Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (Possible insight on UT's next OC?)

[Ketchum]

Ketch,

Excellent read. Agree with almost everything you said.

Are you my brother?

 

[Ketchum]

Great read Ketch.
Happy Holidays to you too. Hope we can all meet up next year, glasses, raised, toasting a new regime.

Cheers!

 

[Ketchum]

Ketch acting like his “damn good” Coach spiel never happened.... oh how wrong you were.

Quite the contrary.

 

[Ketchum]

Our player of the decade was Case McCoy because he is so symbolic. He played key rolls in several of the most important/pivotal games (think about the last minute win at Kansas and the final A&M game) and did so with a talent package that would have made it difficult to win a starting job on a decent FCS team. What does tell us about the last decade.

This last decade was a throwaway.

 

[Ketchum]

Karen Aston is 100x the coach Shaka Smart is.

Trade their accomplishments while at Texas, & Shaka would be lauded as a success.

Aston is tough minded & is a damn good coach. Problem is she has to go up against a legendary coach up in Waco.

That's not her only problem. It ain't just that she can't get past Baylor.

 

[Ketchum]

One thing @Ketchum didn't mention..

If Yurcich was the play caller of such a potent offense, why couldn't he get a gig calling plays when he left OkState? Is it common for the OC/Playcaller of a top 20 offense three years running to go from that position to a WR coach?

I mean he is on staff at one of the top three programs in America. The thing keeping him from being the playcaller is a head coach that feels more confident and stronger in calling the plays than Herman does.

 

[Ketchum]

Jesus and you double down on Shaka. Aside from his one great half season the dude hasn’t been in the top 75% and I don’t give a shit what he did at VCU (a school with less opportunity). He had all tools at his disposal and has sucked ass. I don’t care what race or political affiliation he has. You didn’t extend the same rope to strong because you didn’t know his political views and that’s why my annual subscription can’t end fast enough.

I haven't doubled down on anything other than the obvious.

 

[Ketchum]

Deshon Elliot was a consensus All American

He received consideration.

 

[Ketchum]

There is no side-stepping Shaka Smart’s performance. And you are what your record says you are. @Ketchum you are just dead wrong on this one

I haven't side-stepped anything. I clearly outlined my reasoning and no one has dared take those reasons on, for obvious reasons.

 

[Ketchum]

Shaka Smart is like the guy who wins rookie of the year in MLB, and never comes close to that again. He had a great run in the tourney with VCU, and has been mediocre ever since. Despite recruiting at a near elite level, he has been next to clueless on how to coach that talent to even a moderate level of success.

Karen Aston is a good, not great coach. Shaka Smart isnt in that same universe.

Sadly for Texas fans, they are actually in the same universe.

 

[Ketchum]

"He's in the top 1% of all people in his profession, has been to the Final Four, has coached US national teams and is well-respected in his profession."

As a person, maybe. As a coach, the real Shaka has been exposed.

He's still in the top 1% of his profession.

 

[Ketchum]

Well?

What did thou thinketh of Rise of Skywalker?

It was ok. There were moments I really liked and some parts of the movie I was disappointed in.

I'm still processing it all.

 

[Ketchum]

How can you be a damn good coach and not be a good coach for Texas? What is holding him back?

I just don't think this place is the right job for him.

Clearly.

There are countless situations of successful people going to situations where they fail to meet their goals after being successful in previous stops.

If we only judged Vince Lombardi on his stint with Washington, what would we say about him? Jimmy Johnson with the Dolphins? Jerry Jones post-1995?

The failure at Texas doesn't mean he's incapable. It just means he failed.

 

[Ketchum]

As an actual damn good coach once said, you are what your record says you are.

That guy was actually a great coach.

 

[Ketchum]

Tough list to make. Just curious, where would you place Justin Tucker? I read that he is the most accurate kicker in NFL history.

You can make a case he could be very high. Nine of the 10 guys on the list were All-Americans, something Tucker did not achieve.

 

[Ketchum]

Acho way too low. Hicks too high.

Tough group to order if I'm being honest.

 

[Ketchum]

I'd say this speaks more to reputation than to X's and O's coaching. How can a coach who is in the top 1% of his field never have an offensive identity? Why would said coach move to his "big job" and completely abandon his previous teams identity (i.e. disciplined relentless pressing team)? Sorry, I can't buy that we have seen much evidence that Shaka is indeed a damn good, or even good coach at Texas.

well, he IS failing at Texas.

This has proven to be a poor fit.

 

[RLong68]

No. 5 - Problem in Providence ...

In the grand scheme of things, I don't know that Saturday's loss will make much of a difference when this season is over for the men's basketball team.

Don't get me wrong, it was a horrific loss. I just don't think it will define this season like so many of the looming conference games might in the coming months.

More than anything, the 70-48 loss was a reminder for Texas fans that have been slow to come around to this team's 9-1 start as to why they've been slow to come around to this team.

You can change the assistants and you can change the players, but at this point you cannot change the fact that Shaka Smart hasn't earned an ounce of benefit of the doubt and Saturday was a perfect example of that.

With conference play starting soon, it's the cloud that follows the program to a degree. When on earth can Texas fans watch the basketball team without feeling like a trapdoor of doom will open up underneath them at a moment when they have started to believe?

I'm rooting for Shaka to get this thing going in the direction he was hired to take it, but I can't say that I believe.

I can't remember the last time I did.

That's such a confusing statement. I think Saturday's game is a MAJOR indicator of things to come for those who for some odd reason put a ton of stock into the 9-1 start. The reality is we've played 3 non-scrubs and are 1-2 in those games.

 

[RLong68]

(Sell) I don't mean for this to sound snarky at all, but Shaka is a damn good coach, even if he hasn't been a damn good coach at Texas thus far. He's in the top 1% of all people in his profession, has been to the Final Four, has coached US national teams and is well-respected in his profession. I'd simply say a person can still fail at something and still be damn good at what they do. What I wouldn't stand in the way of is someone saying he's not great.

He really isn't.

 

[Ketchum]

That's such a confusing statement. I think Saturday's game is a MAJOR indicator of things to come for those who for some odd reason put a ton of stock into the 9-1 start. The reality is we've played 3 non-scrubs and are 1-2 in those games.

It's a confusing team and program.

 

[longhorn73]

The Tennessee win by the ladies was decent as well.

 

[RLong68]

It's a confusing team and program.

No it's not.

 

[Ketchum]

No it's not.

Merry Christmas.

 

[ORANGE_G]

Shaka? Top 1%? You're high as a kite, my man.

 

[ORANGE_G]

Isn't Mapoosi Anmakrak on this team?

 

[Ketchum]

Shaka? Top 1%? You're high as a kite, my man.

Possibly, but I do understand math.

There are tens of thousands of basketball coaches in America and less than 1% ever make it to the level Shaka is currently at, even as he fails in a major way in the process at Texas.

Context matters.

 

[ORANGE_G]

Possibly, but I do understand math.

There are tens of thousands of basketball coaches in America and less than 1% ever make it to the level Shaka is currently at, even as he fails in a major way in the process at Texas.

Context matters.

It's really hard to fathom. So based on your logic, you'd argue Charlie Strong is top 1% too? Puff puff give...

 

[boernefan]

harrell wasn’t a fit, I’m glad he didn’t come.

I am glad Herman didn't offer.

 

[boernefan]

7.5

What is Anwar's rating?

 

[Ketchum]

It's really hard to fathom. So based on your logic, you'd argue Charlie Strong is top 1% too? Puff puff give...

Well...

 

[Ketchum]

What is Anwar's rating?

I dunno.

 

[heightshorn1]

If Ohio st wins the national championship with 2 offensive explosion games, does your 7.5 at least move to 8?

 

[LonghornBuc]

He's still in the top 1% of his profession.

Bwahahahahahaha

There are about 351 college BB teams. You put Shaka in the top 4 of college coaches.

Please post some more about other peoples biases, while ignoring your own.

For the record, Aston is in the same universe with Barnes. Finishes near the top of the conference, makes the tourney and usually goes fairly far. Just not as far as their team talent projects.

Shaka doesnt know where that universe is located.

 

[marka1]

You can make a case he could be very high. Nine of the 10 guys on the list were All-Americans, something Tucker did not achieve.

Sometimes those lists are as good as a Most Likely to Succeed list in high school. Tucker was 2nd Team All Big 12 as a senior (AP, San Antonio Express-News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram) and honorable mention (Coaches). As a junior an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection by the Associated Press. He was underrated then and he is still underrated in retrospect

 

[Ketchum]

If Ohio st wins the national championship with 2 offensive explosion games, does your 7.5 at least move to 8?

It's hard to know what role he plays at Ohio State.