"The Bucking Bronco"
TAKE A MOMENT...........
Now flashback to 2007.
"Kerry Keating named to replace Dick Davey as Santa Clara University Men's Basketball coach".
Dick was popular and had some great successes over the years - but the expectations of SCU Men's basketball were - well - modest at best.
This abrupt and messy change could only mean one thing. The "U" was finally getting serious about Basketball. After all, his resume was impressive: top recruiter, the coaching stint names marquee - Wake Forest, Seton Hall, Tulsa, Tennessee, and UCLA, won the NIT, been to two final 4's, and Catholic values - wow! Fans began thinking, "watch out Gonzaga"!!
And the expectations grew bigger than Pinocchio's nose...
What if that's all it was, a coaching change, greater expectations on both sides, but little or nothing else.?
What if the new recruiting genius was handed the same set of rusty tools his predecessors were given? The tools would be equivalent in today's world to bringing a top 100 high school recruit to campus and walking him in to the old Seifert Gym. Well, throw in a video coordinator and an academic assistant to help the players and don't change much else. All the while, most teams in your league are putting in a whole new workbench and new tools. Now - GO WIN THE WCC!!
What if he can't do the extra research and trips needed to find the next unknown Nash - since the top 100 is out of our reach with our current program? What if there isn't, the up to $90,000 per game money needed to schedule higher quality home opponents?
I can go on and on with more what if's. You get the idea. Believe me, I HATE excuses. There is only one thing I hate more - wasted opportunities...
Experts (which I am certainly not) will tell you success in Division 1 Men's Basketball breaks down to 3 things - the resources for recruiting, scheduling, and on court performance. Find better players, who can compete against better teams which allows you to build a stronger schedule, that raises the reputation of your program that leads to a succession of better recruits, etc.
Think the Duke away game from last season.
NOW - Fast Forward to 2013...
Would your opinion change??
This is where we are. Do I think we should have won more given the above? Of course. Would Kerry Keating say he'd like to have won more? Absolutely.
There is ONE thing I know for sure...No one's EXPECTATIONS are being met....
And if they are, I'll meet you in Seifert Gym for a game of "horse".
Now flashback to 2007.
"Kerry Keating named to replace Dick Davey as Santa Clara University Men's Basketball coach".
Dick was popular and had some great successes over the years - but the expectations of SCU Men's basketball were - well - modest at best.
This abrupt and messy change could only mean one thing. The "U" was finally getting serious about Basketball. After all, his resume was impressive: top recruiter, the coaching stint names marquee - Wake Forest, Seton Hall, Tulsa, Tennessee, and UCLA, won the NIT, been to two final 4's, and Catholic values - wow! Fans began thinking, "watch out Gonzaga"!!
And the expectations grew bigger than Pinocchio's nose...
What if that's all it was, a coaching change, greater expectations on both sides, but little or nothing else.?
What if the new recruiting genius was handed the same set of rusty tools his predecessors were given? The tools would be equivalent in today's world to bringing a top 100 high school recruit to campus and walking him in to the old Seifert Gym. Well, throw in a video coordinator and an academic assistant to help the players and don't change much else. All the while, most teams in your league are putting in a whole new workbench and new tools. Now - GO WIN THE WCC!!
What if he can't do the extra research and trips needed to find the next unknown Nash - since the top 100 is out of our reach with our current program? What if there isn't, the up to $90,000 per game money needed to schedule higher quality home opponents?
I can go on and on with more what if's. You get the idea. Believe me, I HATE excuses. There is only one thing I hate more - wasted opportunities...
Experts (which I am certainly not) will tell you success in Division 1 Men's Basketball breaks down to 3 things - the resources for recruiting, scheduling, and on court performance. Find better players, who can compete against better teams which allows you to build a stronger schedule, that raises the reputation of your program that leads to a succession of better recruits, etc.
Think the Duke away game from last season.
NOW - Fast Forward to 2013...
Would your opinion change??
This is where we are. Do I think we should have won more given the above? Of course. Would Kerry Keating say he'd like to have won more? Absolutely.
There is ONE thing I know for sure...No one's EXPECTATIONS are being met....
And if they are, I'll meet you in Seifert Gym for a game of "horse".
As an alum (2004 grad) and former season ticket holder, I completely agree that expectations haven't been met. I think our scheduling hasn't changed much over the years (Duke away last year aside), our on-court performance is roughly the same, but I've been sorely disappointing with our recruiting since Keating arrived. His first class (2008 I believe) was his strongest (Trasolini, Foster, Rahon) but then immediately lost Rahon to San Diego State (after recruiting Robert Smith, who he then lost to UCR after recruiting Evan Rocquemore). Next set of recruiting classes:
ReplyDelete2009 - Harrison (bench player), Smith (left program), Cunningham (left program), Cowels (4 year player), Payne (2 year player from Juco)
2010 - Atanga (bench player who hasn't improved), McArthur (bust), E-Roq (stud), J. Clarke (complete bust)
2011 - Garrett (bench player), York (redshirt --> left program), D Johnson (bench player - doghouse), Brandon Clark (starter)
2012 - Kratch (redshirt --> bench player)
2013 - Brownridge (looks like Foster 2.0), Richard (maybe Cowels 2.0), Pugh (not sure, is he redshirting?)
The theme here is Keating has a good history with recruiting 6'3'' and under guards, and a terrible track record of players >6'6''. Trasolini has been his only success story of a post player.
I'm also concerned that we haven't seen players develop much under Keating. The guards seem to be finished articles...I look at Brownridge and say "wow, great shooter and good score, but will he get any better than he is right now?" I thought the same about Denzel Johnson. Evan Rocquemore is arguably the same player now as he was his freshman year. Raw bigs like Niyi and Atanga play with energy (which is great) but never developed skills which could make them all-WCC players.
Anyway, I'm frustrated that Santa Clara hasn't made the leap St. Mary's made under Bennett.
Keep up the good work!
Bill
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