CC development as a coach/performance management

[Hkjb]

First off, CC is our guy and I'm a believer. This past season helped. That said, credit for success and failures tend to exceed what's warranted. Bad luck can result in undue gloom/doom, and success can result in an unhelpful 'he poops gold' mentality. I love seeing CC get awarded with COY, and that means we're now on the 'poops gold' side of that pendulum. I hope (whoever his boss is) that someone is coaching the coach. Specifically, I'm wondering about these things:

Zero doubt: He loves these kids, and loves the game. Seems like a true player’s coach who really, truly feels and cares for them. And he loves his job, along with the game. This can’t be faked. I seriously doubt there is a guy in the game who cares more, and it shows in the loyalty shown by many of his recruits. Hope this helps us in the event that Boo decides the draft is not for him this year. I also think this may have a lot of value in the transfer portal.

Can he put his foot down/deliver tough love when the situation calls for it? Is there a flip side of intense empathy for players – When Boo and Chase were popping jumpers instead of getting downhill for the first three years did he give any tough love? If so, why did it take this long for us to break through? From interviews with Boo, it seems Talor Battle is the one who called him on it. That’s fine, as long as assistant coaches consistently have that impact. No doubt Chris Lowery also brought plenty of tough love, and maybe that’s not what CC’s role should be. Still, we can’t wait three years for new players to see and acknowledge their weaknesses, waiting for them to discover it for themselves. I hope this is a conscious staffing choice rather than a lucky strike, and I hope that when assistants turn over we replenish the blunt, credible truth-talkers.

Who gets credit for everyone ‘knowing their role’ – and will we be able to replicate this going forward? This relates to the above. Did Boo and Chase define this only because Nance and Kopp were out of the picture? What happens when we get big time recruits? And what role will the coaching staff play to help ensure those roles are clear sooner than later? In the transfer era, it’s even morce important to get that role definition right – early in the season. From past performance – particularly after our first trip to the dance - it seems clear to me that CC did not know how to manage role definition. Heads got bigger and expectations/tensions between the players undermined the chemistry – and our ability to win. I hope CC has learned from that and knows how to proactively manage this - and I hope I’m wrong to worry.

Defensive toughness & team identity – can we keep it if Chris Lowery moves on? I think of Lowery as our 'basketball Hank' - there are real parallels here and we all know what happened when Fitz lost Hank. CC hired Lowery, so the credit to both of them. Entirely possible that CC is learning how to be more of an executive rather than just an assistant who loves his players, and everyone matures on the job. Just hope that if/when Chris moves on, CC is intentional and effective in maintaining the current tough, defensive identity. CC will never be ruthless like Coach K, so he needs this on his staff - and Lowery has it in gobs. If Lowery leaves, hope we don't default to a pathologically optimistic buddy hire like Fitz did. Seen that movie before.

I for one am an optimist. Seems to me CC himself has learned a lot by going through the wringer. That's valuable for him and for us. At the same time, I just hope the coach is getting some coaching. I really don't know enough about CC or the team to know what to expect on the above. Eager to hear what better informed fans have to say on this.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

First off, CC is our guy and I'm a believer. This past season helped. That said, credit for success and failures tend to exceed what's warranted. Bad luck can result in undue gloom/doom, and success can result in an unhelpful 'he poops gold' mentality. I love seeing CC get awarded with COY, and that means we're now on the 'poops gold' side of that pendulum. I hope (whoever his boss is) that someone is coaching the coach. Specifically, I'm wondering about these things:

Zero doubt: He loves these kids, and loves the game. Seems like a true player’s coach who really, truly feels and cares for them. And he loves his job, along with the game. This can’t be faked. I seriously doubt there is a guy in the game who cares more, and it shows in the loyalty shown by many of his recruits. Hope this helps us in the event that Boo decides the draft is not for him this year. I also think this may have a lot of value in the transfer portal.

Can he put his foot down/deliver tough love when the situation calls for it? Is there a flip side of intense empathy for players – When Boo and Chase were popping jumpers instead of getting downhill for the first three years did he give any tough love? If so, why did it take this long for us to break through? From interviews with Boo, it seems Talor Battle is the one who called him on it. That’s fine, as long as assistant coaches consistently have that impact. No doubt Chris Lowery also brought plenty of tough love, and maybe that’s not what CC’s role should be. Still, we can’t wait three years for new players to see and acknowledge their weaknesses, waiting for them to discover it for themselves. I hope this is a conscious staffing choice rather than a lucky strike, and I hope that when assistants turn over we replenish the blunt, credible truth-talkers.

Who gets credit for everyone ‘knowing their role’ – and will we be able to replicate this going forward? This relates to the above. Did Boo and Chase define this only because Nance and Kopp were out of the picture? What happens when we get big time recruits? And what role will the coaching staff play to help ensure those roles are clear sooner than later? In the transfer era, it’s even morce important to get that role definition right – early in the season. From past performance – particularly after our first trip to the dance - it seems clear to me that CC did not know how to manage role definition. Heads got bigger and expectations/tensions between the players undermined the chemistry – and our ability to win. I hope CC has learned from that and knows how to proactively manage this - and I hope I’m wrong to worry.

Defensive toughness & team identity – can we keep it if Chris Lowery moves on? I think of Lowery as our 'basketball Hank' - there are real parallels here and we all know what happened when Fitz lost Hank. CC hired Lowery, so the credit to both of them. Entirely possible that CC is learning how to be more of an executive rather than just an assistant who loves his players, and everyone matures on the job. Just hope that if/when Chris moves on, CC is intentional and effective in maintaining the current tough, defensive identity. CC will never be ruthless like Coach K, so he needs this on his staff - and Lowery has it in gobs. If Lowery leaves, hope we don't default to a pathologically optimistic buddy hire like Fitz did. Seen that movie before.

I for one am an optimist. Seems to me CC himself has learned a lot by going through the wringer. That's valuable for him and for us. At the same time, I just hope the coach is getting some coaching. I really don't know enough about CC or the team to know what to expect on the above. Eager to hear what better informed fans have to say on this.

Good points. I only thing I will add is that I believe the landscape is way different in 2023 than it was in even 2013. Players have much more power/ flexibility than ever before. With basic free agency after ever season the Coaches have to demonstrate more patience than ever before. If CCC had been riding Boo and Chase hard for poor shots like some around here were advocating for, I believe it is likely that they would have took their ball and gone somewhere else last off season. Doesn’t mean it isn’t addressed, but I believe the definition of “tough love” has changed. It’s a fine line and most staffs likely exhibit that good cop/ bad cop dynamics you describe. Most programs seems the HC is often the bad cop and the assistants good cop. NU may be the reverse with Lowry and Battle providing the “tough love”.

 

[loyolacat]

good legitimate questions and YES Chris Collins is a likeable guy....

 

[NJCat]

good legitimate questions and YES Chris Collins is a likeable guy....

This. I REALLY wanted to dislike him, given his Duke heritage. But over the years he became one of my favorite personalities. His press conferences are excellent, and as stated above his love for the game shows.

 

[SDakaGordie]

These are all good thoughts / questions. Let’s also add that CCC is a very solid technician. You don’t get NU to 2 NCAAs, one with some players who came from a totally different system, without having coaching chops. I think his growth has come more in people management and influence. He needs that to continue to give us even a fighting chance in the NIL era. That’s a natural evolution for a coach, so I remain optimistic.

 

[Hkjb]

Good points. I only thing I will add is that I believe the landscape is way different in 2023 than it was in even 2013. Players have much more power/ flexibility than ever before. With basic free agency after ever season the Coaches have to demonstrate more patience than ever before. If CCC had been riding Boo and Chase hard for poor shots like some around here were advocating for, I believe it is likely that they would have took their ball and gone somewhere else last off season. Doesn’t mean it isn’t addressed, but I believe the definition of “tough love” has changed. It’s a fine line and most staffs likely exhibit that good cop/ bad cop dynamics you describe. Most programs seems the HC is often the bad cop and the assistants good cop. NU may be the reverse with Lowry and Battle providing the “tough love”.

Great point - 'persuasion' just isn't the same in this context. I grew up cheering Bobby Knight's teams - glad to have outgrown that by enrolling at NU....

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

This. I REALLY wanted to dislike him, given his Duke heritage. But over the years he became one of my favorite personalities. His press conferences are excellent, and as stated above his love for the game shows.

Appears to be a terrific husband and father as well. Loved the videos showing him interacting with his son and daughter during the recent tourney run. It’s been pretty cool watching them grow up in front of our eyes.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

I seriously doubt there is a guy in the game who cares more, and it shows in the loyalty shown by many of his recruits.

This is a 100 out of 100 in your "poops gold" category.
There are a lot of coaches who care deeply about their players.

But when starters and rotational players have been transferring out, its tough to get too excited about loyalty.
There are obviously many factors in play.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

it seems clear to me that CC did not know how to manage role definition. Heads got bigger and expectations/tensions between the players undermined the chemistry – and our ability to win.

Having already responded once to your initial post, I should state that I enjoyed what you wrote. You clearly thought about it and tried to be objective. All anybody can ask. And you make several good points without getting emotional.

On this point about roster management/role definition... There is no doubt that Collins did a much better job with the roster this year than in the two previous years. Arguably, he had less to work with, but some combination of necessity, personal enlightenment and new assistant coaches led us to play a style that was much more suitable to our players' talents.

 

[clarificationcat]

This. I REALLY wanted to dislike him, given his Duke heritage. But over the years he became one of my favorite personalities. His press conferences are excellent, and as stated above his love for the game shows.

I don’t think he’s as nice with the players behind the scenes. I get the impression he’s still the craziest of the coaches. Phillips used to warn alumni that traveled with the team for road games that Collins can be difficult. He’s softened considerably during games. He used to freak out over every mistake. He can still ride players during games, particularly Berry and Beran. But as someone else pointed out, with the change in transfer rules, you really can’t afford to alienate your players.

And Lowery was obviously a great addition but he’s not responsible for all in-game calls like Hank. Big difference from football. Collins runs the show during games. Hopefully, they can continue to teach the principles if Lowery left.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

He used to freak out over every mistake. He can still ride players during games, particularly Berry and Beran.

Absolutely.
Witnessed that at the Pitt game, with Berry on the receiving end of an unmistakable "Move the F#%king Ball" screamed right in his face.
Not saying thats good or bad... but Collins did seem to calm down this year after awhile.
Didn't hear him yelling at Beran as much this year.

 

[rogerkim]

I think what I've appreciated the most about Collins is his candidness during press conferences and interviews. Unlike our beloved Fitz, CCC is not afraid to speak more specifically about changes/schemes/strategies/etc. I seem to recall a couple of interviews this season where he spoke about the mistakes that he made after the first NCAA tourney season, and it was just about generalities and vague coach-speak.

I love both of them, but I greatly prefer Collins' approach to dealing with the media/fanbase over Fitz's "shroud everything in mystery" mentality.

 

[Katatonic]

These are all good thoughts / questions. Let’s also add that CCC is a very solid technician. You don’t get NU to 2 NCAAs, one with some players who came from a totally different system, without having coaching chops. I think his growth has come more in people management and influence. He needs that to continue to give us even a fighting chance in the NIL era. That’s a natural evolution for a coach, so I remain optimistic.

I'd say a lot of that has to do with the coaching staff CC had assembled for those 2 Tourney appearances.

The coaching in-btwn those 2 runs was underwhelming.

CC is a lot like Fitz - both are CEO HCs who are great faces for their respective programs, but neither are known to be a wiz at XO's.

The most important thing (aside from recruiting) leading towards success is to make the right assistant coaching hires (which is why CC should ask for more $$ in order to keep this staff around as long as possible).

 

[SDakaGordie]

I'd say a lot of that has to do with the coaching staff CC had assembled for those 2 Tourney appearances.

The coaching in-btwn those 2 runs was underwhelming.

CC is a lot like Fitz - both are CEO HCs who are great faces for their respective programs, but neither are known to be a wiz at XO's.

The most important thing (aside from recruiting) leading towards success is to make the right assistant coaching hires (which is why CC should ask for more $$ in order to keep this staff around as long as possible).

So you are implying Patrick Baldwin and Armon Gates were the reason we won in 2016-17? I can’t agree with much here.

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

I'd say a lot of that has to do with the coaching staff CC had assembled for those 2 Tourney appearances.

The coaching in-btwn those 2 runs was underwhelming.

CC is a lot like Fitz - both are CEO HCs who are great faces for their respective programs, but neither are known to be a wiz at XO's.

The most important thing (aside from recruiting) leading towards success is to make the right assistant coaching hires (which is why CC should ask for more $$ in order to keep this staff around as long as possible).

You don’t grow up with Doug Collins as a dad, Coach K as a coach, assistant under Amaker, and associate HC under coach K and not pick up XO’s. CC is extremely under rated on this board for his tactical skills. The defense and their in game adjustments during his tenure have been very solid. Offensively there is only so much you can draw up when you have the talent NU gets. NU still runs their fair share of sets. They generate open looks quite often and shots don’t fall.

Basketball isn’t near as technical from an XO’s perspective as football. A lot harder to “out coach” in a game. There’s only so much to game plan in basketball. More about building a culture and getting correct roster fit and ego management. I think ego management was CC’s biggest learning curve.

 

[NUCat320]

I don’t think he’s as nice with the players behind the scenes. I get the impression he’s still the craziest of the coaches. Phillips used to warn alumni that traveled with the team for road games that Collins can be difficult. He’s softened considerably during games. He used to freak out over every mistake. He can still ride players during games, particularly Berry and Beran. But as someone else pointed out, with the change in transfer rules, you really can’t afford to alienate your players.

And Lowery was obviously a great addition but he’s not responsible for all in-game calls like Hank. Big difference from football. Collins runs the show during games. Hopefully, they can continue to teach the principles if Lowery left.

“You fuc*ing suck, Johnnie.”

 

[Vassar69]

“You fuc*ing suck, Johnnie.”

Allegedly!!! Allegedly!

 

[Hkjb]

This is a 100 out of 100 in your "poops gold" category.
There are a lot of coaches who care deeply about their players.

But when starters and rotational players have been transferring out, its tough to get too excited about loyalty.
There are obviously many factors in play.

Well called - guilty as charged. And good point on the transfers out.

 

[Hkjb]

I don’t think he’s as nice with the players behind the scenes. I get the impression he’s still the craziest of the coaches. Phillips used to warn alumni that traveled with the team for road games that Collins can be difficult. He’s softened considerably during games. He used to freak out over every mistake. He can still ride players during games, particularly Berry and Beran. But as someone else pointed out, with the change in transfer rules, you really can’t afford to alienate your players.

And Lowery was obviously a great addition but he’s not responsible for all in-game calls like Hank. Big difference from football. Collins runs the show during games. Hopefully, they can continue to teach the principles if Lowery left.

Great to understand this better. I live overseas so I'm limited to what I see on highlights and in the press.

 

[Hkjb]

I don’t think he’s as nice with the players behind the scenes. I get the impression he’s still the craziest of the coaches. Phillips used to warn alumni that traveled with the team for road games that Collins can be difficult. He’s softened considerably during games. He used to freak out over every mistake. He can still ride players during games, particularly Berry and Beran. But as someone else pointed out, with the change in transfer rules, you really can’t afford to alienate your players.

And Lowery was obviously a great addition but he’s not responsible for all in-game calls like Hank. Big difference from football. Collins runs the show during games. Hopefully, they can continue to teach the principles if Lowery left

Nice point on in-game calls/Hank. On Lowery, its clear he wants to be a HC and I share your hope we will be able to keep the intense D if he leaves. That said, Lowery seems to be at a master class level in terms of defensive coaching - there aren't many like him. D is more technical and complex than people tend to appreciate. (D has always been a huge interest for me, since its the only thing I did well in my playing days). So much is related to geometry, use of peripheral vision, and proactive, coordinated positioning. Seems this technical mastery has been a big addition this year.

 

[Sec.112]

Good topic!!

I'm very much with Fitzpile and his Duke heritage. There are still aspects of Chrissy that we see that make me cringe.

Also, he's not the perfect coach. I'm sure once this thread has a little more time on the board we'll hear all the reasons why. And I agree with many of them. But he's also not the Xs and Os disaster that many make him out to be. He's not someone blindly stuck to a system and it's clear he makes adjustments game to game depending on the opponents tendencies.

But coaching the two major sports at NU is a b*tch-and-a-half compared to other P6 jobs!! And EVERYBODY in that industry openly says it. How many times during the CC and Carmody eras have we heard something along the lines of, "For him to do what he's done at that school ..." Cronin was the latest.

So now we have a guy who not only took the job to begin with, but he's also finding true success. That was a tough enough mountain to climb.

I've said it before that this is a pretty lousy fan base. Add to it an AD who was dumb enough to publicly bad mouth him as well as the inherent challenges of the NU job. When the Cats received that bid, I thought he was gone.

If he's still here after his son graduates and all that, I'll be just about a blind follower. Anybody who devotes 12+ years to this job and has two (hopefully three) tournament bids has earned the opportunity to write his own ticket.

I'm not sure NU is going to find a better long-term answer than CC. And like Carmody, there is value in the long-term sacrifices these guys are making.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

When the head coach (Chris Collins) gave up the huddle to an assistant coach (Brian James) in crunch time for a long stretch of games a few years back, its tough to reconcile that with some of the opinions expressed above about Collins as a good in-game tactician or playcaller.

 

[clarificationcat]

Absolutely.
Witnessed that at the Pitt game, with Berry on the receiving end of an unmistakable "Move the F#%king Ball" screamed right in his face.
Not saying thats good or bad... but Collins did seem to calm down this year after awhile.
Didn't hear him yelling at Beran as much this year.

I w

You don’t grow up with Doug Collins as a dad, Coach K as a coach, assistant under Amaker, and associate HC under coach K and not pick up XO’s. CC is extremely under rated on this board for his tactical skills. The defense and their in game adjustments during his tenure have been very solid. Offensively there is only so much you can draw up when you have the talent NU gets. NU still runs their fair share of sets. They generate open looks quite often and shots don’t fall.

Basketball isn’t near as technical from an XO’s perspective as football. A lot harder to “out coach” in a game. There’s only so much to game plan in basketball. More about building a culture and getting correct roster fit and ego management. I think ego management was CC’s biggest learning curve.

Completely agree. I would be interested to hear what other coaches think of Collins. As best I can tell, nobody on this board is knowledgeable enough (myself included) to evaluate X's and O's.

Offensive actions are primarily about getting favorable matchups and hoping your players can take advantage of those matchups by getting a good shot for themselves or their teammates. If the other team is decent defensively, you are not going to get many wide open looks or layups just by setting screens. One of my biggest criticisms of Collins is that he has had a hard time recruiting players that can take players off the dribble and finish strong at the rim. Even Law wasn't good at it when he was here. Buie dramatically improved this year and that made a huge difference at the end of games. Barnhizer shows potential but he needs to be much more consistent around the rim.

Against UCLA when we were coming back late in the game, we tried to run pick and roll and UCLA blitzed Buie and Audige (which I don't think they had done previously) and we got nothing out of those two possessions. After that, we stopped running pick and roll so they wouldn't be double-teamed. Good adjustment by Cronin. Collins made an adjustment to the adjustment. Like you said, it's not football complicated.

After the game, Cronin did say something to the effect that what Collins had done was miraculous. I think that give you some indication of how other coaches view the position. Not easy to win (as our track record shows) when your recruiting pool is half of everyone else.

 

[clarificationcat]

When the head coach (Chris Collins) gave up the huddle to an assistant coach (Brian James) in crunch time for a long stretch of games a few years back, its tough to reconcile that with some of the opinions expressed above about Collins as a good in-game tactician or playcaller.

I have never heard that before. I know he game James credit for the Michigan play. How do you know this?

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

I w

Completely agree. I would be interested to hear what other coaches think of Collins. As best I can tell, nobody on this board is knowledgeable enough (myself included) to evaluate X's and O's.

Offensive actions are primarily about getting favorable matchups and hoping your players can take advantage of those matchups by getting a good shot for themselves or their teammates. If the other team is decent defensively, you are not going to get many wide open looks or layups just by setting screens. One of my biggest criticisms of Collins is that he has had a hard time recruiting players that can take players off the dribble and finish strong at the rim. Even Law wasn't good at it when he was here. Buie dramatically improved this year and that made a huge difference at the end of games. Barnhizer shows potential but he needs to be much more consistent around the rim.

Against UCLA when we were coming back late in the game, we tried to run pick and roll and UCLA blitzed Buie and Audige (which I don't think they had done previously) and we got nothing out of those two possessions. After that, we stopped running pick and roll so they wouldn't be double-teamed. Good adjustment by Cronin. Collins made an adjustment to the adjustment. Like you said, it's not football complicated.

After the game, Cronin did say something to the effect that what Collins had done was miraculous. I think that give you some indication of how other coaches view the position. Not easy to win (as our track record shows) when your recruiting pool is half of everyone else.

The Cronin comment has been cited by several people... but in the runup to the game somebody asked Cronin about the impact of the addition of Chris Lowery on NU's defense and Cronin said "Is this his first year? I did not know that. I just know they're really good this year. I don't know much about their season last year... but when Chris Lowery and I played against each other Murray State Southern Illinois it was a bloodbath (laughs)... he was there with Matt Painter... his defensive background is as good as there is"

Cronin starts talking about NU at about the 3:40 mark of this video...

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Bottom line is this team did WAY better than even the most optimistic person around figured could be possible. The HC was CCC. People can dig around for all kinds of justification for why CCC wasn’t instrumental in the accomplishment, but it doesn’t negate the facts of who was in charge and keeps peoples narratives of poor in game coaching alive and well. If people think after this year that the man can’t coach, then that opinion is likely never to be changed.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Bottom line is this team did WAY better than even the most optimistic person around figured could be possible. The HC was CCC. People can dig around for all kinds of justification for why CCC wasn’t instrumental in the accomplishment, but it doesn’t negate the facts of who was in charge and keeps peoples narratives of poor in game coaching alive and well. If people think after this year that the man can’t coach, then that opinion is likely never to be changed.

Well, thats mostly accurate. I thought we could finish as high as 6th, no worse than 12th.
Its in writing on this forum. (Nov 18, 2022)
Thats one day after Tre Demps tweeted about NU "shaking up the league."
I thought we could be a bubble team.
My max was probably 11-9 in the league.
Demps explained that he meant upper half of the Big Ten.
In December, after we had beaten MSU, phatcat asked how we could possibly win 9 more conference games. I ran thru the games with an optimistic view and got to 11-8 the rest of the way.
So there were people thinking 10-10, NCAA bubble, etc, before anything really happened.

As I have said elsewhere, Collins gets credit for hiring Lowery and changing his own approach to something more realistic. He gets credit for bringing in guys who have talent and the willingness to play defense. His management of his roster this year was significantly better than the prior two seasons. The team chemistry appeared to be significantly better this year as well. He also learned from some mistakes.

 

[Hkjb]

The Cronin comment has been cited by several people... but in the runup to the game somebody asked Cronin about the impact of the addition of Chris Lowery on NU's defense and Cronin said "Is this his first year? I did not know that. I just know they're really good this year. I don't know much about their season last year... but when Chris Lowery and I played against each other Murray State Southern Illinois it was a bloodbath (laughs)... he was there with Matt Painter... his defensive background is as good as there is"

Cronin starts talking about NU at about the 3:40 mark of this video...

View embedded media

Lowery's reputation for defense within the coaching community seems to be a thing for sure. But I always wonder about opposing coaches calling our coaches 'miraculous' rather than crediting the team or the program. Feels like a coded message to recruits that says 'its a fluke - its hard to win at that place' or 'real athletes don't go there'. I recall similar comments in the past (can't remember if it was bball or football). Am I overthinking?

 

[ohiovalleycat]

First off, CC is our guy and I'm a believer. This past season helped. That said, credit for success and failures tend to exceed what's warranted. Bad luck can result in undue gloom/doom, and success can result in an unhelpful 'he poops gold' mentality. I love seeing CC get awarded with COY, and that means we're now on the 'poops gold' side of that pendulum. I hope (whoever his boss is) that someone is coaching the coach. Specifically, I'm wondering about these things:

Zero doubt: He loves these kids, and loves the game. Seems like a true player’s coach who really, truly feels and cares for them. And he loves his job, along with the game. This can’t be faked. I seriously doubt there is a guy in the game who cares more, and it shows in the loyalty shown by many of his recruits. Hope this helps us in the event that Boo decides the draft is not for him this year. I also think this may have a lot of value in the transfer portal.

Can he put his foot down/deliver tough love when the situation calls for it? Is there a flip side of intense empathy for players – When Boo and Chase were popping jumpers instead of getting downhill for the first three years did he give any tough love? If so, why did it take this long for us to break through? From interviews with Boo, it seems Talor Battle is the one who called him on it. That’s fine, as long as assistant coaches consistently have that impact. No doubt Chris Lowery also brought plenty of tough love, and maybe that’s not what CC’s role should be. Still, we can’t wait three years for new players to see and acknowledge their weaknesses, waiting for them to discover it for themselves. I hope this is a conscious staffing choice rather than a lucky strike, and I hope that when assistants turn over we replenish the blunt, credible truth-talkers.

Who gets credit for everyone ‘knowing their role’ – and will we be able to replicate this going forward? This relates to the above. Did Boo and Chase define this only because Nance and Kopp were out of the picture? What happens when we get big time recruits? And what role will the coaching staff play to help ensure those roles are clear sooner than later? In the transfer era, it’s even morce important to get that role definition right – early in the season. From past performance – particularly after our first trip to the dance - it seems clear to me that CC did not know how to manage role definition. Heads got bigger and expectations/tensions between the players undermined the chemistry – and our ability to win. I hope CC has learned from that and knows how to proactively manage this - and I hope I’m wrong to worry.

Defensive toughness & team identity – can we keep it if Chris Lowery moves on? I think of Lowery as our 'basketball Hank' - there are real parallels here and we all know what happened when Fitz lost Hank. CC hired Lowery, so the credit to both of them. Entirely possible that CC is learning how to be more of an executive rather than just an assistant who loves his players, and everyone matures on the job. Just hope that if/when Chris moves on, CC is intentional and effective in maintaining the current tough, defensive identity. CC will never be ruthless like Coach K, so he needs this on his staff - and Lowery has it in gobs. If Lowery leaves, hope we don't default to a pathologically optimistic buddy hire like Fitz did. Seen that movie before.

I for one am an optimist. Seems to me CC himself has learned a lot by going through the wringer. That's valuable for him and for us. At the same time, I just hope the coach is getting some coaching. I really don't know enough about CC or the team to know what to expect on the above. Eager to hear what better informed fans have to say on this.

Collins has learned to adjust to the new transfer policies and also to not being able to refer a player to the Facility Manager for redeployment for service with the janitorial crew if they underperform on the basketball court.

 

[NJCat]

Feels like a coded message to recruits that says 'its a fluke - its hard to win at that place' or 'real athletes don't go there'. I recall similar comments in the past (can't remember if it was bball or football). Am I overthinking?

Well, to be fair, it IS hard to win at NU. The admissions standards are a real issue. I agree with you that the team should get more credit and that the use of "miracle" doesn't give them enough credit, but at the same time NU starts at a disadvantage to every other power conference school bar perhaps Stanford.

 

[CappyNU]

Off topic posts once again removed. Please try not to go down the devolving rabbit holes.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Off topic posts once again removed. Please try not to go down the devolving rabbit holes.

You accidentally (?) deleted a video clip of Chris Collins during a game... since thats the subject of the thread, I will re-post it.
This was the Purdue game - Collins is clearly grabbing Fletcher Loyer's arm during live play....
I find it interesting and 100% on subject - reflecting our coach's emotional nature on the sidelines.

 

[CappyNU]

You accidentally (?) deleted a video clip of Chris Collins during a game... since thats the subject of the thread, I will re-post it.
This was the Purdue game - Collins is clearly grabbing Fletcher Loyer's arm during live play....
I find it interesting and 100% on subject - reflecting our coach's emotional nature on the sidelines.

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Sure, I suppose this can be construed as on topic. Carry on.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

Top 10!!!

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Top 10!!!

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Thats a great list... Always good to know who is coaching where.
Too bad they didn't eliminate some of the serial cheaters.
Although it may not be possible to cheat anymore.

 

[Hkjb]

Top 10!!!

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Heady stuff and great to see. A related question: Why is CC's contract extension not yet signed and announced? After beating the Utes in the holiday bowl, Fitz declared he was a Wildcat for life and if I recall correctly, the administration had quickly put him in a position to make that declaration - thus brushing off interest from the Packers at the time. The administration got on top of that. The verdict on CC this past season has been in for a long time now. Is anyone else wondering why the air hasn't been formally (and mutually) cleared in terms of CC's retention? I don't think Dr. C's prior statement of intent is the same as an agreement - and I would guess that this is important/urgent when it comes to recruiting and transfer portal discussions.

 

[IGNORE2]

Heady stuff and great to see. A related question: Why is CC's contract extension not yet signed and announced? After beating the Utes in the holiday bowl, Fitz declared he was a Wildcat for life and if I recall correctly, the administration had quickly put him in a position to make that declaration - thus brushing off interest from the Packers at the time. The administration got on top of that. The verdict on CC this past season has been in for a long time now. Is anyone else wondering why the air hasn't been formally (and mutually) cleared in terms of CC's retention? I don't think Dr. C's prior statement of intent is the same as an agreement - and I would guess that this is important/urgent when it comes to recruiting and transfer portal discussions.

Maybe because he doesn’t have a team to coach at this point. At last count, if we exclude Barkley, we have three players w significant experience, a guy coming off an injury and two freshman, likely to hit a wall mid B1G, if forced into heavy minutes….

And I don’t think you pay someone handsomely to coach a team that will rely on walkons.

 

[Katatonic]

So you are implying Patrick Baldwin and Armon Gates were the reason we won in 2016-17? I can’t agree with much here.

How else would you explain the 5 dismal, losing seasons inbtwn?

One of which when he had most of the 1st Tourney team returning and another when he had Pardon and Law at their physical peak (should be able to win more than 4 conference games with a peak Law and Pardon).

 

[clarificationcat]

How else would you explain the 5 dismal, losing seasons inbtwn?

One of which when he had most of the 1st Tourney team returning and another when he had Pardon and Law at their physical peak (should be able to win more than 4 conference games with a peak Law and Pardon).

Well, Law and McIntosh got hurt at the end of the 2017-2018 season. We were 6 and 6 in the conference before then and we ended up losing the rest of the games.

Last year was not dismal. We lost a bunch of close games against good teams because we didn’t have a closer and Audige was not nearly as impactful because of injury. I can also point to 3 conference games we lost last year because of missed free throws at the end of the game. Win those games and we win 10 conference games.

The final Law and Pardon year we literally had no point guard. I think poor recruiting was to blame more than the assistant coaches for that season. He had nobody in place to play point guard after McIntosh. Nobody.

 

[Katatonic]

Injuries happen (they happened during the ACC NIT seasons) and Law still played in 27 games and BMac, 29 games.

Plus, Pardon, Skelly and Lindsey played in 32 games (as did Gaines and Benson), w/ Falzon playing in 28 games.

In terms of # of games/mins lost, '17-18 fared very well.

While the team did at one point have a 6-6 conference record (started 2-6 in the conference), they were only 15-10 overall.

And what's the excuse for the dismal '18-19 season when Collins had among 2 of the best players this program has ever seen in a peak Pardon (32 gms) and Law (30 gms)?

Not expecting the Tourney, but certainly somewhere around .500, if not at least being an NIT bubble team?