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Messages - HutchJones

#1
Valpo Basketball / Re: Bryce Drew...
February 20, 2019, 05:36:05 PM
Quote from: SanityLost17 on February 20, 2019, 05:18:52 PMInstead of recruiting players that will play well in his system and do what he wants.

What's his system?
#2
Valpo Basketball / Re: Bryce Drew...
February 20, 2019, 04:53:42 PM
Help!
#3
Valpo Basketball / Re: Bryce Drew...
January 31, 2019, 08:24:52 PM
Thanks so much for the responses thus far.  I look forward to more.  Quickly, I do not think the issues we're encountering have anything to do with his faith.  If anything, his faith seems to be a net positive. Recruits have mentioned it as a definite factor in their decision to attend Vanderbilt.  I would actually say that Bryce either at the direction of someone or on his own accord has dialed back his wearing his faith on his sleeve.  I remember reading comments from Valpo fans and I believe even Paul Oren that we were going to get sick of hearing him saying "how blessed" he was or we were because he was going to say it so much.  I've yet to hear him actually say it in any press conference interview.

So far the biggest disappointment to me has been that it just doesn't seem like he's gotten buy-in or respect from the team on a consistent basis.  He seemingly got it year one.  Then last year it was a question mark as it seemed that they just didn't seem committed and bought in.  And then this year, it just seems pretty clear that a certain segment of the team is not bought into what he's selling - at least not with any consistency.

Likewise, he is frustrating some people because he is just so dang positive, and he's not really owning up to some of the deficiencies.  Or at the least, he's not offering standard coach speak.  To many, he dwelled too much and too long on the Garland injury.  Yes, he responded to questions about it as he had too, but he also continued to bring it up unsolicited in post-game comments.  "Well we designed the team with Garland, and now he's gone."  I think everyone was fine with that for a hot minute, but there was also an expectation of him to help the team move past it with a kind of "next man up" approach. "Hey, yes it's unfortunate, but that's the reality of the situation.  We have to move on, and we're going to make the most of it."  Then he's made a lot of how young we are, which again people are fine with hearing about a little bit, but also expect a certain amount of "hey we're young, but these guys need to grow up fast, and we're going to help them do it."  We lost to Kentucky team by 35 when our team looked completely uninspired and hapless (15 TOs in the first half), and he opens his press conference with "Hey, when a team like Kentucky who has such a strong inside game shoots it as well as they did, any team in the country is going to have a hard time beating them."  Again, he's not saying anything that isn't true, but there is an expectation from the fans for him to take some responsibility and to stop doing what people are perceiving as making excuses.  Particularly when we looked so bad in our loss to them. 

Anyhow, just offering a little bit of how things are being perceived here by the fanbase - not necessarily me - but some factions.  Everyone agrees that he is a fantastic guy.  We want him to succeed, but a narrative is starting to form that he is in over his head.

Again - really appreciate your thoughts and opinions.  I remain very hopeful for the future of our program under Bryce.
#4
Valpo Basketball / Bryce Drew...
January 30, 2019, 05:42:24 PM
Hello Valpo Fans. Long-suffering Vanderbilt fan here.

So as I'm sure you are aware, we are in the middle of an historically bad season here at Vanderbilt.  Currently on an 8 game losing streak and a never before in history bad 0-7 in league play.  It will be a surprise if we win another game this year.

As I'm sure you know, Bryce had us all fired up about this year after signing a top 10 nationally rated recruiting class.  And we've had some bad luck with injuries to said class, but the natives are restless down here.  We've literally never seen a team with these kind of results and to be honest, the results are only a part of the problem. What is more disturbing to many is the appearance in some cases of a lack of effort from some of the players.

It was my understanding when we hired him that Bryce would not be an offensive strategic mastermind, but that his teams would play tough, hard-nosed D, and that he would instill great confidence in the players and inspire great effort from them on the court.  We saw this the last half of his first year, but it has been noticeably absent since.

I personally think there have been times when specific players needed to be benched for lack of effort.  These same players were also probably our most talented players, and for whatever reason, Bryce didn't do it. 

I was hoping to get some thoughts from the fan base that no doubt knows him better than anyone else.  Obviously, Bryce was very successful at Valpo as a coach.  What was he truly like?  What was his approach?  What kind of offense did he employ?  What kind of defense did you all play?  The thought is among some is that Bryce simply has to have more talented players than the opponent to really be successful.  Is that what he did at Valpo?  Were you all routinely out-recruiting other opponents in your league?  What did you think were his strengths and his weaknesses?

I'm really interested in your opinions, because I really, really like Bryce, and I so expected us him to succeed.  Instead, the program seems to be spiraling out of control to historic low points.  Thanks in advance for all your thoughts.