after all the years of frustration. I know some other longsuffering folks here feel the same way, but they are tougher than me and won't cry. And don't get me wrong. We've had some good and and a couple very good coaches over the decades. But, I can say that I have had issues with every one of them, at some point, about who they were playing, or not playing. It began with Rosemond and how he used Barry Cohen, Lanny and me for that matter. Guthrie with Charlie Dorsey and Jo Jo Hicks. Durham with Shaun Golden in particular and Lem Howard. Harrick and Jirsa with Robb Dryden. Tubby with Tubby Jr.. Mark Fox with Kenny Gaines and J.J early on and Kessler and others later. Crean with Crump. I'm sure there are other examples , but you smell my drift.
As a player and coach, I made my bones playing any defense that worked at any particular time. But, I began in HS under a great mtm defensive coach Roger Couch. But, he used zone as needed. And as my ol partner Munson would say " my god Herb the defenses". Rosemond and Guthrie were kind of old school and mixed it up ok. Hugh once told me in a pre-game show when I asked him about playing zone "HUURRB, if you play zone, you're just telling the other team you can't guard them man to man. A couple of responses came to mind, but I bit my tongue and kept my job a few more years. Felton pretty much would not play, or hardly at all, any zone even though he had many of the worst athletes in UGA BB history. Harrick mixed it up a bit. Fox thought he was a good defensive coach and he tried to stress that to anyone who'd listen. But, I was never truly impressed with his team's defense. They could never get the big stop when they needed it and they played at such a slow, agonizing pace the D #s seemed good. The last few years with Crean were a nightmare and an insult to the game imo.
Now comes CMW. I admit I was a bit concerned. I had wanted him bad after he kicked our tail in the NIT. But, his last couple years at UF seemed less than stellar. Had he changed, or had I misjudged him? Or maybe injuries to key players was a big factor. Anyway, at this moment, I could not be more pleased and hopeful for the future with the job he is doing. It is evident he knew who he wanted to keep and the kind of players he wanted to attract from the portal. He, and his staff, have done as well as anyone could have hoped, imo, of making this group of disparate players, talents and skills and molded them into a very competitive, enjoyable team to watch and support. No prima donas, no selfish types, no drama on the sidelines and an open, relaxed and fun persona that translates to how his team is playing. To this point the most I have had as far as a feeling about players minutes have been a mild wondering if we shouldn't put Jabri in for some scoring help and I would like to see Ingram minutes increase. He has shown he is willing to change his defense as needed and has used several different zones. Basically, his in-game coaching has allowed me to relax and enjoy, as much as I can, watching the games. I was a lot more nervous for our game with Auburn than the bowl game. Getting off to a good start in conference play against a strong opponent is everything I could have wished for at this point. And we beat them at their own game...tough D.
Of course it's subject to change, but I have strong feeling things are going to be a whole lot different for us going forward.
As a player and coach, I made my bones playing any defense that worked at any particular time. But, I began in HS under a great mtm defensive coach Roger Couch. But, he used zone as needed. And as my ol partner Munson would say " my god Herb the defenses". Rosemond and Guthrie were kind of old school and mixed it up ok. Hugh once told me in a pre-game show when I asked him about playing zone "HUURRB, if you play zone, you're just telling the other team you can't guard them man to man. A couple of responses came to mind, but I bit my tongue and kept my job a few more years. Felton pretty much would not play, or hardly at all, any zone even though he had many of the worst athletes in UGA BB history. Harrick mixed it up a bit. Fox thought he was a good defensive coach and he tried to stress that to anyone who'd listen. But, I was never truly impressed with his team's defense. They could never get the big stop when they needed it and they played at such a slow, agonizing pace the D #s seemed good. The last few years with Crean were a nightmare and an insult to the game imo.
Now comes CMW. I admit I was a bit concerned. I had wanted him bad after he kicked our tail in the NIT. But, his last couple years at UF seemed less than stellar. Had he changed, or had I misjudged him? Or maybe injuries to key players was a big factor. Anyway, at this moment, I could not be more pleased and hopeful for the future with the job he is doing. It is evident he knew who he wanted to keep and the kind of players he wanted to attract from the portal. He, and his staff, have done as well as anyone could have hoped, imo, of making this group of disparate players, talents and skills and molded them into a very competitive, enjoyable team to watch and support. No prima donas, no selfish types, no drama on the sidelines and an open, relaxed and fun persona that translates to how his team is playing. To this point the most I have had as far as a feeling about players minutes have been a mild wondering if we shouldn't put Jabri in for some scoring help and I would like to see Ingram minutes increase. He has shown he is willing to change his defense as needed and has used several different zones. Basically, his in-game coaching has allowed me to relax and enjoy, as much as I can, watching the games. I was a lot more nervous for our game with Auburn than the bowl game. Getting off to a good start in conference play against a strong opponent is everything I could have wished for at this point. And we beat them at their own game...tough D.
Of course it's subject to change, but I have strong feeling things are going to be a whole lot different for us going forward.
