I blocked him too.This is getting personal. Just right the ship coach.
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I blocked him too.This is getting personal. Just right the ship coach.
People here are quick to judge. They had unrealistic expectations based on nothing. Do people realize these players have never played together, and half of them are sophomores? I know that everyone here thinks they know basketball, but really? it sure is fun playing arm chair QB.We have a very YOUNG team... good lord
We have lost by 3,2,4and 5 ..... we are right there just need to stop making stupid mistakes
Agreed.I have been intently watching UTEP basketball for over 35 years and last night’s game seriously confused me. Here are the questions I have:
1. Why was Verhoeven in the game the last minute? He had not played all game (even though he had recently started several games).
Answer: The coaches have no situational awareness and no idea how to manage a bench.
2. Why was Odigie not in the game the last minute and why does he consistently get less than 20 minutes of playing time?
Answer: I can’t answer this question. If the coaches want to win, then Odigie must play more and must play with Williams. Odigie needs to start.
3. Why does Stroud, the most athletic guy on the team and guy who carried the team in the first half against FIU, get less than 10 minutes of playing time?
Answer: The coaches do not understand how to manage their bench. Management of starters, subs,and playing time, beyond Williams, make no sense.
4. Why does Vila get so much playing time - especially in crunch time? Does he add something besides bad defense and consistently missed 3 pointers?
Answer: I have no answer for this question. The use of Vila is stupefying - especially in crunch time. He should not be allowed to take 3s and he deserves no more than 10 minutes of playing time in relief of Williams and/or Odigie.
5. Are there any unique offensive sets for Williams that can be implemented? Everybody knows he is going to be triple teamed. Can we get creative whereby we have specific sets for him or some things that open things up for Efe or a three by somebody with the hot hand?
Answer: I am not sure this staff has a floor coach.
Oh, and note to players, if you want a starting role then enter the transfer portal and then withdraw.
This is some bull#@*% basketball that I’ve been watching.
This!We have a very YOUNG team... good lord
We have lost by 3,2,4and 5 ..... we are right there just need to stop making stupid mistakes
Excellent post axingfools1. The coaches need to find a way to get Efe and Williams on the court together. Like you, I am not a huge fan of Odigie, but Vila just isn't the answer. At least Odigie can provide some offense, and it would allow Williams to operate with fewer double teams. I think Williams can be effective working from the outside in.Agreed.
Personally I think Tydus brings more than Vila and should be the 1st big off the bench and in the game for situational defense. Tarke (if physically ok) has progressed nicely over the past few weeks and deserves more time at the 4. Not a huge fan of Odigie, but agree he should start now. Recruit another big since Eze left and Vila is a flop.
If Stroud is the future, then play him now. I can deal with his turnovers in return for scoring, rebounds, blocked shots, experience and excitement.
I thought Hawkins would be the odd man out before the season because of congestion, but not so. He is aggressive and athletic. He just needs to stay that way and be more consistent.
Boum needs to be moved to 6th man. I think it may really help take pressure off and help his offense. If I'm Terry I tell Boum to use his mid-range and drive. Get to the free throw line. Then use 3-pointers as icing on the cake. Show him video of Omar Thomas and Stefon Jackson.
Edwards needs to be more consistent. At this point in his career, this is on him, not the coaches.
All of this being said, we are still 8-9 deep and with the right line-ups, substitutions and situational play calling this team can still gel and make a good run in the CUSA tourney.
Excellent post axingfools1. The coaches need to find a way to get Efe and Williams on the court together. Like you, I am not a huge fan of Odigie, but Vila just isn't the answer. At least Odigie can provide some offense, and it would allow Williams to operate with fewer double teams. I think Williams can be effective working from the outside in.
Exactly. As Maniac mentioned yesterday, before it happened, the last five minutes of the game have been big trouble for this team. This happened with Lathon on the team, so I can't see using that as much of an excuse. Also, the issue of being inexperienced is true, but some of the teams we ended up losing to were inexperienced as well. Point is, our young roster is not unique to only us. This is when coaching needs to step up.The frustrating part is that, even with all the issues, this team could easily be 13-2 with losses to Houston and Washington. 2-5 in games decided by 5 points or less. If we could have just hung on versus Hawaii and FAU, we're 11-4 and the narrative is different. But, good teams find a way to win those games and bad teams find a way to lose them.
I would agree with this if it was the players making stupid mistakes. It’s the coaching staff that makes the stupid mistakes.We have a very YOUNG team... good lord
We have lost by 3,2,4and 5 ..... we are right there just need to stop making stupid mistakes
I have been intently watching UTEP basketball for over 35 years and last night’s game seriously confused me. Here are the questions I have:
1. Why was Verhoeven in the game the last minute? He had not played all game (even though he had recently started several games).
Agree. And the offensive problems haven't happened just at the end of games, but also during those 5-7 minute droughts on offense. The coaches need to draw up plays, that don't necessarily go through Williams, that put the team in a position to score. It is pretty clear the players are not able generate offense on the fly. Right now, everyone knows that when we need a basket, we are going into Williams or nothing. It is way beyond time for the coaches to put the other guys in a position to score. The next step, of course, is that the players have to make the plays. Like Feral mentioned, Lathon wasn't afraid to take the big shot, so we miss that. We need to find other guys who can step up.I would agree with this if it was the players making stupid mistakes. It’s the coaching staff that makes the stupid mistakes.
Against FIU after a time out with the game on the line the ball is inbounded to Villa who proceeds to turnover the ball. Edwards who had the hot hand was sitting right under the basket. What kind of designed play was that? They should have drawn a play for Edwards and Villa shouldn’t be in the game. Don’t get me started on the coaching staff forgetting to tell the players to foul as soon FIU inbounded the ball.
Against FAU the coaches decided it would be a good idea to take out our hottest hand and put in an ice cold shooter in the critical ending moments of the game.
I don’t mind losing games cuz Stroud, or whatever name you want to insert, missed a buzzer shot but I do mind losing games cuz the coaching staff draws up a turnover with players that shouldn’t even belong on the court during crunch time.
I would agree with this if it was the players making stupid mistakes. It’s the coaching staff that makes the stupid mistakes.
Against FIU after a time out with the game on the line the ball is inbounded to Villa who proceeds to turnover the ball. Edwards who had the hot hand was sitting right under the basket. What kind of designed play was that? They should have drawn a play for Edwards and Villa shouldn’t be in the game. Don’t get me started on the coaching staff forgetting to tell the players to foul as soon FIU inbounded the ball.
Against FAU the coaches decided it would be a good idea to take out our hottest hand and put in an ice cold shooter in the critical ending moments of the game.
I don’t mind losing games cuz Stroud, or whatever name you want to insert, missed a buzzer shot but I do mind losing games cuz the coaching staff draws up a turnover with players that shouldn’t even belong on the court during crunch time.
So basically you are saying UTEP is athletic enough, but not mentally or willfully strong to win these games on the road?So here the appropriate level headed take on what's going on. I was upset yesterday and waited til today to respond to the two road losses. They were both against probably pretty equal teams teams so far this year. We are 0-4 on the road against equal teams this year and 1-1 on neutral site. Point is, this team isn't getting whooped on the road against similar teams, we're simply not finding a way to win. I was afraid that may be the case this year trying to mix in all the transfers. That is not an excuse however, because we do have talent, but it's apparent it hasn't yet jelled . I hope they can get it fixed before the tourney, but right now this team just hasn't figured out how to win close on the road and who to go to in a pinch besides Williams who gets doubled all the time.
True, but still doesnt explain the ever changing lineups and weird player rotations. That is not helping the cause. Players can see right through this.So here the appropriate level headed take on what's going on. I was upset yesterday and waited til today to respond to the two road losses. They were both against probably pretty equal teams teams so far this year. We are 0-4 on the road against equal teams this year and 1-1 on neutral site. Point is, this team isn't getting whooped on the road against similar teams, we're simply not finding a way to win. I was afraid that may be the case this year trying to mix in all the transfers. That is not an excuse however, because we do have talent, but it's apparent it hasn't yet jelled . I hope they can get it fixed before the tourney, but right now this team just hasn't figured out how to win close on the road and who to go to in a pinch besides Williams who gets doubled all the time.
My #1 concern continues to be the coaching. There is 100% agreement that it is unfathomable why certain players are on the floor while others are on the bench and especially at crunch time. These last two losses were directly attributable to the coaches decisions on who they wanted on the floor.True, but still doesnt explain the ever changing lineups and weird player rotations. That is not helping the cause. Players can see right through this.
Unless Terry has Jalen Green and a star center on the phone right now, then he has to BUILD this team and provide a distinct direction.
If we are going to build then play your best interior defenders and rebounders along side your best player, play your young wings equal minutes and let them duke out playing time, demand ball control from your guards and instruct them to exploit their strengths, demand more consistency from your senior and BENCH the guys who are hurting the team when they deserve it.
Hell maybe Terry is saying all this stuff, but he sure isn't showing it as far as I'm concerned. Benefit of the doubt is fading slowly.
That was so early in his tenure, when we had that discussion. At that point, all I had to go on were his very mediocre results at Fresno State. I saw nothing that was terrible, but nor did I see anything that made me think we had ourselves anything beyond a mediocre coach.
As last season progressed to a certain point I asked myself where I saw improvement. Even by season’s end, I couldn’t identify any meaningful improvement. That was one of my criteria before that season started...to see noticeable improvement, because we didn’t see it all that much during Floyd’s era. As bad as the team was last year, especially in the beginning, there was only one direction to go...and that was up...but somehow we managed to not go up. Not even sure how that can happen.
Then, to borrow a phrase from CTF, I thought I’d give Terry the benefit of the doubt because “the real cavalry was coming”. I liked what I saw on paper, in highlight videos, on player ranking lists, etc. I thought perhaps Terry really didn’t have much to work with last year and I needed to give him the opportunity to prove himself with a roster full of talent.
Fast forward to today. We have a team that is underachieving, and that’s putting it mildly. The controllables are not being controlled. Most of our turnovers are unforced. There is no evident fire in these guys’ bellies. Player substitution/rotation is beyond confounding. Player favoritism is apparent even to a blind man. We almost had 4 player defections in the first 1/3 of a season. Either Terry can’t coach these guys up OR he’s not as good of a recruiter as we’ve given him credit for. The team unity seems as absent as it is in our political threads on this forum. Most of these are coaching issues in my experience.
I hate to be the guy who says he was early to recognize the Floyd issues. But I was. This reminds me of Floyd era bb. I hope to hell i’m wrong because it’ll be another ****ing rebuild...another start over if I’m sensing correctly.
The other day I said I was dropping any expectations I had for this team. I meant it. But I’m finding that to be an impossible pursuit. I do have expectations. I expect what I expected last year...which is improvement from day one to the last day of the season. So far, we’ve gone backwards on the continuum.
This thing has the feel of unraveling. Overreaction? Maybe. I don’t think so, though. This is why your statement about the dam about to break stuck out in my mind. I was already feeling what you put into words and I didn’t want to believe it. Now I have no choice. Yes, there is still the possibility that this team comes together. Great stories are made from teams like this turning it all around. I hope the ship can still be righted.
Sorry for the novel. Just needed a cathartic moment...or ten.
My #1 concern continues to be the coaching. There is 100% agreement that it is unfathomable why certain players are on the floor while others are on the bench and especially at crunch time. These last two losses were directly attributable to the coaches decisions on who they wanted on the floor.
IT WAS SUCH A BLATANT SCREW UP THAT PAULINO (sp) OPTED TO GO INTO HIDING AND WAS A NO SHOW ON THE POST GAME INTERVIEW. TOO EMBARRASSING!
To me this demonstrates the confusion, indecision and inability of the coaches to perform their jobs.
So here the appropriate level headed take on what's going on. I was upset yesterday and waited til today to respond to the two road losses. They were both against probably pretty equal teams teams so far this year. We are 0-4 on the road against equal teams this year and 1-1 on neutral site. Point is, this team isn't getting whooped on the road against similar teams, we're simply not finding a way to win. I was afraid that may be the case this year trying to mix in all the transfers. That is not an excuse however, because we do have talent, but it's apparent it hasn't yet jelled . I hope they can get it fixed before the tourney, but right now this team just hasn't figured out how to win close on the road and who to go to in a pinch besides Williams who gets doubled all the time.
Tech is on fire right now. They are progressing nicely as a team. They beat #1 Lousville and have worked their way back into the top 20 with a beat down of OK State by 35 yesterday.
If we didnt look so damn good against Tech then maybe most of us wouldn't have had such HIGH expectations afterwards. I understand the team is still new together and fairly young, but it still puzzles me why we can't seem to get it together mid season now. At this point coaching has to be the main concern.
Absolutely! They are obviously more talented and athletic than last year, but not on the same page down the stretch, not efficient, not mentally tough to close out. Some of that is coaching, but most is lack of execution down the stretch.So basically you are saying UTEP is athletic enough, but not mentally or willfully strong to win these games on the road?
I agree Villa should not be in the game down the stretch period. He's proved to be clueless when it counts. That is coaching and I don't know why he's in there. This team could easily be 13-2. That's the frustrating part, they're not far off, from being what we all expected, but they can't close games.natty, a few questions:
Do you believe that Paulino made the right decision in leaving Stroud on the bench in the 2nd half against FIU?
Do you agree with Vila playing in crunch time of both Florida games?
Efe's 13 points in the second half against FAU were key in helping us build a 7 point lead against FAU. Do you think the staff made the right decision in sitting him down the stretch.
Do you understand why some players (i.e. Vila) receive so many minutes while others either can't get off the bench or only receive spot minutes?
Do you see any improvement in the team from our games against NMSU and UNM to now?
Do you believe that our half court offense puts our players in the best place to score?
These are some of the issues that have many of us concerned. Yeah, we probably over estimated the talent on this team by a wide margin, and yes, we are better than we have been over the last few years, and sure, we've been in every game we've played down the stretch except for Houston. Still, many of us see glaring issues that haven't been corrected, that we believe should have been fixed in pre conference play.
Naw man, when players aren’t put in a position to at least attempt to execute a game tying/winning shot that has nothing to do with the players. And when the best players of the game are on the bench they can’t execute. This is all on the coaching staff, not some of it.Absolutely! They are obviously more talented and athletic than last year, but not on the same page down the stretch, not efficient, not mentally tough to close out. Some of that is coaching, but most is lack of execution down the stretch.
Well however you slice it, we are underachieving for the talent on the floor and have lost 5 games by a total 17 points I believe so a little over 3 per. All winnable games that the coaching staff and players are missing on and the reason we're 9-6 not 12-3.Naw man, when players aren’t put in a position to at least attempt to execute a game tying/winning shot that has nothing to do with the players. And when the best players of the game are on the bench they can’t execute. This is all on the coaching staff, not some of it.
Something is going on that we dont know about. Just the whole weirdness of this team's regression, player rotation, player favorites, inconsistent offense, turnovers, Hawkins and Lathon wanting to leave, Terry's interview with the media the other day, etc.
I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because we have been in every game. Him being out this week didn't help, but the team didnt seem inspired either. I was positive before these 2 games that we would win one or both. Its gonna be interesting to see what happens over the next few days.
I wanna see how we perform against LA tech at home. They are probably the best team in Cusa at this point. If we can beat them this team can get back on track. However we have to get some road wins. Again everyone is doom and gloom right now, but missing the point that besides Houston, we could've won the other 5 road and neutral site games. This team needs to just ratchet down at the end of games and figure out how to close, which is the toughest thing for a new team.I agree. I'm hundreds/thousands of miles away from this team at any given point, yet the negative energy I can feel from this group is palpable, even at those distances. The social media before Hawaii was mostly being done by the players, and they seemed to have had some comradery. That has all but disappeared since.
Have a feeling this team will look a lot different next year, personnel wise. There's at least 3 players specifically that I expect to be gone...
The only thing I wanted from Floyd's successor was somebody who would keep the players we had and develop them into upperclassmen. But it looks like Floyd all over again. I thought it was a red flag when Terry oversigned and then ran off Gilyard.There's at least 3 players specifically that I expect to be gone...
I agree. I'm hundreds/thousands of miles away from this team at any given point, yet the negative energy I can feel from this group is palpable, even at those distances. The social media before Hawaii was mostly being done by the players, and they seemed to have had some comradery. That has all but disappeared since.
Have a feeling this team will look a lot different next year, personnel wise. There's at least 3 players specifically that I expect to be gone...
I really hope it doesn't happen but I can see Efe and Stroud leavingWhat 3 players do you expect gone ?
Can't call it Floyd over again, til it happens. There have been signs, but can't compare it to Floyd just yet, brotha. Hopefully doesn't get to that point, we'll see.The only thing I wanted from Floyd's successor was somebody who would keep the players we had and develop them into upperclassmen. But it looks like Floyd all over again. I thought it was a red flag when Terry oversigned and then ran off Gilyard.
All the players saw that.
I think Williams too. Wouldn’t he be a graduate transfer next year? Since he sat out a year.I really hope it doesn't happen but I can see Efe and Stroud leaving
Good point. However, Williams followed Terry from Fresno and Terry Hired Williams' HS coach (or AAU coach I can't remember which one) hopefully those connections keep him here. I wonder if Williams would test the NBA water tooI think Williams too. Wouldn’t he be a graduate transfer next year? Since he sat out a year.
Correct. Williams would need to graduate to transfer to a D1 school.I think Williams too. Wouldn’t he be a graduate transfer next year? Since he sat out a year.