Mason and Mcbrayer's body language last night

johndoe

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Obviously the outcome of the game was disappointing, and unfortunately I don't see us winning many games at least until we get Amir back in February. This next stretch of games is going to be very, very difficult (PUR, PSU, MARY, OSU, NU) and if two of our floor leaders (Mason and McBrayer) play with the kind of emotion they displayed last night, things could go from bad to worse for this team.

Mason didn't have any shots going for him in the first half which really seemed to bring him down mentally, this led to foul trouble and as a result, not a whole lot of time spent on the court. We need him down the stretch on the court instead of sitting on the bench because I believe that he's the type of player that just needs to see the ball go through the hoop to get in a sort of groove. He looked totally dejected last night and completely played himself out of that game.

For McBrayer, he really needs to stop yapping at the refs. I've been noticing him doing this a whole lot more this year than the last. Perhaps he thinks that with him being an upperclassmen he should be awarded with more help from the refs but I think he really needs to get over that. There was also a sequence of events, where NU got a quick transition bucket and McBrayer started yelling at Fitzgerald. The next time down the court he had the ball in his hands on the perimeter and didn't seem to like what was going on offensively around him, so he did a half shrug and jacked up a three with about 20 seconds still on the shot clock. Luckily, it went in; but it sure looked to me like he was just giving up there for a bit.

Basically, my main point is that we need these guys to really step up from a mental standpoint. These guys need to set better examples for the younger guards if we have any hopes of salvaging this season. If anything, they should know just how fleeting success can be for this team, they both played big roles on the 8 win season two years ago and the 24 win season last year.

I don't think this season is lost yet, but I am definitely going to be watching Mason and McBrayer very closely over these next 5 games. If they can get beyond the whole "Woe is me" mentality and step up, then I think that will be a big indicator as to how our team plays as a whole for the rest of the conference games.
 

Obviously the outcome of the game was disappointing, and unfortunately I don't see us winning many games at least until we get Amir back in February.

It's not a sure thing we even get Amir back in Feb.

This is not going to be a fun ride.
 

While I agree that there is really no room for bad attitudes or poor effort it is tough to blame the players for being really frustrated right now. They have watched what looked like a really promising season crumble before their eyes and most of it was out of there control. Curry getting hurt was a big blow but one the team could recover from. Losing Lynch however is not something this team can easily overcome especially with Curry out. Then you take the most dynamic player on the team in Coffey out of the mix and what you are left with is an extremely depleted roster.

Pitino can certainly be faulted for not having a good backup option for Lynch beyond Curry but those that are flipping out on the head coach right now are being a little delusional because any college team is going to struggle when faced with missing two key starters and your top reserve. With what is currently available it is going to be really tough for this team to win many games until Coffey returns and even after he is back it will be a struggle. Really unfortunate the way this season has played out.
 

Obviously the outcome of the game was disappointing, and unfortunately I don't see us winning many games at least until we get Amir back in February. This next stretch of games is going to be very, very difficult (PUR, PSU, MARY, OSU, NU) and if two of our floor leaders (Mason and McBrayer) play with the kind of emotion they displayed last night, things could go from bad to worse for this team.

Mason didn't have any shots going for him in the first half which really seemed to bring him down mentally, this led to foul trouble and as a result, not a whole lot of time spent on the court. We need him down the stretch on the court instead of sitting on the bench because I believe that he's the type of player that just needs to see the ball go through the hoop to get in a sort of groove. He looked totally dejected last night and completely played himself out of that game.

For McBrayer, he really needs to stop yapping at the refs. I've been noticing him doing this a whole lot more this year than the last. Perhaps he thinks that with him being an upperclassmen he should be awarded with more help from the refs but I think he really needs to get over that. There was also a sequence of events, where NU got a quick transition bucket and McBrayer started yelling at Fitzgerald. The next time down the court he had the ball in his hands on the perimeter and didn't seem to like what was going on offensively around him, so he did a half shrug and jacked up a three with about 20 seconds still on the shot clock. Luckily, it went in; but it sure looked to me like he was just giving up there for a bit.

Basically, my main point is that we need these guys to really step up from a mental standpoint. These guys need to set better examples for the younger guards if we have any hopes of salvaging this season. If anything, they should know just how fleeting success can be for this team, they both played big roles on the 8 win season two years ago and the 24 win season last year.

I don't think this season is lost yet, but I am definitely going to be watching Mason and McBrayer very closely over these next 5 games. If they can get beyond the whole "Woe is me" mentality and step up, then I think that will be a big indicator as to how our team plays as a whole for the rest of the conference games.

Yeah, this is all great in theory, but it's kind of like expecting a guy to be sunshine and rainbows after the love of his life just dumped him. I do agree that they owe it to themselves to still play hard, but it's time to stop hoping this team's season will end well.
 

Yeah, this is all great in theory, but it's kind of like expecting a guy to be sunshine and rainbows after the love of his life just dumped him. I do agree that they owe it to themselves to still play hard, but it's time to stop hoping this team's season will end well.

I agree, the way the season is going, it likely won't end well for the team. But they could at least play with a little more class than what they showed last night, complaining to the refs, getting T'd up, and putting up bad shots do not particularly reflect well on the rest of the team.

Frankly, you could even say that those two guys are now getting a taste of the type of situation they put their own teammates in two years ago when they had their own scandal. I just wish that they would both step up a bit, go out there, and show some more fight.
 


I agree and saw what you were talking about last last. I get that the kids are going to be down after losing those 2 guys. Hopefully they can come back and at least give effort going forward. If they don't, expect a bunch of blowout losses. Then after the season, most likely Murphy leaves for NBA and there will be a couple talented kids transfer. Pitino has to get a handle on this and salvage something out of this season. I realize there is tons of adversity here, but if Coffee comes back, you still have 3 of the best 20 players in the conference in your starting lineup. Make the most of it.
 

While I agree that there is really no room for bad attitudes or poor effort it is tough to blame the players for being really frustrated right now. They have watched what looked like a really promising season crumble before their eyes and most of it was out of there control. Curry getting hurt was a big blow but one the team could recover from. Losing Lynch however is not something this team can easily overcome especially with Curry out. Then you take the most dynamic player on the team in Coffey out of the mix and what you are left with is an extremely depleted roster.

Pitino can certainly be faulted for not having a good backup option for Lynch beyond Curry but those that are flipping out on the head coach right now are being a little delusional because any college team is going to struggle when faced with missing two key starters and your top reserve. With what is currently available it is going to be really tough for this team to win many games until Coffey returns and even after he is back it will be a struggle. Really unfortunate the way this season has played out.

It's Pitino's inability to build a team that is most disconcerting, he's staring down the barrel next year again without a backup point guard, if he's true to form we will have a player that is not eligible next year but needed the following year without any backup to Washington and another sh$$hole season.
 

If you think their body postures are bad, you should see mine :(
 

It's Pitino's inability to build a team that is most disconcerting, he's staring down the barrel next year again without a backup point guard, if he's true to form we will have a player that is not eligible next year but needed the following year without any backup to Washington and another sh$$hole season.

Fully healthy this year's roster was just fine. When you lose you top big man backup and then drop 2 key starters (one of whom is in that already depleted front court) things suddenly look very different. And again I would argue that most teams in the country outside of maybe a team like Duke would have a tough time being competitive in that scenario. That is not to let Pitino off the hook for all of it but people need to remember the Curry injury when bashing Pitino for being stuck with a roster that relies on Konate and Gaston to start now at center. Heading into the season those guys were way down at the back of the bench and would only have been used sparingly if at all in the case of Gaston.

All that said, the lack of an obvious backup point guard for next season is a bit troubling but I would bet they do have a plan for how they will handle it even if it isn't obvious to fans right now.
 



These guys are human beings and not robots. They weren't at their best last night in every way, especially mentally and emotionally. I totally understand, but they do need to pull their heads out of their asses and avoid giving up or feeling sorry for themselves.
 

When was the last time injuries, transfers, or suspensions didn't happen? Taking on a Sr big man who has shown next to nothing in 3 years and banking a scholarship was his fault, not having a real ball handler to back up Washington has to be addressed this spring. Mcbrayer is not a pg and if he is forced to play there next year for 10-15 minutes will be another long season. (a lot of those with him at the helm).

Fully healthy this year's roster was just fine. When you lose you top big man backup and then drop 2 key starters (one of whom is in that already depleted front court) things suddenly look very different. And again I would argue that most teams in the country outside of maybe a team like Duke would have a tough time being competitive in that scenario. That is not to let Pitino off the hook for all of it but people need to remember the Curry injury when bashing Pitino for being stuck with a roster that relies on Konate and Gaston to start now at center. Heading into the season those guys were way down at the back of the bench and would only have been used sparingly if at all in the case of Gaston.

All that said, the lack of an obvious backup point guard for next season is a bit troubling but I would bet they do have a plan for how they will handle it even if it isn't obvious to fans right now.
 

In a perfect world (yeah, I know), your bench would be mainly young players who are being developed for the future. The Gophers have two senior big men on the bench who provide nothing on offense, and just take up space on defense. that's on the coaching staff that recruited them and coached them for four years.

I agree that Curry getting hurt was a significant loss for this season. But, how many teams get through a full season injury-free? that's why you have a bench, and ideally, have players on the bench who will not be a liability if you have to put them in the game for more than a couple minutes.

And the Stockman deal is curious. Instead of spending a scholarship on a big man who has to sit out a year, and then will only be able to play one year for the Gophers, I would much rather have seen the scholly go to a younger player who could have been developed and play 4 years.

yes, Pitino is still a young coach, and he's learning. I'm just saying he needs to admit his mistakes and learn from them.
 

Well said Short. He will never admit that but well said!!!
 



Fully healthy this year's roster was just fine. When you lose you top big man backup and then drop 2 key starters (one of whom is in that already depleted front court) things suddenly look very different. And again I would argue that most teams in the country outside of maybe a team like Duke would have a tough time being competitive in that scenario. That is not to let Pitino off the hook for all of it but people need to remember the Curry injury when bashing Pitino for being stuck with a roster that relies on Konate and Gaston to start now at center. Heading into the season those guys were way down at the back of the bench and would only have been used sparingly if at all in the case of Gaston.

All that said, the lack of an obvious backup point guard for next season is a bit troubling but I would bet they do have a plan for how they will handle it even if it isn't obvious to fans right now.

No viable backup for Coffey and having two centers on the team that really can't contribute puts you on the edge, next year will be better but it has taken him six years to have a viable roster with depth with the caveat that they need another PG.
 

They need another PG bad for next year, it's washington and that is it. If they can get a back up they should be fine assuming Murphy doesn't jump to the NBA.
 

Gaston and Bakary were both recruited "last minute" in Richards first year and the options were very limited. Bakary is ok for 5-10 minutes a game....a back up to the back up. Gaston, well, nice bench warmer.

last night we ran stretches with only 1 starter on the floor and unless your MSU, DUKE, or any other big time program, you can't win with bench players.
 

In a perfect world (yeah, I know), your bench would be mainly young players who are being developed for the future. The Gophers have two senior big men on the bench who provide nothing on offense, and just take up space on defense. that's on the coaching staff that recruited them and coached them for four years.

I agree that Curry getting hurt was a significant loss for this season. But, how many teams get through a full season injury-free? that's why you have a bench, and ideally, have players on the bench who will not be a liability if you have to put them in the game for more than a couple minutes.

And the Stockman deal is curious. Instead of spending a scholarship on a big man who has to sit out a year, and then will only be able to play one year for the Gophers, I would much rather have seen the scholly go to a younger player who could have been developed and play 4 years.

yes, Pitino is still a young coach, and he's learning. I'm just saying he needs to admit his mistakes and learn from them.

The scholarship was a spring scholly. No chance for a grad transfer with a team that had a loaded starting 5. Spring frosh signings are sometimes good and sometimes bad, but if they are bad- then you are stuck for 4 years....like with Gaston and Konate.
 

They need another PG bad for next year, it's washington and that is it. If they can get a back up they should be fine assuming Murphy doesn't jump to the NBA.

I can't see any chance of that happening.
 

It's Pitino's inability to build a team that is most disconcerting, he's staring down the barrel next year again without a backup point guard, if he's true to form we will have a player that is not eligible next year but needed the following year without any backup to Washington and another sh$$hole season.

What has Pitino accomplished in his coaching career that says he should be the head coach at The University of Minnesota??? You don’t think Coyle can do better? With the new facilities. The way his players/team and team leaders are responding is both sad and pathetic. His teams have lacked belief and confidence since he arrived. Haven’t seen much mental toughness.


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What has Pitino accomplished in his coaching career that says he should be the head coach at The University of Minnesota??? You don’t think Coyle can do better? With the new facilities. The way his players/team and team leaders are responding is both sad and pathetic. His teams have lacked belief and confidence since he arrived. Haven’t seen much mental toughness.


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I didn't like the Pitino hire initially because I didn't want a guy who would have to learn on the job. Even Teague said at the time he was trying to hire the next Shaka Smart before he became Shaka Smart. But that means we were forced to be patient.

So here we are, with a coach who has been learning on the job. Early on he swung hard and missed at some top prospects. Partly for that reason, he took a chance on Bakary and Gaston. He took a number of players who lasted here two years or less for different reasons. That has all hurt us today. But recruiting seems to have picked up. And I don't agree the guys lack belief and confidence. They reached the NCAA tournament last year when nobody else believed in them. They seemed very confident (and productive) early in the season before a few disappointing games.

It's hard for me to look at Pitino's five-year record and review accomplishments as I might other coaches because we all knew from the get-go there would be a learning curve. But I do believe the trajectory was upward until a week ago. Maybe he should've known more about Lynch earlier, maybe not -- but Coffey and Curry's injuries aren't Pitino's fault. And we have a good class coming next year. If we're looking solely at the on-court product, it seems premature to think about cutting the cord.
 

We should dismiss McBrayer, Mason, and Murphy for failure to meet team obligations.
Poor body language is unacceptable in any form for any duration of time.
(if you can't tell I'm being sarcastic)

The Gophers are at a tough crossroad and they don't see any near future answers, it's tough for the kids.
I think they will get through it soon though. it's not fun getting beat by scrubs, i'd be upset too.
 

In a perfect world (yeah, I know), your bench would be mainly young players who are being developed for the future. The Gophers have two senior big men on the bench who provide nothing on offense, and just take up space on defense. that's on the coaching staff that recruited them and coached them for four years.

I agree that Curry getting hurt was a significant loss for this season. But, how many teams get through a full season injury-free? that's why you have a bench, and ideally, have players on the bench who will not be a liability if you have to put them in the game for more than a couple minutes.

And the Stockman deal is curious. Instead of spending a scholarship on a big man who has to sit out a year, and then will only be able to play one year for the Gophers, I would much rather have seen the scholly go to a younger player who could have been developed and play 4 years.

yes, Pitino is still a young coach, and he's learning. I'm just saying he needs to admit his mistakes and learn from them.

K and D were definitely misses/mistakes in early recruiting and I think Pitino hasn’t gone after any foreign bigs out of high school/prep since.

I agree with everything you’ve said but would stress that this is literally the worst case scenario possible for each of the 5 guys on the roster that play center, leaving a huge cavity on both ends of the floor. Misfortunes, ranked by impact on this team:

1. Lynch and his... character flaws.
2. Curry’s injury
3. D’s lack of development
4. K’s lack of development
5. Safety net for next year sitting out for transfer (only misfortune because of 1-4)

Also on your last point about finding a development guy.... if you watched early in the season, the rotation was tight. Pitino was probably going to go with a 7 man rotation (counting starters, IW, and Curry) game in game out. I don’t think that a 4-year signee was going to see any floor time his year. In fact, I think that guy was supposed to be Harris.

Anyways, tough year. Still have faith but hope Pitino doesn’t lose the team. I would hate to see Coyle burn it down with the recruiting cycles we’ve started pulling in.





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His teams have lacked belief and confidence since he arrived. Haven’t seen much mental toughness.


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Last year start of conference play team loses a tough OT game to Michigan St then next game goes on the road and beats #15 Purdue in OT. Goes through a 5 game conference losing streak and rebounds to win 8 straight conference games. Last year the team showed plenty of belief, confidence and mental toughness.

Saying none of those attributes have been shown by the team since Pitino has arrived is one of the worst takes ever.
 

I didn't like the Pitino hire initially because I didn't want a guy who would have to learn on the job. Even Teague said at the time he was trying to hire the next Shaka Smart before he became Shaka Smart. But that means we were forced to be patient.

So here we are, with a coach who has been learning on the job. Early on he swung hard and missed at some top prospects. Partly for that reason, he took a chance on Bakary and Gaston. He took a number of players who lasted here two years or less for different reasons. That has all hurt us today. But recruiting seems to have picked up. And I don't agree the guys lack belief and confidence. They reached the NCAA tournament last year when nobody else believed in them. They seemed very confident (and productive) early in the season before a few disappointing games.

It's hard for me to look at Pitino's five-year record and review accomplishments as I might other coaches because we all knew from the get-go there would be a learning curve. But I do believe the trajectory was upward until a week ago. Maybe he should've known more about Lynch earlier, maybe not -- but Coffey and Curry's injuries aren't Pitino's fault. And we have a good class coming next year. If we're looking solely at the on-court product, it seems premature to think about cutting the cord.

I agree with a lot of what you're saying. As for the bolded part, I think that's just the nature of college basketball now days. Players will transfer a lot more often than they used to. Tubby saw the same thing. Even top programs see it. Many don't want to sit on the bench for a few years before getting valuable minutes.
 




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