2010-2011 Problems at UNC
Don't know if folks have seen this, but a MASSIVELY damning comment from Roy from yesterday, posted at a Carolina website...
"I’ve got half of the guys on my team that their mom and dad and their friends and everything think that they’re going to make $88 million. They could give a flip whether we win a game or not. They want their guy to get 37 shots and play 50 minutes in a 40-minute game..."
"It’s something that I’ve told many teams – if you cared one-tenth about it as much as I do, [gosh] it would be a lot of fun.”
Uhm... is it just me, or is this a pretty unbelievable thing for a coach to say? To be honest I didn't even guess that the chemistry was bad this year... or at least not as bad as this quote now makes me think. Why would Roy bring this up? Is it a coaching tactic?
Bizarre quote... even better than the "I am so angry I could fight someone with a chainsaw!" one from last week. And I would love to know what the [gosh] is replacing.
My take on UNC on the last 18 months
When Ole Roy won his first NC with UNC, he gained a significant amount of credibility. He was able to successfully recruit players that fit his system and also lucked out on how a few of those players turned out. 2004-2009 was an amazing time for UNC, much like Duke from 1998-2006. However, once Ole Roy was on his way to winning his second championship (or at least was pre-season #1 in the country, didn't have to coach, and let Lawson and Hansbrough charge through everyone), I think that his recruiting strategy changed. He no longer went after players that were 'glue' guys or legitimate 6th men (Danny Green, Marvin Williams, Deon Thompson) but rather went for heavy-weights with a proven scoring track-record (Leslie McDonald, John Henson, Reggie Bullock). Personality, and how these players mesh together, went straight out the window. It's like he looked at the Scout and Rival rankings, closed his eyes, and pointed to 3-4 players per year in the top 20. Furthermore, with UNC's success in the 00s, I think Roy felt that he didn't have to coach the players and that they could 'figure it out' themselves. This clearly hasn't been the case.
I think Roy realizes that he isn't invincible anymore. I think he realizes that 18- and 19-year olds need guidance, especially those who were once superstars in high school but need to come down to earth. I think Roy will once again, unfortunately, put everything together and once again be the UNC that contended for the ACC crown. It probably won't be this year, and maybe won't be next, but it'll happen soon enough.
Some Truth but No Accountability
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lord Ash
Don't know if folks have seen this, but a MASSIVELY damning comment from Roy from yesterday, posted at a Carolina website...
"I’ve got half of the guys on my team that their mom and dad and their friends and everything think that they’re going to make $88 million. They could give a flip whether we win a game or not. They want their guy to get 37 shots and play 50 minutes in a 40-minute game..."
"It’s something that I’ve told many teams – if you cared one-tenth about it as much as I do, [gosh] it would be a lot of fun.”
Uhm... is it just me, or is this a pretty unbelievable thing for a coach to say? To be honest I didn't even guess that the chemistry was bad this year... or at least not as bad as this quote now makes me think. Why would Roy bring this up? Is it a coaching tactic?
Bizarre quote... even better than the "I am so angry I could fight someone with a chainsaw!" one from last week. And I would love to know what the [gosh] is replacing.
I think there is a lot of truth in what Roy says. A lot of kids and their parents/handlers whatever the case may be, are like that. They think that and they feed that to the kids from the time they can dribble a ball. Classic little league parent syndrome.
Then they go to a major D-I program and they see their dreams coming true. But when their ideas collide with Roy's then things don't mesh. So what he states is probably true.
What he fails to mention is that there are countless other coaches who have dealt with and are dealing with this issues. He acts if it is he and he alone that must deal with the burden of such things.
He takes no accountability or responsibility for 1) bringing those kids to unc or 2) figuring out a way to get them to work collaboratively in the best interest of the team.
He doesn't consider if those player fit into his style of coaching or system (if he even has one) He puts the blame squarely on them and takes no responsibility when it all goes wrong. In a lot of ways he is just like the younger generation today. It is always someone else's fault and not mine.
This will be interesting to observe. If things don't get better this year, how secure is his job? He has bought some time but there is a limit to the patience of unc fans when it comes to basketball.