On being "scared" (a little long)

Donate To GopherHole
M

MRJ

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Messages
5,582
Reaction score
904
Points
113
It's rare that I agree with something that a national pundit says, but Tim Doyle hit it right on the head last night when he was talking about the Gophers. Every team we play right now wants it more than our guys do. There is no sense of urgency at all. It has been this way for the past few weeks and Tubby noted yesterday that some of our guys are playing "scared". Personally, I'm getting tired of our guys being "scared" every time something goes against them.

But our play of late has been more of the lazy variety than anything else. I wouldn't mind if we were losing games by making aggressive mistakes, such as trying to drive the ball towards the rim or getting a questionable blocking foul called on us on defense. At least then we would know there was some effort and determination going on. What we're doing is playing lax. Dribbling the ball off our own foot, making foolish passes, letting the ball bounce off our hands out of bounds, consistently getting beat off the dribble by opposing players; these are not aggressive mistakes. These are the mistakes of a team that isn't focused and isn't ready to play.

Defense has been similar recently. Our bigs concentrate too much on blocking shots and get out of position with their footwork as a result. Our guards don't move their feet especially well either and do a lot of ball-watching, a cardinal sin of playing defense. If Tubby is right and the guys are playing "scared," then they shouldn't be playing in the Big Ten period. Grow up!!!!! This is the big-time. Nobody is going to pat you on the back for simply taking the court. And nobody is going to be accept the excuse of "well, we were scared" when things got tough. Go out there and do your job.

There is no room for "scared" players in the Big Ten. And if that's going to be the mindset of these guys anytime things get tough, then we should all give it up right now. Time to get out there, bust your tails and do things the right way for a full 40 minutes.
 

I was thinking the same thing.

The guys always start playing tough as soon as the game begins slipping away. Sometimes they can recover, like at Wisc, but usually it is too little too late. Hopefully Tubby will explain to them that every minute of every game is urgent from here on out because their tourny birth depends literally on every point and every defensive stop.
 

There's another possibility

To me, this team looks fatigued. Not physically fatigued, which would be practically impossible considering their long rotation. But they look like they're looking for another mental gear that's not there, or they're stepping on the mental accelerator and nothing's happening. The fast breaks they gave up last night against Michigan are an indication of either laziness or exhaustion, and I'm not sure that a team suddenly develops a work ethic problem overnight.

It's been my observation over the years, watching a lot of sports teams, that well-coached teams can often be up and down - streaky. They overachieve for a while and then run out of gas. This is actually a credit to their coaching and its motivational abilities, but after a while it runs out, at least temporarily. The good news is that these teams will sometimes get a second wind and go on another run. The most recent case in point was the Arizona Cardinals, who couldn't seem to decide whether they were the best team in the league or the worst team. Indeed, they looked like both over the last several weeks of the season.

Young teams like our Gophers are particularly susceptible to fatigue. Even the "veteran" players on the team are not necessarily used to the minutes and roles they have this year - Westbrook, for example. Remember we had three seniors that carried the load last year, both physically and mentally. The freshman Iverson has wilted, as has Sampson to a degree. The only youngster that's going strong is Joseph, who had the benefit of a 60+ game high school schedule as seasoning. Given that, his present surge is not unexpected.

You never know when or whether the juice will come back on, but if this team gets a second wind and gets the spark back, they could finish with a 4-0 flourish. At this point, these four games could go either way.
 

Good Post, Bad

I agree. In addition, I believe Tubby has said that Nolen has asthma which affects his conditioning. Nevertheless, he played 35 minutes the other day against Penn State.
 

I agree, Bad

They seem a bit tired, despite that it seems like they are pressing less (or not as aggressively) as earlier in the season.
 


Some interesting viewpoints here. If there is mental fatigue, then that would obviously contribute to the problems. Might be a case of "paralyzation from analyzation", to borrow a term from psychology. There are times when individuals can overthink a situation of what they should do to the point where they literally can't do anything. Maybe that's the case here.

Hard to know for sure what's going on. I just don't like the idea of being "scared." Why is anybody "scared"? It's just basketball. No matter what the media or fans or family members or friends or anybody else says, it all comes down to just being a game of basketball. There are plenty of other scary moments in life besides basketball games.

I agree, they could go 4-0 over and last four games and that would represent, at least to me, that they've grown from the experience. But at this point, I really don't even care about what happens in a larger standpoint in terms of their record over the next four games. All I want is for them to play with heart, desire and a little bit of efficiency down the stretch. As far as the rest of it goes, I figure as long as they do this, the record will take care of itself. But this trend towards being "scared" to make mistakes, as Tubby eluded to in the press conference last night, needs to disappear. Mistakes are going to happen. Move on and get it done.
 

MRJ said:
If Tubby is right and the guys are playing "scared," then they shouldn't be playing in the Big Ten period. Grow up!!!!! This is the big-time. Nobody is going to pat you on the back for simply taking the court. And nobody is going to be accept the excuse of "well, we were scared" when things got tough. Go out there and do your job.

There is no room for "scared" players in the Big Ten. And if that's going to be the mindset of these guys anytime things get tough, then we should all give it up right now. Time to get out there, bust your tails and do things the right way for a full 40 minutes.
Click to expand...
I agree that the guys are "scared," but they aren't scared how you think they are. The guys aren't scared of our opponents, they are scared of Tubby and the bench next to him.

Nearly every time someone misses a shot or two in a row, misses one box out, or makes a bad pass, they get yanked. Thus, they are "scared" to do something that might result in a Tubby stare and them sitting on the bench. That's why our guys have gotten so passive lately; they don't want to take any gambles with a risky drive, pass, shot, etc.

How confident would you be out there if you knew that any mistake you make may result with you sitting on the bench immediately? I know I wouldn't make any play with any element of risk, I'd go with the easy play knowing I wouldn't get the hook.
 

ShowinGoldyLove said:
I agree that the guys are "scared," but they aren't scared how you think they are. The guys aren't scared of our opponents, they are scared of Tubby and the bench next to him.

Nearly every time someone misses a shot or two in a row, misses one box out, or makes a bad pass, they get yanked. Thus, they are "scared" to do something that might result in a Tubby stare and them sitting on the bench. That's why our guys have gotten so passive lately; they don't want to take any gambles with a risky drive, pass, shot, etc.

How confident would you be out there if you knew that any mistake you make may result with you sitting on the bench immediately? I know I wouldn't make any play with any element of risk, I'd go with the easy play knowing I wouldn't get the hook.
Click to expand...

Interesting viewpoint, but there are plenty of coaches out there that are just as tough if not tougher than Tubby is on their players and they seem to get along just fine. If they are that "scared" of criticism or getting yelled at or benched or whatever, that again tells me they need to grow up.

If you screw up, then make up for it on the other end and move past it. One screw up followed by another and then another because you're "scared" doesn't hold much water for me. And the whole getting benched thing isn't entirely accurate either. There have been multiple screwups from just every player on this team, yet they continue to get minutes.

It all comes down to digging deep within yourself and finding what it takes to get it done. And so far, no one on this team has done that for the past month. It may happen in the final four games or it may not. Personally, I would like to see it happen sooner rather than later....:eek:
 

MRJ said:
It's rare that I agree with something that a national pundit says, but Tim Doyle hit it right on the head last night when he was talking about the Gophers. Every team we play right now wants it more than our guys do. There is no sense of urgency at all. It has been this way for the past few weeks and Tubby noted yesterday that some of our guys are playing "scared". Personally, I'm getting tired of our guys being "scared" every time something goes against them.

But our play of late has been more of the lazy variety than anything else. I wouldn't mind if we were losing games by making aggressive mistakes, such as trying to drive the ball towards the rim or getting a questionable blocking foul called on us on defense. At least then we would know there was some effort and determination going on. What we're doing is playing lax. Dribbling the ball off our own foot, making foolish passes, letting the ball bounce off our hands out of bounds, consistently getting beat off the dribble by opposing players; these are not aggressive mistakes. These are the mistakes of a team that isn't focused and isn't ready to play.

Defense has been similar recently. Our bigs concentrate too much on blocking shots and get out of position with their footwork as a result. Our guards don't move their feet especially well either and do a lot of ball-watching, a cardinal sin of playing defense. If Tubby is right and the guys are playing "scared," then they shouldn't be playing in the Big Ten period. Grow up!!!!! This is the big-time. Nobody is going to pat you on the back for simply taking the court. And nobody is going to be accept the excuse of "well, we were scared" when things got tough. Go out there and do your job.

There is no room for "scared" players in the Big Ten. And if that's going to be the mindset of these guys anytime things get tough, then we should all give it up right now. Time to get out there, bust your tails and do things the right way for a full 40 minutes.
Click to expand...

This is the best post ever.
 



What's missing?

Great post MRJ. Agree totally. It's "something" that I was alluding to in a previous post that the Gophers' "lost something" after the Illinois win just as Penn State "lost something" after the Michigan State win. Since then Penn State has gotten back on track, but our Gophers are still struggling. I think as a team they know they have lost something(?) and the "scared" comes in to play when they try "to find" it, but it just doesn't happen. It's the mental aspect of the game and why it's affecting the sophomores and juniors to a greater degree. Great analysis that Devoe is comfortable with 60+ games and now the other freshmen are discovering how much longer the college season is. Even though they aren't playing 30-40 minutes each game, they are still practicing hard (maybe harder!) and still suiting up for games beyond what they have known. They need a LEADER and what Coach Smith has been looking for. Who is that masked man?

I'm hoping I've seen glimpses of what the Gopher's can accomplish. I thought the 2nd half against Michigan had some better play than any of the first half, ie, Westbrook getting into the lane and hitting 10-footers. Hitting some shots would defintely help.

I hope the Barn welcomes them home and helps them find "something".
 


Good post. I am thinking the same thing. They just look tired, scared, fatigued, no sure of themselves, but whatever it is, it leads to poor play.
They need to get a good win and gain a little confidence. Right now they are playing like the bunch of young kids that they are.
Hope Tubby can find a way to squeeze a little more out of these guys. NIT is not an option in my book and I know if I was a player or coach, I would definitely not let that happen. Their attitude and play should reflect that. Someone needs to carry the water and get us back to playing some good ball. I nominate DJ.
 




Shouldnt the coach ensure the lads are prepared and not "scared" come gametime?
 

TruthTeller said:
Shouldnt the coach ensure the lads are prepared and not "scared" come gametime?
Click to expand...

Shouldn't "some on the Hole" write something at least once that is remotely "interesting" or at least offer humor so that it is "laughable" or "hilarious"?

Next.
 

Stan said:
Shouldn't "some on the Hole" write something at least once that is remotely "interesting" or at least offer humor so that it is "laughable" or "hilarious"?

Next.
Click to expand...

?

Can we discuss the team/games/coaching? Or are you interested in something else?
 

So go ahead TT, discuss it. Do tell us your perspective.
Shouldnt the coach ensure the lads are prepared and not "scared" come gametime?
Click to expand...
Please give me your reasons for thinking that the coach has not prepared the team.
 

Good topic. They are scared and that comes from not having any leadership on the court. No one wants to take the shot. Hoff is willing, but rushes and has a flat shot that is off this year. I said in a earlier post that everyone rushes their shots so much. You would think a team that is so good at blocking shots would not be afraid on offense.
 

Moonlight said:
So go ahead TT, discuss it. Do tell us your perspective.

Please give me your reasons for thinking that the coach has not prepared the team.
Click to expand...

1. Offense is/has been inept
2. Defense has not performed either. Regression from early in the season.
3. Results on the court - general sense of confusion on offense.
4. Development of players - seems to have leveled off, at best, in some cases. Hoff, for instance.

Similar reasons have been posted by others, as well.

I am assuming that you feel the team is prepared well. Give us your reasons for that train of thought.
 

TruthTeller said:
1. Offense is/has been inept
2. Defense has not performed either. Regression from early in the season.
3. Results on the court - general sense of confusion on offense.
4. Development of players - seems to have leveled off, at best, in some cases. Hoff, for instance.

Similar reasons have been posted by others, as well.
Click to expand...
I can certainly see your points. I personally disagree that this is evidence of inadequate preparation. I think its evidence of being worn down by playing better teams than we played in the preseason. Our weaknesses (which we all were quite well aware of prior to the start of the season) have been exposed and capitalized upon.
Wisconsin had a bad stretch and has recovered from it. Hopefully we will recover form ours.
 

Another thing I've been thinking

Much as I hate the Badgers, their trip back from oblivion is worth paying attention to. They were written off as a lost cause, but they lifted themselves off the mat and took it one game at a time. They obviously corrected all the little things they were doing wrong. It seems they didn't worry too much about whether or not they were going to get back into Tournament contention. In fact, being left for dead seems to have lifted a burden off them. How does the lyric go: "Freedom's just another word for 'nothing left to lose'." They had nothing to lose, so they just got back to work and took one possession at a time.

I'm not sure if the Gopher players are fixated too much on the postseason, but I know the fans and the newspaper sure are. I've been thinking to myself how early it is to be fretting about being on the bubble, etc., but that's all Myron seems to want to write about, even to the exclusion of writing a good game story. Again, I'm not sure if the team has fallen into that trap, but it's obvious to me that they need to take one possession and one game at a time and piece this season back together. They're in much better shape than Wisconsin was in a few weeks ago if they can just wipe the slate clean and go from here.
 

Preparation

With my experience in playing high school and college sports(not that it's expert or anything) the coach can only do so much to prepare the players and really most of the preparation comes from the players and how they respond to the games they play. I think the players have to find it within themselves if they are going to win again before the BT tournament and not rely on the coaches so much(if that's what they are in fact doing).
 

Scared..unsure Fatigue...I doubt it

I am not sure if they are playing scared....but certainly without confidence. I don't buy the fatigue deal. With the rotation we have, it certainly isn't physical fatigue. Mentally, I guess I can't buy that either. We are lacking confidence and leadership. We have played a lot of tough road games lately. We don't have a go to guy. We have been lucky that in most games we have one guy step it up, but that is a different player almost every week.

Nolan has not improved from last year, neither has Johnson. I like the development of Sampson and Iverson, but they will take more time. Everyone else has been inconsistent. I hope they pull it together soon. We have three games at home that we should win. If they don't, they won't go anywhere but the NIT.

The Gophers control their own future and I expect them to win. I think they will pull it together and get their mojo back.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom