Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

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aucat
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Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by aucat » Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:13 am

It would be interesting to go to Cat Chat and ask about their coaching philosophy, especially as it relates to substituting players.

As I watched the two games last night I had these observations:

I have a feeling that some good things are going to happen this year with the men's team.
The women? I just don't know. Each time I think we have a lot of talent I see a performance like last night.

I think the women ended up shooting less than 30% and were 0 for 13 from three point.

Funny thing about this sport of basketball: You are required to shoot a round ball through a hoop.
The women absolutely could not do that last night.

I give Coach Binford credit for building a good program with good players and depth.
However, over the years my biggest criticism of her coaching has to do with the way she is constantly pulling
players in and out of the game. It seems to me that the most successful coaches tend to stick with a core of 7 or 8 players,
At times it seems that our WBB players are not in long enough to really get into the flow of the game before
they are taken back out. You have the issue of team chemistry, where the players really get into a sync,
and rhythm with their familiarity with each other. I think the women do not have that because of the
constant substituting.

Coach Sprinkle on the other stayed pretty much with a core group. For example, I almost thought he went
to the extreme in the OTHER direction, because poor Harold Frey played, I think 39 out of 40 minutes. Yet,
I don't think he appeared to be tired. He has unlimited energy it seems. He is truly a great basketball player.
Thank goodness we don't see him constantly being taken in and out of the game.

Anyway, I think the women will be unpredictable this season, because of the above. Just my opinion.
Obviously, I hope they do well. I have season tickets and will always cheer for them. I guess I'm just a
frustrated coach sitting in the cheap seats.



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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by HelenaCat » Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:39 am

I guess I had a different feeling last night about the women. I agree that Tricia tends to sub more in general, but last night she almost had to for a few reasons. First, Gonzaga is REALLY good. They were about 2 inches taller than us at every position with long arms. You could tell it affected our shooting a lot. So I think Tricia was looking for someone with a hot hand or a combination that could handle this better. Second, Gonzaga had a very good full court press that they used for most of the game. I think this took some of our guards legs away and they needed a few more breaks. (BTW, we really do need to work on breaking the press better. I have seen a few games now and we do seem to struggle here. Gonzaga didn’t steal it very often, but we were regularly in a short time clock situation by the time we went into our half court offense and this really hurt us offensively also.). Third, we did have quite a bit of foul trouble that forced more subbing.

Overall, I was super impressed with Gonzaga and pleased that our women competed so hard. This type of game will really help us in league play.



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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by aucat » Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:46 am

HelenaCat wrote:
Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:39 am
I guess I had a different feeling last night about the women. I agree that Tricia tends to sub more in general, but last night she almost had to for a few reasons. First, Gonzaga is REALLY good. They were about 2 inches taller than us at every position with long arms. You could tell it affected our shooting a lot. So I think Tricia was looking for someone with a hot hand or a combination that could handle this better. Second, Gonzaga had a very good full court press that they used for most of the game. I think this took some of our guards legs away and they needed a few more breaks. (BTW, we really do need to work on breaking the press better. I have seen a few games now and we do seem to struggle here. Gonzaga didn’t steal it very often, but we were regularly in a short time clock situation by the time we went into our half court offense and this really hurt us offensively also.). Third, we did have quite a bit of foul trouble that forced more subbing.

Overall, I was super impressed with Gonzaga and pleased that our women competed so hard. This type of game will really help us in league play.
The fact that Gonzaga took the number one team in the nation (Stanford) into overtime before losing certainly speaks to the quality
of their team. Having said that, I really did not see that much difference in the two teams last night other than the fact that Gonzaga
could flat out shoot (I think they were 7 for 13 from three point) and we could not make shots from the perimeter (0 for 13.)

I do think that perhaps we have more parity in women's basketball than in previous years, when a UConn would average winning
by 40 points per game. I just hope that our players can develop some consistency with their shooting. I know we have players
who can shoot, but I stand by my belief that you simply have to keep the players in the game long enough to truly warm up
and get into the flow so that the shot begin to fall. Appreciated your thoughtful comments. Go Cats



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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by BobcatDel » Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:34 pm

HelenaCat wrote:
Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:39 am
I guess I had a different feeling last night about the women. I agree that Tricia tends to sub more in general, but last night she almost had to for a few reasons. First, Gonzaga is REALLY good. They were about 2 inches taller than us at every position with long arms. You could tell it affected our shooting a lot. So I think Tricia was looking for someone with a hot hand or a combination that could handle this better. Second, Gonzaga had a very good full court press that they used for most of the game. I think this took some of our guards legs away and they needed a few more breaks. (BTW, we really do need to work on breaking the press better. I have seen a few games now and we do seem to struggle here. Gonzaga didn’t steal it very often, but we were regularly in a short time clock situation by the time we went into our half court offense and this really hurt us offensively also.). Third, we did have quite a bit of foul trouble that forced more subbing.

Overall, I was super impressed with Gonzaga and pleased that our women competed so hard. This type of game will really help us in league play.
Gonzaga had a great hustling defense. Part of the reason we went “0 for....” was the pressure defense. You could tell we were rushing shots and not getting set. Even getting the ball inside was a challenge. I thought the Bobcat ladies played pretty good D also but not quite at the level of Gonzaga. I keep hoping the team will gel by conference time....they certainly have the talent to do well.



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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by BLACKnBLUEnGOLD » Fri Dec 06, 2019 5:52 pm

One thing to keep in mind is that outcomes in women's basketball tend to be much more stable and predictable. Gonzaga is supposed to beat Montana State by a lot. On the women's side, you can pretty much count on that outcome. Utah is also supposed to beat Montana State by a lot, but because talent doesn't stack at the top to the same degree in men's basketball, it's easier to pull off an upset, or at least stick around until the very end. So I'm less apt to hold a loss like this against Binford. It's not like our girls ever gave up or anything--if they had, that would be a much greater cause for concern IMO.

As for substituting. Women's teams are made up entirely of scholarship players. Their rosters have a much more homogenous level of talent. Because of that, there will be a greater number of players who are able to contribute at the same level during a game.


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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by Helcat72 » Sat Dec 07, 2019 12:50 am

Gonzaga is not only tall and quick, they are LONG! especially in the back court. With the big girls inside and the three long guards and wings outside it was hard to get a shot from 3 pt range. However I was pretty impressed with the way they attacked the paint and got decent shots from mid-range.

We held them to 2 pts under what Stanford held them to! They beat EWU by like 49!


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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by WyomingGrizFan » Sat Dec 07, 2019 2:28 am

How come there's more intelligent and knowledgeable discussions over here than you know where?



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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by GoldstoneCat » Sat Dec 07, 2019 5:23 am

I feel like sprinkle is going to have to alter his substitution patterns a little as the grind of big sky play cranks up. We're in a stretch now with not many games so he can probably get away with it, but Frey is going to wear down if he plays 38 minutes every game. Having said that, I love the buy- in that he's gotten from the team on defense and rebounding, and it does take time to build quality depth in a program that hasn't had any for awhile.



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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by MSU01 » Sat Dec 07, 2019 2:39 pm

aucat wrote:
Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:13 am

I give Coach Binford credit for building a good program with good players and depth.
However, over the years my biggest criticism of her coaching has to do with the way she is constantly pulling
players in and out of the game. It seems to me that the most successful coaches tend to stick with a core of 7 or 8 players,
At times it seems that our WBB players are not in long enough to really get into the flow of the game before
they are taken back out. You have the issue of team chemistry, where the players really get into a sync,
and rhythm with their familiarity with each other. I think the women do not have that because of the
constant substituting.
On the other side of the coin, Binford made similar frequent substitutes against UC Davis in the season opener, and the Bobcats cruised to a blowout win over a team that has won its conference 3 years in a row. The team let down a bit in the fourth quarter, but for the first three it seemed like every new player who came in off the bench was contributing, making shots, and helping to keep the others fresh. If you're playing against a Top 25 team like Gonzaga who is making it that difficult to get into a rhythm on offense, I don't think it matters a whole lot what you're doing with substitution patterns. From my observation of the team in the few games I've watched, the MSU women have more than 7 or 8 players who should be out there on the court. That the team has been talented but occasionally very inconsistent under Binford is a valid point, although that could be due to many factors or just random good and bad luck.

When the Bobcat men went to that tournament in North Carolina I was pretty shocked to see that Harald still played 37 minutes in MSU's third game after playing 38 and all 40 minutes in the first two games. I trust Coach Sprinkle to know what he can handle, but very few players get that kind of workload in non-conference play. Hopefully he'll be as fresh in March as he is now, because he's a special player!



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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by Ilikecats » Tue Dec 10, 2019 2:11 pm

Hard to compare the two programs because frankly the women’s team has better overall talent and substituting the players will pay off for Binford as the season progresses.

My issue with the women’s team is I see the coaches forcing the ball instead of letting the style of play just flow. We did the same thing with Claire last season. That’s why the team actually played better after her unfortunate injury. I think the unusual amount of turnovers is due to Hero ball versus team ball. It’s almost like the coaches feel like it’s more important to have a player of the year candidate than a Big Sky Championship. Fallyn’s high turnover rate is because she’s pressing..... trying to live up to the hype. I actually give the blame for a lot of that to Binford. The turnovers and fouls have been a major problem. This team has tremendous talent, I’m not sure Binford Is using it properly. We also need to get more out of Kuderer or move some of her minutes to one of our Freshmen. I was hoping that John Stockton’s influence and his strategy of moving the ball around would’ve become a guiding principle for our program. Unfortunately, I’m seeing us start to slip to behaviors we exhibited before Stockton assisted our program. Our freshmen guard is tremendous! Oli is playing like a Player of the year candidate. Madeline has been up and down, but we need more defensive intensity from her. We have some tough games in PR. Going to find out who are fighters are very soon!



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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by Domako » Wed Dec 11, 2019 2:13 pm

GoldstoneCat wrote:
Sat Dec 07, 2019 5:23 am
I feel like sprinkle is going to have to alter his substitution patterns a little as the grind of big sky play cranks up. We're in a stretch now with not many games so he can probably get away with it, but Frey is going to wear down if he plays 38 minutes every game. Having said that, I love the buy- in that he's gotten from the team on defense and rebounding, and it does take time to build quality depth in a program that hasn't had any for awhile.
Speaking from the experience of playing minutes, Stu played Ray Willis, Chris Conway, and myself over 36 minutes per game during the
conference schedule and tight games all season long. With TV and radio timeouts every 4 minutes, stoppages for fouls and free throws,
plus half time, it is not hard for players that age to be in shape to play all 40 minutes for a 30 game schedule a year. You get worn down
over a long season of hard practices. If Danny manages the practice time of the heavy minute players, they will be fine.

I think that these huge substitution patterns that have evolved over the years is dumb. I think it mostly comes from trying to keep players that
don't get many minutes from leaving the program and trying to keep them motivated through the year. If you want to win at this level, your need to play your best players as much as you can.There is usually a large drop off from your starter to the player backing that player up. I think Danny's stategy of playing his best players many minutes is great if he manages their practice and recovery time.

As a player on the bench this is tough knowing you may not play much. There is one solution to that, get better and get into the starting lineup!


Tom Domako

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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by ilovethecats » Wed Dec 11, 2019 3:57 pm

Domako wrote:
Wed Dec 11, 2019 2:13 pm
GoldstoneCat wrote:
Sat Dec 07, 2019 5:23 am
I feel like sprinkle is going to have to alter his substitution patterns a little as the grind of big sky play cranks up. We're in a stretch now with not many games so he can probably get away with it, but Frey is going to wear down if he plays 38 minutes every game. Having said that, I love the buy- in that he's gotten from the team on defense and rebounding, and it does take time to build quality depth in a program that hasn't had any for awhile.
Speaking from the experience of playing minutes, Stu played Ray Willis, Chris Conway, and myself over 36 minutes per game during the
conference schedule and tight games all season long. With TV and radio timeouts every 4 minutes, stoppages for fouls and free throws,
plus half time, it is not hard for players that age to be in shape to play all 40 minutes for a 30 game schedule a year. You get worn down
over a long season of hard practices. If Danny manages the practice time of the heavy minute players, they will be fine.

I think that these huge substitution patterns that have evolved over the years is dumb. I think it mostly comes from trying to keep players that
don't get many minutes from leaving the program and trying to keep them motivated through the year. If you want to win at this level, your need to play your best players as much as you can.There is usually a large drop off from your starter to the player backing that player up. I think Danny's stategy of playing his best players many minutes is great if he manages their practice and recovery time.

As a player on the bench this is tough knowing you may not play much. There is one solution to that, get better and get into the starting lineup!
Yes, but these players are asked to play defense too... :wink:

Just kidding. Agree with a lot of what you said!



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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by BelgradeBobcat » Wed Dec 11, 2019 5:04 pm

ilovethecats wrote:
Wed Dec 11, 2019 3:57 pm
Yes, but these players are asked to play defense too... :wink:

Just kidding. Agree with a lot of what you said!
Willis played enough defense for two players. 8)



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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by GoldstoneCat » Wed Dec 11, 2019 8:50 pm

Domako wrote:
Wed Dec 11, 2019 2:13 pm
GoldstoneCat wrote:
Sat Dec 07, 2019 5:23 am
I feel like sprinkle is going to have to alter his substitution patterns a little as the grind of big sky play cranks up. We're in a stretch now with not many games so he can probably get away with it, but Frey is going to wear down if he plays 38 minutes every game. Having said that, I love the buy- in that he's gotten from the team on defense and rebounding, and it does take time to build quality depth in a program that hasn't had any for awhile.
Speaking from the experience of playing minutes, Stu played Ray Willis, Chris Conway, and myself over 36 minutes per game during the
conference schedule and tight games all season long. With TV and radio timeouts every 4 minutes, stoppages for fouls and free throws,
plus half time, it is not hard for players that age to be in shape to play all 40 minutes for a 30 game schedule a year. You get worn down
over a long season of hard practices. If Danny manages the practice time of the heavy minute players, they will be fine.

I think that these huge substitution patterns that have evolved over the years is dumb. I think it mostly comes from trying to keep players that
don't get many minutes from leaving the program and trying to keep them motivated through the year. If you want to win at this level, your need to play your best players as much as you can.There is usually a large drop off from your starter to the player backing that player up. I think Danny's stategy of playing his best players many minutes is great if he manages their practice and recovery time.

As a player on the bench this is tough knowing you may not play much. There is one solution to that, get better and get into the starting lineup!
Interesting thoughts, thank you for sharing them! It makes sense that someone like Frey isn't going to need many physical reps between games at this point. I just wondered if using him this hard in nonconference, basically from the word go, could wear him down by conference tourney time. But I'm not going to debate that point with a guy who played those minutes at a high level, so I'll stand corrected on this one.



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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by Cataholic » Mon Dec 16, 2019 12:25 am

Domako wrote:
Wed Dec 11, 2019 2:13 pm
GoldstoneCat wrote:
Sat Dec 07, 2019 5:23 am
I feel like sprinkle is going to have to alter his substitution patterns a little as the grind of big sky play cranks up. We're in a stretch now with not many games so he can probably get away with it, but Frey is going to wear down if he plays 38 minutes every game. Having said that, I love the buy- in that he's gotten from the team on defense and rebounding, and it does take time to build quality depth in a program that hasn't had any for awhile.
Speaking from the experience of playing minutes, Stu played Ray Willis, Chris Conway, and myself over 36 minutes per game during the
conference schedule and tight games all season long. With TV and radio timeouts every 4 minutes, stoppages for fouls and free throws,
plus half time, it is not hard for players that age to be in shape to play all 40 minutes for a 30 game schedule a year. You get worn down
over a long season of hard practices. If Danny manages the practice time of the heavy minute players, they will be fine.

I think that these huge substitution patterns that have evolved over the years is dumb. I think it mostly comes from trying to keep players that
don't get many minutes from leaving the program and trying to keep them motivated through the year. If you want to win at this level, your need to play your best players as much as you can.There is usually a large drop off from your starter to the player backing that player up. I think Danny's stategy of playing his best players many minutes is great if he manages their practice and recovery time.

As a player on the bench this is tough knowing you may not play much. There is one solution to that, get better and get into the starting lineup!
Great insight! I loved watching your teams games. There would be 6,000 to 7,000+ fans in the Brick on some nights. As a student, I remember showing up very early to make sure we had good seats for the games.

It would be great to hear more about what you are up to and even hear about Ray Willis Jr and Chris Conway. Didn’t Ray do the local sports for a short time?

Colter - Maybe you can do a regular write up on past players?



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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by Rich K » Thu Jan 09, 2020 12:14 pm



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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by aucat » Thu Jan 09, 2020 1:17 pm

I'm the one who started the thread and based on the last several games I have seen the Lady Cats play, I have
no problem with the way Coach Binford is running this team. I have not seen her jerk out a player who is hot
for example. I think she is doing a great job with a very challenging situation because her bench is so deep.



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Re: Do Sprinkle and Binford have a different coaching philosophy?

Post by rivercat » Thu Jan 09, 2020 3:26 pm

aucat wrote:
Thu Jan 09, 2020 1:17 pm
I'm the one who started the thread and based on the last several games I have seen the Lady Cats play, I have
no problem with the way Coach Binford is running this team. I have not seen her jerk out a player who is hot
for example. I think she is doing a great job with a very challenging situation because her bench is so deep.
Coaching wise, the depth of the Lady Cats bench allows Binford to put the players on the floor that match up well against the opponent. And she has the luxury of not relying on one or two players that can score. I'll take the challenge of having a deep bench every time. Binford seems to have instilled a team first attitude which is critical when playing so many players.

I kind of want to see a competitive game tonight but I gotta admit winning by 30 is quiet relaxing for this fan.


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