When do the players take ownership?????

[Texas Western]

I think when Luke comes back it will cut deeper into Cohen's time. With Luke at the 5 we will see the following:

PG: Carlino and The Wilsons
SG: Carlino, Duane and JJJ
SF: Juan, JJJ, Burton
PF:  Taylor and Burton
C:  Fisher and Taylor

I agree with you. This will enable everyone to get a decent amount of minutes.

[Loose Cannon]

Wojo has improved with his rotations in getting his best players the most playing time. 

He's tried a zone.  He's sped up the tempo a little.  He's got Burton understanding what he has to do to stay on the court.  His point guards are having big games finally.

HOWEVER at what point do the players start to take ownership of the program too?

*Every single player on MSU last night shot at or over 50% from the field.....unheard of!  Almost all of them where from the outside so lose the lame "we have no size right now argument" for every malady this team shows.  At what point do the players pick up the slack and get on each other for all the breakdowns?  Where is a captain telling the team to wake the F up if Valentine gets one more wide open look?

*How many near steals/rebounds does MU lose only to have MSU then capitalize on them with their own two points before the players get as mad as the fans?  I counted five lost/fumbled steals that MSU then scored 2 points on....that's 5 four point swings and was essentially the difference in the game.  At what point do the players competitive instincts kick and demand more of themselves? 

**Most of our team are 2nd tier stud recruit sophomores that should be making huge steps up now as the tier 1 stud freshmen from last year in their class are now in the NBA.  Kentucky plays all freshmen every year and their players play with more basketball IQ than MU does with 18 months of Div. I coaching/experience. 

***In summary players need to stop second guessing themselves and play with more conviction and confidence.  The first couple game jitters should be over now and I expect to see the players start to realize their potential which they've only shown small glimpses of thus far.  Players are now learning what to expect from rotation, roles, etc.  You have a young coach so it's up to the players to have two way lines of communication on what they think is holding them back if anything from taking the next step.  Finally players need to police themselves too.  If you conditioning is an issue with the bad defense then run voluntarily after practice! 

****There is no reason why this team should be playing in the big dance in March as talent is not the issue!!  I expect a MU victory over Tennessee tomorrow!!!

+10