MUScoop
MUScoop => Hangin' at the Al => Topic started by: warthog-driver on December 23, 2009, 03:25:59 AM
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Just a recollection. If you think back to the last days of Deane and the aftermath of his departure there was a lot of venom directed at him as a coach and as a man. These were all detailed on the old Rivals site - his inabilty or unwillingness to recruit, taunting opposing fans, his drinking binges and associated poor behavior, womanizing, etc...Tanned Tommy, at that time, was held up as the breath of fresh air - young, energetic, invigorating. One of the very first changes he did was image-related - he had all the guys kit out in khaki slacks with polos and blue blazers. A small detail but illustrative of a leader who understands the power of public perception. Over time there emerged a different view of the man, centered mainly on his ego and narcissism. Traumatic and dramatic events often skew recollection. I guess a question would be was Deane really the boorish, lazy person he was made out to be and is Crean so self-absorbed that it has affected his coaching performance and contributed to the perception that he is such an arrogant ass?
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Another question would be, what does "stream of consciousness" mean?
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1) Deane and staff couldn't recruit the top-tier players. Thus affecting the program's lifeblood. Lovette was a helluva player but you can only go so far with a Lovette.
2) Crean could recruit. No doubt about it. But I think he rested his laurels on the 2002-03 Final Four. The three amigos were his but he could never complete the puzzle, so to speak, by getting dominant big men. And yes...just like Gore invented the internet, Crean was the self-appointed messiah of MU hoops. For the turn around of the program, I think people thank him. For leaving his players before their senior season and not having the balls to tell them first (ESPN did), yeah...that's what changed the view of Crean. At least, for me.
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1) Deane and staff couldn't recruit the top-tier players. Thus affecting the program's lifeblood. Lovette was a helluva player but you can only go so far with a Lovette.
2) Crean could recruit. No doubt about it. But I think he rested his laurels on the 2002-03 Final Four. The three amigos were his but he could never complete the puzzle, so to speak, by getting dominant big men. And yes...just like Gore invented the internet, Crean was the self-appointed messiah of MU hoops. For the turn around of the program, I think people thank him. For leaving his players before their senior season and not having the balls to tell them first (ESPN did), yeah...that's what changed the view of Crean. At least, for me.
I agree with most of what you have said, but one thing to keep in mind:
Add Tyshawn Taylor, Mbakwe, Nick Williams, and Scott Christopherson to last years roster, and I think that's a really talented team. It's hard to say "he rested on his laurels" when you look at that roster. Certainly he had his issues, but he assembled a pretty good team.
Now, I have no idea how this team actually would have done, but there are a lot of good players on here.
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I agree with most of what you have said, but one thing to keep in mind:
Add Tyshawn Taylor, Mbakwe, Nick Williams, and Scott Christopherson to last years roster, and I think that's a really talented team. It's hard to say "he rested on his laurels" when you look at that roster. Certainly he had his issues, but he assembled a pretty good team.
Now, I have no idea how this team actually would have done, but there are a lot of good players on here.
But then you still have no height. Had those guys been here, Jimmy would not. Neither would Liam, not that he was able to have much of an impact. There's also another guy that wouldn't be on the team if all 4 of those guys actually did play for us last year. Who loses his schollie? Acker, Cubie? Take away injuries and last years team is just as good if not better because of the more even dispersion of scholarships. Last year with those 4 guys, we would have most definitely been playing 5 guards or 4 and Zar.