FWST on Barnes

[Bob in Houston]

The Link

Good read, good summary, worth the time.

 

[Hook 'Em Danno]

Good read and very encouraging. Let's see how it all plays out on the court.

 

[Horn69]

That really pumps me up. Let's hope we see those relationships gel in the form of great results on the floor. Thanks for posting.

Hook'em!!!

 

[hornarama]

I still didn't like his answer about the players. Why doesn't he once mention the school or the fans? Who is paying his salary? His highest loyalty is not to his players. That is not to say he can't accommodate both. I understand the delicate nature of the question, in that as a recruiter (and as a conscientious human being) he wants to make it clear what a high priority his players are to him. I don't think you need to say the players are a higher priority than the school or fans. Winning goes a long ways towards accomplishing most everyone's goals. It is much more likely that players will be more highly regarded on teams that win championships and go deep into the tourney than on those that don't.

I am however excited about Texas offensive prospects. Barnes has seemingly established he can't coach offense. Our only decent offenses have occurred as the result of a great point guard that could create opportunities for other players (since the offense doesn't). Assuming Kabongo is not a one and done, our best chance will be with him as a sophomore(assuming he is 2 and done)..

 

[ProdigalHorn]

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[Bob in Houston]

He should not have gone along and chosen between them. He could have stopped it there.

 

[VYFan]

Isn't it funny that if you asked the debate coach whether he would rather win the college debate championship or have his students go on to be successful and famous speakers and attorneys based on his teaching, there wouldn't even be this discussion?

Or if you asked a geology professor, would you rather your students make an A in your class or actually find large quantities of hydrocarbons based on what they learned in class....

Mack Brown was some kind of hero for saying on the night he did win a championship that he hoped for his players that this would not be the best accomplishment of their lives.

Anyway, I agree Rick should not have had to explain this so much.

 

[deserthorn]

Should have said that I want both and the players we recruit want to win a championship and have an NBA career. Why does anyone have to chose between two goals when they can do both.

 

[Bob in Houston]

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[VYFan]

Those are fair points on the differences from my examples, but what you are really saying is that if you win--such as what Mack Brown did--no one digs for the hidden negative meaning in what you say, but if you don't, then whatever you say, you just can't stop beating your wife.

So, I'm just saying that Barnes' approach or his results may be fair for criticism, but that particular quotation, or even that belief if he has it, does not add much to the discussion.

John Wooden has a whole chapter called "Don't look at the scoreboard," with a quote, "Coach Wooden didn't talk about winning--ever." Since he actually did win, this seems like a brilliant approach. If he wasn't having very good seasons, the fans probably wouldn't have seen the brilliance.

 

[bystander]

I'm not too worried about what Barnes said. I think all coaches parse their words because they know recruits and their families are listening. Rick has decided to recruite elite players and if you are in that game then development for the NBA is job one. Winning a championship is in the mix but I just think the reality is these guys aren't here for an education. They are here to make a name for themselves and become a lottery pick. Does that compromise team goals? I think so at times.

I'm still shocked that Corey Joseph left. It was validated by the Spurs selection but it opened my eyes up completely about the mind-set we are dealing with. If they wanted a national championship more than the NBA then TT, JH and CJ would have returned.

Regardless I do have to say this: In the past two years we have had five first round draft choices in the NBA and one second (Pittman). Yet we won only one NCAA tournament game. Something ain't right...

 

[Bob in Houston]

VYFan: You're on target.

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[ViperHorn]

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[hornpharmd]

We need to recruit some better FT shooters. Hopefully this class of 6 has some.

 

[Bob in Houston]

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[Longhorn01]

He underestimated how little fans care about player's nba success when compared to winning a national championship.