10-16-2009, 09:34 AM
and women's teams. Hardest part for freshmen is coming out of a high school situation where they've probably been one of the big stars, and getting their tail chewed when they make freshman mistakes.
I think the coaches really make it tougher on the new kids to see how they respond to harsh criticism. And hopefully make them mentally tougher so that when they go into hostile arenas, they aren't intimidated. If they can survive a little boot camp treatment in practice, some fans booing them on the road shouldn't phase them. That's why very few freshmen make an impact in our program. We aren't signing the LaBron James and Kobe Bryants. We're signing good mid major players, but most are not ready to step in and star at this level for at least part of a year. My perception is that the coaches are not as tough on the juco transfers, because they have two seasons of college ball, and have already experienced tough road games.
I don't mean they pamper them, and they will get on them, but not quite as harsh as on the younger players. I don't know if that's on purpose or just my imagination. Anyway, that's why we win a lot of games against teams with superior talent because Steve toughens our guys up so they are able to shut out some of the distractions on the road.
In the only practice I've seen Steve conduct this year, he seemed to be a little more mellow in giving instructions, and was really doing a good job teaching in a fairly calm manner. I'll be interested in seeing if that continues to be a new pattern. I'll tell you this. He will get their attention if they're not doing what they've been taught. And his discipline that he teaches helps our kids to over achieve most of the time.
With that said, I believe he has more talent than he is used to having, so he could have players that learn more quickly how to execute his style of play, so he won't have to get on them as much. Believe me, it will be interesting.
I think the coaches really make it tougher on the new kids to see how they respond to harsh criticism. And hopefully make them mentally tougher so that when they go into hostile arenas, they aren't intimidated. If they can survive a little boot camp treatment in practice, some fans booing them on the road shouldn't phase them. That's why very few freshmen make an impact in our program. We aren't signing the LaBron James and Kobe Bryants. We're signing good mid major players, but most are not ready to step in and star at this level for at least part of a year. My perception is that the coaches are not as tough on the juco transfers, because they have two seasons of college ball, and have already experienced tough road games.
I don't mean they pamper them, and they will get on them, but not quite as harsh as on the younger players. I don't know if that's on purpose or just my imagination. Anyway, that's why we win a lot of games against teams with superior talent because Steve toughens our guys up so they are able to shut out some of the distractions on the road.
In the only practice I've seen Steve conduct this year, he seemed to be a little more mellow in giving instructions, and was really doing a good job teaching in a fairly calm manner. I'll be interested in seeing if that continues to be a new pattern. I'll tell you this. He will get their attention if they're not doing what they've been taught. And his discipline that he teaches helps our kids to over achieve most of the time.
With that said, I believe he has more talent than he is used to having, so he could have players that learn more quickly how to execute his style of play, so he won't have to get on them as much. Believe me, it will be interesting.