I cannot for the life of me imagine Scottie returning. I would love to be wrong.
EDIT: Oops. Barkeep set up another thread for posts like this. My bad--sorry, barkeep!
Moving this over there . . .
(Inflammatory political snark)
Never post but read often. Can't help but post after last game.
Big time Mullins fan and trying to give him every opportunity to grow and adjust as a coach. About 1 more game like last night of being done.
Problems:
1.) Offense - Every year it seems like we talk about picking up pace and every year we fall back into slow down style. This is OK if you are winning but if start to lose like we have been then I think players suffer as not fun style to play plus hurts recruiting.
2.) Bench Play - Evey Year we talk about deeper team and every year we just keep shrinking bench down as year goes along. Players end up exhausted or hurt by end of year and we develop no players for end of year or even following year. (No back-up point guard this year if Johnson gets hurt or gets in foul trouble)
3.) Use of big guys (Mainly complaining about Ebube here). Our bigs seem to have the only purpose of setting picks. Get tired of watching bigs work hard to get position all game long and have no plays run for them and most of the time have nobody even look to get them the ball.
4.) Rotations - Can't figure this out and has been discussed on here over and over but just can't figure it out. Will use Ebube here again as he turns game around with defense, energy, rebounding, and shooting high percentage on shots only to be rewarded the next game with minimal play. Davis was starting to look good when Ferguson was hurt to be rewarded with very little plying time when he gets back.
5.) Recruiting - I don't think the main problem with recruiting is Carbondale as I think winning and facilities would take care of that. If I am scorer do I want to come to SIU with our slow down offense (unless I am the chosen one to finish every game - Domask - Jones - or Johnson)? If I am an athletic 3 or 4 do I want to come to SIU and play the slow down style and watch an offense mainly based on shooting threes and slowing the game down? If I am a big do I want to come to SIU and set picks for 4 years and for only 1 big to be played at a time?
6.) Almost done but after watching Johnson this year, could we not figure out a way last year to utilize him more with Domask and Jones to form a big three and make some kind of post season tournament? I have a hard time seeing how we can have two big ten starters and one of the top scorers in the nations this year on the same team and not make a post season tournament. I am not sure how if Mullins can't figure out how to make it with those three players how we can expect him to make improvements and make it in the future.
Sorry if long (could be a lot longer) but feel better now.
One other thing last night…..there were many second half possessions where the ball got stuck with X and it was either a coaches decision to have X try and do too much or X himself trying to do too much. We were better this year at ball movement and player movement but we get in the late game situations and become stagnant. Either way as coach you either don’t put your players in those situations or need to tell X to do what he has been doing all year with ball distribution. Last night was frustrating and funny side note: they played a game on the overhead video board of “Guess the movie”. The movie being played was Groundhog Day. Seems fitting with our late game struggles.
I agree with virtually everything you said. It particularly galls me how Mullins wasted four years of superb athletes like Domask and Jones with his absolute refusal to move to a more up-tempo style which could have allowed them to use their skills to the fullest. Instead, Domask frequently had to deal with double teaming and Jones was forced to stand around until there were a few seconds left to jack up three. I have the upmost respect for those two young men for sticking around to get their degree before escaping.Never post but read often. Can't help but post after last game.
Big time Mullins fan and trying to give him every opportunity to grow and adjust as a coach. About 1 more game like last night of being done.
Problems:
1.) Offense - Every year it seems like we talk about picking up pace and every year we fall back into slow down style. This is OK if you are winning but if start to lose like we have been then I think players suffer as not fun style to play plus hurts recruiting.
2.) Bench Play - Evey Year we talk about deeper team and every year we just keep shrinking bench down as year goes along. Players end up exhausted or hurt by end of year and we develop no players for end of year or even following year. (No back-up point guard this year if Johnson gets hurt or gets in foul trouble)
3.) Use of big guys (Mainly complaining about Ebube here). Our bigs seem to have the only purpose of setting picks. Get tired of watching bigs work hard to get position all game long and have no plays run for them and most of the time have nobody even look to get them the ball.
4.) Rotations - Can't figure this out and has been discussed on here over and over but just can't figure it out. Will use Ebube here again as he turns game around with defense, energy, rebounding, and shooting high percentage on shots only to be rewarded the next game with minimal play. Davis was starting to look good when Ferguson was hurt to be rewarded with very little plying time when he gets back.
5.) Recruiting - I don't think the main problem with recruiting is Carbondale as I think winning and facilities would take care of that. If I am scorer do I want to come to SIU with our slow down offense (unless I am the chosen one to finish every game - Domask - Jones - or Johnson)? If I am an athletic 3 or 4 do I want to come to SIU and play the slow down style and watch an offense mainly based on shooting threes and slowing the game down? If I am a big do I want to come to SIU and set picks for 4 years and for only 1 big to be played at a time?
6.) Almost done but after watching Johnson this year, could we not figure out a way last year to utilize him more with Domask and Jones to form a big three and make some kind of post season tournament? I have a hard time seeing how we can have two big ten starters and one of the top scorers in the nations this year on the same team and not make a post season tournament. I am not sure how if Mullins can't figure out how to make it with those three players how we can expect him to make improvements and make it in the future.
Sorry if long (could be a lot longer) but feel better now.
With being season ticket holder I can say last night was different. It was as if the crowd was just waiting for the here we go again moment. Starting with the second half you could just feel it start to trickle in. I have never heard the boos rain down like they did at the end of the game. The 5k in attendance were definitely not happy.
Here is my take….for what it’s worth. I don’t think Mullins is worthless or the worst coach in the valley. Mullins has shown he can coach well enough early in the game to get big leads. Seems to have team prepared in scouting and pre game planning etc.
My observed struggles:
1. In game adjustments
2.Substitution patterns.
3. Drawing up set plays( Ford did a much better job drawing up SLOB and BLOB plays last night that got a couple huge baskets late in the game.
4. Late game situations. It has seemed these situations have him a little overwhelmed and tightening up.
Can these things be fixed, absolutely. He is a young coach with lots of things to learn. Here is my question: Who is on the staff helping him grow as a coach? Where is he getting input from to help him be able to fix these issues. I am not completely out in him….I truly fear the unknown. I feel we need a veteran assistant coach with experience that can help him grow and help overcome his short comings.
Growth is all about being able to take constructive criticism and learning from people that has gone through similar situations….Not sure he has those kind of people around him currently.
@Johnny Utah
Agree with some of your points. I am also a season ticket holder, SASF, and NIL donator.
I believe before Chris Lowery's final season, an experienced assistant coach was brought in to provide ( guidance ). I most certainly could be wrong, but I do not think that solved any issues. Lowery was let go at season's end. I'm not 100% convinced that Coach Mullins would take advice from a coach with experience, but he absolutely should. I feel we gave Coach Hinson two additional years too many, as well as Coach Lowery of which we are still painfully paying for. (see no post seasons) SIU wanted BM, as well as alumni, fans and boosters. Myself included. Jerry Kill went out and got him. A young 32 year old assistant coach with zero head coaching experience at the high school, junior college, D3 or any other level. Kill and SIU rolled the dice with this hire. Does BM need assistance? Yes, with out a doubt. Questions remain, in year 5 does he want that assistance, and is there time for this to take place?
I will be in attendance at UIC on Saturday. I am not sure what I should expect anymore. Becoming more disengaged each day.
The recent home collapses are 99% on Mullins. Simply brutal late-game coaching, and he's the one cashing the healthy checks.
I did have this thought today, though: early in Lowery's tenure, SIU thrived despite what we later learned to be very deficient coaching. Why? In part, because they had multiple savvy players on the floor (including Mullins!) who could kind of coach themselves in a sense.
So why is that not showing up now with a veteran team, and supposed senior leaders like Xavier Johnson and Trent Brown, the ultimate intangibles guy, on the floor? Why are they allowing SIU to sleepwalk through crunch time, awful possession after awful possession, and blow these critical games?
I'm not entirely sure, but I think a big part of the answer goes back to fatigue from playing too many minutes. Being tired affects players both physically and mentally, and probably is countering whatever leadership those guys might have to offer in crunch time.
If that's the case, we're going full circle, pointing back to Mullins. So maybe it's actually 100% on him. 😆
Never post but read often. Can't help but post after last game.
5.) Recruiting - I don't think the main problem with recruiting is Carbondale as I think winning and facilities would take care of that. If I am scorer do I want to come to SIU with our slow down offense (unless I am the chosen one to finish every game - Domask - Jones - or Johnson)? If I am an athletic 3 or 4 do I want to come to SIU and play the slow down style and watch an offense mainly based on shooting threes and slowing the game down? If I am a big do I want to come to SIU and set picks for 4 years and for only 1 big to be played at a time?
6.) Almost done but after watching Johnson this year, could we not figure out a way last year to utilize him more with Domask and Jones to form a big three and make some kind of post season tournament? I have a hard time seeing how we can have two big ten starters and one of the top scorers in the nations this year on the same team and not make a post season tournament. I am not sure how if Mullins can't figure out how to make it with those three players how we can expect him to make improvements and make it in the future.
Agree especially with these points. Only mentioned location because in a recent reddit CBB thread Carbondale was pretty high up on the hardest places to get to. Murray isn't exactly in a bustling area either. But we'll be recruiting against Prohm who can point to multiple guys in the NBA.
#6 is especially damning
Never post but read often. Can't help but post after last game.
Big time Mullins fan and trying to give him every opportunity to grow and adjust as a coach. About 1 more game like last night of being done.
Problems:
1.) Offense - Every year it seems like we talk about picking up pace and every year we fall back into slow down style. This is OK if you are winning but if start to lose like we have been then I think players suffer as not fun style to play plus hurts recruiting.
2.) Bench Play - Evey Year we talk about deeper team and every year we just keep shrinking bench down as year goes along. Players end up exhausted or hurt by end of year and we develop no players for end of year or even following year. (No back-up point guard this year if Johnson gets hurt or gets in foul trouble)
3.) Use of big guys (Mainly complaining about Ebube here). Our bigs seem to have the only purpose of setting picks. Get tired of watching bigs work hard to get position all game long and have no plays run for them and most of the time have nobody even look to get them the ball.
4.) Rotations - Can't figure this out and has been discussed on here over and over but just can't figure it out. Will use Ebube here again as he turns game around with defense, energy, rebounding, and shooting high percentage on shots only to be rewarded the next game with minimal play. Davis was starting to look good when Ferguson was hurt to be rewarded with very little plying time when he gets back.
5.) Recruiting - I don't think the main problem with recruiting is Carbondale as I think winning and facilities would take care of that. If I am scorer do I want to come to SIU with our slow down offense (unless I am the chosen one to finish every game - Domask - Jones - or Johnson)? If I am an athletic 3 or 4 do I want to come to SIU and play the slow down style and watch an offense mainly based on shooting threes and slowing the game down? If I am a big do I want to come to SIU and set picks for 4 years and for only 1 big to be played at a time?
6.) Almost done but after watching Johnson this year, could we not figure out a way last year to utilize him more with Domask and Jones to form a big three and make some kind of post season tournament? I have a hard time seeing how we can have two big ten starters and one of the top scorers in the nations this year on the same team and not make a post season tournament. I am not sure how if Mullins can't figure out how to make it with those three players how we can expect him to make improvements and make it in the future.
Sorry if long (could be a lot longer) but feel better now.
You should post more often. Spot on, all of it
@93saluki That's probably the best synopsis I've seen on here.
