Okay, Christmas is coming and I still believe in Santa, so here is my wish list for Grizzly Basketball.
--That Travis lighten up a little. At 47, he is still in great shape, and could probably step right on to the court and play credibly well. And at times, watching him pacing the sidelines, barking out instructions, it seems that is exactly what he wishes he could do. But the older you get the more you learn: You can't control kids. You teach them, you coach them up, you instill your values--and then you turn them loose. To raise 'em is to leave 'em; to coach 'em is to let them play. Mark Twain once said: "The best way to hang on to a conversation is to let go of it once in a while." Same with kids. My sense two years ago at San Jose was--and remains--our kids play tight on offense. Not to make mistakes. Too often they pass up a good shot for a perfect shot, only to see that perfect shot wither as the shot clock expires. Our kids are great kids, on and off the court, and that leads to my second wish...
--That they're having some fun! That is Steve Kerr's very first motto: Have fun. Players who come to the Warriors can't believe how much fun practices are, or how great the team chemistry is. I want our players to feel the same way.
--That we had a bit more experience on the coaching staff. Don't get me wrong, we have some budding branches on the great Montana coaching tree--Travis, and most certainly, Chris Cobb. We'll look back on this staff one day with great fondness. At the same time, a hallmark of the Tinks-DeCuire era has been the fabulous tenured assistants that have come through this program, Bill Evans, Kerry Rupp, Ken Bone. All had serious head coaching experience; all were in their late 50's or 60's. This staff? Travis is 47; all his assistants close to 30. None of our assistants has had serious head coaching experience; in fact, this year is Jay Flores's first year as a bench assistant. Let me quote Bill Walton directly from a play during the Stanford game: "That was one of the WORST possessions out of a time out in the HISTORY of Montana basketball!" Would that have been the case with a more experienced coaching staff?
--That more of our true freshmen could have had a red shirt year. So be it. With only 13 scholarships there's only so many you can red shirt. But you can wish.
--Finally, that we find out what Niko Bevens can do. He was supposed to be our three-point specialist, and boy, do we need one! What's up with his lack of playing time? Is he a defensive liability? Worse than we thought as a shooter? He remains for me the great mystery of this team.
--That Travis lighten up a little. At 47, he is still in great shape, and could probably step right on to the court and play credibly well. And at times, watching him pacing the sidelines, barking out instructions, it seems that is exactly what he wishes he could do. But the older you get the more you learn: You can't control kids. You teach them, you coach them up, you instill your values--and then you turn them loose. To raise 'em is to leave 'em; to coach 'em is to let them play. Mark Twain once said: "The best way to hang on to a conversation is to let go of it once in a while." Same with kids. My sense two years ago at San Jose was--and remains--our kids play tight on offense. Not to make mistakes. Too often they pass up a good shot for a perfect shot, only to see that perfect shot wither as the shot clock expires. Our kids are great kids, on and off the court, and that leads to my second wish...
--That they're having some fun! That is Steve Kerr's very first motto: Have fun. Players who come to the Warriors can't believe how much fun practices are, or how great the team chemistry is. I want our players to feel the same way.
--That we had a bit more experience on the coaching staff. Don't get me wrong, we have some budding branches on the great Montana coaching tree--Travis, and most certainly, Chris Cobb. We'll look back on this staff one day with great fondness. At the same time, a hallmark of the Tinks-DeCuire era has been the fabulous tenured assistants that have come through this program, Bill Evans, Kerry Rupp, Ken Bone. All had serious head coaching experience; all were in their late 50's or 60's. This staff? Travis is 47; all his assistants close to 30. None of our assistants has had serious head coaching experience; in fact, this year is Jay Flores's first year as a bench assistant. Let me quote Bill Walton directly from a play during the Stanford game: "That was one of the WORST possessions out of a time out in the HISTORY of Montana basketball!" Would that have been the case with a more experienced coaching staff?
--That more of our true freshmen could have had a red shirt year. So be it. With only 13 scholarships there's only so many you can red shirt. But you can wish.
--Finally, that we find out what Niko Bevens can do. He was supposed to be our three-point specialist, and boy, do we need one! What's up with his lack of playing time? Is he a defensive liability? Worse than we thought as a shooter? He remains for me the great mystery of this team.
