bigappleram wrote: ↑5 months ago
Biggest discernible differences from 1.5 years into Dan and 1.5 years into Archie.
At this point under Dan we had…
1. A tangible identity on the defensive side of ball. A way we wanted to play and win that you could see with better talent would be effective.
2. 2 bona fide foundational pieces - Hass and EC. Both that we punched above our weight class to land and had better offers.
Putting aside mostly the early days talent from both coaches because Dan had plenty of whiffs too - Biggie, Jarelle come to mind - and Munford and Biruta were existing relationship guys that were kinda fortuitous. But it’s the 2 pieces above that are more alarming- we have no identity on either side of the ball and we have no one who is a bona fide foundational piece for the future. Maybe cam, maybe Foumena, maybe Fuchs - mostly bc they are all FR - but none of them were recruits we punched above our weight to land.
The other thing we had with Dan is someone who was damn near militant about upgrading every aspect of the program. He ruffled A LOT of feathers in the administration that had always been comfortable doing the bare minimum. He didn't care about their feelings. Every second was planned, no wasted energy, everything he did had a purpose. To build a champion. Even with the tough losses, in those moments where you questioned Dan's coaching, you knew he would take it personally, adjust, and right the ship. I understand every coach is different and few have the same energy as Dan. I gravitate more towards wanting a head coach with Dan's demeanor. A guy who is always hungry. Even after winning a National Championship.
Dan was/is also able to build a deep connection with players. You saw it in how they played for him. As tough as he was on guys he simultaneously showed how much he loved them on and off the court, and it was genuine.
Archie was a no-brainer hire. There was not a better coach in the country out there for us. 98% of us agree on that, except for the "Pitino crew." But, watching from afar, I question the hunger. Do any of you see the hunger? I don't see these guys playing hard for him. As you've said BAR, this is the worst defensive team we have had in memory, that's mostly effort and that's on the coach. I hear the apologies from Archie, but they feel like empty words. Of course Archie wants to win, but I think he needs to ask himself, is he doing everything he can to build a champion? If he is being honest with himself he'd have to say no, right? Hopefully, he's taking a long hard look in the mirror. Comments like "we just don't do that here" when asked about applying full-court pressure late in a game is the kind of stubbornness that turns me off. What ever his approach is, whatever his philosophies are, they haven't translated to success or even improvement in the last three seasons (including Indiana).
The other thing that we had with Dan at this point, as much as he disliked talking to many of us
, he still did it. He knew he had to reinvigorate the fan base. He knew he needed to build relationships with fans and donors. Other than some tweets, a Dunkin' appearance, and asking in press conferences for fans to come out to the game, is he visible? Or because he had a championship program at Dayton, and coached at Indiana, does he think he doesn't need to do that? Again, I'm watching from afar, so I can't say I really know, but my perception is he isn't connecting with the fanbase. That might not translate into wins on the floor but it seems we are at a point where we have certainly lost the casual fan, but we are also at risk of losing season ticket holders/donors and long-timers at that.
I once had a conversation with Dan after a close loss to Valpo on the road. I asked him why he didn't double-team Alec Peters who lit us up for 27 points. His face scrunched up in anger and he told me "you know nothing about basketball." I loved it, not because I got to him, I was genuinely curious as to why. I loved it because I could feel how badly he hated to lose. And I mean, compared to him he was right about me knowing nothing about basketball, so it's possible I'm reading this Archie situation all wrong.