Wofford's Young a Candidate?

[EastHallApp]

I think Coach Young's family situation, like others have said, make this a long shot.

I like Coach Young and think he would do a great job at App. My concern is that his style of basketball is not particularly exciting. Similarly to their football program it's based around defense. 20 win seasons when a team is scoring 60 points is not going to get people from down the mountain driving up for a basketball game.

Yeah, it would really be depressing to see us employ a style of play similar to Virginia.
I tell you what would be exciting for me--winning games. And as long as we run a clean program, I don't particularly care how it gets done. And I would be willing to bet that a helluva lot of App fans would agree with me, and plant their fannies in the Holmes Center.

Actually, yes, Virginia's style of play is pretty boring. Of course it's fine when they're winning the ACC and getting a #1 seed, but that hasn't been the norm for them.

And by the way, Young's teams don't just play slow, they are pretty bad at offense. When they win, it's because of defense. Which is fine, it's just not very entertaining IMO.

Obviously we all want to win. But all things being equal, I think it would be preferable to play an entertaining style as well.

[appgrad]

Similar style to Bo Ryan at Wisconsin, right? It's worked out pretty well for them.

[Appsolutley]

I think Coach Young's family situation, like others have said, make this a long shot.

I like Coach Young and think he would do a great job at App. My concern is that his style of basketball is not particularly exciting. Similarly to their football program it's based around defense. 20 win seasons when a team is scoring 60 points is not going to get people from down the mountain driving up for a basketball game.

Yeah, it would really be depressing to see us employ a style of play similar to Virginia.
I tell you what would be exciting for me--winning games. And as long as we run a clean program, I don't particularly care how it gets done. And I would be willing to bet that a helluva lot of App fans would agree with me, and plant their fannies in the Holmes Center.

Actually, yes, Virginia's style of play is pretty boring. Of course it's fine when they're winning the ACC and getting a #1 seed, but that hasn't been the norm for them.

And by the way, Young's teams don't just play slow, they are pretty bad at offense. When they win, it's because of defense. Which is fine, it's just not very entertaining IMO.

Obviously we all want to win. But all things being equal, I think it would be preferable to play an entertaining style as well.

Boring? I find the no-defense playing NBA boring. So, to each his own. I am entertained by teams who play like a team--not a bunch of one-on-one prima donnas who can't shoot foul shots, only play defense when it suits them and never saw a three pointer they wouldn't take.

[WVAPPeer]

Similar style to Bo Ryan at Wisconsin, right? It's worked out pretty well for them.

Not really true for Wisconsin this season - they actually play very good offense and have some true weapons on the offensive side ---

[app97]

those who appreciate the nuances of the game should appreciate the way UVa, Wisconsin, etc. play . Ball movement, cuts, less dribbling, more passing, shot fakes, good defense, and basically being mentally tougher than the opponent. Wofford has won through defense, mainly. But, defense creates turnovers and offense. Mike Young probably had to play a certain style because he doesn't necessarily recruit at the "talent" level of some of the other schools. But, he gets a lot out of his players. The Terriers have by far the best defense in the Socon year after year.

[appgrad]

Right...but they still play a lot of slow down, half-court offense

[asu66]

Right...but they still play a lot of slow down, half-court offense

Wofford teams have been to more NCAA tourneys in the last five years than ASU in its entire basketball-playing history. That a hard fact to dodge! Impossible, in fact!

[hapapp]

Right...but they still play a lot of slow down, half-court offense

Wofford teams have been to more NCAA tourneys in the last five years than ASU in its entire basketball-playing history. That a hard fact to dodge! Impossible, in fact!

I wonder sometimes if our fans are really aware of the history of ASU basketball. We need to find a coach who can bring some stability to our program and do it the right way. The style he adopts is secondary. I don't know if Young is the best choice but whether he wins by playing defense as opposed to a run and gun style is less important to me.

[JTApps1]

Right...but they still play a lot of slow down, half-court offense

Wofford teams have been to more NCAA tourneys in the last five years than ASU in its entire basketball-playing history. That a hard fact to dodge! Impossible, in fact!

That stings a little!!! To make matters worse they've been D-1 for less than half as many years as App.

[asu66]

Right...but they still play a lot of slow down, half-court offense

Wofford teams have been to more NCAA tourneys in the last five years than ASU in its entire basketball-playing history. That a hard fact to dodge! Impossible, in fact!

That stings a little!!! To make matters worse they've been D-1 for less than half as many years as App.

Not too shabby for a *gulp* football school!

[hapapp]

Chuck, I know you have counseled patience but we are now into the fourth week of the process. It seems we should be in the process of making a decision. It suggests to me that perhaps we are having some difficulty in finding the right guy or that we can't find someone who is interested that matches what we are looking for in our next coach. Most everyone has stopped playing now so I would think it is time for this process to come to a close. Our vacancy was one of the very first to open up and yet others have been able to fill theirs. I certainly hope this long wait is an indication that we have many to chose from but I fear it may be the opposite.

[EastHallApp]

I think Coach Young's family situation, like others have said, make this a long shot.

I like Coach Young and think he would do a great job at App. My concern is that his style of basketball is not particularly exciting. Similarly to their football program it's based around defense. 20 win seasons when a team is scoring 60 points is not going to get people from down the mountain driving up for a basketball game.

Yeah, it would really be depressing to see us employ a style of play similar to Virginia.
I tell you what would be exciting for me--winning games. And as long as we run a clean program, I don't particularly care how it gets done. And I would be willing to bet that a helluva lot of App fans would agree with me, and plant their fannies in the Holmes Center.

Actually, yes, Virginia's style of play is pretty boring. Of course it's fine when they're winning the ACC and getting a #1 seed, but that hasn't been the norm for them.

And by the way, Young's teams don't just play slow, they are pretty bad at offense. When they win, it's because of defense. Which is fine, it's just not very entertaining IMO.

Obviously we all want to win. But all things being equal, I think it would be preferable to play an entertaining style as well.

Boring? I find the no-defense playing NBA boring. So, to each his own. I am entertained by teams who play like a team--not a bunch of one-on-one prima donnas who can't shoot foul shots, only play defense when it suits them and never saw a three pointer they wouldn't take.

Important to distinguish between playing good/bad defense (or offense) and tempo. A team can play a slow tempo and still be good at offense (Wisconsin being exhibit A, at least this season).

Conversely, you can play a fast tempo and still play good defense (see Louisville or VCU).

Young's teams have tended to play very slow AND be relatively poor offensively, but strong defensively.

I know of no correlation between playing a fast tempo and poor FT shooting, overreliance on 3 pointers, or not passing the ball enough. Indeed, I would guess that teams that rely too much on 1-on-1 play tend to be relatively slow-tempo, as it takes a while to set up the isolation, try to set up a defender, and then go shot-hunting.

[wataugan03]

Boring? I find the no-defense playing NBA boring. So, to each his own. I am entertained by teams who play like a team--not a bunch of one-on-one prima donnas who can't shoot foul shots, only play defense when it suits them and never saw a three pointer they wouldn't take.

I think if you watch the NBA with an open mind you wwill see that they are using more complicated defensive systems than college teams and are executing them better. NBA defense really is amazing. And these days there are very few teams that are just running isolations and pick and rolls. The ball movement and screening is also fantastic. They do shoot a lot of 3's, but only because they've learned that after layups and free-throws, threes are the most efficient shots.

[huskie3]

All this worrying about Young's family moving to Boone, who says they have to move with him? I know of several coaches who move to the new school while family stays home. They work it out. After all most BBall coaches are not on campus that much during off-season (recruiting, clinics, recruiting). It's the Operations person that handles the majority of the day-to-day duties and keeps the coaches informed.

[wataugan03]

UNCW released the details of Keatts contract. I assume we're looking at spending a little less. I'm sure there are side negotiations for salaries of assistants and support staff, budget, etc.

http://dubhub.blogs.starnewsonline.com/ ... -contract/

[Appsolutley]

I think Coach Young's family situation, like others have said, make this a long shot.

I like Coach Young and think he would do a great job at App. My concern is that his style of basketball is not particularly exciting. Similarly to their football program it's based around defense. 20 win seasons when a team is scoring 60 points is not going to get people from down the mountain driving up for a basketball game.

Yeah, it would really be depressing to see us employ a style of play similar to Virginia.
I tell you what would be exciting for me--winning games. And as long as we run a clean program, I don't particularly care how it gets done. And I would be willing to bet that a helluva lot of App fans would agree with me, and plant their fannies in the Holmes Center.

Actually, yes, Virginia's style of play is pretty boring. Of course it's fine when they're winning the ACC and getting a #1 seed, but that hasn't been the norm for them.

And by the way, Young's teams don't just play slow, they are pretty bad at offense. When they win, it's because of defense. Which is fine, it's just not very entertaining IMO.

Obviously we all want to win. But all things being equal, I think it would be preferable to play an entertaining style as well.

Boring? I find the no-defense playing NBA boring. So, to each his own. I am entertained by teams who play like a team--not a bunch of one-on-one prima donnas who can't shoot foul shots, only play defense when it suits them and never saw a three pointer they wouldn't take.

Important to distinguish between playing good/bad defense (or offense) and tempo. A team can play a slow tempo and still be good at offense (Wisconsin being exhibit A, at least this season).

Conversely, you can play a fast tempo and still play good defense (see Louisville or VCU).

Young's teams have tended to play very slow AND be relatively poor offensively, but strong defensively.

I know of no correlation between playing a fast tempo and poor FT shooting, overreliance on 3 pointers, or not passing the ball enough. Indeed, I would guess that teams that rely too much on 1-on-1 play tend to be relatively slow-tempo, as it takes a while to set up the isolation, try to set up a defender, and then go shot-hunting.

Young coaches at a 1600-student college with strong academics. Has it ever occurred to anybody that he has to take the players he is able to recruit and employ a style that best utilizes the talent he is able to bring in? The best coaches, IMO, are able to take what they have in terms of player ability and make it work. In another situation, he might employ an offensive style that is totally different.

And lest anybody misunderstands my posts, I am not campaigning for Young to get the job. But to think that hiring somebody who will have to deal with a program that has hit rock bottom and has APR and discipline issues ought to depend on whether he runs an exciting offense seems short-sighted to me. And I don't buy for one minute that running an offensive style that is "boring" would squelch interest in the program. If we start winning games, fannies will return to seats.

[asu66]

All this worrying about Young's family moving to Boone, who says they have to move with him? I know of several coaches who move to the new school while family stays home. They work it out. After all most BBall coaches are not on campus that much during off-season (recruiting, clinics, recruiting). It's the Operations person that handles the majority of the day-to-day duties and keeps the coaches informed.

You are right, of course. But in a small community like Boone, tradition is still the by-word. That and the memory of how Buzz "worked it out" just four short years ago. He did the borrowed condo/commuter coach thing for a few months on the promise to buy a home and move back to The High Country. He did finally move--from Charlotte back to the family's Myrtle Beach home and commuted to UNC-W daily from there.

[asutrnr81]

Winning = fans in seats= hAPPiness!

[asu66]

Chuck, I know you have counseled patience but we are now into the fourth week of the process. It seems we should be in the process of making a decision. It suggests to me that perhaps we are having some difficulty in finding the right guy or that we can't find someone who is interested that matches what we are looking for in our next coach. Most everyone has stopped playing now so I would think it is time for this process to come to a close. Our vacancy was one of the very first to open up and yet others have been able to fill theirs. I certainly hope this long wait is an indication that we have many to chose from but I fear it may be the opposite.

I'm starting to question my own advice, Jerry. I convinced myself this process would go into next week and that it would be OK for that to happen. Then, I thought DBaucom looked out of his element last night. His team didn't respond to a tremendous opportunity at home and on TV. Baucom's off my list!

And now, these off the wall names show up today. LaRue and Brunt. And word from an avowed insider that some candidates have had more than one interview.

I'm officially concerned. Is Charlie planning to operate a Sunbelt program on a D-II budget? If so, Baucom or LaRue are about the best he can hope for. And if so, we can stop worrying about post-season eligibility. We won't make it to the Sunbelt tourney; much less the NCAAs. That's my *Type A worrier* knee-jerk reaction to the last 24 hours.

[ASUPATCH]

Don't look now but the Murray State racers are in the CIT finals. Don't they have a coach with a familiar name to App?