Wedge Antilles
12-02-2007, 04:30 PM
Okay before we get going on this I will say I am an ardent Odom supporter. I do believe our program is better off now then when he got here, we lacked serious talent and there was serious lethargy toward our program before Fogler left from the fan base and athletic department and now there at least seems to be some life aroudn the program even if it is int he negative in wanting to get rid of Odom and see are program make a steady rise. So I am saying even if he didnt mean to, Odom has galvenized the fan base.
All that being said I agree that if we finish below .500 with another abysmal SEC record firing him would not be without cause. I, however, have agreed with keeping him this season. You can argue over the NIT's and all that but it did bring us some national recognition playing on Nationla TV that much as well as beating quality teams and playing in the Garden helped increase our fan base. Also showing some continuity in the program is helpful rather than just firing a coach and bringing in someone new all the time.
Now I am clearl not happy with how things have turned out this season, we should have won those two games in Disney and should have showed more heart and desire yesterday, not because it was our rival (I am not big into all that rivalry crap) but because it was a quality opponent on the road and a game that could have helped our confidence.
But the question I have is what does firing Dave Odom right now do? How many times do you fire a college hoops coach during the season? Who would you replace him with immediately, one of his assitants? Well how would that be much different? So again I ask can we talk about the things relative to the current game rather than all play Eric Hyman on the internet. Can't we wait until seasons ends to evaluate that and then play Eric Hyman.
Lastly, obviously some of it has to fall on the shoulders of the coach but there were plenty of mistakes that fall directly ont he players and I am unsure what the coach can do about it. Here are some examples from last nights game:
David Potter takes the ball from the wing drives it right in the middle of the lane on Evka "O'lay" Baniulis, he shoots (no contest by Evka) then the ball hits the back rim and comes straight back toward them, Potter simply runs around Evka and grabs the rebound and puts it back in. That whole play is Evka's fault has nothing to do with coaching
Later in the first half Evka was guarding a dead eye 3 pt shooter, Oglesby, when Oglesby goes off of a flare screen, which Dave Odom and his staff teach player to go over the top of the screen and force the guy wide. What does Evka do, he goes under the screen and gets caught and Oglesby hits the three, a player again not executing what he has been properly taught to do.
Rebound comes off and the big guys are tipping it around, the ball rolls toward SC's bench, Zam stands there and watches the ball as his man runs from 10 feet behind him and grabs the loose bal right in front of Zam and Zam fouls him. Again, not a coaching problem, a lack of effort problem, a lack of wanting it bad enough problem. By the way that was one of the ZERO rebounds Zam got in 36 minutes of play.
Ona ballscreen one time our big guys are supposed to switch there men, but Mike Holmes runs with his man and Sam runs back to Mikes man also and the fire the ball under the basket and Booker dunks it. Much like the first play of the second half, where Muldrow wasnt guarding anyone as Sykes walks int he lane and dunks the ball.
That is all on the players shoulders, sorry I just can't blame the coach for that lack of execution and desire.
All that being said I agree that if we finish below .500 with another abysmal SEC record firing him would not be without cause. I, however, have agreed with keeping him this season. You can argue over the NIT's and all that but it did bring us some national recognition playing on Nationla TV that much as well as beating quality teams and playing in the Garden helped increase our fan base. Also showing some continuity in the program is helpful rather than just firing a coach and bringing in someone new all the time.
Now I am clearl not happy with how things have turned out this season, we should have won those two games in Disney and should have showed more heart and desire yesterday, not because it was our rival (I am not big into all that rivalry crap) but because it was a quality opponent on the road and a game that could have helped our confidence.
But the question I have is what does firing Dave Odom right now do? How many times do you fire a college hoops coach during the season? Who would you replace him with immediately, one of his assitants? Well how would that be much different? So again I ask can we talk about the things relative to the current game rather than all play Eric Hyman on the internet. Can't we wait until seasons ends to evaluate that and then play Eric Hyman.
Lastly, obviously some of it has to fall on the shoulders of the coach but there were plenty of mistakes that fall directly ont he players and I am unsure what the coach can do about it. Here are some examples from last nights game:
David Potter takes the ball from the wing drives it right in the middle of the lane on Evka "O'lay" Baniulis, he shoots (no contest by Evka) then the ball hits the back rim and comes straight back toward them, Potter simply runs around Evka and grabs the rebound and puts it back in. That whole play is Evka's fault has nothing to do with coaching
Later in the first half Evka was guarding a dead eye 3 pt shooter, Oglesby, when Oglesby goes off of a flare screen, which Dave Odom and his staff teach player to go over the top of the screen and force the guy wide. What does Evka do, he goes under the screen and gets caught and Oglesby hits the three, a player again not executing what he has been properly taught to do.
Rebound comes off and the big guys are tipping it around, the ball rolls toward SC's bench, Zam stands there and watches the ball as his man runs from 10 feet behind him and grabs the loose bal right in front of Zam and Zam fouls him. Again, not a coaching problem, a lack of effort problem, a lack of wanting it bad enough problem. By the way that was one of the ZERO rebounds Zam got in 36 minutes of play.
Ona ballscreen one time our big guys are supposed to switch there men, but Mike Holmes runs with his man and Sam runs back to Mikes man also and the fire the ball under the basket and Booker dunks it. Much like the first play of the second half, where Muldrow wasnt guarding anyone as Sykes walks int he lane and dunks the ball.
That is all on the players shoulders, sorry I just can't blame the coach for that lack of execution and desire.