In Game: vs. Richmond

[mccabemi]

Kinda feels like we’re off track. Matt is not as good a coach as Bob was when he left. I suspect Bob would say he was a better coach at 60 than 40. Likewise, Matt has never run a basketball program before and is doing it all for the first time. Many would prefer to come up with alternative explanations about why we can’t be successful in the new regime. The simplest and most likely explanation for our current and relative mediocrity is that Matt was not ready from day 1. In the beginning of the season Matt touted the fact that we had lost many very close games the previous season as a reason for optimism. More likely, those few possessions that determine games are the difference a very good coach can make. Bob took years to find his footing at Davidson. I suspect Matt will also have years to find his footing. Not the least of which is because Clunie is Matt’s friend and probably owes much of his own career success to Bob. So Matt’s leash will be long no matter the wins and losses. In the meantime I’m rooting for .500 in the A-10 and hoping we can continue to develop the players we have and the players to come. Certainly there is a core that could put something together by year 4 after Bob. We can all hope a run comes sooner. A better hope would be to wish the crew stays together. Davidson basketball has always been about building something special amidst a system stacked against us. If there is any continuity from bringing Matt aboard let’s hope it’s that.

[ScootCat]

Matt is certainly learning as he goes, but poor three point shooting and/or inability to get good open looks is the biggest problem I see. That, plus the lack of a legit post game to free up the three. All these can be fixed by recruiting players who can do each of those things well.

[bagelcat]

We also lack quickness and athleticism, relative to other A10 teams. That was true under Bob, and is probably a reality of our circumstances.

We've lost our share of close games this year and last (see GW and Richmond, where we led by 3 with the ball and 2 with the ball with 40 some seconds left to play). Sometimes, it's just bad luck or someone not making a play. It's not always (or mostly) the coach's fault.

Against GW, Kochera, a good FT shooter, missed a one and one FT opportunity in those last 40 seconds. If he makes the FTs, we win.
Against Richmond, Grant misses a layup that's down in the basket and Skogman's tip goes in and out as well.

We would be lookng at things much differently if we had won both of those games. We pulled out a couple of close non-conf wins, and things have a way of evening out.

[wildforthecats]

I suspect Bob would say he was a better coach at 60 than 40...............AGREE. And Matt is better at 40 than Bob was in 1990.

The simplest and most likely explanation for our current and relative mediocrity is that Matt was not ready from day 1............TOTALLY DISAGREE

[ScootCat]

Matt knows more about coaching basketball than anyone of us on this board. He will be fine.

[i77cat]

Matt is way better than his father at a similar point in careers. And probably better than his father was 10 years in. He had a long apprenticeship and has excellent folks around him. If he gets players, he'll do fine. But the landscape of college basketball is much more challenging than it was for Bob.

[Cat Forever]

I guess we're ignoring the fact that Bob was a very successful HS coach in the New York area for many years prior to his Davidson career. Bob inherited a 7-24 team and went 22-8 in his 5th season at Davidson. Matt inherited a team that had gone 27-7 and had had 21 consecutive winning seasons. A little different kind of program than in 1989 ...

Matt is smart and knows basketball. He will do fine. But I wouldn't say as well or better than his dad yet.

[TOK]

This season and last, the program lost a significant 3 years player to the pros. Each would have made an all-conference team had they stayed for a 4th year. That only happened once before in my time following Davidson hoops, when Steph left. I know we can say that the portal allowed Davidson to backfill in ways we couldn't before, but I would have taken a senior year for Lee over what we got from either Connor or Skog last year and would take a 4th year from Sam over what we are getting from either Brizzi or Jarvis.

It is hard to replace a Hall of Fame coach, but had Bob coached last season, there was still going to be a significant drop off from the prior season.

[Cat Forever]

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[RichmondCat]

This season and last, the program lost a significant 3 years player to the pros. Each would have made an all-conference team had they stayed for a 4th year. That only happened once before in my time following Davidson hoops, when Steph left. I know we can say that the portal allowed Davidson to backfill in ways we couldn't before, but I would have taken a senior year for Lee over what we got from either Connor or Skog last year and would take a 4th year from Sam over what we are getting from either Brizzi or Jarvis.

It is hard to replace a Hall of Fame coach, but had Bob coached last season, there was still going to be a significant drop off from the prior season.

This is very true. And, we are a bit hamstrung by not being able to recruit grad transfers. Put Jordan King on Davidson and Davidson would likely be near the top of the conference. We have some built-in disadvantages but I trust we will find a way to succeed despite them as we always have.

[Cat Forever]

I'd give Matt a pass on last year due to loss of a couple of very good players. But his difficult situation pales in comparison to Davidson's situation when Bob took over in the midst of Davidson's ill-advised sojourn as an independent which came close to destroying the program. Terry Holland saved us from that and Bob's good work got the program back onto firm footing. Their work was a near miracle considering what the program was facing in 1989

[CatsRom]

This season and last, the program lost a significant 3 years player to the pros. Each would have made an all-conference team had they stayed for a 4th year. That only happened once before in my time following Davidson hoops, when Steph left. I know we can say that the portal allowed Davidson to backfill in ways we couldn't before, but I would have taken a senior year for Lee over what we got from either Connor or Skog last year and would take a 4th year from Sam over what we are getting from either Brizzi or Jarvis.

It is hard to replace a Hall of Fame coach, but had Bob coached last season, there was still going to be a significant drop off from the prior season.

This! As a new davidson fan starting in 2021 by way of my inlaws, losing Lee and Sam early, when the program is built to reap the rewards of 4 year development (recently Luka, Grant, Etc) is brutal.

[i77cat]

Coaching isn't our problem.

[mccabemi]

I recently asked a soccer coach if he had any luck over the weekend with his games. He replied, “no luck.” After moment of silence I said, “I’m sorry.” He then said, “It was all hard work. The boys dominated. No luck.”

Foul shooting. Finding an open player for 3. Recruiting a player. Losing a player. Getting stronger. Building confidence. Having good shooting teams. Grabbing a rebound. Building team cohesion. All of it. The really good coaches probably feel a similar way about luck.

[85Wildcatsky]

This season and last, the program lost a significant 3 years player to the pros. Each would have made an all-conference team had they stayed for a 4th year. That only happened once before in my time following Davidson hoops, when Steph left. I know we can say that the portal allowed Davidson to backfill in ways we couldn't before, but I would have taken a senior year for Lee over what we got from either Connor or Skog last year and would take a 4th year from Sam over what we are getting from either Brizzi or Jarvis.

It is hard to replace a Hall of Fame coach, but had Bob coached last season, there was still going to be a significant drop off from the prior season.

This is very true. And, we are a bit hamstrung by not being able to recruit grad transfers. Put Jordan King on Davidson and Davidson would likely be near the top of the conference. We have some built-in disadvantages but I trust we will find a way to succeed despite them as we always have.

Sure recruiting grad transfers is a problem but I would be happy with keeping our own grad players. Mike Jones' 3 point shot would have made a big diference last year and this year. Kellan and Boachi would not have hurt the roster either.