Official "dark thoughts" thread (reader beware)

[BUGGZY]

I am not sure he has "earned" the right to get the benefit of the doubt. A head coach (not even going to restrict it to a good or bad head coach) should have a "plan" from Day 1. Besides wins and loses, it is the head coach's job to convince the players and fans (if necessary) that he can achieve his plan. Basically he has to say the following:

"This is where we are now. This is where we want to be in the future. And this is how we are going to get there. Are you with me?"

If a head coach does that and back it up with actions to show there is an effort to achieve the plan, then the head coach has earned the right to the benefit of doubt; especially when things do not go "according to plan." Right now I am not sure if there is a "plan" anymore. Coach Johnson says he wants to run one thing, but the team plays a completely different game. It makes me wonder if he has made any effort to take a step (even if it is a baby step) closer to achieving this plan. Sometimes I wonder if a Magic 8 ball is calling the shots because at times the team seems to play like a turkey with its head cut off.

Now if there ever comes a time when a head coach has to scrap the original plan and come up with a new one, then that is fine. However, an effort still needs to be made to achieve the goal of this new plan. Not use it to tread water in hopes that you can switch back to the original plan some day. Maybe when my Hokie Club membership comes up for renewal I should send a life preserver instead of a check. Because as each game passes I am beginning to wonder if Coach Johnson is more and more over his head. I am not suggesting that he couldn't be a good head coach some day. I just believe that the situation at VT was so messed up that he walked right into a "no win situation."

---"Holy #%$! Where's the Tylenol?" (Clark W. Griswold reference)

i think there was an inability to adjust his original plan when things went off course. he wants to run and press. the new NCAA rules just don't allow an average group of defenders to press, and without the press, we can't run. when he realized the whole team would foul out under the new rules (or new interpretation of them), i don't think he has figured out what plan B is.

our half court O actually did a decent job of finding holes in the 'Cuse 2-3 zone, but no one did anything correctly in the space. open 15 footer? let's drive into a crowd of taller defenders. brief opening under the basket? put the ball on the floor before going up. it was wrong decision after wrong decision when our guards were actually doing a decent job of creating gaps and putting the ball in the right hands.

in other games, nothing on the floor could have been referred to as a half court O to begin with.

the inconsistency is just mind boggling.

i've decided to watch when i can, and keep up via this board, but i will not be scheduling around VT bball games this season as i have done almost every year in the past...fatigue, as mentioned above, is a great word for what i'm feeling...

[kbinric]

When JT Thompson went down with his injury a few years back, that was the end of hope for our hoops program. We had a solid squad, and he brought energy and passion off the bench. I really felt like we could've done some damage with that team. It's hard to believe what shambles we are in now. And it really ticks me off that we have become exactly what the haters said when we joined the ACC. We blew our chance to be relevant in basketball. It will take a minor miracle, and many years to build anything noteworthy.

[134483Hokie]

Is JJ playing to win ... next year?

[VTHokie2000]

i think there was an inability to adjust his original plan when things went off course. he wants to run and press. the new NCAA rules just don't allow an average group of defenders to press, and without the press, we can't run. when he realized the whole team would foul out under the new rules (or new interpretation of them), i don't think he has figured out what plan B is.

our half court O actually did a decent job of finding holes in the 'Cuse 2-3 zone, but no one did anything correctly in the space. open 15 footer? let's drive into a crowd of taller defenders. brief opening under the basket? put the ball on the floor before going up. it was wrong decision after wrong decision when our guards were actually doing a decent job of creating gaps and putting the ball in the right hands.

in other games, nothing on the floor could have been referred to as a half court O to begin with.

the inconsistency is just mind boggling.

i've decided to watch when i can, and keep up via this board, but i will not be scheduling around VT bball games this season as i have done almost every year in the past...fatigue, as mentioned above, is a great word for what i'm feeling...

A head coach with no contingency plan can only spell D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R for the entire season. Heck at this point I would be fine if Plan B was "to stick your head between your legs and kiss your @%$ good-bye." At least that would be better than nothing because the program would be heading in some sort of direction instead of looking like a dog chasing its own tail.

[RapmasterAC]

When JT Thompson went down with his injury a few years back, that was the end of hope for our hoops program. We had a solid squad, and he brought energy and passion off the bench. I really felt like we could've done some damage with that team. It's hard to believe what shambles we are in now. And it really ticks me off that we have become exactly what the haters said when we joined the ACC. We blew our chance to be relevant in basketball. It will take a minor miracle, and many years to build anything noteworthy.

I think I died on March 13, 2011. Everything since then is a dream.

[HokieJamie]

To me this is a first time head coach that wants to show everyone he's in charge but he's doing it totally wrong. And as the losses pile up now he's getting testy with the media that's asking him very basic questions like "why is a walk on playing ahead of a 4 star recruit in his 4th year in the program?" That's not a crazy question to ask at this point.

Wood will probably transfer if the benching continues.


The 3 kids coming in are marginal ACC talent imo.

Eddie is in fire away mode. He doesn't even bother trying to pass anymore. He's just going to keep jacking up shots.

[Nova Hokie 95]

Is JJ playing to win ... next year?

Not by playing walkons he's not.

[hokiepro]

i like the comment at the bottom...wish seth was here because we would still have finny-smith and harrell or whatever his name was.

they were gone no matter what.

i do wonder what is going on with rankin and raines.

Finney-Smith was gone, but Montrezl Harrell was SIGNED and was coming for sure until Seth got fired, that's why he was released from his Letter of Intent...now Harrell may have only STAYED one yr, but we would've had him for at least a yr

[Old Line Hokie]

my core group of friends, about 10 of us, are all hokies and avid sports fans. we are all emotionally fatigued with VT sports. the reasons for our fatigue are well documented. it's frustrating b/c like you said, we just want the best for our sports programs and university.

apathy
n.
1. Lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal; indifference.

2. Lack of emotion or feeling; impassiveness.

I remember the Collegiate Times running an article on fan apathy during either my junior or senior year at Tech (1985 or 1986). I still remember a few letters to the editor saying "Who cares!" and "If we weren't apathetic, we wouldn't care at all."

It's been tough the past few years but at least we don't have Bill Dooley running both the football program and athletics department. By the way, that arrangement didn't turn out too well in the end.

[vthokiedsp]

apathy
n.
1. Lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal; indifference.

2. Lack of emotion or feeling; impassiveness.

I remember the Collegiate Times running an article on fan apathy during either my junior or senior year at Tech (1985 or 1986). I still remember a few letters to the editor saying "Who cares!" and "If we weren't apathetic, we wouldn't care at all."

It's been tough the past few years but at least we don't have Bill Dooley running both the football program and athletics department. By the way, that arrangement didn't turn out too well in the end.

Haha yup. That about sums up my feelings as of late.