Everyone knows we're in the hole, but some people on this board had/have unreasonable expectations about where we are as a program and where we should expect to be this year in the W-L record. Here are some points relevant to this particular team:
1. The NCAA shadow still hangs over us. Just because we Vol fans discount it and don't think much is going to come of it doesn't mean the prospect see it that way.
2. Continuing to turn over the entire staff every 3 years is way more disruptive to the quality of players than recruiting. Too many fans on this board have already checked out on CJH for "poor recruiting" but that's ridiculous at this point.
3. Turnover and attrition - counts for more than just bodies. It SEVERELY impacts the leadership within the team. Great teams have great athlete leaders who keep the players in line so the coaches don't have to worry about that so much. Our team appears to have approximately zero athlete leadership, which will be necessary to take the next step. This hasn't been mentioned at all to this point on this board, but it's important.
4. Good coaches can win with lower ranked players by coaching players that fit their system well, which then helps them recruit better players.
5. Year one - doesn't tell you what you need to know about a staff. Once you have the whole team with deep knowledge and experience of the playbook, the practice routine, the expectations of the staff regarding focus during camp and the "48 hours" before games... that's when you will see what these guys can do. And when you have 3rd and 4th year players who know it as well... even better.
6. Players coaching players - this is the first step in developing athlete leadership. But it also helps the younger players learn the system and get up to speed faster. This is something that NONE of the players had benefit from this year.
None of this says CJH is the program's savior. It just makes it clear you can't really judge in year 1. At least not accurately. There's reason to believe this team will improve as these things above are addressed.
1. The NCAA shadow still hangs over us. Just because we Vol fans discount it and don't think much is going to come of it doesn't mean the prospect see it that way.
2. Continuing to turn over the entire staff every 3 years is way more disruptive to the quality of players than recruiting. Too many fans on this board have already checked out on CJH for "poor recruiting" but that's ridiculous at this point.
3. Turnover and attrition - counts for more than just bodies. It SEVERELY impacts the leadership within the team. Great teams have great athlete leaders who keep the players in line so the coaches don't have to worry about that so much. Our team appears to have approximately zero athlete leadership, which will be necessary to take the next step. This hasn't been mentioned at all to this point on this board, but it's important.
4. Good coaches can win with lower ranked players by coaching players that fit their system well, which then helps them recruit better players.
5. Year one - doesn't tell you what you need to know about a staff. Once you have the whole team with deep knowledge and experience of the playbook, the practice routine, the expectations of the staff regarding focus during camp and the "48 hours" before games... that's when you will see what these guys can do. And when you have 3rd and 4th year players who know it as well... even better.
6. Players coaching players - this is the first step in developing athlete leadership. But it also helps the younger players learn the system and get up to speed faster. This is something that NONE of the players had benefit from this year.
None of this says CJH is the program's savior. It just makes it clear you can't really judge in year 1. At least not accurately. There's reason to believe this team will improve as these things above are addressed.
