under Ewing - every guard talks about how much better they would have played had their teams run this kind of offense. Wright did recognize today that the JTIII offense was great for skilled big men, but that it stifled the ability of athletic guards to fully utilize their talents. The inside jokes about learning how to "chop their steps" come up almost every week. Their frustration with the Princeton offense is probably the strongest recurring theme. In retrospect - JTIII probably never had a chance to build a sustaining program running that offense. Players would burn out on it over time for all the reasons the former players discuss every week, and we were eventually going to lose the ability to recruit any big time athletic guards. In some ways the collapse of the program under JTIII was kind of predictable from the start because of the Princeton scheme. Seeing Wright, Freeman, Clark and Starks (our highly recruited DMV guards under JTIII) never make it in the NBA after playing the Princeton probably played a big role in the collapse of our DMV recruiting. Hopefully our next round of guards can play well enough to show that Ewing's style of play is more attractive to guards, and we begin to get some DMV kids again. Tyler Beard might end up being the key here. From all reports he is playing at a very high level right now, and if he can hit the ground running next season it will help us both on the court and in our recruiting. -the main thing on just about every player's mind from day one in college (and before) is getting to the NBA/professional basketball. Any time they discuss a former player having a decision to make between staying in school or leaving for the pros, they always favor leaving for the pros if there is any chance of going in the first round. Sapp said he should have left after his junior year, even though he would have been lucky to get drafted in the 2nd round. This leads to the other concern about the Princeton - they did not learn the pick/roll game that the pros are looking for, and feel that having to play in the Princeton ended up hurting their pro prospects because they lacked this experience, and because scouts could not see them playin in a more pro style offense in order to evaluate them. The Sapp conversation is almost 3 hours long, but it is all very interesting. Sapp does not hold back. Clearly he is just sharing his perspective - who knows, for example, what the coaches (especially Burke) would say about the concerns he expressed today. But it is worth listening to if you have the time. I also liked that Sapp mentioned that a friend sent him a link to HoyaTalk, which is where he first saw the rumor about the "fight".
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Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Aug 18, 2020 10:21:09 GMT -5
Did they address the "self-internal jealousy" issue? They addressed it at length. They both believe it was massively overblown. They said they had an argument in the locker room, no fight. They did not really think anything of it at the time, and have long been mystified/frustrated by the way fans have made such a big deal about it. They have been in steady communication ever since leaving Georgetown, and based on the podcast - have a very solid relationship. The real revelation from the podcast is that Sapp was not very happy with the coaching staff during his jr/sr years, based at least in part on his claim that Coach Burke telling him that the program would have been better off if Sapp had left after his sophomore year. That conversation really hurt Sapp, and it seems like he never felt the same way about the program afterwards. Listening to all these conversations with former JTIII players a few things come into focus. Note that these are all just my perceptions of what the former players have said on these podcasts, and are probably somewhat shaped by my own biases. But these podcasts are really forming a pretty striking oral history of the JTIII era, especially when you hear these themes emerging from multiple players: -They respected JTIII, but did not feel much of a personal relationship with him. For example - Sapp has spoken to him only 4 times since he graduated, and tells a story about JTIII practically ignoring him when they ran into each other in Las Vegas. They seem to find him somewhat emotionally distant. They don't seem to view him as a bad guy, but it feels like he is almost a cypher to them, like they don't have any real sense of what he is all about emotionally. They have some fond feelings for him because they shared this powerful 4 year experience together, but there is no sense of "I love my coach, I would run through a wall for him, and he would always be there for me" kind of feeling that you find in programs with a really strong culture. -They love and respect Big John, to the point of holding him in a certain amount of awe. Sapp talks about a moment after a tough loss where Big John saw that Jesse was really upset - and Thompson just walked over and hugged him. It was clearly a really powerful moment for Sapp, and very different from the way his Georgetown coaches were dealing with him. Then Big John called him the next day and they had a powerful heart to heart talk in his office. -They respect the effectiveness of a well run Princeton offense, but at least the guards felt pretty stifled by having to play this way. The guards all feel that they would have been a better team playing a more conventional offense. They are very jealous of the offense the team currently runs under Ewing - every guard talks about how much better they would have played had their teams run this kind of offense. Wright did recognize today that the JTIII offense was great for skilled big men, but that it stifled the ability of athletic guards to fully utilize their talents. The inside jokes about learning how to "chop their steps" come up almost every week. Their frustration with the Princeton offense is probably the strongest recurring theme. In retrospect - JTIII probably never had a chance to build a sustaining program running that offense. Players would burn out on it over time for all the reasons the former players discuss every week, and we were eventually going to lose the ability to recruit any big time athletic guards. In some ways the collapse of the program under JTIII was kind of predictable from the start because of the Princeton scheme. Seeing Wright, Freeman, Clark and Starks (our highly recruited DMV guards under JTIII) never make it in the NBA after playing the Princeton probably played a big role in the collapse of our DMV recruiting. Hopefully our next round of guards can play well enough to show that Ewing's style of play is more attractive to guards, and we begin to get some DMV kids again. Tyler Beard might end up being the key here. From all reports he is playing at a very high level right now, and if he can hit the ground running next season it will help us both on the court and in our recruiting. -the main thing on just about every player's mind from day one in college (and before) is getting to the NBA/professional basketball. Any time they discuss a former player having a decision to make between staying in school or leaving for the pros, they always favor leaving for the pros if there is any chance of going in the first round. Sapp said he should have left after his junior year, even though he would have been lucky to get drafted in the 2nd round. This leads to the other concern about the Princeton - they did not learn the pick/roll game that the pros are looking for, and feel that having to play in the Princeton ended up hurting their pro prospects because they lacked this experience, and because scouts could not see them playin in a more pro style offense in order to evaluate them. The Sapp conversation is almost 3 hours long, but it is all very interesting. Sapp does not hold back. Clearly he is just sharing his perspective - who knows, for example, what the coaches (especially Burke) would say about the concerns he expressed today. But it is worth listening to if you have the time. While I have not listened to the Sapp conversation yet, I have listened to the others, and I agree that the podcasts are insightful. As anybody who was around recalls, I was a big supporter of JT3, and I acknowledge that listening to these podcasts definitely makes me think about things in new ways. I still think JT3 was a very solid coach, and I do find it interesting (but not surprising) that the guys who were around for the Final Four run were generally more positive on their experience than the guys in the later eras. It is clear that JT3's personality is simply not that of the chummy type coach that you might get from a guy like Calipari and others, yet somehow he managed to recruit at a fairly high level anyway, which makes me wonder where the disconnect between the two is (maybe he was just good at selling the school, but less of a player's coach once they got to campus). There's nothing necessarily wrong with that, though obviously it can have an impact. The comments on the Princeton offense are interesting too, and again, make me think about things differently. That said, as you say, I think it makes sense that the system would be less appreciated/liked by the guards versus the big men (for example, Monroe said the system wasn't hard to learn, whereas guys like Stark made it sound super difficult). There are also still systems that, while not Princeton, share many of the aspects the former Hoyas did not like, and yet they still thrive. For example, UVA. It also did strike me that so many of these guys are focused on the NBA, and were from the minute they set foot on campus, when it is abundantly clear they likely would not have made it under any system. That's especially true for a guy like Sapp, but also for most of these guys. For example, I think it's a bit of sour grapes for a guy like Wright or Freeman to blame the system for their failure to get to the NBA. Sure, it might have prevented them from putting up big numbers, but the fact is Wright would have been a small guard in the NBA, and Freeman also was fairly small for a shooting guard. I just think, looking back, it's easy for guys to find fault/blame on things they think could have made their careers better - and maybe there is some truth to it - but ultimately, I cannot think of any player the Hoyas have had whose NBA aspirations were ruined because of the Princeton system. (And the last 3-4 years of JT3 did not even really use the Princeton system, but Dawg Talk hasn't really talked to many of the guys from that era yet.)
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LCPolo18
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,406
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Post by LCPolo18 on Aug 18, 2020 11:22:47 GMT -5
I still think JT3 was a very solid coach, and I do find it interesting (but not surprising) that the guys who were around for the Final Four run were generally more positive on their experience than the guys in the later eras. Wright and Freeman have addressed this multiple times, saying how the Princeton Offense fit the original team better than when they started getting more athletic and faster recruits. Which I think makes sense. Also, they acknowledge that the Princeton was great for winning games, just not highlighting individuals. But I think even spanning the years, even some of the earlier players (Green, Ewing Jr, Sapp) had issues, not to mention all the players that transferred out in those early years that Wright and Sapp mention in this latest episode. It is clear that JT3's personality is simply not that of the chummy type coach that you might get from a guy like Calipari and others, yet somehow he managed to recruit at a fairly high level anyway, which makes me wonder where the disconnect between the two is (maybe he was just good at selling the school, but less of a player's coach once they got to campus). I wonder if the assistants were the ones that developed strong relationships with the recruits and got them to commit. A lot of the former players definitely mention the assistants almost more than JT3 during these discussions. It also did strike me that so many of these guys are focused on the NBA, and were from the minute they set foot on campus, when it is abundantly clear they likely would not have made it under any system. That's especially true for a guy like Sapp, but also for most of these guys. For example, I think it's a bit of sour grapes for a guy like Wright or Freeman to blame the system for their failure to get to the NBA. Sure, it might have prevented them from putting up big numbers, but the fact is Wright would have been a small guard in the NBA, and Freeman also was fairly small for a shooting guard. I just think, looking back, it's easy for guys to find fault/blame on things they think could have made their careers better - and maybe there is some truth to it - but ultimately, I cannot think of any player the Hoyas have had whose NBA aspirations were ruined because of the Princeton system. (And the last 3-4 years of JT3 did not even really use the Princeton system, but Dawg Talk hasn't really talked to many of the guys from that era yet.) I feel like Wright and Freeman have been very clear that they hold themselves responsible for not making the NBA. They mention the Princeton as part of the bigger picture, but they never solely blame the system. They also have mentioned that they really liked the system JT3 was running his last couple of years, as well as the system that Ewing is running now.
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blueandgray
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Posts: 6,753
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Post by blueandgray on Aug 18, 2020 11:31:32 GMT -5
If Wright and Freeman were good enough to be playing in the NBA....they’d have made it. They had plenty of exposure in other leagues and simply didn’t make the cut.
I was pretty vocal on this board regarding CW’s shortcomings on the court when others were ready to crown him as the best PG in the BE as a sophomore and a sure fire nba player.
I totally understand why both guys would have nba aspirations and why they would be disappointed. They certainly got close (and I believe Chris actually may have played a few games in the league) and had certain skill sets that were nba material.....but at the end of the day....it wasn’t meant to be.
That said, love what they are doing for the program now and the passion they bring to the table.
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Post by trillesthoya on Aug 18, 2020 11:43:59 GMT -5
If Wright and Freeman were good enough to be playing in the NBA....they’d have made it. They had plenty of exposure in other leagues and simply didn’t make the cut. I was pretty vocal on this board regarding CW’s shortcomings on the court when others were ready to crown him as the best PG in the BE as a sophomore and a sure fire nba player. I totally understand why both guys would have nba aspirations and why they would be disappointed. They certainly got close (and I believe Chris actually may have played a few games in the league) and had certain skill sets that were nba material.....but at the end of the day....it wasn’t meant to be. That said, love what they are doing for the program now and the passion they bring to the table. I have no doubt either guy could’ve stuck in the league longer than they did, but that’s also because making the league is such a fluke as it is. For every one guard you see in college that you think “that’s an NBA player” there are four more just as good and all five are fighting for one or two spots on a bench. The margin for error is just so small and when you’re already struggling with health complications it just makes the battle so much harder. That said at this point both guys have had more than enough time to show if they were NBA players or not (overseas scouting is getting a lot better these days) so I’m not going to pretend like we had two future NBA all-stars that never got their chance.
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prhoya
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
Posts: 23,297
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Post by prhoya on Aug 18, 2020 12:35:09 GMT -5
I feel like Wright and Freeman have been very clear that they hold themselves responsible for not making the NBA. Did they explain how are they responsible? I haven’t had time to hear their podcasts.
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Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Aug 18, 2020 14:26:13 GMT -5
To me, one of the eye opening things is just more generally how much guys are focused on the NBA, even when, as outside observers we might not even consider them to even be on the radar. Given that we are dealing with college students who range in age from 18-22ish, give or take a year, I suppose it's not surprising (I had irrational thoughts when I was a teenager too). And, I am guessing that trend has probably only accelerated with social media, and probably no shortage of praise from people on the outside at times, especially when recruits are doing great in high school.
It truly creates a challenge for any coach. You have to pilot a team of 13 scholarship players, all of whom want a chance to play, and most of whom probably have some level of NBA aspirations. It's truly a balancing act. I do think that when you are winning those problems tend to be minimized, in the sense that sure, maybe you are unhappy about playing 20 minutes a game instead of 30, but the team is winning. In that sense, it's easier to see how a coach like Jay Wright can manage that than a coach dealing with a struggling team like JT3 in his later years or Ewing. Waiting your turn is much more appealing when you have other guys winning. Inevitably, when a team is not winning, the guys on the bench will think they can contribute and are being deprived of that chance.
On the responsibility point, I agree that Wright and Freeman have comported themselves well. They do seem to blame anybody for not making the league, etc. I did think that Henry Sims/Jason Clark probably pushed the envelope there more than other guests. If I get this wrong, I stand corrected, as it's been a few weeks since I listened, but I seem to remember Sims/Clark, especially Sims, seeming to indicate that they wished they had a more up and down system, and how it likely had a negative impact on them. But, as I said, I don't remember the specifics, so if I am wrong on that, I take this back.
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the_way
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
The Illest
Posts: 5,420
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Post by the_way on Aug 18, 2020 14:59:42 GMT -5
Wright and Freeman were solid college players. Especially Freeman. Could they have been journeymen in the NBA? Who knows.
While they were in college, neither one had NBA written all over them. Neither one were great athletes either. Their era sparked the change to go to more athletic players (Whittington, Clark,) and more rugged role/support players (Lubbick, Jabril)
Look at Starks' career of improvement at G-town. He didn't look like much early in his career, but blossomed as an upperclassmen. Was his development because of the Princeton or just luck? Hmmmmm.
It's weird how now it is said the Prinecton worked better with the original core group of Green, Hibbert, etc. The thinking back then was the program would really take off because guys like Wright, Freeman, and Monroe really fit the Princeton and were highly ranked recruits.
As far as III's personality, he is who he is as a person. Everyone is not charismatic, life of the party. He seems more of the stoic type. He isn't his father who loves to talk and is constantly engaging when it comes to communicating with people, particularly young people (if you aren't on his bad side...lol).
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LCPolo18
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,406
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Post by LCPolo18 on Aug 18, 2020 15:15:08 GMT -5
To me, one of the eye opening things is just more generally how much guys are focused on the NBA, even when, as outside observers we might not even consider them to even be on the radar. Given that we are dealing with college students who range in age from 18-22ish, give or take a year, I suppose it's not surprising (I had irrational thoughts when I was a teenager too). And, I am guessing that trend has probably only accelerated with social media, and probably no shortage of praise from people on the outside at times, especially when recruits are doing great in high school. It truly creates a challenge for any coach. You have to pilot a team of 13 scholarship players, all of whom want a chance to play, and most of whom probably have some level of NBA aspirations. It's truly a balancing act. I do think that when you are winning those problems tend to be minimized, in the sense that sure, maybe you are unhappy about playing 20 minutes a game instead of 30, but the team is winning. In that sense, it's easier to see how a coach like Jay Wright can manage that than a coach dealing with a struggling team like JT3 in his later years or Ewing. Waiting your turn is much more appealing when you have other guys winning. Inevitably, when a team is not winning, the guys on the bench will think they can contribute and are being deprived of that chance. On the responsibility point, I agree that Wright and Freeman have comported themselves well. They do seem to blame anybody for not making the league, etc. I did think that Henry Sims/Jason Clark probably pushed the envelope there more than other guests. If I get this wrong, I stand corrected, as it's been a few weeks since I listened, but I seem to remember Sims/Clark, especially Sims, seeming to indicate that they wished they had a more up and down system, and how it likely had a negative impact on them. But, as I said, I don't remember the specifics, so if I am wrong on that, I take this back. I mean, a lot of the players in these podcast episodes said that they wished that they had played in a more up and down system. I just thought that your previous phrasing of "I think it's a bit of sour grapes for a guy like Wright or Freeman to blame the system for their failure to get to the NBA" was a little harsh, since while Wright and Freeman have said that the Princeton offense didn't necessarily help them get to the NBA, they don't solely blame the system or anyone else for not making it. And they don't even say that they didn't like the Princeton with disdain, since they acknowledge that it helped them to win games, they just don't feel like they got highlighted as much as they could have in a different system.
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LCPolo18
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,406
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Post by LCPolo18 on Aug 18, 2020 15:19:11 GMT -5
It's weird how now it is said the Prinecton worked better with the original core group of Green, Hibbert, etc. The thinking back then was the program would really take off because guys like Wright, Freeman, and Monroe really fit the Princeton and were highly ranked recruits. It's not necessarily that the Princeton worked better with one group or another. The players acknowledge that the Princeton helped them to win a lot of games in college. Some of them (especially the guards) just feel that the offense just didn't highlight them or prepare them for professional play as much as another system could have.
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LCPolo18
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
Posts: 4,406
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Post by LCPolo18 on Aug 18, 2020 15:41:22 GMT -5
I feel like Wright and Freeman have been very clear that they hold themselves responsible for not making the NBA. Did they explain how are they responsible? I haven’t had time to hear their podcasts. There's over 20 hours of content, so it would be hard for me to go back and quote them directly. I don't know that they ever went into a lot of detail since they tend to focus on their guests, but it always comes off as an "it's on us" kind of vibe, just taking ownership and not blaming other people or circumstances.
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the_way
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
The Illest
Posts: 5,420
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Post by the_way on Aug 18, 2020 15:50:53 GMT -5
It's weird how now it is said the Prinecton worked better with the original core group of Green, Hibbert, etc. The thinking back then was the program would really take off because guys like Wright, Freeman, and Monroe really fit the Princeton and were highly ranked recruits. It's not necessarily that the Princeton worked better with one group or another. The players acknowledge that the Princeton helped them to win a lot of games in college. Some of them (especially the guards) just feel that the offense just didn't highlight them or prepare them for professional play as much as another system could have. Highlighting maybe, but preparing? Hmmm. The perception of the Princeton prevented the recruitment of the next Sleepy Floyd or Iverson. Those type of guys weren't coming here. For the standout guards we had under III (Starks, DSR, Wright, Freeman),we all got to see those guys shine during their time at G-town. However, it seemed they were more geared to play overseas as a professional than the NBA. Not a knock on those guys.
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