I'm not saying Geoff Calkins is old, but I want to be him. His perspective is usally dead on and I look forward to reading his columns, especially about Tiger basketball.
In this column, he is exactly right.
Our Memphis Tigers are scared to succeed. And that is getting in the way of them playing to their potential. Our coach is young, tenacious and a great recruiter, but by my estimation, lacks the ability to get his players to listen to him in times when they need to the most. He is their coach. Period. That’s why teams have them. Sure, teams are talented and ulitmately the players get out on the court and do amazing things, but coaches exist for a reason. It is the difference in collegiate level big-time basketball and AAU ball. Sometimes players HAVE to be coached. He is a nice guy, doesn’t curse at all, doesn’t drink caffeine, doesn’t eat junk food. But to truly reach these kids—the overwhelming majority of which haven’t come from an upbringing quite like his – he has to put his foot down.
Coach Pastner can’t keep playing Wesley Witherspoon, a senior, because “he knows he has potential” and “heart.” A lot of guys have heart. Heck, just ask the thousands of players around the country who were stars in high school -- with loads of heart -- that aren't playing in college. If heart was all it took, the competitive landscape in basketball would be vastly different. Heck, if heart was all it took, I would have been a Rockette when I grew up. Wesley has been given ample opportunity to prove himself for the team and hasn’t since Pastner’s first season when he made a buzzer beater to take us to the second round of the NIT in 2010.
Coach Pastner can't play a top recruit -- Adonis Thomas-- for 17 minutes of a game (Murray State) when he produces NOTHING. No points, no assists, no rebounds. Nothing. I love Adonis and think he is the real deal, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t a great player, it just means he is having a bad day. we all have them. So be it. If that’s the case, take him out, put him on the bench and don’t play him for nearly half the entire game, for goodness sakes.
Now, I'm not saying Pastner has to be like other coaches and curse out his player in front of a national TV audience. If you have been a reader of my blog, you know who I am talking about.:) But he's got to relate better to these players and get them to listen to him. Sit them on the bench when they blatantly don't do what you have coached them to do. Period.
Another thing, we flat out have to win. We have enough going against us by just being in Conference USA. And we will still be in CUSA, not the Big East, thanks to our fearless AD (who thankfully and finally is retiring in the summer.)
So, what's my point? Sure you've gotta have heart. But also talent. I've battled saying this for three years now, but heart isn't all that's going to cut it with our players, and it isn't going to cut it with our Head Coach, either.
And that’s the Dawn Ray of Sunshine report for today.
