Welcome Coach Tony Skinn!

psyclone

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I can already see the growth in Tony as HC. So excited to have Tony as HC.
Tony has a tall task ahead in getting all these guys to play as a team. While it's good to have substantial number of guys with Div 1 experience, the downside is that their experience is likely in different systems. We know that no one had ever played together except Polite, Dinkins, and Henry. And none have played in whatever system Tony wants to install.

Maybe I'm not giving Tony enough credit for knowing the styles of each of the recruits and how they will fit in to his system. Nevertheless, getting the guys to coalesce enough to resemble a team will be a major accomplishment to say nothing about the fact that Tony is a first-time head coach who will have a substantial learning curve.

Certainly from a recruiting perspective, Tony seems to have put together a good staff and a number of players who have some potential. But recruiting was known to be a strength of Tony's as an assistant coach. He's more than passed that part of the test. However, I'm not aware of his skills in developing a system and implementing a game plan, etc.

Patience is the watchword.
 

Walter

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Tony has a tall task ahead in getting all these guys to play as a team. While it's good to have substantial number of guys with Div 1 experience, the downside is that their experience is likely in different systems. We know that no one had ever played together except Polite, Dinkins, and Henry. And none have played in whatever system Tony wants to install.

Maybe I'm not giving Tony enough credit for knowing the styles of each of the recruits and how they will fit in to his system. Nevertheless, getting the guys to coalesce enough to resemble a team will be a major accomplishment to say nothing about the fact that Tony is a first-time head coach who will have a substantial learning curve.

Certainly from a recruiting perspective, Tony seems to have put together a good staff and a number of players who have some potential. But recruiting was known to be a strength of Tony's as an assistant coach. He's more than passed that part of the test. However, I'm not aware of his skills in developing a system and implementing a game plan, etc.

Patience is the watchword.
All true. We need to temper our expectations the first year.
 

mkaufman1

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100% true. And I'll probably say this 100 times before the ball tips off next November, but I fully expect around a .500 season this year.

Tony is a new coach, and while I love the staff behind him, there will be a learning curve. I do think that if English can do what he did with barely a team in year 1, we should expect as much and more from Tony with a full deck.
 

Patriotsince81

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100% true. And I'll probably say this 100 times before the ball tips off next November, but I fully expect around a .500 season this year.

Tony is a new coach, and while I love the staff behind him, there will be a learning curve. I do think that if English can do what he did with barely a team in year 1, we should expect as much and more from Tony with a full deck.
While my mind may agree, my heart can't take another year of being average to below average. 31-0 (18-0) regular season, A10 Tourney Champs, NCAA Final 4, or bust. ;) Ten guys average double figures and we outscore opponents by an average score of 110 - 54. ;)
 
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GMUgemini

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A lot of A10 teams will be in the same boat, but especially vcu, Dayton, SLU, UMass, and URI—having a lot of new transfers/freshmen coming in.

I can see Skinn needing some time learning rotation management and in-game adjustments but also remember he’s been an assistant for much longer than English was and was also lead assistant at UMD (a position I don’t think English was ever in).

Oh, he also had a longer pro career and was a PG in Europe (which carries a TON of responsibilities with it).

I expect an adjustment season, but depending on how these guys look at the end of the season (and if Skinn can convince the COVID eligible players to stick around) will have much higher expectations in year two.
 

mkaufman1

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While my mind may agree, my heart can't take another year of being average to below average. 31-0 (18-0) regular season, A10 Tourney Champs, NCAA Final 4, or bust. ;) Ten guys average double figures and we outscore opponents by an average of score of 110 - 54. ;)
Only that much? Hell lets outscore all opponents 120-25. When Mason plays vcu, lets win 150-5

The runs by softball and baseball have made me excited about basketball, making a run as a 4 or 5 seed.
Still waiting for Mason to get that elusive 4 seed and make that grandeur Saturday A10 tournament appearance on the court for a game.
 

psyclone

Hall of Famer
A lot of A10 teams will be in the same boat, but especially vcu, Dayton, SLU, UMass, and URI—having a lot of new transfers/freshmen coming in.

I can see Skinn needing some time learning rotation management and in-game adjustments but also remember he’s been an assistant for much longer than English was and was also lead assistant at UMD (a position I don’t think English was ever in).

Oh, he also had a longer pro career and was a PG in Europe (which carries a TON of responsibilities with it).

I expect an adjustment season, but depending on how these guys look at the end of the season (and if Skinn can convince the COVID eligible players to stick around) will have much higher expectations in year two.
This may be true, but each of those teams will have a head coach at the helm with several years of experience in that role.
 
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Pikapppatri8

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On one hand, newsletters are so old school - but I guess that's the target audience anyway. Glad they are doing something!
Wait a minute - the first thing I do is print this baby up on the old HP laserjet and read it with my morning Sanka while listening to the weather on the radio. What do you mean old school?
 
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