Where Are They Now?

[Pablo]

I would certainly prefer Cherry over Courtney, but neither has really proven themselves enough at their respective schools to warrant consideration as Mason's head coach.

I respectfully disagree with your opinion.

 

[gmutom]

Actually, it was Psyclone who just said it. And, surely you aren't totally surprised by Scott Cherry's success as a head coach?

I always knew Scott had the basketball IQ to be a good coach, but he always struck me as too low-key and almost aloof to be a good head coach. When Coach L and his assistants would all come to Brion's after games, he just seemed uncomfortable being in that social setting. I always had trouble envisioning him having to deal with boosters and the media as a head coach, but he appears to have grown into the position pretty well.

 

[GMUgemini]

I respectfully disagree with your opinion.

So you think 17-14, 12-4 is good enough? Cherry is in his fifth year at High Point and he has an overall losing record and has yet to win the Big South. Why do you think he'll be successful in the A-10?

 

[Patriotfan49]

I always knew Scott had the basketball IQ to be a good coach, but he always struck me as too low-key and almost aloof to be a good head coach. When Coach L and his assistants would all come to Brion's after games, he just seemed uncomfortable being in that social setting. I always had trouble envisioning him having to deal with boosters and the media as a head coach, but he appears to have grown into the position pretty well.

This is not a disqualifier to be a head coach. Clearly.

 

[Pablo]

So you think 17-14, 12-4 is good enough? Cherry is in his fifth year at High Point and he has an overall losing record and has yet to win the Big South. Why do you think he'll be successful in the A-10?

I believe that he has all of attributes to be a successful coach at any level including:

(1) Knowledge of the game
(2) Ability to teach
(3) Leadership skills
(4) Rapport with the players

 

[Patriotfan49]

I believe that he has all of attributes to be a successful coach at any level including:

(1) Knowledge of the game
(2) Ability to teach
(3) Leadership skills
(4) Rapport with the players

Except the current level he is at? Being under 500 for your career doesnt really indicate that.

 

[Pablo]

Except the current level he is at? Being under 500 for your career doesnt really indicate that.

Frankly, I look more at the attributes than I do his career record. What was Bill Belichick's career record when the New England Patriots hired him?

 

[Patriotfan49]

Frankly, I look more at the attributes than I do his career record. What was Bill Belichick's career record when the New England Patriots hired him?

Cherry is not Belicheck. At all, nor are those two comparable sports or coaches.

Cherry is using all his "attributes" now, and cant even succeed at high point.

 

[gmubrian]

I believe that he has all of attributes to be a successful coach at any level including:

(1) Knowledge of the game
(2) Ability to teach
(3) Leadership skills
(4) Rapport with the players

Aren't those pretty much the best attributes of Hewitt, and Hewitt had a better resume?

I am not arguing against Cherry (or Courtney), just that if we use a lot of the measures that the "he sucked at GT crowd" is always talking about in reference to Hewitt's track record, then Cherry, and definitely Courtney, do not measure up either.

 

[Pablo]

Aren't those pretty much the best attributes of Hewitt, and Hewitt had a better resume?

I am not arguing against Cherry (or Courtney), just that if we use a lot of the measures that the "he sucked at GT crowd" is always talking about in reference to Hewitt's track record, then Cherry, and definitely Courtney, do not measure up either.

I'm not part of the "he sucked at GT crowd" so he can't be a good coach here. But, during Coach Hewitt's tenure here, there has been a serious problem with execution during critical situations in games. I blame both Coach Hewitt and the players for this deficiency.

But, I'm tired of hearing Coach Hewitt take the blame for not clearly explaining to the player(s) what he wanted him (them) to do. If he can't explain what he wants the players to do during critical situations in games, then get an assistant who can.

 

[GMUgemini]

But, I'm tired of hearing Coach Hewitt take the blame for not clearly explaining to the player(s) what he wanted him (them) to do. If he can't explain what he wants to players to do during critical situations in games, then get an assistant who can.

I don't think it's really his job to explain every possible scenario that could happen and what each player should be doing during each of those possible scenario...the timeouts just aren't long enough. I think the Copes game-winner versus the New Mexico game-winner is a great example -- Hewitt looks like a great coach getting Copes wide open on Allen's drive and dish and looks like a fool having Allen inbounding the ball against New Mexico. In neither case did Hewitt draw the play up the way it unfolded.

I think Hewitt is just falling on his sword when he says these things.

 

[Pablo]

I don't think it's really his job to explain every possible scenario that could happen and what each player should be doing during each of those possible scenario...the timeouts just aren't long enough. I think the Copes game-winner versus the New Mexico game-winner is a great example -- Hewitt looks like a great coach getting Copes wide open on Allen's drive and dish and looks like a fool having Allen inbounding the ball against New Mexico. In neither case did Hewitt draw the play up the way it unfolded.

I think Hewitt is just falling on his sword when he says these things.

I don't believe that teaching facets of the game like in-bound passes against the press is an unreasonable expectation for a head coach at any level.

 

[gmubrian]

Gemini, isn't that what practice for? Timeouts are for reminders of what you practiced, not to teach a new play. The best athletes are the ones that are already prepared for the various scenarios. It should be reaction, not thinking.

If they are not doing what they are supposed to in the games, I would think it reflects more on practice than on what happens during a timeout.

 

[GMUgemini]

I don't believe that teaching facets of the game like in-bound passes against the press is an unreasonable expectation for a head coach at any level.

Of course, but not down to the minutiae of every possible defensive coverage system and how each player should get open against that coverage and what progression Allen needs to look for by player for every possible coverage.

Had Allen looked to his left and inbounded the ball to Holloway, we might have won that game and Hewitt looks like a much better coach. Instead, Allen threw up a prayer.

 

[Pablo]

Former Mason assistant and Longwood head coach Mike Gillian is an assistant at Florida International - see
http://www.fiusports.com/Sports/Men...-Adds-Mike-Gillian-to-FIUMensBBall-Staff.aspx.

 

[KAOriginal]

Ah the hiring process. Smart and Skerry never HC'd before and are having success....Cherry and Courtney no so much.

If I had the time and the ability to work for free, I would love to research good vs bad hires....is there some factor, some difference in coaching sports that separates the two that can be pin pointed in the hiring process other than "I feel good about this guy."

 

[gmutom]

Ah the hiring process. Smart and Skerry never HC'd before and are having success....Cherry and Courtney no so much.

If I had the time and the ability to work for free, I would love to research good vs bad hires....is there some factor, some difference in coaching sports that separates the two that can be pin pointed in the hiring process other than "I feel good about this guy."

It really is a crapshoot, KA. Look at Jeff Capel and Anthony Grant. They were great fits when they went from being assistants to head coaches, and then neither was able to sustain that at the BCS level when they left vcu. Same could happen to Smart and Skerry if they moved up a level. I am surprised that none of Coach L's disciples has done better as head coaches.

 

[A.-Siegfried]

I love Bill Courtney and lobbied for him to get our job, but aren't you the one who said losing Arledge shouldn't affect us? We haven't had every player available for one game this year, but I don't see people factoring that in when we are 5-3 compared to 0-9.

Like Pablos said, sometimes hot assistants don't equate to good head coaches. It pains me to say this as a fan of Courtney's, but Scott Cherry might be the best former Mason assistant out there given the job he's done at High Point.

Losing Arledge shouldn't affect us (and it hasn't). Losing a preseason All-Ivy first team player for the entire season (to this point) WILL. And losing that same player, along with 3 others at the end of the season will also screw us a team.

Courtney has improved his total each of his 3 seasons. Doesn't look like that will happen this year, but who knows how good they will be if/when Miller returns.

Had we lost Wright for this season...that would be close to what Courtney lost in Shonn Miller.


As far as Cherry goes, he also had a tough injury last year, losing ROY John Brown just before the start of the conference tournament. They won their first ever division title in their D1 history and made their first ever D1 post season appearance. He's snake bit again because he lost Allan Chaney, maybe for the season, a guy that was first team all Big South preseason selection. Hardly like losing Arledge.

Cherry took over a struggling team in High Point, a team that won 9 games with an RPI of 325 the year before he arrived. Now in year 5 he's the league favorite with two of his players preseason all conference selections and Brown will probably end up the POY.

I'll say it again, I'd take Courtney or Cherry to coach at Mason if our head coach position opens up in the future.

 

[gmutom]

Losing Arledge shouldn't affect us (and it hasn't).

Completely disagree. He was due to break out this season, and even modest projections had him averaging 8-10 points a game given how strong he finished up last season. Tough to replace those points with no big men outside of Marko who can consistently score.

Should we have beaten UCF Wednesday without him? No question about it. Would we have won had he played? Yep.

Let's agree to move on and agree that Courtney could be a good coach here some day. I like the dude.

 

[Bricker]

Losing Arledge shouldn't affect us (and it hasn't).

You can't be serious. He was our only big who could score consistently. We're getting ZERO offensive production down low right now, save for Marko.

Copes and Johnny on the floor in an offensive disaster. Of course, this puts more pressure on our guards since they're essentially playing 3 on 5 when we have the ball. If I'm an opposing coach and I see Eric and Johnny in the game, I'm licking my chops.

Edit: Tom beat me to it