[Matt Velazquez] Postgame notes: Wojo returns practice gear, says time for gimmicks is over

[rocky_warrior]

If the mods started a new thread every time a Scoop thread went off topic, we would have about 1,000 threads created daily with 2-3 posts each.

Plus heisy is just trying to post "most" of Matt's articles in several threads, so he gets around the fair use issues. 

[mu03eng]

Plus heisy is just trying to post "most" of Matt's articles in several threads, so he gets around the fair use issues.

No rest for the wicked eh? 

[mu03eng]

Paint Touches tweeted about it during the game and some of us got into a discussion about it....how do you make a team tougher?

Luke especially but definitely Henry and Haanif seem to be playing like they are expecting to get fouled and get a call....they don't actually have to get a good shot up just the act of shooting will get them a foul called....and in Big East play that doesn't seem to happen.

So how does Wojo make this team tougher, which is a shocking thing to say because that was the one thing I wasn't worried about with a Wojo team.  These guys need to learn to finish through contact and go up strong, not sure they can develop that mid-season.

Might be an unrealized side-effect of a craptacular non-conference schedule.

[MUfan12]

It's mental toughness as much as it is physical. They have lost aggressiveness at times when they haven't gotten calls. Let their heads hang after a turnover, or giving up an offensive rebound. Having offensive struggles bleed into their defensive focus.

Strength wise, MU will be outmatched much of the time this season. They're exacerbating that problem by not staying locked in mentally. I'm hoping the second half on Saturday showed them the level of focus and intensity needed to compete at this level.

One thing I'll add is that it's rare to find freshmen with that type of mental toughness. Takes reps (and losses, most of the time) to build that up. James, Matthews, and McNeal had it, but that's the exception to the rule.

[Dawson Rental]

how do you make a team tougher?

Might be an unrealized side-effect of a craptacular non-conference schedule.

You might be right about the schedule.  Designed to build a young team's confidence, maybe it succeeded too well and led to a team that didn't realize what was going to be required to win in conference.

The easy way to get your team to play tougher is to get an assist from the other team like the Bulls got from Toronto when someone foolishly gave Jimmy Butler a shot in the chops with an elbow.  Lack of respect shown in quotes from future opponents put on the bulletin board can work, too.

Wojo already played the practice uniform gambit, and maybe let it ride too long, leaving him to bring them back after a home loss.  Yelling to the point of embarrassing guys generally works, but only for the short term - when its overused it leads to players tuning a coach out.  (See Scott Skiles)

The only sure way is to recruit toughness, one of the things that Buzz seemed to do well.

The only hope left for this season is that there is latent toughness waiting to emerge from the freshman starters when they lose their sense of being junior members of the team needing to fit in as the season goes on.

Right now I'd have to go with Duane as the guy exhibiting the most leadership and toughness of anyone on the team.  Maybe replacing him in the starting lineup was a mistake for that reason. 

[Dawson Rental]

It's mental toughness as much as it is physical. They have lost aggressiveness at times when they haven't gotten calls. Let their heads hang after a turnover, or giving up an offensive rebound. Having offensive struggles bleed into their defensive focus.

Strength wise, MU will be outmatched much of the time this season. They're exacerbating that problem by not staying locked in mentally. I'm hoping the second half on Saturday showed them the level of focus and intensity needed to compete at this level.

One thing I'll add is that it's rare to find freshmen with that type of mental toughness. Takes reps (and losses, most of the time) to build that up. James, Matthews, and McNeal had it, but that's the exception to the rule.

I agree.  Having freshmen that exhibit true toughness from the get go is a rarity and a great advantage.  Maybe that's a reason for recruiting JUCO's to a young team.

[Eldon]

From MattyV: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/364046461.html

"No more gimmicks [in reference to the white T-shirts], it's time to do work"

I was very disappointed by this comment.  I remember a thread where we were debating whether or not it was fair to call t-shirt/earn-your-practice-gear a gimmick.  I believed then, and still believe now, that  putting the question of gimmickery aside, the coach either commits 100% to the gimmick or don't bother at all.  The worst possible outcome is to start a gimmick, get your team to buy into it, and then actually reveal that you were not genuine the whole time, admitting it was, in fact, a gimmick.

The players bought into it.

While Wojciechowski called it a gimmick to his players on Friday, both Ellenson and Cohen said the team took the stripped down practice wardrobe seriously.

"We definitely bought into it," Cohen said. "It definitely motivated us and more than anything it was a great analogy to show that we really haven't done anything as a team and we need to work every day. We use the analogy 'put money in the bank' because we're poor right now. The white T-shirts and the shorts that was a great analogy. We bought into it."

This is disheartening.  Now that Wojo has actually called it a gimmick, players probably think to themselves "this dude took me to be a sucker...he got us all behind the cause and later revealed that it was nothing but a corny trick"

I have no doubt that the team has lost faith in him as a leader.  Not completely lost faith as to fully turn their backs on him, but I have no doubt that any motivational content from Wojo's speeches from this point forward will be taken with a grain of salt by the players.  And rightfully so.

Simply put, Wojo's comment that the t-shirt rouse was a gimmick, IMO, is a sign of poor leadership.

[jficke13]

Man, go on a bit of a winning streak and this kind of handwringing goes away. Go on a bit of a losing streak and poof, it's back again.

[🏀]

It's not a gimmick? Thought it was the whole time and still do.

gim·mick
ˈɡimik/
noun
a trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or business.
synonyms:   publicity stunt, contrivance, scheme, stratagem, ploy; informalshtick
"the trivia contest was a gimmick to sell more newspapers"

Sounds like a gimmick to me.

[BM1090]

No.

[GGGG]

No.

+1

[mileskishnish72]

Geez, Eldon, lighten up.

[MerrittsMustache]

I have no doubt that the team has lost faith in him as a leader.  Not completely lost faith as to fully turn their backs on him, but I have no doubt that any motivational content from Wojo's speeches from this point forward will be taken with a grain of salt by the players.  And rightfully so.

Coaches coach and players play. Motivational speeches are for the movies.

[willie warrior]

I think the only option at this point is continue to work the inside-outside game.

Unfortunately, the guard play has been the heel of the offensive woes for this team.

The problem with the inside-outside game for us is that once it goes inside, it rarely comes back outside.

[GGGG]

The problem with the inside-outside game for us is that once it goes inside, it rarely comes back outside.

And even when it gets outside, it rarely goes into the basket.

[willie warrior]

From MattyV: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/364046461.html

"No more gimmicks [in reference to the white T-shirts], it's time to do work"

I was very disappointed by this comment.  I remember a thread where we were debating whether or not it was fair to call t-shirt/earn-your-practice-gear a gimmick.  I believed then, and still believe now, that  putting the question of gimmickery aside, the coach either commits 100% to the gimmick or don't bother at all.  The worst possible outcome is to start a gimmick, get your team to buy into it, and then actually reveal that you were not genuine the whole time, admitting it was, in fact, a gimmick.

The players bought into it.

While Wojciechowski called it a gimmick to his players on Friday, both Ellenson and Cohen said the team took the stripped down practice wardrobe seriously.

"We definitely bought into it," Cohen said. "It definitely motivated us and more than anything it was a great analogy to show that we really haven't done anything as a team and we need to work every day. We use the analogy 'put money in the bank' because we're poor right now. The white T-shirts and the shorts that was a great analogy. We bought into it."

This is disheartening.  Now that Wojo has actually called it a gimmick, players probably think to themselves "this dude took me to be a sucker...he got us all behind the cause and later revealed that it was nothing but a corny trick"

I have no doubt that the team has lost faith in him as a leader.  Not completely lost faith as to fully turn their backs on him, but I have no doubt that any motivational content from Wojo's speeches from this point forward will be taken with a grain of salt by the players.  And rightfully so.

Simply put, Wojo's comment that the t-shirt rouse was a gimmick, IMO, is a sign of poor leadership.

Uh oh---Wojo said it was a gimmick? Shades of the phony downhome lonesome cowboy! Except in this case it could be called a motivational technique of the Jersey Tobacco Road urbane cowboy.