Countdown to the End of the Coach Hewitt Era

[wijg]

Did anyone notice Lamar Butler during post game comments. He had his hand covering his face and head, like I can't take this anymore. Even showed the misses who said what's wrong with him?

I think he is just as fed up as everyone else. He is having a hard time believing what he is seeing.

Maybe I'm misreading the guy? Anybody else notice?

I think he is fed up, but everything I have heard/seen from him is to point at the players, or to be so vague it is hard to tell his exact point. I have yet to hear him say or see something written from him directed towards the coaching. That may be because of his employment situation, though.

 

[gmutom]

Maybe I'm misreading the guy? Anybody else notice?

Rock, I think you are absolutely correct that Lamar is frustrated, but I think you might be wrong if you're assuming he thinks coaching is our primary problem. I don't want to put words in his mouth, but he's been very vocal in person and online about the shortcomings of this team.

Edit: Damn I just saw that wijg just posted the same thing a few minutes before me.

 

[JamesMason]

Lamar has been lashing out on twitter that it's all on the players and that we all don't know what we are talking about saying the coach should go.

Great player, terrible analyst

 

[gmujim92]

Lamar has been lashing out on twitter that it's all on the players and that we all don't know what we are talking about saying the coach should go.

Great player, terrible analyst

Even if personnel is 100 percent of our problems -- and I don't agree that it is -- it's still the responsibility of the dumb-a** coach who recruited the players.

These are Hewitt's guys. He either sinks or swims based on the players' performance.

That's one thing that Lamar seems unwilling to acknowledge, for whatever reason.

 

[Dawgs99]

Its gotta be an employment issue, I'm pretty sure he wants to keep this radio gig and publicly bashing Hewitt is not good PR for retention. I'm sure Bill Rohland feels the same way but I'm sure he'd never say it on the radio or twitter.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

"Mason fans are fed up with Paul Hewitt"

http://www.examiner.com/article/george-mason-fans-are-fed-up-with-paul-hewitt

 

[gmutom]

Lamar is actually a very good analyst in terms of breaking down the game and explaining why things are or aren't working, and I do like that he holds the players accountable as well. I just think he would have more credibility if he also questioned strategy, rotations or anything involving coaching once in a while.

Oh, and I don't buy for a second that Bill or Lamar are trying to save their jobs by not being critical. They will both be back regardless of who our coach is next year.

 

[Washingtonian]

"Mason fans are fed up with Paul Hewitt"

http://www.examiner.com/article/george-mason-fans-are-fed-up-with-paul-hewitt

Patriot fans have had enough. Social media campaigns to fire Hewitt are popping up on Facebook and Twitter. One fan, Erik Hernquist, has started a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign to assist the University with buying out Hewitt’s contract. On the GoFundMe page, Hernquist writes: “Since George Mason has such a limited endowment…it's not easy for the school to absorb Hewitt's salary. That's why I'm starting this fundraising program to give George Mason fans the opportunity to give back to the school so they can absorb Hewitt's contract.” The GoFundMe site aims to raise $700,000 to assist the school in disposing of Hewitt.

 

[gmujim92]

Its gotta be an employment issue, I'm pretty sure he wants to keep this radio gig and publicly bashing Hewitt is not good PR for retention.

I don't think that's it for a couple reasons: one, this isn't his day job; and two, it can't possibly be so lucrative that he'd willingly trade his integrity for it.

I've gone back and forth with Lamar several times on Twitter and I can tell you he honestly believes it's mostly the players -- specifically, their lack of commitment to working on their games outside of structured team activities.

While there is certainly something to be said for that -- they are the ones on the floor, after all -- I remain unconvinced that Hewitt gives these guys the best possible chance to succeed.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

Is there even enough time left in the year for a 'major run'? Oh how our standards have fallen.

Sure. Actually I admit, if we somehow won 4 of 5 games against good teams (URI, GW, vcu, etc.) down the stretch I'd be intrigued enough to think we'd have a chance in the tourney. Why not?

Run ain't happening, but if he won late after hitting this far down and did something like advance to the Final of the A-10 Tourney after closing the season strong, I think we'd have to admit it would be helluva coaching job.

Ain't happening though.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

Its gotta be an employment issue, I'm pretty sure he wants to keep this radio gig and publicly bashing Hewitt is not good PR for retention. I'm sure Bill Rohland feels the same way but I'm sure he'd never say it on the radio or twitter.

I would guess this is the case. Big difference with not bashing Hewitt and going out of his way to defend him like Lamar Butler, though. Don't see the need...if he really feels that way he's just flat out obviously wrong. Though I will say, the examples of Hewitt saying one thing and the boneheads doing another are very obvious.

I don't presume to speak for Bill, but since I've known him for 25 years I will.

"I love Roy Rogers. Give me fried chicken. I love sports and young Thai boys."

 

[JimP]

I thought Lamar was critical of Hewitt's game plan at times during yesterday's game. (Before I could take no more and turned it off) Specifically, he questioned why Thompson would be guarding shooters out on the perimeter.

I do disagree with Lamar if he feels most of the blame on the players. Part of Hewitt's job is to motivate. Motivating is a big part of the job if that is indeed an issue. Guy definitely can't X and O, and his supposed strength - recruiting, has been baffling at best.

If GMU can get rid of Westhead after 4 years when nobody knew they had a basketball team, they can certainly get rid of Hewitt after 4. Especially after Larranaga led the team to some level of national relevance. How would it look like if Hewitt isn't shown the door?

 

[Pablo]

Though I will say, the examples of Hewitt saying one thing and the boneheads doing another are very obvious.

So, the question that I would ask Lamar is what would Larranaga do if he were coaching this team?

 

[JimP]

So, the question that I would ask Lamar is what would Larranaga do if he were coaching this team?

Larranaga would find a way to get through to the players.

 

[Pablo]

Larranaga would find a way to get through to the players.

You are correct! And, if he couldn't get through to particularly player(s), then they certainly wouldn't be on the court with the game on the line.

 

[GMUSSTN]

I never understood Lamar's point about practicing individually anyway, because a good coach will motivate you to do better. You'll want to spend your free time working on your shooting or your defense because you want to be better in practice and in games. Yeah, some guys won't work as hard, and it will show, and they will ride the pine. At least they should.

A good coach isn't someone who has a great scheme and knows how to win games, it's a guy who makes you want to win for him.

He's the guy who shows you something in practice and says "this could be a weapon for you if you work," so you stay late for 2 hours by yourself and work on it. He's the guy who says "this is how you work on your shot" and gives you a new technique to make your shot easier and so you stay late for 2 hours and practice. He tells you not what to do, but how to make yourself better, and shows you examples of where you could be if you worked.

I'm a musician so I've run into this first hand - there are people you want to be "good enough" for and people who you want to impress. No in between. I do not think any of these players feels like they need to impress Hewitt, OR Hewitt simply doesn't react in an encouraging way when they do impress him. Either one of these is poison.

These are 18 and 19 year old kids. They aren't self-motivating, they are there to learn how to be self-motivated. And even if they are self-motivated, a coach needs to use that and guide their methods and techniques to make the most of their motivation.

I'm not trying to rant here but I've met musicians who can get more out of 2 hours of practice time than most can out of 10 because they know how to focus and what to do. These kids need to learn how to focus and learn what to work on. Hewitt isn't the guy to teach them that, at least not anymore.

 

[Dawgs99]

Ran in to James Johnson after the game, asked him if he needed a job and pointed to the scoreboard. Any thoughts on JJ for head coach?

 

[Walter]

Ran in to James Johnson after the game, asked him if he needed a job and pointed to the scoreboard. Any thoughts on JJ for head coach?

Failed retread. Never again.

 

[A.-Siegfried]

Ran in to James Johnson after the game, asked him if he needed a job and pointed to the scoreboard. Any thoughts on JJ for head coach?

I'd take him back as an assistant in a second.

 

[p8triotfan4life]

I wouldn't