Thoughts before I depart

RamblinRed

Helluva Engineer
Featured Member
Messages
5,902
i'm going to be pretty scarce the next few months as I deal with a family medical issue so I wanted to leave a few parting thoughts about the season and the future.

A little surprised but hardly shocked with how the week has gone so far. I sort of expect to see that for most of this season.

First, its basketball - the difference between winning and losing is very slim for most teams.

Second, the dreaded post-finals game. I talked to both Hewitt and Cremins about the post-finals game and for both of them it was one of their least favorite games of the year. The kids have not practiced much as they usually get off completely until around Thursday to concentrate on finals. Then they tend to be down in energy (tired) level and focus for a few days. So what you get is a game like GW where they look low on effort and not in the game - it was easily the worst game they played this year so far. Hewitt and Cremins always told me they simply hoped to get a win that game, didn't care if it was by one point.

Third, the team makeup. Last night GT played FR and SO over 60% of the min and when you add in Banks almost 90% of the min went to non-SR. That is going to create alot of uneven play game to game. They also are in the situation that with Banks getting eligibility they had to incorporate him into the lineup and it is also causing them to adjust the offense and rely less on shooting threes. On the season now FR and SO are playing 59% of min and non-SR 80% of min. This is a really young team that is getting younger as the min are adjusted.

While Devoe had a good overall game last night, he is still not playing half as well as he is capable of.
it is also hurting the Cole is not ready to play. He looked good in the pre-season and then like last year he is hurt.
Moses is a limited player so the staff needs to try to accentuate his positives and hide the negatives. He is a poor shooter, but a solid defensive player.
I felt Jose needed to be our leading scorer this year so I am happy to see the team's offense starting to get to where he can be that.
Love what I am seeing out of Moore. His spring film last year had me excited. His development from the fall of his Sr year to the spring was very noticeable, especially on offense where he looked like he was developing into a solid shooter.
Phillips had been a huge disappointment to this point, hopefully at some point he will settle in and at least give us what he gave TN - which was about 6 ppg, 37% three and killer defense.

This year is going to be a roller coaster. My goal for this team was have a record that is over .500. Do that and i'm satisfied. There are going to be more WTF losses and more WTF wins. Don't overreact to a single data point. This team is still not shooting close to what it is capable of from outside. Jose, Shembari, Devoe and to a lesser extent Curtis are all shooting well below what they shot last year from 3.

Pastner is going to be here through year 5, unless this program really tanks next season which I do not expect. His contract was set up to make sure he would be allowed to get his first recruiting class (the current So) to their Sr year.
I was in the hell no category when he was being hired (actually sent emails to the board asking them not to hire him), but I am not disappointed with what he has done so far.
Here was my 5 year expectations after he was hired.
Yr 1 - 8-10 wins (21 wins and NIT was a huge overperformance)
Yr 2 - 13-15 wins (13 wins just hit the low end but with all the issues last year probably expected)
Yr 3 - 16-18 wins (we'll see if this team can get to 16, will probably be close)
Yr 4 - 18-20 wins and bubble NCAA
Yr 5 - 20+ wins and solid NCAA team.

Keep supporting the program, hope it continues to gel and improve as the season goes on.
 

OldJacketFan

Helluva Engineer
Messages
8,348
Location
Nashville, TN
i'm going to be pretty scarce the next few months as I deal with a family medical issue so I wanted to leave a few parting thoughts about the season and the future.

A little surprised but hardly shocked with how the week has gone so far. I sort of expect to see that for most of this season.

First, its basketball - the difference between winning and losing is very slim for most teams.

Second, the dreaded post-finals game. I talked to both Hewitt and Cremins about the post-finals game and for both of them it was one of their least favorite games of the year. The kids have not practiced much as they usually get off completely until around Thursday to concentrate on finals. Then they tend to be down in energy (tired) level and focus for a few days. So what you get is a game like GW where they look low on effort and not in the game - it was easily the worst game they played this year so far. Hewitt and Cremins always told me they simply hoped to get a win that game, didn't care if it was by one point.

Third, the team makeup. Last night GT played FR and SO over 60% of the min and when you add in Banks almost 90% of the min went to non-SR. That is going to create alot of uneven play game to game. They also are in the situation that with Banks getting eligibility they had to incorporate him into the lineup and it is also causing them to adjust the offense and rely less on shooting threes. On the season now FR and SO are playing 59% of min and non-SR 80% of min. This is a really young team that is getting younger as the min are adjusted.

While Devoe had a good overall game last night, he is still not playing half as well as he is capable of.
it is also hurting the Cole is not ready to play. He looked good in the pre-season and then like last year he is hurt.
Moses is a limited player so the staff needs to try to accentuate his positives and hide the negatives. He is a poor shooter, but a solid defensive player.
I felt Jose needed to be our leading scorer this year so I am happy to see the team's offense starting to get to where he can be that.
Love what I am seeing out of Moore. His spring film last year had me excited. His development from the fall of his Sr year to the spring was very noticeable, especially on offense where he looked like he was developing into a solid shooter.
Phillips had been a huge disappointment to this point, hopefully at some point he will settle in and at least give us what he gave TN - which was about 6 ppg, 37% three and killer defense.

This year is going to be a roller coaster. My goal for this team was have a record that is over .500. Do that and i'm satisfied. There are going to be more WTF losses and more WTF wins. Don't overreact to a single data point. This team is still not shooting close to what it is capable of from outside. Jose, Shembari, Devoe and to a lesser extent Curtis are all shooting well below what they shot last year from 3.

Pastner is going to be here through year 5, unless this program really tanks next season which I do not expect. His contract was set up to make sure he would be allowed to get his first recruiting class (the current So) to their Sr year.
I was in the hell no category when he was being hired (actually sent emails to the board asking them not to hire him), but I am not disappointed with what he has done so far.
Here was my 5 year expectations after he was hired.
Yr 1 - 8-10 wins (21 wins and NIT was a huge overperformance)
Yr 2 - 13-15 wins (13 wins just hit the low end but with all the issues last year probably expected)
Yr 3 - 16-18 wins (we'll see if this team can get to 16, will probably be close)
Yr 4 - 18-20 wins and bubble NCAA
Yr 5 - 20+ wins and solid NCAA team.

Keep supporting the program, hope it continues to gel and improve as the season goes on.

Red take care of things and come back when you can! My best wishes for you and yours!
 

RamblinRed

Helluva Engineer
Featured Member
Messages
5,902
FWIW, one more stat to understand how the program is evolving.

In Yr 1 upperclassmen (JR and SR) played 70% of the min
In Yr 2 - 53%
In Yr 3 so far 41% (and I could see this dropping to below 40%).
I expect in year 4 to see that start to move in the other direction.
If you are looking to have a get old, stay old program you probably want at least 65% of your min going to upperclassmen.
 

GTHomer

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
929
I realize that as we approach ACC play, CJP will go with a shorter rotation but I was surprised that Phillips did not get any minutes last night. I had counted on him to be a contributor given time in the SEC and redshirting last season. This is a situation that should be followed.

Like everyone else, I have been pleasantly surprised by Moore and believe we will see 'more' from him as he becomes more comfortable.

We need another confident ball handling guard on the team. While I was pleased with Alston at the start of the season, he seems to have regressed somewhat in the more recent games. Hopefully he will turn things around but next season we will need a third PG on the team.
 

kg01

Get-Bak! Coach
Featured Member
Messages
15,372
Location
Atlanta
I realize that as we approach ACC play, CJP will go with a shorter rotation but I was surprised that Phillips did not get any minutes last night. I had counted on him to be a contributor given time in the SEC and redshirting last season. This is a situation that should be followed.

He's just not as good as we'd hoped, it seems. Every time he played it was bad shot/not-so-great effort on D. I would've sat him too.
 

MWBATL

Helluva Engineer
Messages
6,595
First of all, good luck Red and hope the medical issues work out for the best.

Second, my two huge issues with Pastner at this point are related to recruiting....he has failed so far this year and that disturbs me greatly, and his handling of the LeBarrie situation seems to have been directly related to this failure. Add to that that his hiring of assistants has been less than inspiring based on what I am hearing on this board, and the recruiting situation is what scares me the most....no matter what happens this year. We need more Moores and Devoes and Alvarados on this team.....and I am not seeing them in the pipeline. Hopefully, I will be proven completely wrong.
 

ramblinjacket

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
802
First of all, good luck Red and hope the medical issues work out for the best.

Second, my two huge issues with Pastner at this point are related to recruiting....he has failed so far this year and that disturbs me greatly, and his handling of the LeBarrie situation seems to have been directly related to this failure. Add to that that his hiring of assistants has been less than inspiring based on what I am hearing on this board, and the recruiting situation is what scares me the most....no matter what happens this year. We need more Moores and Devoes and Alvarados on this team.....and I am not seeing them in the pipeline. Hopefully, I will be proven completely wrong.
Clearly this fall has been disappointing with recruiting but all 3 of those names were recruits under Pastner so I believe he can and will continue to get recruits of that caliber.
 

MidtownJacket

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
4,873
i'm going to be pretty scarce the next few months as I deal with a family medical issue so I wanted to leave a few parting thoughts about the season and the future.

A little surprised but hardly shocked with how the week has gone so far. I sort of expect to see that for most of this season.

First, its basketball - the difference between winning and losing is very slim for most teams.

Second, the dreaded post-finals game. I talked to both Hewitt and Cremins about the post-finals game and for both of them it was one of their least favorite games of the year. The kids have not practiced much as they usually get off completely until around Thursday to concentrate on finals. Then they tend to be down in energy (tired) level and focus for a few days. So what you get is a game like GW where they look low on effort and not in the game - it was easily the worst game they played this year so far. Hewitt and Cremins always told me they simply hoped to get a win that game, didn't care if it was by one point.

Third, the team makeup. Last night GT played FR and SO over 60% of the min and when you add in Banks almost 90% of the min went to non-SR. That is going to create alot of uneven play game to game. They also are in the situation that with Banks getting eligibility they had to incorporate him into the lineup and it is also causing them to adjust the offense and rely less on shooting threes. On the season now FR and SO are playing 59% of min and non-SR 80% of min. This is a really young team that is getting younger as the min are adjusted.

While Devoe had a good overall game last night, he is still not playing half as well as he is capable of.
it is also hurting the Cole is not ready to play. He looked good in the pre-season and then like last year he is hurt.
Moses is a limited player so the staff needs to try to accentuate his positives and hide the negatives. He is a poor shooter, but a solid defensive player.
I felt Jose needed to be our leading scorer this year so I am happy to see the team's offense starting to get to where he can be that.
Love what I am seeing out of Moore. His spring film last year had me excited. His development from the fall of his Sr year to the spring was very noticeable, especially on offense where he looked like he was developing into a solid shooter.
Phillips had been a huge disappointment to this point, hopefully at some point he will settle in and at least give us what he gave TN - which was about 6 ppg, 37% three and killer defense.

This year is going to be a roller coaster. My goal for this team was have a record that is over .500. Do that and i'm satisfied. There are going to be more WTF losses and more WTF wins. Don't overreact to a single data point. This team is still not shooting close to what it is capable of from outside. Jose, Shembari, Devoe and to a lesser extent Curtis are all shooting well below what they shot last year from 3.

Pastner is going to be here through year 5, unless this program really tanks next season which I do not expect. His contract was set up to make sure he would be allowed to get his first recruiting class (the current So) to their Sr year.
I was in the hell no category when he was being hired (actually sent emails to the board asking them not to hire him), but I am not disappointed with what he has done so far.
Here was my 5 year expectations after he was hired.
Yr 1 - 8-10 wins (21 wins and NIT was a huge overperformance)
Yr 2 - 13-15 wins (13 wins just hit the low end but with all the issues last year probably expected)
Yr 3 - 16-18 wins (we'll see if this team can get to 16, will probably be close)
Yr 4 - 18-20 wins and bubble NCAA
Yr 5 - 20+ wins and solid NCAA team.

Keep supporting the program, hope it continues to gel and improve as the season goes on.
Hope the medical stuff all is sorted quickly and for the best. We will be sending thoughts and positive vibes your way!
 

GT_EE78

Banned
Messages
3,605
i'm going to be pretty scarce the next few months as I deal with a family medical issue so I wanted to leave a few parting thoughts about the season and the future.
Keep supporting the program, hope it continues to gel and improve as the season goes on.

Thanks, guess we'll have to ride that razorback boost in optimism til you;re back.
Merry Christmas and may family be well soon.
 

Buzzbomb

Mello Yellow-Jacket
Messages
12,014
May the medical situation get better as fast as possible.

CJP(who I wanted)is responsible for the following, if for only partial reasons:
1)Allowing a crazy scumbag into the program. The HC is in charge. This is totally unlike the majority of coaches, G.T. has hired in the past.
2)The DLB situation...more than 1/3 responsible, or whatever blame you want to attribute to Bud and the A.D.
3)The last two Assistants hired, which are not ACC caliber. Never were.
4)Early signing period, last month. More than 90 % of the top 100, have been signed during this time since the inception. He has been here long enough, to be in on these players. It doesn’t take 5 years to make relationships in basketball.
5)The lack of excitement in the program. This cannot be evaluated in the number of wins each season. Way more energy in that first year with previous recruits.
 

lv20gt

Helluva Engineer
Messages
5,588
May the medical situation get better as fast as possible.

CJP(who I wanted)is responsible for the following, if for only partial reasons:
1)Allowing a crazy scumbag into the program. The HC is in charge. This is totally unlike the majority of coaches, G.T. has hired in the past.
2)The DLB situation...more than 1/3 responsible, or whatever blame you want to attribute to Bud and the A.D.
3)The last two Assistants hired, which are not ACC caliber. Never were.
4)Early signing period, last month. More than 90 % of the top 100, have been signed during this time since the inception. He has been here long enough, to be in on these players. It doesn’t take 5 years to make relationships in basketball.
5)The lack of excitement in the program. This cannot be evaluated in the number of wins each season. Way more energy in that first year with previous recruits.

1) You're blaming a guy for trying to be nice and it backfiring because someone else was bat **** insane.
2) Not sure how DLB is on Pastner unless you think he instructed it, or somehow pushed for him to be let go.
3) This is true.
4) And he was in on them. The problem is closing where we have issues far beyond relationships with the recruits.
5) Way more excitement in year one because the coaching staff got far more out of the recruits than the previous one. Even then it wasn't until ACC play and a couple of upsets that it became true.
 

GTpdm

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,983
Location
Atlanta GA
Red,

First of all, thanks for all your contributions to GTSwarm. When I see your byline on a post, I know I’m getting reliable and insightful information about the program.

Second, best wishes with the medical issues. I dealt with something along those lines this past Fall, and I know how rough it can get. I hope everything turns out the best for your family.
 
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