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Post by Ray on Dec 1, 2019 19:09:03 GMT -5
I also think the game (or at least the way it is refereed) has changed, and you can't "goon it up" (to use Al Skinner's description of HC's approach) the same way that you could earlier this century. And I think the RW style is a tougher sell to today's recruits, too.
Just saying that just because we haven't had any success since RW left, doesn't mean that his formula is the only path to success. In fact I think his path to success is somewhat tougher now, too.
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Post by efg72 on Dec 1, 2019 19:57:02 GMT -5
I think his commitment to D and rebounding works for many if you win… UVA
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Post by cfrivals on Dec 1, 2019 20:47:13 GMT -5
Where is Chris Spitler when you need him?
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Post by HC92 on Dec 2, 2019 1:13:42 GMT -5
Coincidentally, one of his former players summed it up on Twitter tonight:
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Post by sader1970 on Dec 2, 2019 6:40:47 GMT -5
And I think RW would agree with that assessment and believe it was a compliment (which, in a left-handed way, it was).
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Post by lou on Dec 2, 2019 8:45:08 GMT -5
As I recall, Willard was brought back to campus [by Regan?] as a consultant to the athletic department, to answer any and all questions from the coaching staff. Rumor had it that FCMB did not use him as a resource
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Post by gks on Dec 2, 2019 8:52:49 GMT -5
Ralph was a great coach. Knew how to coach to his talent.
He took over HC at a time when the league was in transition. The took full advantage of HC being the first to offer scholarships. Inherited a tough, talented base from Bill Raynor and built upon that. (Please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Whearty and Serravalle were both Raynor recruits). He knew how to recruit in the PL and was able to get kids to come.
Those were fun times.
#ThanksPitino
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Post by hc17 on Dec 2, 2019 9:00:10 GMT -5
Certainly understand we're comparing different periods, but how did Willard compare to Blaney and his teams? Thanks to everyone for providing the details on Willard. It's been great to learn about the "winning times" in a little more detail.
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Post by WorcesterGray on Dec 2, 2019 9:00:32 GMT -5
Ralph was a great coach. Knew how to coach to his talent. Inherited a tough, talented base from Bill Raynor and built upon that. (Please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Whearty and Serravalle were both Raynor recruits). As were Curry, Pegues, Sankes, and Brian Wilson - the cupboard was well-stocked..
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Post by bringbackcaro on Dec 2, 2019 9:56:07 GMT -5
In addition to everything already mentioned, one of the best traits of RW's teams was that they made it extremely difficult for opponents to rely on their top option(s).
From doubling good bigs from any direction whenever they caught it, to taking away the go-to options for scoring wings, to keeping teams that wanted to run out of transition, RW created unique gameplans for each opponent that would give HC a chance to beat anybody.
The Marquette NCAA Tournament game is my favorite (/least favorite) example of this. HC held Dwayne Wade to his lowest point total, lowest FG%, and highest # of turnovers on Marquette's run to the Final Four that year. If Travis F******g Deiner didn't play out of his mind, HC had a Final Four team beat. Not much more you can ask for from a head coach.
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Using RW as the benchmark for HC coaches is setting the bar extremely high, but Nelson is the first guy we have had since RW left who actually has a chance to come close. We have a looooong way to go, but he appears to have the attitude, pedigree, and work ethic to at least give the program a chance.
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Post by timholycross on Dec 2, 2019 9:58:52 GMT -5
Certainly understand we're comparing different periods, but how did Willard compare to Blaney and his teams? Thanks to everyone for providing the details on Willard. It's been great to learn about the "winning times" in a little more detail. George had two terrible years to start off with, Inherited a good senior class (mine) but junior and sophomore classes were weak. Freshman recruit King Gaskins was a great player that AD Perry coached at Catholic Memorial in Boston; his stay in Worcester was a disastah for everyone, including him. Then, brought in 3 or 4 strong classes (including Potter,Vicens,Perry (who we don't get if his father isn't AD, no question about it) and Witts). Ran a very nice motion offense, installed by assistant coach Jim Dougher, who came to HC from Stonehill, where he was head coach. Rather state-of-the-art at the time; after a while most teams threw up their hands trying to play man-to-man against us. Zone press worked for the first couple years of Vicens/Potter, no so well last couple years (teams caught up to us). Mostly a man-to-man team half court as I recall. Big East decline hurt recruting, program slumped for 4-5 years, but George brought it back quite a bit in the late 80s/early 90s before the switch to the Patriot League (and no scholarships) killed it for the rest of the 90s.
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