Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (Shaka is a damn good coach)

[MauiHorn]

I can’t believe this is still going on...

Ketch got some serious amount of eyeballs to the site during offseason. Congrats on keeping things fresh and invigorating OB whether people agree or they don’t.

 

[EastCoastTexan]

This is fantastic, thank you.

I have been very critical of Shakas offensive philosophy. I believe that style of offense relies too heavily on experienced players making the right decision. Which if your team is young, as we have seen this year, the offense is borderline comical to watch at times. Are there any good examples of college coaches who have been able to install a similar offense with great/consistent success? With an emphasis on consistency.

If you will please explain to a laymen what his offensive style is.

It appears to me we do basically the same high screen everytime down regardless of the defense we are facing.

 

[gamer_989]

It's a topic I plan on writing more about after the season, but in the meantime:

--- I think Smart understands how you win big at this level: build rosters around talented three and four-year players that are going to be in your program, and develop them. Then when you're able to add a one-and-done, that one-and-done is elevated by the veteran players around him.

Generally, I think Smart is a good evaluator. I know he's a good recruiter, and based on his development at VCU and the early years at Texas, I think he's a good developer when it comes to individual players. During his first year, he adjusted to losing the team's best player and focal point of both offense and defense by developing Prince Ibeh into the Big 12 DPOY and getting more on offense out of guys like Javan Felix, Isaiah Taylor, and Connor Lammert.

--- Where I think Smart gets hurt some in the short-term this season is something that helps in the long-term: player freedom. There are so many times this year when Texas has needed more hands-on, concise structure on offense. But in the long run, player freedom early and the encouragement to play aggressively will help players when they're sophomores and especially when they're juniors and seniors. Generally, he lets young players play through a lot and gives them more opportunities than most, although it's clear James Banks ranks down the list.

For example, Matt Coleman is given a lot of freedom. When he was recruited, he was told he'd "have the keys" and that hasn't wavered. So while that creates some times when it hurts (at Oklahoma State, at Baylor for examples), he's going to be better off because of it in the future.

--- He wants to build a program with a foundation of good, talented, veteran players that are the culture-drivers. He spends a ton of time meeting individually with players about anything - basketball, life, etc. He's as active of a head coach in recruiting as there is.

I don't think he's the total package in terms of rating good across the board, but I don't think there are many of those coaches in college basketball. Like most coaches, he has his strengths and weaknesses. But I do think his long-term plan on how to develop players and build a program is a strength, and he's building up a good base of talent that's going to remain in his program for years. Eventually, that will lead to rosters with experienced veterans, young talent that isn't asked to do too much and can develop, and the occasional elite talent like a Bamba.

I think I get it. We have different definitions and expectations of what a good coach is. You point to one little weakness in shaka’s coaching acumen and then paint over it with a pretty brush by calling it “too much player freedom”.

This is the singular point of angst for those that doubt his coaching ability. He has one player playing hero ball every game. 2 to 3 others just stand around and never move. Off the ball movement sucks in general. Our post players wander around aimlessly... if they move at all. There is no structure to the offense that maximizes our talents. We don’t have any set plays that I have observed. If you watch him in timeouts I don’t think I have ever seen him draw up a play. He just “inspires”.

Shaka is very lacking in the technical aspects of the game. THAT is why he draws complaints. We shouldn’t have to wait 4 years for players to develop to have a decent season. Because then what? We have to wait another 4 years? Rhetorical question.

There is enough talent on the roster to not have to worry about back to back last place finishes in conference play.

 

[Par_or_else]

I have spent my entire lunch hour reading 20 pages (yes, I am a slow reader) and I am not sure I feel more enlightened. I am however entertained. Thanks all.

 

[Ketchum]

I have spent my entire lunch hour reading 20 pages (yes, I am a slow reader) and I am not sure I feel more enlightened. I am however entertained. Thanks all.

You're welcome!

 

[Texas_Fight714]

I think I get it. We have different definitions and expectations of what a good coach is. You point to one little weakness in shaka’s coaching acumen and then paint over it with a pretty brush by calling it “too much player freedom”.

This is the singular point of angst for those that doubt his coaching ability. He has one player playing hero ball every game. 2 to 3 others just stand around and never move. Off the ball movement sucks in general. Our post players wander around aimlessly... if they move at all. There is no structure to the offense that maximizes our talents. We don’t have any set plays that I have observed. If you watch him in timeouts I don’t think I have ever seen him draw up a play. He just “inspires”.

Shaka is very lacking in the technical aspects of the game. THAT is why he draws complaints. We shouldn’t have to wait 4 years for players to develop to have a decent season. Because then what? We have to wait another 4 years? Rhetorical question.

There is enough talent on the roster to not have to worry about back to back last place finishes in conference play.

Spot on.

 

[UTRULZ]

I have patiently waited until we hit page 20 to drop this...

Shut up!!

 

[Ketchum]

For the "Ketch isn't as rough on Smart as he is on Herman" crowd...

From last year:

From last season:

"Nine games to go. That’s all that remains in this wretched second basketball season under Shaka Smart after the Longhorns dropped to five games under .500 for the second time this season, an uninspiring truth about the program that hasn’t occurred since 1993.

On Saturday, there were essentially two positive notes about the game.

Jarrett Allen was outstanding, posting 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks.
The game ended with a running time of about one hours and 50 minutes, which meant that those that were torturing themselves by watching the entire game were given a quicker viewing death than normal.

Outside of that, I've got nothing. The only thing that saved this team from a 30-point beatdown was an unbreakable spirit, but in the context of a double-digit loss that at the hands of a basketball program that few respect, the weight of that comment in game No. 23 of the season isn’t much.

If this season was being played on the X-Box or Playstation, we all would have hit the reset button numerous times by now, but all we can really do is count down the games until this thing ends.

Barring any overtime, we’re talking T-minus 360 minutes until we can move along forever."

 

[TD TX TD VY]

Which part was unfair? Little bit of revisionist History if someone is trying to put a spin on last year's offensive issues for the football team.

I think the point is our offense in both sports this year were abortions.

For the record, I don't think your love of Shaka is about race. You didn't pull any punches with Charlie.

But you're definitely applying a double standard to Smart and Herman.

 

[jessed50]

If you will please explain to a laymen what his offensive style is.

It appears to me we do basically the same high screen everytime down regardless of the defense we are facing.

@Ketchum, if this is not ok let me know and I will remove the link.

https://www.burntorangenation.com/b...-screen-offense-works-for-the-texas-longhorns

This was written half way through the first season and does a good job explaining the basic principles of his offense. What gives the players so much freedom is that those movements are more guidelines as opposed to a set play. It gives the players the ability to improvise on when to screen off the ball and when to cut. There is not a linear checklist of movements/passes that the team has to follow.

 

[Ketchum]

I think the point is our offense in both sports this year were abortions.

For the record, I don't think your love of Shaka is about race. You didn't pull any punches with Charlie.

But you're definitely applying a double standard to Smart and Herman.

I've Killed Smart numerous times, especially last season (see the section above).

 

[Ketchum]

I also wrote this last year:

No. 6 – The worst thing you can say about a Longhorn coach …
https://twitter.com/gkketch/status/815037004874477568
Geoff Ketchum@gkketch


The worst thing you could say about Shaka Smart right now is that his product reminds everyone too much of Charlie Strong, but it's true.

9:28 PM - Dec 30, 2016

"For the record, I am a Shaka Smart guy. I think he’s a coaching star and while there’s no question that he’s going through a wretched season, my expectations for him at Texas are still incredibly high.

Also, I fully acknowledge that there are some difficult circumstances in play that helped create the disaster that it is this season. It’s easier said than done to simply snap your fingers and have a quality point guard arrive out of thin air.

But, I stand by the comments that I made on Friday night for three reasons.

1. While Rick Barnes delivered some ugly basketball over the years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like the needles into eyeballs torture that this team is creating when we’re compelled to watch it. The closest thing to it in terms of pure ugliness was a Charlie Strong football team.

2. The point guard situation reminds me of the quarterback situation in that the inability to find an answer, no matter how hard finding that answer might have been, doomed this team before the season ever started. One of my biggest criticisms of Strong in his three years was his inability to treat the quarterback needs with more urgency. It’s only fair to hold Smart to the same type of no excuses, by any means necessary approach to finding an alternative answer that situation demands.

3. The bottom line is the bottom line and we’re midway through year two under Smart and the quality of basketball isn’t better than the brand of ball that got the previous coach fired, which is exactly the type of thing that was true about Strong in his second season.

You can argue with me all day or night that Smart and Strong are nothing alike and the situations are totally different, but I’ll maintain that those three points above justify me seeing similarities."

 

[EG-man]

If the overall tone of your passage isn't at least a showing of support for shaka, then I missed your message. You spent at least 75% of the article explaining why you thought shaka was "one hell of a basketball coach" and dismissing arguments against it. Sure you say he might not make it here, but taken as a whole, it's still an endorsement. Don't accuse others of not reading the entire article and using small pieces of your writing to argue against you if you're going to do the same.

All i'm saying is let's wait and see before we get carried away. And that applies to both your side and people calling for his job.

Telling it like it is. @Ketchum Did you somehow forget that the total of your 10 Thoughts included this: “(Shaka is a damn good coach)”. You are either endorsing him or you aren’t. Com’on man!

 

[SarkAfterDark]

Is Smart stealing money?

 

[Orangebrew]

For the "Ketch isn't as rough on Smart as he is on Herman" crowd...

From last year:

From last season:

"Nine games to go. That’s all that remains in this wretched second basketball season under Shaka Smart after the Longhorns dropped to five games under .500 for the second time this season, an uninspiring truth about the program that hasn’t occurred since 1993.

On Saturday, there were essentially two positive notes about the game.

Jarrett Allen was outstanding, posting 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists, three steals and two blocks.
The game ended with a running time of about one hours and 50 minutes, which meant that those that were torturing themselves by watching the entire game were given a quicker viewing death than normal.

Outside of that, I've got nothing. The only thing that saved this team from a 30-point beatdown was an unbreakable spirit, but in the context of a double-digit loss that at the hands of a basketball program that few respect, the weight of that comment in game No. 23 of the season isn’t much.

If this season was being played on the X-Box or Playstation, we all would have hit the reset button numerous times by now, but all we can really do is count down the games until this thing ends.

Barring any overtime, we’re talking T-minus 360 minutes until we can move along forever."

Well, you did mention his name once but I still don’t see you taking aim at Smart in this example post. Maybe keep looking. You’ll have trouble finding something after his post election comments though.

 

[CS]

@Ketchum is a giant pussy for locking the other thread.

 

[gamer_989]

I've Killed Smart numerous times, especially last season (see the section above).

Remove the Big 12 COY comment and your post is more palatable. Smart is not in the running for that. Not even close. Is smart a good coach? Sure. He has a nice resume. Is he getting the best out of this Texas basketball roster over the past 2 seasons? Absolutely not. He is lost in a league with coaches that do a much better job of maximizing talent and situational coaching.

 

[Ketchum]

You guys can save the silliness of suggesting I haven't been harshly critical of Smart.

As for the race stuff? Yes, I love black people. And brown people. And green people. And white people. Gay people. Straight people.

I'm a lover of all kinds of people.

Only those of you that bring up race will have to explain why that's an issue.

 

[Ketchum]

@Ketchum is a giant pussy for locking the other thread.

But, I am not afraid for people to know who I am...

 

[Ketchum]

Is Smart stealing money?

He did last year.

 

[TD TX TD VY]

I also wrote this last year:

No. 6 – The worst thing you can say about a Longhorn coach …
Geoff Ketchum@gkketch


The worst thing you could say about Shaka Smart right now is that his product reminds everyone too much of Charlie Strong, but it's true.

9:28 PM - Dec 30, 2016

"For the record, I am a Shaka Smart guy. I think he’s a coaching star and while there’s no question that he’s going through a wretched season, my expectations for him at Texas are still incredibly high.

Also, I fully acknowledge that there are some difficult circumstances in play that helped create the disaster that it is this season. It’s easier said than done to simply snap your fingers and have a quality point guard arrive out of thin air.

But, I stand by the comments that I made on Friday night for three reasons.

1. While Rick Barnes delivered some ugly basketball over the years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like the needles into eyeballs torture that this team is creating when we’re compelled to watch it. The closest thing to it in terms of pure ugliness was a Charlie Strong football team.

2. The point guard situation reminds me of the quarterback situation in that the inability to find an answer, no matter how hard finding that answer might have been, doomed this team before the season ever started. One of my biggest criticisms of Strong in his three years was his inability to treat the quarterback needs with more urgency. It’s only fair to hold Smart to the same type of no excuses, by any means necessary approach to finding an alternative answer that situation demands.

3. The bottom line is the bottom line and we’re midway through year two under Smart and the quality of basketball isn’t better than the brand of ball that got the previous coach fired, which is exactly the type of thing that was true about Strong in his second season.

You can argue with me all day or night that Smart and Strong are nothing alike and the situations are totally different, but I’ll maintain that those three points above justify me seeing similarities."

That's pretty critical. I'm not sure what's changed since then...he still looks like Charlie.

 

[Ketchum]

Well, you did mention his name once but I still don’t see you taking aim at Smart in this example post. Maybe keep looking. You’ll have trouble finding something after his post election comments though.

Keep reading. It's there.

 

[Ketchum]

That's pretty critical. I'm not sure what's changed since then...he still looks like Charlie.

Well, he's done a admirable job this season when you eliminate last season and just focus on this one.

 

[TD TX TD VY]

Well, he's done a admirable job this season when you eliminate last season and just focus on this one.

7th place in conference isn't admirable. It just isn't. It's Charlie level.

 

[Ketchum]

7th place in conference isn't admirable. It just isn't. It's Charlie level.

I would contend that's a narrow way to judge his job performance, given the circumstances he's been dealing with.

Actually, that's what I contended in the article with a host of supporting detail.

 

[SarkAfterDark]

He did last year.

"Stealing" is an insultingly ugly way to describe any coach's performance, but I don't remember you ever describing Smart's performance with such a pejorative term up until now. Do you honestly think you hold both Herman and Smart to the same standards?

 

[Guy Smiley]

@Ketchum, you've lost me in this marathon of a thread. Your article is about why you think Shaka is a damned good coach, but your replies in the thread are all about how you repeatedly point out how pathetic of a job he has done here.

 

[Ketchum]

It's an ugly way to describe any coach's performance, but I don't remember you ever describing Smart's performance in such a pejorative way up until now. Do you honestly think you hold both Herman and Smart to the same standards?

I actually apologized for those choice of words on the site the next day, given the literal sense that so many take them in as opposed to it being a popular expression.

 

[gamer_989]

Also, how do 2 players look worse, conditioning wise, towards the end of a basketball season? Davis and O have packed some pounds on during the season. They look bad.

 

[SarkAfterDark]

I actually apologized for those choice of words on the site the next day, given the literal sense that so many take them in as opposed to it being a popular expression.

Fair enough, and to the larger second question?