MGB late night hoops rewind: MTSU 86, UNT 64

[Brett Vito]

MGB: UNT has lost three straight after falling at Middle Tennessee with game at UAB looming

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2016/01/late-night-hoops-rewind-middle-tennessee-86-unt-64.html/

[UNT90]

Benford on MTSU - "really tough inside"

They didn't start a player taller than 6'8".

Four years and still waiting for a legitimate college basketball coach.

[Harry]

Again we are a poor shooting team.  We are a turnover machine. Our defense is porous.  Jeremy Combs is a terrifically player but the teams we play know this and put all their attention on him.  We have no bench.  I listened to the Muts broadcast last night and they were appalled at the lack of organization and just street ball mentality we showed.  I keep hoping things will turn around but barring some unforeseen changes this team is the same type of team we have seen the last several years.

[edcollopy]

you're right Harry...we have more offensive imagination in my old man leagues than unt does.  Really sad to watch.  Also shows how difficult it is to find shooters.  I'm a referee and i've stopped being amazed at the poor shooting from the outside in every game.

[greenit]

Benny really seems to have no plan when it comes to the game.  We saw this early on and numerous people have commented. I would describe his coaching style as the Constanza style, after George Costanza from Seinfeld.

Walk around a lot, throw your arms up, sub people in and out, lots of activity.  Look really busy and people will think you know what you are doing.  I have seen many coaches subscribe to this approach so he is not alone.

Benny got a taste of coaching.  He seems to be a decent enough recruiter and knows how to play the recruiting game and put up with all the nonsense that comes with it, but he really needs to go back and work under a successful coach and watch how he runs the program and how he builds an identity in what he is trying to accomplish on offense/defense.  Something just seems 'off' with what he is trying to do.  Whatever it is, seems to be keeping his teams from having success.

 

[UNTLifer]

1 hour ago, Harry said:

Again we are a poor shooting team.  We are a turnover machine. Our defense is porous.  Jeremy Combs is a terrifically player but the teams we play know this and put all their attention on him.  We have no bench.  I listened to the Muts broadcast last night and they were appalled at the lack of organization and just street ball mentality we showed.  I keep hoping things will turn around but barring some unforeseen changes this team is the same type of team we have seen the last several years.

It will never change under Benford and reflects poorly on Rob Evans.  It is beyond time to move on.  I would love to see Vito ask Benford the tough question or corner RV in to responding to a question about Benford's future.  Who cares if they "blackball" Vito from coverage.  Anyone could sit in the stands and report on these games.  Just a complete and utter embarrassment after 4 years.  How Benford signs kids with any talent is beyond me.

[edcollopy]

the fact that he can only count on 6 players a game makes me wonder how much 'talent' has he really signed???

[FirefightnRick]

6 hours ago, greenit said:

Benny really seems to have no plan when it comes to the game.  We saw this early on and numerous people have commented. I would describe his coaching style as the Constanza style, after George Costanza from Seinfeld.

Walk around a lot, throw your arms up, sub people in and out, lots of activity.  Look really busy and people will think you know what you are doing.  I have seen many coaches subscribe to this approach so he is not alone.

Benny got a taste of coaching.  He seems to be a decent enough recruiter and knows how to play the recruiting game and put up with all the nonsense that comes with it, but he really needs to go back and work under a successful coach and watch how he runs the program and how he builds an identity in what he is trying to accomplish on offense/defense.  Something just seems 'off' with what he is trying to do.  Whatever it is, seems to be keeping his teams from having success.

 

Yup, about 20 of us recognized this in year one.  

 

Rick

[Andrew]

1 minute ago, FirefightnRick said:

Yup, about 20 of us recognized this in year one.  

 

Rick

Not saying your wrong, but why don't you sign up for the GMG game. Show us how it works

[CMJ]

7 hours ago, Andrew said:

Not saying your wrong, but why don't you sign up for the GMG game. Show us how it works

Just because someone might not be an athlete doesn't mean they can't recognize coaching.  Look, I know I don't have the basketball knowledge that Coach Benford has.  Benford is probably closer to Krzyzewski in basketball IQ than I am to Benford.  However, it's one thing to know a lot...and it's another to be able to transfer that to your guys and get them to believe in you.

 

On that Benford has been a disaster.

[Ben Gooding]

7 hours ago, Andrew said:

Not saying your wrong, but why don't you sign up for the GMG game. Show us how it works

Stop with this. You sound like a mini Mark. 

Edited January 23, 2016 by Ben Gooding

[greenminer]

21 hours ago, Andrew said:

Not saying your wrong, but why don't you sign up for the GMG game. Show us how it works

Ah yes the "if-you-can't-actually-do-it-then-you-can't-be-critical" card.

I see this a couple times every year.

[Andrew]

14 hours ago, Ben Gooding said:

Stop with this. You sound like a mini Mark. 

None of us are good at basketball or basketball experts, but it's funny because in person people tend to shy away from their stance.   I just want to see Tasty show up. Then invite RV and see if the actually hold a conversation. 

30 minutes ago, greenminer said:

Ah yes the "if-you-can't-actually-do-it-then-you-can't-be-critical" card.

I see this a couple times every year.

It's easy to sit in the stands and judge. We all do it. It is also easy to be critical when you are not the one working hard to do the job. Very few of us have coached and to my knowledge zero have done so at the collegiate level. There is a reason they were hired for jobs we are not doing. Be critical sure, but to many people assume this coach doesn't do X, Y, and Z. 

It is ignorant to say Benford and the team do not practice free throws, yet people continue to make this ludicrous argument. 

The argument about the lack of offense does hold up though. They do run an offense, it's just not affective. It is funny though because it is not like there are a bunch of offenses to run. Usually it comes down to 5-6 and that's it. "Pick and Roll" is not even an offense by the way. Cannot even list the times over the past 6 years I have seen that throw around on the boards. It's just frustrating to read people gripe and then throw out one solution.... FIRE THEM! It gets old. It would be more constructive to discuss changes in lineups or what adjustments on the court could help us address glaring weaknesses.

[TheTastyGreek]

3 hours ago, Andrew said:

I just want to see Tasty show up. Then invite RV and see if the actually hold a conversation. 

I've actually talked with RV a number of times, usually (not always) very pleasantly. And though I'm very critical of retaining (not hiring, I've always said that I don't fault him for the initial hire) Benford, I've also been (I think) very reasonable on criticizing vs. praising Rick in the past.  

As far as participating in the basketball game... I've donated to it twice in the past. And at this point in my life, I'd rather reenact the events of 127 Hours with my own dick than spend an afternoon playing basketball with you and Mark Miller. 

[Andrew]

11 minutes ago, TheTastyGreek said:

I've actually talked with RV a number of times, usually (not always) very pleasantly. And though I'm very critical of retaining (not hiring, I've always said that I don't fault him for the initial hire) Benford, I've also been (I think) very reasonable on criticizing vs. praising Rick in the past.  

As far as participating in the basketball game... I've donated to it twice in the past. And at this point in my life, I'd rather reenact the events of 127 Hours with my own dick than spend an afternoon playing basketball with you and Mark Miller. 

Just sign up! You don't even know me anyway and mark is a cool guy. Just hoop 

Nobody can really ball out anyway. It is just a bunch of bricks haha

Edited January 23, 2016 by Andrew

[TheTastyGreek]

4 minutes ago, Andrew said:

Just sign up! You don't even know me anyway and mark is a cool guy. Just hoop 

Nobody can really ball out anyway. It is just a bunch of bricks haha

It's not the quality of the basketball I'm worried about. 

It's the quality of the company that I will be avoiding. 

And that's the last time I'm discussing it. 

[Andrew]

11 minutes ago, TheTastyGreek said:

It's not the quality of the basketball I'm worried about. 

It's the quality of the company that I will be avoiding. 

And that's the last time I'm discussing it. 

You don't even know me and nothing wrong with anyone there