Originally posted by UNC71-00:
...Roy?
I'm doing this here because the basketball onlies get all sensitive and thread jack and what not.
Honestly, I am ready for him to retire. I have never been enamored with him, going way back to the " I don't give a shit about Carolina" to wearing the KU button to the game to calling out fans numerous times since returning to Chapel Hill to "renting"his house to Graves to standing up for Hairston to Lord knows what else.
And we have now gotten to the point that we need a great coach to properly recruit and game plan, given the black cloud of NCAA, and Roy stillis trying to get the same type of player who has the same type of game. And then when it is time to actually coach, he never changes anything for an opponent. We get the same plan, night in and night out and although our brand still gets us solid players, we aren't getting over the hump any time soon.
I'm not trying to be bitter or bitch and moan at each other- that's why I am posting here instead of Radar.
So have at it ladies, gentlemen and GSD. What do you think of current state of affairs?
Good post and good idea on posting it here rather than the basketball board. My post may be tl;dr for many of you.
I have some beefs with Roy. I've shared them openly. Just this past Monday, I commented in the "Good For Roy" thread on THR that Roy has a problem with diarrhea of the mouth. This is Roy's biggest flaw IMO. Sure, I'm frustrated with the lack of big success by our team over the past few years. But let's be honest. 90% of programs would like to have our recent talent, our recent results and our mainstay recognition - even in the lean times. And I'll get back to the Xs and Os in a minute. But I'm tired of Roy chastising fans. I'm tired of having to excuse things that Roy says and does in the heat of the moment. And honestly, I'm tired of the folksy, "you won't find a bigger UNC fan than ol' Roy" stuff too. I like coaches that give the perception they are all business. I like Bill Belichick. I like Greg Popavich. I like guys that don't feel the need to pontificate. I like guys that say what they mean in a clear and concise manner but don't offer too much. But I also like them to be diplomatic and smart enough to know what to say and when to say it. Roy has no filter. When you win 2 titles in 5 years and you're beating the brakes off of the competition on the recruiting trail, those things can be overlooked. But when you're losing 10 games a season, missing on big time recruits and not living up to program standards, those things become much more annoying.
In regards to his strategy and gameplanning, I think we overestimate how much effect a coach can have on gameday. That's not to say that coaches aren't paramount to a program's success. In college, coaches are far more important than in the NBA where it's a player driven league. But it's more in the preparation for games. I completely agree with 71-00 in that we never change our preparation. Roy is going to run his style come hell or highwater. It doesn't matter what our opponent does - in fact, I'm not sure our staff even watches film on other teams. If they do, you'd never know. Because we're going to do what we've always done whether it works or not. That's indeed frustrating. The Roy defenders will say "well he's won 75% of his games doing it his way". And that's true and hard to argue with. But at what point is Roy forced to look at his strategy? When he falls to 70%? 66%? I mean, if you're seeing a decline, even if we dropped from 100% to 98%, wouldn't that be cause to look at what you're doing? Who's happy with going backwards even if it's incremental and even if the program is still seeing more success than most programs? The Roy defenders will also point to recruiting misses as the source of our recent decline. And I agree wholeheartedly. But the Roy defenders will say it's all because of the academic scandal. I say bullshit.
But even though I'm calling BS on the notion that our recruiting has dipped because of the scandal, I don't have another excuse. Maybe it's because kids are finally seeing that our system is restrictive. Our system doesn't allow for guys to show off early in their careers. So they know, they'll have to stay 3 years if they want their name to be a household brand. While some other blue blood programs have accommodated the new high school player mentality by adjusting their strategy. I've said I don't want to be a one-and-done factory like UK. I really, really enjoy watching players grow up through the program. But I wouldn't mind having those guys sprinkled in. When we signed Barnes, I thought that's the way the program was going - obtain quality depth with a star here and there to put you over the top. Well, we signed the quality depth. But we keep missing on the stars. And what emphasizes our struggles in the area is the success UK, KU and duke are having in signing those types of guys. Those are the 3 schools we compete with most. And success begets success. K signed Irving...then Parker...then their 3 this year. KU signed Wiggins...then Oubre and Alexander followed suit. And we obviously have seen what UK is doing. We need a OAD kid to come to UNC, live up to the hype in one year and then go high in the draft. I really think all we need is one to get the ball rolling.
So, where does all this leave us? Well, it leaves us at 19-9 and on the verge of mediocrity...for the 3 rd year in a row. What can be done? Well, Roy isn't going to change - not his style of play nor his personality. The recruiting is the one variable that's "fixable". But as I pointed out above, the style Roy is married to is restrictive, making the chances of signing a blue chipper less likely. But let's say Roy leaves tomorrow. Where are we then? Who's coming to the rescue? Mark Few? Jay Wright? Sean Miller? I'm not sure any of those 3 are leaving their current schools and even if they did, where's the guarantee they can do better?
I'm worried. In a meaningless, basketball related way. I mean, look, the Heels were on top of the world throughout my 20s and 30s (except for the D'oh debacle). So when UNC sports meant the most to me, we were enjoying great success. Now that I'm a bit older, have other interests and obligations, I care less. I still care. But I don't have the time or effort to devote to it like I used to. So if we slip into mediocrity, that would suck, but like I said, I'm at a point in my life where it matters far less and I'm thankful for that. And I certainly don't have the answer or remedy for the program's woes. So I reckon I'll just take it as it comes, live with Roy's gaffes and hope for the best.
That's all I've got.
