I don’t believe it is the coaching, though Rose is imperfect just like all of us. My honest belief is that it is a product of all of those things. When you combine the coaching (X) with the talent level of players (Y) with the officiating (Z), you get the result we see each and every year.
Only one of those factors, X Y and Z can really change significantly from year to year. That is the talent level (I made that Y because it is the students at the “Y”) and the type of players BYU is able to get. It is possible that “Y” will be changing in the near future, but if the other two factors change at all, BYU will be the same as they always are. Those other unknowns can change too but not as easily and not as visibly. The X factor in Rose could be that he gets old or changes his style and it negatively impacts the team, but he could get better because of experience too. The Z factor could change as well. I would hope that officials would become less biased and opinionated but we can’t really know if they will or do until we watch the games. It could get worse. Church leaders have told us to expect the issues regarding persecution (a form of bias) to increase in the coming years as society moves away from Heavenly Father and leans unto their own understanding and opinions. This can lead to more bias and persecution. Hopefully it doesn’t but we have been warned.
That is my opinion along with some of my thoughts and reasoning for why.
It’s not just talent. Players this year are talented enough to make a layup. I used to get on Lamar Odom for missing layups because he’d put that stupid left handed spin on his layup and the ball would bounce off the rim. He finally started to lay the ball up without the fancy spin and he stopped missing layups. There is no reason for Fischer to hit the bottom of the rim on 4 layups last night. That’s lack of concentration, not talent. The next 3 years we sill have plenty of talent. Will the skill development get better is the question.
I agree that Z won’t change because they are just bad at their skill development too. They seem to day dream and miss things that better skilled officials don’t miss.
X can get better if he will listen to some of the fans. He harped on the lack of hustle to loose balls and not getting rebounds. But, when you have players not being able to rest some, that’s what happens. Rose can get better if he plays everyone next year. That includes Hamson. We could be in a position next year where we could simply tire out teams because we are 14 deep.
Are you hallucinating? What do you mean you used to get on Lamar Odom? through the tv? At the games? Do you think he heard you and changed because of it? Kind of a weird comment…
Anyhow, I saw Few throw BYU a bone, just like the conference did when they named Collinsworth player of the year, when he said on a post game interview that he thought there were 3 teams in the wcc that could win a ncaa tournament game. Please tell me what the point of that comment was… anybody? Is it guilt? because he knows how they made it to the final and why they are going to the ncaa tournament for the 17th time in a row? even though this years team is mediocre?
I don’t understand the patronizing comments… Geez… espn just called Gonzaga “america’s team”. Wow, that’s awesome…
I have not problem with ESPN calling Gonzaga America’s team. They continue to attract top talent to little ol Spokane and they have one of the best coaches in the game today (who is a pretty darn good fly fisherman)
Here is what Few said after the game, “The eye test tells you BYU’s a tournament team, Gonzaga’s a tournament team and, obviously, Saint Mary’s is a tournament team,” Few said. “I’ve been a No. 1 and No. 2 seed in (the NCAA) tournament and if I was a No. 1 or a No. 2 seed, and I saw this team (Gonzaga) pop up, I wouldn’t sleep that week. I can tell you that. We’ve been in every game to the last possession. I feel that if we played a No. 1 or a No. 2 seed this year we’d probably play them to the last possession, too. And if BYU’s name popped up, and I was a No. 1 or a No. 2 seed, I wouldn’t sleep … I think the league has been undervalued. I don’t think we played the RPI game very well."
Note that he mentions how SMC and BYU screwed themselves out of an at large consideration because of playing a weak pre-season slate, especially SMC. Personally I hope they leave SMC out of the dance.
BTW- I have no problem with the reffing. BYU had plenty of chances to take the lead at the end and we come down to throw up bricks…For BYU to even have been in the GU game after GU hit 55% and most of their 3 bombs in the first half is an absolute miracle to me. KC ran out of gas, Rose never rests the studs for that final push. Few does. end of discussion.
Totally agree. Emery and KC played the full 40 minutes. They had no gas to drive the lane and get layups or fouled. Instead, they shot the 3’s with their legs weak. And, as Rose said, they were slow to the rebounds and loose balls. GU was more fresh. Even if we had won, chances are we would have been beat in the next game do to fatigue.
Hopefully with better all around talent deep next year, Rose will trust his bench players more.
Not sure how you can agree with Few (other than you went fly fishing with him) that SMC and BYU are tournament teams who can contend with anyone and then in the same breath says they screwed themselves out of at-large consideration. BYU messed up any chance of dancing because they couldn’t beat the average to bad teams. Gonzaga was out of consideration until they won the wcc tournament. That is the true miracle, isn’t it? The fact that they somehow keep making it in?
Also disagree with this notion that BYU had a chance if they had just made some shots instead of throwing up bricks at the end. It sounds like you are going all SG, somehow eliminating the fact that Gonzaga was in the bonus early in the second half, their two studs had one foul a piece and they shot 10 more free throws. I guarantee you right now that if BYU had made some of those shots (or some of those missed layups SG keeps harping about) that Gonzaga and the officials would have done what needed to be done to compensate for it. Did you watch the St. Mary’s game? They were shooting lights out early in the game but the officials would not allow them to pull away. Every time they started to make a run, a cheap foul would be called and Gonzaga would take advantage… every time.
Both you and Gavenman are beating up on Rose for playing his studs and not resting them. Yeah, they played 40 minutes but what happens when he sits them? You want to sit Emery for more than a minute in that game? or KC for that matter? That is ridiculous. But then again, both of you bow down to Few for “resting” his studs. So Sabonis plays 39 minutes and Wiltjer plays 37. Wow… what a difference? Average of 2 whole minutes. Sorry, I just don’t buy that nonsense.
I typically agree with your analysis and takes on what might happen or happened during a game. BYU played well enough to beat Gonzaga and frankly so did St. Mary’s… the team that swept Gonzaga regular season and the team that you don’t think deserves to play in the ncaa tourney. How does that make sense? I stated, before the stupid wcc tournament started, what I believed would happen and I was spot on. Does that make me some kind of guru? maybe… but it really just proves that I am observant and I know how it always goes in the bogus wcc. There are a “few” reasons for why Gonzaga makes it in every single year… they have a good program and they play a competitive schedule, but when those reasons don’t seal the deal, they have the wcc and the officials to fall back on… and every time they can count on those two reasons to give them just enough help to keep the streak alive. It’s rigged… not in the way SG’s simple mind interprets it though. For the wcc, it’s all about the money and what is best for the conference. That means Gonzaga in the ncaa tourney… whatever it takes.
I know, I know… wait until next year or the year after because the “lone peak boys” will be here. I’m stating right here and now that it won’t matter and I want to know what you and SG will say then. Apparently there are a lot of BYU fans who are content with and enjoy the “wait until next year” mantra. I, for one, don’t.
There is a difference between being observant and conspiracy driven. Your big picture mantra is boring and not necessary. The fact in that game was 10 missed layups. And no, the refs would not have been able to do anything about it.
