Mazzulla's thoughts on transfer dilemma

[bbwvfan]

http://www.connect-bridgeport.com/connect.cfm?func=view&section=Sports-Blog&item=From-the-Bench-The-Huggins-Transfer-Dilemma-from-a-Mazzulla-Point-of-View8262

Since I share Mazz's POV, there are some key points made here…

“When Coach B left there were, I think, eight of us still here and probably six or seven scholarship players. That very day he left we all met and it was decided we were going to stay and get through it together,” said Mazzulla. “We came together because we felt we were accountable to the school that recruited us and supported us.”

Feeling accountable to the school… what a concept!

“I have no problem saying it’s an accountability thing. Guys don’t come together all the time as a team and that’s a problem,” said Mazzulla. “When things get hard, the easy response is to just walk away. Sure, there are transfers in Morgantown, but there’s like 600 players transferring. It’s crazy. Some of it’s legitimate, but a lot of it is that some players simply don’t want to be accountable.”

Personal accountability… another wild concept! I find myself teaching this lesson to my son today. He plays AAU basketball… and if a coach doesn't play him enough… or he thinks the coach is being too hard on him… he wants to quit the team and play for another coach who wants him more. Lesson learned from my son… you made a commitment to this team. You will not quit on them.

Mazzulla said his WVU team’s run to a Big East championship and eventually the Final Four would never have happened without Huggins at the helm or the team’s ability to adapt from Beilein to Huggins. He said that team wasn’t just talented, it was tough. And there was a reason for that.

“We reflected Coach Huggins’ personality,” said Mazzulla. “We reflected the personality of the state and we were proud of that. We understood who we were and bought into what he was teaching and how he was teaching it. I can guarantee you that if any team he coaches does the same thing, the success is there. If you don’t then you complain and transfer. At some point, someone has to step up and lead the team on the floor and in the locker room. We had Darris (Nichols), Joe (Alexander), Kevin (Jones), Truck (Bryant) and even myself. We took that responsibility. We didn’t run from it.”

They bought in…. and the prize for doing so… a trip to the Final 4.

“I don’t think that he needs to change, and that’s knowing that all coaches change even if some don’t realize it. I’ll say it again; the players have to be accountable,” said Mazzulla. “Sure he’s tough, but how would a player coming to Morgantown not know that? Coaches do talk about how times have changed and I assure you Huggs has done some changing, but the kids have to adapt too.”

Honestly…. how does any kid not know what is going to happen to them when they sign their LOI? It is easier to find greener grass… always easier…

 

[WVUDAD]

HEY, I agree with BB!!!! Are the kids getting spoiled that much more in high school than they used to be that they think it will be an easy task playing for a hall of fame coach at a div 1 school?

 

[Slaton10]

http://www.connect-bridgeport.com/connect.cfm?func=view&section=Sports-Blog&item=From-the-Bench-The-Huggins-Transfer-Dilemma-from-a-Mazzulla-Point-of-View8262

Since I share Mazz's POV, there are some key points made here…



Feeling accountable to the school… what a concept!



Personal accountability… another wild concept! I find myself teaching this lesson to my son today. He plays AAU basketball… and if a coach doesn't play him enough… or he thinks the coach is being too hard on him… he wants to quit the team and play for another coach who wants him more. Lesson learned from my son… you made a commitment to this team. You will not quit on them.



They bought in…. and the prize for doing so… a trip to the Final 4.



Honestly…. how does any kid not know what is going to happen to them when they sign their LOI? It is easier to find greener grass… always easier…

But his comments are no different then these "CINDERELLA" teams that we see make it to the Elite 8 or better recently..like Butler all the way to playing in the Final...these are teams that are heavy senior dominated and the chances of them making the pro's is about zero!...what else do they have except sticking together...when you have a talent on the team that has NBA potential its rare to find them not playing for themselves....

God writing this post reminds me how much I hate the game of basketball....

 

[bbwvfan]

But his comments are no different then these "CINDERELLA" teams that we see make it to the Elite 8 or better recently..like Butler all the way to playing in the Final...these are teams that are heavy senior dominated and the chances of them making the pro's is about zero!...what else do they have except sticking together...when you have a talent on the team that has NBA potential its rare to find them not playing for themselves....

God writing this post reminds me how much I hate the game of basketball....

Not sure I understand your point. Teams with NBA talent are not going to have elite success unless each player is able to commit to the team and fill their role for the team. Plenty of examples of teams with NBA talent falling short of their goal. See the '12-13 UK team.

Like I have said, it takes commitment... not sure kids today are always ready to do so...

 

[Slaton10]

Not sure I understand your point. Teams with NBA talent are not going to have elite success unless each player is able to commit to the team and fill their role for the team. Plenty of examples of teams with NBA talent falling short of their goal. See the '12-13 UK team.

Like I have said, it takes commitment... not sure kids today are always ready to do so...

What I am trying to say is...you typically see a team that has a bunch over achievers lock arms in times of adversity while teams that have "Elite" kids more interested in making sure their asses are covered for playing time and getting their numbers be more inclined to look out for themselves...

The NBA is full of that type of behavior..ie see Carmelo Anthony...

 

[DCWV4life]

I have said this before and I still believe it....what he is saying and what other past players have said is really does not matter...different teams have different make ups....all he is saying is Huggs can't seem to find guys to commit to his goals for the team and even more so since these guys were brought in by a different coach...that is a Huggs problem not the kids...IMO You have to be able to adjust and he does not seem to be able to do that as of late...again not calling for his head, but to put the blame on a whole generation of player is really a bit far fetched...... again IMO.

 

[bbwvfan]

I have said this before and I still believe it....what he is saying and what other past players have said is really does not matter...different teams have different make ups....all he is saying is Huggs can't seem to find guys to commit to his goals for the team and even more so since these guys were brought in by a different coach...that is a Huggs problem not the kids...IMO You have to be able to adjust and he does not seem to be able to do that as of late...again not calling for his head, but to put the blame on a whole generation of player is really a bit far fetched...... again IMO.

Of course it matters what past Huggy players have to say. They get it.

For those who decide to find greener grass, they don't get it. They will find that they will have to commit, or they will be like some of the recent kids… and just keep transferring.

Staten got it. He spent time in the doghouse his SO year, then had a great JR campaign.

 

[DCWV4life]

Of course it matters what past Huggy players have to say. They get it.

For those who decide to find greener grass, they don't get it. They will find that they will have to commit, or they will be like some of the recent kids… and just keep transferring.

Staten got it. He spent time in the doghouse his SO year, then had a great JR campaign.

So Harris and Henderson don't get it cause they don't buy into what Huggs is selling? Or the other players who have left? it is all on them and their generation? Come on man, one team since Huggs has been here bought in and everyone else who has left is lazy and part of a generation that does not believe in sacrifice?

What did Staten get exactly? He had a great individual year, that is all he got.

Is it not part of the coaches job to A.)find players who get "it" B.) develop players into guys who get "it".....so we have solved the mystery Huggs just recruits lazy selfish players.

 

[bbwvfan]

Is it not part of the coaches job to A.)find players who get "it" B.) develop players into guys who get "it".....so we have solved the mystery Huggs just recruits lazy selfish players.

Well... not every player who has transferred has done so because they didn't want to play for Huggins any longer.

Pepper transferred because of his Dad's health... so did Forsythe. Pepper came out and supported Huggins on Twitter as well. He comes back to Morgantown every Summer to practice with him.

Hinds transferred because he was getting into fights last season with his teammates. Miles transferred because of lack of PT, as well as Brown. Murray transferred because he was totally selfish.

Harris transferred because he no longer liked getting coached up. Not sure about Henderson's reasons, but he and Harris were close friends. Both had a lot of work to do on their game to become a Huggy-like player. Neither wanted to become one...

 

[Anotherwvufan]

Huggins is a great Basketball Coach. He knows the game and knows how to teach the game. He is a great at making game time decisions.

To be a really great basketball coach, he also needs to learn how to motivate his players to be the best they can be. He needs to find a way to get through to the next generation of kids. Lazy can be coached out of kids if given the right motivation. Old school tactics, yelling and treadmills just don't do it with many of today's kids. The players that fit the Huggs mold are getting fewer and farther in between. Without a major attitude adjustment or really good recruiting, I just see him getting it done.

We have another wait until next year situation. I would feel really good about a team with Murray, Hinds, Harris, Henderson, Pepper and some of our other transfers over the past two years. Now we have Staten and a bunch of unproven talent to go with. Three years ago, it looked like the sky is the limit for this program, now we have gone 2 straight years without an NCAA bid.

I hope I'm wrong, but I see another long season coming up.

 

[bbwvfan]

I believe Huggins has attempted to change. He seemed much more subdued last year to me.

But, it goes back to Mazz's comment... how do the recruits not know what they're getting into with Huggs? They can see his antics on TV. They can read about the treadmill on the internet. With this knowledge, why do they come to WVU in the first place?

 

[DCWV4life]

I believe Huggins has attempted to change. He seemed much more subdued last year to me.

But, it goes back to Mazz's comment... how do the recruits not know what they're getting into with Huggs? They can see his antics on TV. They can read about the treadmill on the internet. With this knowledge, why do they come to WVU in the first place?

Can't the same be said about Huggs when it comes to recruiting these guys? Can't he see in their play whether or not they are a "huggs" guy or not? Can't he see them and whether they are hustling on defense? Team player? No one is doing their homework it seems...

 

[bbwvfan]

Can't the same be said about Huggs when it comes to recruiting these guys? Can't he see in their play whether or not they are a "huggs" guy or not? Can't he see them and whether they are hustling on defense? Team player? No one is doing their homework it seems...

I don't know.

My own kids promise me they'll do everything I ask of them. Rarely do they...

The case of Harris and Henderson is a little different than other Huggy recruits because they were brought to WVU to shoot the ball. They were recruited when WVU was sorely needed some solid outside shooters. Their defense was probably not as important to the coaching staff, and any coach should be confident they can teach a kid to play defense.

At their level, it takes heart and determination to be a good defensive player.

When kids playing ball today read and hear about everyone transferring, I think it makes the decision to transfer an easy one. We have never seen the number of transfers in college basketball that we've seen the past few seasons... and every year the numbers rise.

Like any relationship... there are a lot of variables when it comes to the blame game. But, just like being committed to your relationship at work... at home... in sports... it takes a lot of work to stay a part of it.

And, a whole lot less to walk away...

 

[WvuDieHard]

This whole transfer thing is really mind boggling but I believe the recent transfers was a result of "me" over the "team" concept. I do believe part of it is a disconnect between Coaches and players. Why is a Brad Stevens ( a young guy) able to lead Butler to a Final Four? Was it just a ton of talent? Hell no, he had the ability to connect to the players. Huggs needs to adjust his style which I thing he is trying to do but just hasn't figured it out. I figured it out on every level of the game in Coaching. From kids to grown men, I connected on a personal level and it created more effort. You have to find things off the basketball court to do that while at the same time interjecting personal accountability for actions on the floor. Its a knack that takes a give and take attitude from your Coach. I have played with and Coached over 150 kids and grown men in the 30+ years I gave to the sport. Today, they come back and relive the Championships and title runs because they had fun. Huggs has to make it fun again.

 

[Anotherwvufan]

 

[DCWV4life]

So Harris is transferring to Michigan St and another demanding coach, Izzo gets the top picks so I doubt he has to put up with drama queens very much....if he transfers again I would say all the speculation about attitude is correct...if he stays and plays under Izzo for the next three years(has to sit out one) I think the problem IMO is Higgs.

 

[bbwvfan]

So Harris is transferring to Michigan St and another demanding coach, Izzo gets the top picks so I doubt he has to put up with drama queens very much....if he transfers again I would say all the speculation about attitude is correct...if he stays and plays under Izzo for the next three years(has to sit out one) I think the problem IMO is Higgs.

Why would him staying at MSU prove that the problem is with Huggs?

 

[DCWV4life]

You have been saying it is this generation they cannot commit, this player in particular didn't have the fortitude to commit....wouldn't committing to a coach at another program show the failures of his last coach and getting him to commit to his program? Or beliefs?

 

[bbwvfan]

You have been saying it is this generation they cannot commit, this player in particular didn't have the fortitude to commit....wouldn't committing to a coach at another program show the failures of his last coach and getting him to commit to his program? Or beliefs?

While it's possible for players to transfer multiple times, it would not be very practical for him to do so. He would need to graduate from MSU in order to get a transfer graduate rule to help him become immediately eligible at his next school.

So… sometimes you just get stuck… and it won't have nothing to do with being committed to the MSU program and coach.

 

[DCWV4life]

Strange that Harris will play for coach (Izzo) as intense as Huggins - The Exponent Telegram : WVU