MBB vs MSU Northern

[BelgradeBobcat]

http://www.standard.net/Weber-State/201 ... ition.html

Weird things do happen in these exhibition games. See the above link. Weber was blowing out Western State and then gave up a 29-9 run in the second half and ended up winning by 7 points.

I've heard of coaches yelling at their best and most veteran players when they're trying to send a message to their younger players. Sometimes they even let the star players in on it ahead of time.

One problem I saw was when Harald or Tyler gave up the ball they never got it back again. Tyler didn't shoot well, but he never got any shots in the offense or in rhythm. He had to create his own shot out of nothing. I think the obvious message here is, if you have an NBA prospect on your team it's better to make a few extra passes to get him the shot instead of taking it on your self-which is what was happening in that game.

[mslacat]

So since when it is wrong for a coach to be honest? They played awful, they didn't look like the team i was expecting to see, especially with how well they seemed to do in Canada. With that said, Fish called out Tyler, but I can say although it may seem wrong, Tyler is a junior now, he is the face of this team, the reason many fans have started watching MSU basketball again. As such, he needs to step up as a leader and I think he will. I only see Fish calling him out because i don't think Tyler will take it in a bad way. I see this as motivation for Tyler and others to step up as leaders.

It was an exhibition and therefore maybe a lot of overreaction to what is happening. It was one game, and i do believe that this team has the talent to be really good. Every team has an off night, i am not making excuses just believe they are a lot better than they showed. You also have to consider the 3 guys are the end of the bench that didnt play because of rest needed for nursing some injuries, I do think we will be okay.

As for his rant, he was right. If you were at that game, he stated facts, they didnt talk, they didnt play together they looked lost as a team on offense and defense. That is what it is. Lets move onto the next one and enjoy the season ahead! I still feel good about this team and coaches.

But why go the nuclear option, in public, after a Exhibition game He came out and laid all the problems in that game on the players, then he took it up a notch and accused them of wasting the entire preseason practice, then he got personal as one national writer put it yesterday he was "vicious". I am all for holding people accountable but he went beyond that no teaching moment, but purposely trying to be mean. If one or two or three players are not playing the way they should that is a player problem that needs to be addressed, but if you are going to blame "every player" on the team that is a Brian Fish problem and maybe he needs to take some accountability for that. Or maybe after the game you come and say:

Boy we played terrible, the guys simply did not seem to execute what we have been working on for the past 6 weeks and it showed! We need to have some person accountability for our actions as a team and that starts with me and has to extend to our leader like Tyler on the floor and we are not getting it. We have 10 days to get ready for our home opener and seems like we as a team have 2 month of work to catch up on. This team is not ready for D-1 play right now as a matter of fact it is just terrible. We need each player to look deep and realize this is not Bobcat basketball and if they are not ready to play Bobcat basketball I will play and find players who are. Nobody and I mean nobody is bigger than the program! This is not acceptable and coaches and I really need to figure out how to get through to them what it takes to be a winning team.

....and then you walk into the locker room and read the team the riot act.

..but I am sorry you don't go this ballistic after the first exhibition game of the season. If you are a Bobcats basketball fan how many times have have you seen the Bobcats come out in their first game and lay an egg, but go on to have great seasons. I remember a year we took a loss to MSU-Billing (actually it was 2 looses in two years) and then went on to qualify for the NCAA Tourney! I can think of dozens that were not the blow out we expected , but under 10 point affair. Oh and might I add Huse comes in with a chip on his shoulder and played our team extremely physical. You did not see one lay-up for the Bobcats where Northern did physically contest (foul) the shot. It was an in state exhibition game where the other team took it a whole lot more seriously than our guys did. I am not excusing our guys, I left the field house pretty irritated myself. ****** happens, though, these first exhibition games and you don't have to act like every member of the team personally went out and shot your dog!

[Hawks86]

[bobcatfan4life]

Well time to move forward...it is done. The game is over, they are moving on and so am I. It was an exhibition, they played awful but personally not ready to call it a season or say we aren't going to be a great team. I believe in this team even as bad as they were in that game. They will get better. GO CATS!!

[Bobcat80]

In 2009 Syracuse lost to a D2 team and proceeded to go to the sweet sixteen with a 30-5 record. I wouldn't read too much into one exhibition game.

[phantom]

So since when it is wrong for a coach to be honest? They played awful, they didn't look like the team i was expecting to see, especially with how well they seemed to do in Canada. With that said, Fish called out Tyler, but I can say although it may seem wrong, Tyler is a junior now, he is the face of this team, the reason many fans have started watching MSU basketball again. As such, he needs to step up as a leader and I think he will. I only see Fish calling him out because i don't think Tyler will take it in a bad way. I see this as motivation for Tyler and others to step up as leaders.

It was an exhibition and therefore maybe a lot of overreaction to what is happening. It was one game, and i do believe that this team has the talent to be really good. Every team has an off night, i am not making excuses just believe they are a lot better than they showed. You also have to consider the 3 guys are the end of the bench that didnt play because of rest needed for nursing some injuries, I do think we will be okay.

As for his rant, he was right. If you were at that game, he stated facts, they didnt talk, they didnt play together they looked lost as a team on offense and defense. That is what it is. Lets move onto the next one and enjoy the season ahead! I still feel good about this team and coaches.

But why go the nuclear option, in public, after a Exhibition game He came out and laid all the problems in that game on the players, then he took it up a notch and accused them of wasting the entire preseason practice, then he got personal as one national writer put it yesterday he was "vicious". I am all for holding people accountable but he went beyond that no teaching moment, but purposely trying to be mean. If one or two or three players are not playing the way they should that is a player problem that needs to be addressed, but if you are going to blame "every player" on the team that is a Brian Fish problem and maybe he needs to take some accountability for that. Or maybe after the game you come and say:

Boy we played terrible, the guys simply did not seem to execute what we have been working on for the past 6 weeks and it showed! We need to have some person accountability for our actions as a team and that starts with me and has to extend to our leader like Tyler on the floor and we are not getting it. We have 10 days to get ready for our home opener and seems like we as a team have 2 month of work to catch up on. This team is not ready for D-1 play right now as a matter of fact it is just terrible. We need each player to look deep and realize this is not Bobcat basketball and if they are not ready to play Bobcat basketball I will play and find players who are. Nobody and I mean nobody is bigger than the program! This is not acceptable and coaches and I really need to figure out how to get through to them what it takes to be a winning team.

....and then you walk into the locker room and read the team the riot act.

..but I am sorry you don't go this ballistic after the first exhibition game of the season. If you are a Bobcats basketball fan how many times have have you seen the Bobcats come out in their first game and lay an egg, but go on to have great seasons. I remember a year we took a loss to MSU-Billing (actually it was 2 looses in two years) and then went on to qualify for the NCAA Tourney! I can think of dozens that were not the blow out we expected , but under 10 point affair. Oh and might I add Huse comes in with a chip on his shoulder and played our team extremely physical. You did not see one lay-up for the Bobcats where Northern did physically contest (foul) the shot. It was an in state exhibition game where the other team took it a whole lot more seriously than our guys did. I am not excusing our guys, I left the field house pretty irritated myself. ****** happens, though, these first exhibition games and you don't have to act like every member of the team personally went out and shot your dog!

I find your love/hate relationship with Fish absolutely fascinating. You want to sing his praises and then question everything he does. Sometimes, you have to sit back and let things play out. Here's a little spoiler alert: If the guys in the locker room are that fragile that what he said in the postgame keeps them from wanting to play good basketball, then this team was never going to be any good anyway. We simply don't know what's been going on at practices, so who knows what he has or hasn't tried. As a coach, it's his responsibility to do what it takes for growth. I'd rather see him go ballistic after the exhibition game than to have the team start off 0-5 because of lackluster play, but that's just me.

[rosco_cat]

I agree 100% with your post. This is men's college basketball. If you don't like having your name mentioned or being called out for mistakes, play better and do what the coach wants you to do. Yes, it is that simple. After an exhibition game is exactly when the coach needs to address the problems rather than later in the season when the games are more important. If you don't like it, maybe this isn't the sport for you.

[mslacat]

I find your love/hate relationship with Fish absolutely fascinating. You want to sing his praises and then question everything he does. Sometimes, you have to sit back and let things play out. Here's a little spoiler alert: If the guys in the locker room are that fragile that what he said in the postgame keeps them from wanting to play good basketball, then this team was never going to be any good anyway. We simply don't know what's been going on at practices, so who knows what he has or hasn't tried. As a coach, it's his responsibility to do what it takes for growth. I'd rather see him go ballistic after the exhibition game than to have the team start off 0-5 because of lackluster play, but that's just me.

I love the program, I like Fish, but that doesn't mean I am just going to sit back pray to the idol of Fish (or Durham or Huse). I have called all three out when I thought they were not representing MSU appropriately. I really don't like bullies, and have never been a fan of the Bob Knight version of basketball coach, you know do as I say and not as I do! I am a players guy. I think the guys we currently have in the program are intelligent and really are trying to do the right thing. Fish went nuclear after a god damn exhibition game, the first game of the season! He took no responsibility for the out come himself I don't think I have ever heard a coach go that ballistic on a team like he did. What the hell is he going to do when we get into games that mean something. There was NOTHING that any of the players could have possibly learned from that temper tantrum, other than coach is angry. I think Fish should have handle a lot of his concerns privately. It is also incidents like this that can cause a coach to lose a team. Coach Fish behavior, was unproductive and unprofessional and he needs to learn to pull it back. There is not a team in the country that is running their offence or defense 100% correctly right now and that is not a player problem but a coaching issue. Take responciblity

[GrizgradCatFan]

I find your love/hate relationship with Fish absolutely fascinating. You want to sing his praises and then question everything he does. Sometimes, you have to sit back and let things play out. Here's a little spoiler alert: If the guys in the locker room are that fragile that what he said in the postgame keeps them from wanting to play good basketball, then this team was never going to be any good anyway. We simply don't know what's been going on at practices, so who knows what he has or hasn't tried. As a coach, it's his responsibility to do what it takes for growth. I'd rather see him go ballistic after the exhibition game than to have the team start off 0-5 because of lackluster play, but that's just me.

I love the program, I like Fish, but that doesn't mean I am just going to sit back pray to the idol of Fish (or Durham or Huse). I have called all three out when I thought they were not representing MSU appropriately. I really don't like bullies, and have never been a fan of the Bob Knight version of basketball coach, you know do as I say and not as I do! I am a players guy. I think the guys we currently have in the program are intelligent and really are trying to do the right thing. Fish went nuclear after a god damn exhibition game, the first game of the season! He took no responsibility for the out come himself I don't think I have ever heard a coach go that ballistic on a team like he did. What the hell is he going to do when we get into games that mean something. There was NOTHING that any of the players could have possibly learned from that temper tantrum, other than coach is angry. I think Fish should have handle a lot of his concerns privately. It is also incidents like this that can cause a coach to lose a team. Coach Fish behavior, was unproductive and unprofessional and he needs to learn to pull it back. There is not a team in the country that is running their offence or defense 100% correctly right now and that is not a player problem but a coaching issue. Take responciblity

I agree 100%. Coaches should teach you and not brow beat you after every play. He should really step back and praise his guys when they do good things. I have only seen him praise the same couple of guys and he did the same thing the other night. I just hope he can realize it or he will lose his players very fast. I think they have great potential and haven't seen as solid of group of guys that can sub in and help out in a long while here. I just see some of them so scared to do anything that it will actually hurt their productivity on the court as they are afraid to get yelled at. Bonton drove once and missed a well defended layout and Fish blew up at him. Man the kid is a freshman come on. I saw Sam miss a block out and the guy got a rebound and basket and he fouled him and didn't see fish go all crazy on him. We will see.

[phantom]

I find your love/hate relationship with Fish absolutely fascinating. You want to sing his praises and then question everything he does. Sometimes, you have to sit back and let things play out. Here's a little spoiler alert: If the guys in the locker room are that fragile that what he said in the postgame keeps them from wanting to play good basketball, then this team was never going to be any good anyway. We simply don't know what's been going on at practices, so who knows what he has or hasn't tried. As a coach, it's his responsibility to do what it takes for growth. I'd rather see him go ballistic after the exhibition game than to have the team start off 0-5 because of lackluster play, but that's just me.

I love the program, I like Fish, but that doesn't mean I am just going to sit back pray to the idol of Fish (or Durham or Huse). I have called all three out when I thought they were not representing MSU appropriately. I really don't like bullies, and have never been a fan of the Bob Knight version of basketball coach, you know do as I say and not as I do! I am a players guy. I think the guys we currently have in the program are intelligent and really are trying to do the right thing. Fish went nuclear after a god damn exhibition game, the first game of the season! He took no responsibility for the out come himself I don't think I have ever heard a coach go that ballistic on a team like he did. What the hell is he going to do when we get into games that mean something. There was NOTHING that any of the players could have possibly learned from that temper tantrum, other than coach is angry. I think Fish should have handle a lot of his concerns privately. It is also incidents like this that can cause a coach to lose a team. Coach Fish behavior, was unproductive and unprofessional and he needs to learn to pull it back. There is not a team in the country that is running their offence or defense 100% correctly right now and that is not a player problem but a coaching issue. Take responciblity

As I pointed out last week, you missed (I'm guessing purposely) where Fish said everything was bad, including the coaching. Being a "players guy" sounds great. The reality is in coaching circles, "players coach" is a euphemism for a coach that has no control and the players aren't held to standards. As far as guys "really trying to do the right thing", it sure didn't sound like they were trying nearly hard enough to "do the right thing", which was Fish's point. Now, if this is common or a norm, then I would agree it's a problem. However, I think the exhibition game is the perfect time to blow up ... it lets the players and fans know that this coaching staff is not going to have low standards and expectations. I'm presuming you aren't on the coaching staff, so you don't know what is said behind closed doors or in practice. Very possible the next day, he used a different approach. No, there isn't a team that is running their offense or defense 100% (you don't want them to right now), but you weren't paying attention to what was said if that's what you thought the his problem was. "Selfish" basketball is a huge problem and you'll never play good offense if you are selfish. Being upset with not talking is a lot different that being upset because a player wasn't in the right position defensively, didn't guard screen/roll properly or was a step slow rotating. Asking players to talk defensively ... boy, that's asking a lot, right? lol
Again, if being honest with the media post game (where Tyler was the only player called out and that was about talking more) causes him "to lose this team", then they were never going to follow to begin with. The players are big boys, they can take it. If they can't, then it was a lost cause to begin with. I agree that a coach can grind kids down over the long haul, but that typically happens late in the year and not early. I have confidence that won't happen.

[rosco_cat]

As I pointed out last week, you missed (I'm guessing purposely) where Fish said everything was bad, including the coaching. Being a "players guy" sounds great. The reality is in coaching circles, "players coach" is a euphemism for a coach that has no control and the players aren't held to standards. As far as guys "really trying to do the right thing", it sure didn't sound like they were trying nearly hard enough to "do the right thing", which was Fish's point. Now, if this is common or a norm, then I would agree it's a problem. However, I think the exhibition game is the perfect time to blow up ... it lets the players and fans know that this coaching staff is not going to have low standards and expectations. I'm presuming you aren't on the coaching staff, so you don't know what is said behind closed doors or in practice. Very possible the next day, he used a different approach. No, there isn't a team that is running their offense or defense 100% (you don't want them to right now), but you weren't paying attention to what was said if that's what you thought the his problem was. "Selfish" basketball is a huge problem and you'll never play good offense if you are selfish. Being upset with not talking is a lot different that being upset because a player wasn't in the right position defensively, didn't guard screen/roll properly or was a step slow rotating. Asking players to talk defensively ... boy, that's asking a lot, right? lol
Again, if being honest with the media post game (where Tyler was the only player called out and that was about talking more) causes him "to lose this team", then they were never going to follow to begin with. The players are big boys, they can take it. If they can't, then it was a lost cause to begin with. I agree that a coach can grind kids down over the long haul, but that typically happens late in the year and not early. I have confidence that won't happen.

Well said. Finally someone that seems to actually get it.

[bobcatfan4life]

As I pointed out last week, you missed (I'm guessing purposely) where Fish said everything was bad, including the coaching. Being a "players guy" sounds great. The reality is in coaching circles, "players coach" is a euphemism for a coach that has no control and the players aren't held to standards. As far as guys "really trying to do the right thing", it sure didn't sound like they were trying nearly hard enough to "do the right thing", which was Fish's point. Now, if this is common or a norm, then I would agree it's a problem. However, I think the exhibition game is the perfect time to blow up ... it lets the players and fans know that this coaching staff is not going to have low standards and expectations. I'm presuming you aren't on the coaching staff, so you don't know what is said behind closed doors or in practice. Very possible the next day, he used a different approach. No, there isn't a team that is running their offense or defense 100% (you don't want them to right now), but you weren't paying attention to what was said if that's what you thought the his problem was. "Selfish" basketball is a huge problem and you'll never play good offense if you are selfish. Being upset with not talking is a lot different that being upset because a player wasn't in the right position defensively, didn't guard screen/roll properly or was a step slow rotating. Asking players to talk defensively ... boy, that's asking a lot, right? lol
Again, if being honest with the media post game (where Tyler was the only player called out and that was about talking more) causes him "to lose this team", then they were never going to follow to begin with. The players are big boys, they can take it. If they can't, then it was a lost cause to begin with. I agree that a coach can grind kids down over the long haul, but that typically happens late in the year and not early. I have confidence that won't happen.

Well said. Finally someone that seems to actually get it.

I agree very well said!

[LTown Cat]

As I pointed out last week, you missed (I'm guessing purposely) where Fish said everything was bad, including the coaching. Being a "players guy" sounds great. The reality is in coaching circles, "players coach" is a euphemism for a coach that has no control and the players aren't held to standards. As far as guys "really trying to do the right thing", it sure didn't sound like they were trying nearly hard enough to "do the right thing", which was Fish's point. Now, if this is common or a norm, then I would agree it's a problem. However, I think the exhibition game is the perfect time to blow up ... it lets the players and fans know that this coaching staff is not going to have low standards and expectations. I'm presuming you aren't on the coaching staff, so you don't know what is said behind closed doors or in practice. Very possible the next day, he used a different approach. No, there isn't a team that is running their offense or defense 100% (you don't want them to right now), but you weren't paying attention to what was said if that's what you thought the his problem was. "Selfish" basketball is a huge problem and you'll never play good offense if you are selfish. Being upset with not talking is a lot different that being upset because a player wasn't in the right position defensively, didn't guard screen/roll properly or was a step slow rotating. Asking players to talk defensively ... boy, that's asking a lot, right? lol
Again, if being honest with the media post game (where Tyler was the only player called out and that was about talking more) causes him "to lose this team", then they were never going to follow to begin with. The players are big boys, they can take it. If they can't, then it was a lost cause to begin with. I agree that a coach can grind kids down over the long haul, but that typically happens late in the year and not early. I have confidence that won't happen.

Well said. Finally someone that seems to actually get it.

I agree very well said!

Yep. Spot on.

[mslacat]

As I pointed out last week, you missed (I'm guessing purposely) where Fish said everything was bad, including the coaching. Being a "players guy" sounds great. The reality is in coaching circles, "players coach" is a euphemism for a coach that has no control and the players aren't held to standards. As far as guys "really trying to do the right thing", it sure didn't sound like they were trying nearly hard enough to "do the right thing", which was Fish's point. Now, if this is common or a norm, then I would agree it's a problem. However, I think the exhibition game is the perfect time to blow up ... it lets the players and fans know that this coaching staff is not going to have low standards and expectations. I'm presuming you aren't on the coaching staff, so you don't know what is said behind closed doors or in practice. Very possible the next day, he used a different approach. No, there isn't a team that is running their offense or defense 100% (you don't want them to right now), but you weren't paying attention to what was said if that's what you thought the his problem was. "Selfish" basketball is a huge problem and you'll never play good offense if you are selfish. Being upset with not talking is a lot different that being upset because a player wasn't in the right position defensively, didn't guard screen/roll properly or was a step slow rotating. Asking players to talk defensively ... boy, that's asking a lot, right? lol
Again, if being honest with the media post game (where Tyler was the only player called out and that was about talking more) causes him "to lose this team", then they were never going to follow to begin with. The players are big boys, they can take it. If they can't, then it was a lost cause to begin with. I agree that a coach can grind kids down over the long haul, but that typically happens late in the year and not early. I have confidence that won't happen.

First I did not get to hear the entire post game show, had to drop son off at dorms and then gas up. IF Fish slipped a we in their or ever reference the job he and the coaches did in the game I did not hear it, but I did manage to hear the majority of his rant! Furthermore nor did I read anything in the Chronicle or Gazzette coverage where he took ANY responsibility. Finally I also read the two page transcript of his comments by Paul Schwedelson and it was 99% all the players are ****** and don't listen to me. Despite this I will give you the fact that he might have some where some how taken a little responsibility, but damn little! So little none of the media out lets picked it up.

On other issue's we might as well stop bitching back and forth. I have no tolerance for abusive behavior in any form, you think it is a learning experience.

Prediction: Look for further blow up every-time the Bobcats get refs who call a tight game!

[phantom]

As I pointed out last week, you missed (I'm guessing purposely) where Fish said everything was bad, including the coaching. Being a "players guy" sounds great. The reality is in coaching circles, "players coach" is a euphemism for a coach that has no control and the players aren't held to standards. As far as guys "really trying to do the right thing", it sure didn't sound like they were trying nearly hard enough to "do the right thing", which was Fish's point. Now, if this is common or a norm, then I would agree it's a problem. However, I think the exhibition game is the perfect time to blow up ... it lets the players and fans know that this coaching staff is not going to have low standards and expectations. I'm presuming you aren't on the coaching staff, so you don't know what is said behind closed doors or in practice. Very possible the next day, he used a different approach. No, there isn't a team that is running their offense or defense 100% (you don't want them to right now), but you weren't paying attention to what was said if that's what you thought the his problem was. "Selfish" basketball is a huge problem and you'll never play good offense if you are selfish. Being upset with not talking is a lot different that being upset because a player wasn't in the right position defensively, didn't guard screen/roll properly or was a step slow rotating. Asking players to talk defensively ... boy, that's asking a lot, right? lol
Again, if being honest with the media post game (where Tyler was the only player called out and that was about talking more) causes him "to lose this team", then they were never going to follow to begin with. The players are big boys, they can take it. If they can't, then it was a lost cause to begin with. I agree that a coach can grind kids down over the long haul, but that typically happens late in the year and not early. I have confidence that won't happen.

First I did not get to hear the entire post game show, had to drop son off at dorms and then gas up. IF Fish slipped a we in their or ever reference the job he and the coaches did in the game I did not hear it, but I did manage to hear the majority of his rant! Furthermore nor did I read anything in the Chronicle or Gazzette coverage where he took ANY responsibility. Finally I also read the two page transcript of his comments by Paul Schwedelson and it was 99% all the players are ****** and don't listen to me. Despite this I will give you the fact that he might have some where some how taken a little responsibility, but damn little! So little none of the media out lets picked it up.

On other issue's we might as well stop bitching back and forth. I have no tolerance for abusive behavior in any form, you think it is a learning experience.

Prediction: Look for further blow up every-time the Bobcats get refs who call a tight game!

I'm not bitching with you, I'm having a discussion. It's okay that we have different perspectives. I didn't hear the post game interview, I read the transcripts. When he was ticking off the things that were bad, he included bad coaching. He was upset, no doubt about it. Personally, and it's okay that we differ on this, I'm glad that he didn't just blow it off and magically expect it to be different when the games count. On a basketball team, selfishness is a disease and needs to be stamped out or you WILL loose the team pretty quickly. I have no tolerance for abusive behavior, but words like "abusive" and "bully" are really pretty subjective. From what I've seen, Fish has established that he cares about his players as people ... beyond that, it's coaching during a game. When you see a kid get snapped on by a coach in a game, you don't know that maybe coach has been telling that same kid not to make that mistake. You don't know what the scouting reports said ... maybe the player didn't follow the scouting report, there's just no way to know when you're watching from the stands. Basketball is an emotional, passionate game. Coaches, in general, are pretty driven, passionate people and they pour their heart and soul into their program. Some coaches seem calm in a game, but are maniacs behind closed doors. I've seen coaches that are calm in practice, but go crazy in games. Fish is who he is and he doesn't pull a lot of punches. As I said before, if it is a pattern (which I don't think it will be), then you'll have a legit beef. I just don't think we're at that point.

[WalkOn79]

As I pointed out last week, you missed (I'm guessing purposely) where Fish said everything was bad, including the coaching. Being a "players guy" sounds great. The reality is in coaching circles, "players coach" is a euphemism for a coach that has no control and the players aren't held to standards. As far as guys "really trying to do the right thing", it sure didn't sound like they were trying nearly hard enough to "do the right thing", which was Fish's point. Now, if this is common or a norm, then I would agree it's a problem. However, I think the exhibition game is the perfect time to blow up ... it lets the players and fans know that this coaching staff is not going to have low standards and expectations. I'm presuming you aren't on the coaching staff, so you don't know what is said behind closed doors or in practice. Very possible the next day, he used a different approach. No, there isn't a team that is running their offense or defense 100% (you don't want them to right now), but you weren't paying attention to what was said if that's what you thought the his problem was. "Selfish" basketball is a huge problem and you'll never play good offense if you are selfish. Being upset with not talking is a lot different that being upset because a player wasn't in the right position defensively, didn't guard screen/roll properly or was a step slow rotating. Asking players to talk defensively ... boy, that's asking a lot, right? lol
Again, if being honest with the media post game (where Tyler was the only player called out and that was about talking more) causes him "to lose this team", then they were never going to follow to begin with. The players are big boys, they can take it. If they can't, then it was a lost cause to begin with. I agree that a coach can grind kids down over the long haul, but that typically happens late in the year and not early. I have confidence that won't happen.

First I did not get to hear the entire post game show, had to drop son off at dorms and then gas up. IF Fish slipped a we in their or ever reference the job he and the coaches did in the game I did not hear it, but I did manage to hear the majority of his rant! Furthermore nor did I read anything in the Chronicle or Gazzette coverage where he took ANY responsibility. Finally I also read the two page transcript of his comments by Paul Schwedelson and it was 99% all the players are ****** and don't listen to me. Despite this I will give you the fact that he might have some where some how taken a little responsibility, but damn little! So little none of the media out lets picked it up.

On other issue's we might as well stop bitching back and forth. I have no tolerance for abusive behavior in any form, you think it is a learning experience.

Prediction: Look for further blow up every-time the Bobcats get refs who call a tight game!

I'm not bitching with you, I'm having a discussion. It's okay that we have different perspectives. I didn't hear the post game interview, I read the transcripts. When he was ticking off the things that were bad, he included bad coaching. He was upset, no doubt about it. Personally, and it's okay that we differ on this, I'm glad that he didn't just blow it off and magically expect it to be different when the games count. On a basketball team, selfishness is a disease and needs to be stamped out or you WILL loose the team pretty quickly. I have no tolerance for abusive behavior, but words like "abusive" and "bully" are really pretty subjective. From what I've seen, Fish has established that he cares about his players as people ... beyond that, it's coaching during a game. When you see a kid get snapped on by a coach in a game, you don't know that maybe coach has been telling that same kid not to make that mistake. You don't know what the scouting reports said ... maybe the player didn't follow the scouting report, there's just no way to know when you're watching from the stands. Basketball is an emotional, passionate game. Coaches, in general, are pretty driven, passionate people and they pour their heart and soul into their program. Some coaches seem calm in a game, but are maniacs behind closed doors. I've seen coaches that are calm in practice, but go crazy in games. Fish is who he is and he doesn't pull a lot of punches. As I said before, if it is a pattern (which I don't think it will be), then you'll have a legit beef. I just don't think we're at that point.

I wish he would stop singling out players in-game. My wife even wondered out loud, "Who's going to be Joe (Mvuezolo) tonight? when it was clear that Joe wasn't going to play.
I can't help but wonder, since I lived with a coach like that all four years of high school, is the shtick geting a little old and tiresome?

[Cataholic]

My concern is that kids today are WAY DIFFERENT than years ago. You can be a Bobby Knight style of coach if you have long pedigree of success. Fish doesn’t. Why would any high school recruit want to subject themselves to that style of coaching when there are so many other options available? Kids today (especially stars) have a sense of entitlement. I am not suggesting that he bow down to all of their wishes, but a level of professionalism should be expected.

[MSU01]

I don't presume to be an amateur mind-reader and know what the players think of Coach Fish's style, and also realize that what we see as fans during games is a small fraction of the total picture of the interactions between coaching staff and players. Looking at player departures, he did lose a few players after his first season but that is not uncommon with a new coaching staff. Every scholarship player on last year's team who was eligible to come back this year did so, which is a positive sign. Mainly I am happy that there is another actual game tomorrow so that MSU can hopefully play a lot better and put this to bed for the time being!

[ilovethecats]

coaches know their teams better than anyone. they know who can handle what and they know who they can call out. I don't know fish. other than a few conversations while my sons were playing in his camp I've never really spoke to the guy. but i'll give him a pass on this one for a couple reasons.

one...he was right. nothing he said was incorrect.

two...I had a chance to talk to ty last Saturday night. I was still drowning my sorrows of a ****** football game and came across him and some teammates. we got to talking about this season, his personal success, the northern game, and fish. and he backed up his coach. said he and everyone else played like crap. said he was frustrated. that we're better than that. and hoped we were all going to great falls because he knows what kind of team they have.

fish reached him. like it, hate it, think he could have done it differently, fish reached the entire team. they're big boys. they looked like ******. they know the looked like ******. we know they looked like ******. fish knew they looked like ******. but if you're paying attention....they're far from ******. we're gonna have a hell of a year following the lead of the best player in the conference.

[Mr Lisle]

Man-0-man...that is pretty much a self indictment. The coach is supposed to be THE leader and you're not a leader if nobody follows. If he is saying what he's thinking, he's in a bad place.