lots of excuses, some overreactors some underreactors.
this team got its ass kicked. cant get up for a d2 team, what do you think that says about the kids?
this team hasnt played defense, hasnt rebounded hasnt hustled in their two other public appearances. tom izzo is not allowing his team in the lockerroom as they dont deserve it.
matta has stressed since the first practice this isnt a very good team, not due to talent, due to attention to detail in effort.
lets be honest with ourselves, this game doesnt count. matta didnt approach it that way, the team half assed their way through both exhibition games with minimal effort and minimal charecter, no sense of urgency and no competitive composure.
i would have enjoyed being a fly on the wall, though i wouldnt want to be a running shoe this week with the pounding that is likely to go out.
long story short, i know a few coaches who after a game like that would have had the team mortified.
story time: once a long long time ago, when shorts were short and coaches were real hard asses i knew a team that played awful uninspired ball in a early season game. this team had a big game coming up in week, the team took the "cupcake" easily and played awful losing the game. this team on the eve of big game was told by their coaches to celebrate the big game new unis had been purchased. said team, with short shorts showed up on game day to the game to play, when they arrived they prepared for the game as normal as the game approached the coach came out of the lockerroom with a large box. the coach sat down on a chair in front of the chalk board and opened the box. the box was opened and out came some "uniforms" these "uniforms" were nothing more than basic reversible practice jerseys that smelled awful, coach who alwyas called us by name began to shout "10, 37" etc as he tossed out these raggied worn out practice uniforms. a couple of kids held these things stunned, until one kid who finally raised his voice "coach i thought we were getting brand new uniforms for this big game" coach came back "son, you dont deserve to wear your 'old' unifrorms that players before you laid the tradition in, i am doing each and everyone of you a favor but giving you uniforms that dont have your family names on them, so you wont embrass your families again with another piss poor effort" coach got up and walked out. not really knowing what to do we looked around, assemebled what we had for uniforms and broke down as a team. words that are not family approp were spoken and the team pissed as all get out left the lockerroom. the gym was full, the band blared and the doors broke open as the entire school, family friends the community waited in anticipation to see the new uniforms. we ran out onto the floor and the band stopped playing, the noise stopped the clapping faded out and it was so awkward words couldnt describe it. later down the road i asked coach one time as he was getting older why he took that approach and i was told that he had tried to motivate us by screamiing, yelling, running us. he had tried to point out how we had played without effort, without courage and without desire. he told me how during that week between games he tried everything he could think of. he told me how us young blockhead kids wouldnt take, he tried to explain to us how with lack of effort, desire and passion had let out team down, each other down, the school down, the community down, how in short words had made an ass of ourselves with our simple inability to play with pride. he told me he spent sleepless nights thinking of a way, and that this came to him. i still remember that night, we came out and shot the ball awfully, but we played defense, rebounded and hustled every damn ball. we kept it close all night, as halftime approached we got the ball, the ball was brought over the time line, a guard called a time out. we all huddled up, coach never got off the bench, he looked at us. long hard stare, to this day i swear if i didnt know timeouts were only a minute id tell you it was two hours or more before he got up, "boys, have you decided to play" the team responded "yes sir" he came back and said "who are you playing for" answers were sprinkeled "the school, the community, coach, our families, etc" coach looked us all in the eyes and one by one scanned us, "i dont give a damn about those sons of a bitches, if you dont play with pride in your own work, pride in you game, pride in your effort how can you say you are playing for each other, nobody outside of this huddle matters, it is team game, each one of you is an individual piece that functions as a cog in machine that creates synergies greater than the pieces if each person plays greater than themselves" coach looked around and in his way of sliding john wooden in "If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."
that night i learned a very valuable life lesson, one that some of you reading that story will grasp in whole, others of you will say what the hell is this loony man speaking of, some will fall in between. those who understand it will understand, some people it will seep in, others it will be a seed planted to one day reflect on, others may never get it...
