GMC 21-22 Basketball

[TraditionNeverGraduates]

I don't know. I don't follow them that closely. I'm referring to any that Moeller may have cherry-picked between the 8th grade and 9th grade years. That goes for football as well as basketball. I'm stabbing and going beyond your time frame, but did Mike Monserez(?) live in the Sycamore district and go to Moeller directly from a parish school? And at that time there was a Murphy family that sent the sons to Sycamore through the 8th grade and then went to Moeller. I seem to remember Freddie Johnson going to Sycamore schools through the 8th grade and then becoming an impact basketball player at St. X. I have many more and better things to do than to hang around Sycamore's 7th and 8th grade basketball games to see who Moeller's scouts are eyeing.

Like I thought. None really to speak of. Always Moeller's fault!

 

[Vet Observer]

Like I thought. None really to speak of. Always Moeller's fault!

My initial post referred to two specific back-to-back classes Sycamore had in the 1990s and that none of the key players from either class bailed to Moeller or St. X after the 8th grade. Those classes were winning league championships at every level up through back-to-back varsity titles. In fact, the best athlete on those teams, Wesley Brown, moved into the Sycamore district from Los Angeles beginning in the 9th grade. You're trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

 

[yj_runfan]

In reference to Sycamore, that is what I thought you were referring to, and I just disagree. I believe they were a very high level high school, but just like the crazy tournament that started yesterday, top level teams lose. Remember, only one team wins their last game, but that doesn't mean there are not some great teams out there. Just my opinion as well. I do feel like they are handed out some unfair criticism on this site, and in general conversation. It is really a strange thing. I even think there are programs within the GMC that just don't like them for whatever reasons they may have. I have been told that teams within the league voted them much lower at the draw, and place other leagues above them. Coaches have a right to vote however they choose, but with Sycamore being as good as they were this season, that seems a little strange as well.

I understand your thoughts on coaches being measured by consistency, and the guy at Oak Hills has certainly been consistent. I don't think there is as much respect as you may think. I hear many talking about two things when it comes to Oak Hills. 1) Their style of play being extremely outdated for many years now; 2) Their coaches whine about officials more than any other program is high school basketball history. Right or wrong, that is ALL I ever hear about Oak Hills. I don't really have an opinion. Truth be told, most times success comes down to the players versus coaches, that is just how it works.

I have only heard rumors around a coaching change at Mason.

Thank you for the dialogue.

So, the only thing you know about Coach Price at Oak Hills is “what you hear” yet you use that to form an opinion? Their average position in the GMC over the last 15 years is 4th place with several league titles. Seems like that would be something more solid than things you hear people saying. I seriously don’t understand the attitudes I see here about the program at Oak Hills.

 

[porter1985]

Underachieving is the word I would say for East the last 2 seasons .. especially with that group, IMO they should have been playing for district titles both years and honestly should have won GMC titles especially last year with Nate Johnson, taking nothing away from FF in being B2B champs as they were on a mission this year and hats off to them, they deserve all they got this year.

I believe Adkins lost the team, someone close to the team told me there was alot of turmoil within the team. The senior group couldn't lead because the younger guys wouldn't follow. More to coaching than just Xs and Os, gotta keep the group connected when faced with adversity. Most importantly you have to have a relationship with your guys. Especially those seniors who had been with him for 10 years. Heard he is bad with relationships, don't know how true it is. Too bad, I believe they had the group to make a legitimate run.

Being close to this situation because my nephew is a player on the East Varsity Team, it was actually the seniors playing among themselves and not involving the underclassmen enough on the offensive end. Their current juniors in my opinion have a lot of talent. However, the talent was not used to their advantage this season (outside of some big games by Kronauge). You have a kid like Julian Mitchell who can handle the ball, play good defense, and is capable of putting 20 points on someone, but was often looked off by the seniors. Jack Kronauge had to find ways to get his own shot off because he would ignored at times. And of course, the other juniors (Kayden Meadows, LeBron Powell) who didn’t play much this past season should be major contributors.

 

[Kurt Rambis]

I don't know. I don't follow them that closely. I'm referring to any that Moeller may have cherry-picked between the 8th grade and 9th grade years. That goes for football as well as basketball. I'm stabbing and going beyond your time frame, but did Mike Monserez(?) live in the Sycamore district and go to Moeller directly from a parish school? And at that time there was a Murphy family that sent the sons to Sycamore through the 8th grade and then went to Moeller. I seem to remember Freddie Johnson going to Sycamore schools through the 8th grade and then becoming an impact basketball player at St. X. I have many more and better things to do than to hang around Sycamore's 7th and 8th grade basketball games to see who Moeller's scouts are eyeing.

damn

monserez...freddie johnson...

blasts from the past!

 

[Philly_Cat]

Being close to this situation because my nephew is a player on the East Varsity Team, it was actually the seniors playing among themselves and not involving the underclassmen enough on the offensive end. Their current juniors in my opinion have a lot of talent. However, the talent was not used to their advantage this season (outside of some big games by Kronauge). You have a kid like Julian Mitchell who can handle the ball, play good defense, and is capable of putting 20 points on someone, but was often looked off by the seniors. Jack Kronauge had to find ways to get his own shot off because he would ignored at times. And of course, the other juniors (Kayden Meadows, LeBron Powell) who didn’t play much this past season should be major contributors.

Kronauge had to find a way to get his own shot??? Nobody shot more than that kid, maybe in the whole league ?

 

[Vet Observer]

damn

monserez...freddie johnson...

blasts from the past!

I'm a blast from the past. I have been able to take the long view in real time from the reclining chair in my den.

 

[OnTheLine85]

Kronauge had to find a way to get his own shot??? Nobody shot more than that kid, maybe in the whole league ?

Kronauge has been a volume shooter since 4th grade. He's going to get his whether it's in the flow of the offense or not.

 

[Philly_Cat]

Kronauge has been a volume shooter since 4th grade. He's going to get his whether it's in the flow of the offense or not.

Which is why I though that comment was really funny.

 

[Philly_Cat]

Kronauge has been a volume shooter since 4th grade. He's going to get his whether it's in the flow of the offense or not.

And speaking of that, don't you think THAT could be a problem with a team if chemistry is an issue? Having a player that is going to take as many shots as he wants regardless of if its part of the offense or not.

 

[OnTheLine85]

And speaking of that, don't you think THAT could be a problem with a team if chemistry is an issue? Having a player that is going to take as many shots as he wants regardless of if its part of the offense or not.

I do. I think with Kronauge, it's a balance because he can get very hot. But I've also seen him shoot teams out of games as well, especially when he was younger.

He's a good player but I think sometimes he's more concerned with getting his than team success. I've heard some comments over the years at AAU events and games that sometimes he thinks he's "above" the competition he's playing. He's good but he's not that good to be doing that.

I honestly think he has some Gabe Cupps in his game. But he could learn alot from watching Cupps play. Cupps can also get a little too eager to get shots, but he's very much learned to be a great floor leader and to get his talented teammates involved. I know Kronuage isn't a point guard, but both have similar games in that they're capable shooters and can get to the rim and have decent mid-range games as well.

He's not as good as Cupps, but similar game.

 

[Philly_Cat]

I do. I think with Kronauge, it's a balance because he can get very hot. But I've also seen him shoot teams out of games as well, especially when he was younger.

He's a good player but I think sometimes he's more concerned with getting his than team success. I've heard some comments over the years at AAU events and games that sometimes he thinks he's "above" the competition he's playing. He's good but he's not that good to be doing that.

I honestly think he has some Gabe Cupps in his game. But he could learn alot from watching Cupps play. Cupps can also get a little too eager to get shots, but he's very much learned to be a great floor leader and to get his talented teammates involved. I know Kronuage isn't a point guard, but both have similar games in that they're capable shooters and can get to the rim and have decent mid-range games as well.

He's not as good as Cupps, but similar game.

I hear ya.

 

[HoopDreams80]

Being close to this situation because my nephew is a player on the East Varsity Team, it was actually the seniors playing among themselves and not involving the underclassmen enough on the offensive end. Their current juniors in my opinion have a lot of talent. However, the talent was not used to their advantage this season (outside of some big games by Kronauge). You have a kid like Julian Mitchell who can handle the ball, play good defense, and is capable of putting 20 points on someone, but was often looked off by the seniors. Jack Kronauge had to find ways to get his own shot off because he would ignored at times. And of course, the other juniors (Kayden Meadows, LeBron Powell) who didn’t play much this past season should be major

Being close to this situation because my nephew is a player on the East Varsity Team, it was actually the seniors playing among themselves and not involving the underclassmen enough on the offensive end. Their current juniors in my opinion have a lot of talent. However, the talent was not used to their advantage this season (outside of some big games by Kronauge). You have a kid like Julian Mitchell who can handle the ball, play good defense, and is capable of putting 20 points on someone, but was often looked off by the seniors. Jack Kronauge had to find ways to get his own shot off because he would ignored at times. And of course, the other juniors (Kayden Meadows, LeBron Powell) who didn’t play much this past season should be major contributors.

***LONG POST ALERT***
It's obvious your nephew was an underclassmen so there's bias there.... but you should know the dynamic of that set of upperclassmen maybe you dont but I would say most of us here know about that group of seniors. Coaches around the city and GMC have known about those kids and anyone close to East know about them and how long they have been together. They have played together and have won probably more games collectively over a stretch of 10 years than probably any group locally ever. That's not an exaggeration according to an East coach. They have been together since 2nd grade (winter/spring/school ball), everyone that's familiar with East knows about Adkins affinity for them, he's coached them since they were 7 years old. The sweat equity and time together matters, I think anyone would agree with that. Chemistry is something that happens over time and trust is earned. Those seniors built that together with Adkins guiding them the entire time.

Spoke to a coach that's no longer there at East but really close to the coaches because of your post and he said the culture was fractured and he stated guys were not bought in to the East Way of doing things. If I had to guess it probably wasn't the guys that have been indoctrinated with the East Way pretty much their entire lives. If you know anything about East... players have to be able to share the ball, play defense and be extremely tough. East is usually the best defensive team in the league. I watched games and honestly I could see deficiencies in some of those players you mentioned defensively. We all agreed that the defensive style they played this year wasn't traditional for them and that may have been the issue as well but the former coach said guys weren't committed to the weight room, conditioning, guys weren't playing late in the season because of "injuries" but heard some of those same kids were training during that stretch. The culture became toxic, now I'm not the smartest tool in the shed but "became" means that at one point it was harmonic and connected in the lockeroom but it progressed into somewhat of a toxic environment. They still won 18 games, just shows you how talented that group really was. There had been rumors swirling all year about shot selection by a player and his unwillingness to buy in. Guys not playing defense, guys always asking to come out of games because of their conditioning, guys griping about their shots. East led the GMC in every offensive category including assists IMO they didn’t need 20 from Mitchell they needed him use his length and athletism to guard and play defense. This year may not have been his year to score a ton of points maybe they needed him to lock in on playing defense. The coach said they had 3 primary scorers and their defense would create other scoring opportunities for others and he specifically said Peck and Adkins could be a playmakers off their offensive sets. I have always been a fan of East and the way Adkins do things. In a 10 year span he's probably top 2 or 3 in the city. How can a group formed by him all of a sudden start to play selfishly????

These young men you mention now have the torch and hopefully they can build chemistry quick fast and in a hurry. Looking at posts about one of the returners now that the seniors are gone could be a very long year. They have talent as always but where is the leadership going to come from??? The sophmore to be PG??

 

[OnTheLine85]

If what you say is true, there has to be some accountability on the coach too, right?

This isn't the pros where the players "own the locker room" and have to figure this stuff out themselves. They are 15-18 years old. They don't have the life experience to manage that type of conflict effectively yet.

That's why I can see both sides in this. If the coach was truly subconsciously using his deep relationships with a certain group, and kind of isolating a very talented player (some would say the most talented), well yeah, that's probably going to frustrate the kid. At the same time, his style of play can also be part of what was isolating him as well.

This is the part of HS basketball I loathe. I wish all of the politics would be squashed and coaches would just build their best teams without worrying about past and current relationships. So many talented kids get caught up in this where you never even know what they could become.

 

[HoopDreams80]

I agree with accountability on the coach and it was mentioned he tried a bunch of things to fix it. I know that for a fact. How was the kid isolated??? They didn't shun the kid and the group embraced him from what I heard.

Bigger question would be why was he exiled from his former school in where he's part of a bloodline that's considered royalty over there.

He has talent but most talented, I'd say no. Hes not a complete player at all.

He's a volume shooter and we know how the law of averages work with volume shooters.

That group of seniors played unselfishly throughout their careers and you have kid who is not home-grown, volume shooting them out of games. Yes as a teenager I would probably be upset with not only that player but the coach as well.

Took 143 3 pointers out of 230 possible field goal attempts he took and made 60 ... tell me as a teenager you're not about to blow a gasket everytime he shoots??? Shoot as a coach and fan you're probably losing your "you know what" .. this coming from a team that values possessions and a group that plays selfless I could see the discord.There's a ton of things I would never discuss on a forum about what I know but let's just say this an AAU coach from the program I believe he plays for doesn't want to coach him says the kid is selfish but has been told that he's playing with them and there you have it politics as usual.

 

[Philly_Cat]

The picture is becoming clearer, at least for me it is.

 

[cincyhoops]

***LONG POST ALERT***
It's obvious your nephew was an underclassmen so there's bias there.... but you should know the dynamic of that set of upperclassmen maybe you dont but I would say most of us here know about that group of seniors. Coaches around the city and GMC have known about those kids and anyone close to East know about them and how long they have been together. They have played together and have won probably more games collectively over a stretch of 10 years than probably any group locally ever. That's not an exaggeration according to an East coach. They have been together since 2nd grade (winter/spring/school ball), everyone that's familiar with East knows about Adkins affinity for them, he's coached them since they were 7 years old. The sweat equity and time together matters, I think anyone would agree with that. Chemistry is something that happens over time and trust is earned. Those seniors built that together with Adkins guiding them the entire time.

Spoke to a coach that's no longer there at East but really close to the coaches because of your post and he said the culture was fractured and he stated guys were not bought in to the East Way of doing things. If I had to guess it probably wasn't the guys that have been indoctrinated with the East Way pretty much their entire lives. If you know anything about East... players have to be able to share the ball, play defense and be extremely tough. East is usually the best defensive team in the league. I watched games and honestly I could see deficiencies in some of those players you mentioned defensively. We all agreed that the defensive style they played this year wasn't traditional for them and that may have been the issue as well but the former coach said guys weren't committed to the weight room, conditioning, guys weren't playing late in the season because of "injuries" but heard some of those same kids were training during that stretch. The culture became toxic, now I'm not the smartest tool in the shed but "became" means that at one point it was harmonic and connected in the lockeroom but it progressed into somewhat of a toxic environment. They still won 18 games, just shows you how talented that group really was. There had been rumors swirling all year about shot selection by a player and his unwillingness to buy in. Guys not playing defense, guys always asking to come out of games because of their conditioning, guys griping about their shots. East led the GMC in every offensive category including assists IMO they didn’t need 20 from Mitchell they needed him use his length and athletism to guard and play defense. This year may not have been his year to score a ton of points maybe they needed him to lock in on playing defense. The coach said they had 3 primary scorers and their defense would create other scoring opportunities for others and he specifically said Peck and Adkins could be a playmakers off their offensive sets. I have always been a fan of East and the way Adkins do things. In a 10 year span he's probably top 2 or 3 in the city. How can a group formed by him all of a sudden start to play selfishly????

These young men you mention now have the torch and hopefully they can build chemistry quick fast and in a hurry. Looking at posts about one of the returners now that the seniors are gone could be a very long year. They have talent as always but where is the leadership going to come from??? The sophmore to be PG??

It's obvious bringing in several transfers over the last few years hurt the chemistry of the team.

 

[wilbur]

It's obvious bringing in several transfers over the last few years hurt the chemistry of the team.

subtraction by addition......

 

[OnTheLine85]

It's obvious bringing in several transfers over the last few years hurt the chemistry of the team.

I agree that this could be the case. But people automatically assume the coach is in the right and kid is in the wrong. Sometimes the coach screws up too.

So he shoots alot? Who cares - is he effective at making them? He shot 42% from 3 as a Junior in high school. That is very good and evidence of a skilled shooter who you would want on the team. Yet you're shunning him for doing what he does best?

There's no way the LE staff didn't know what they were getting into when this kid transferred. They knew what type of player he was. He's been a known player in this area since early grade school. Is it the kid's role to completely change his game to fit the mold or the coach's job to mold his best skills around the team?

I rarely blame the kids in this situation. There's no way 16-17 year olds have any sense of managing this type of conflict, especially if there was a group of legacy kids with deep history already. It sounds to me like the kid started on the outside and continued to be disliked because he shot alot. Well, that's likely why the LE staff wanted him. If people got mad that he shot alot, then that's on them. This kid has played this way his whole life and there's no way they didn't know that.

It's a cop out to make a kid the fall guy, imo. Likely blame on all fronts.

 

[OnTheLine85]

"the culture was fractured and he stated guys were not bought in to the East Way of doing things"

This is the quote that I kind of roll my eyes at. The kid has been jacking 3's his whole life. And he's a good shooter.

Did the LE coaches sit him down and say "you can't play here unless you play LE basketball" or did they say "we really like your shooting ability, it can really enhance our team, we're glad you're here" - I would guess it's the latter. And if the expectation was the former, and he came in and just started jacking up all kinds of shots, whose fault is that if it was let to continue and he hurt the team because of it? There's no way he would have gone to play there if the expectation was that he couldn't be a shooter.

If you're going to let "outsiders" into the fold, and you expect them to comply to a set of demands instead of meeting them halfway, of course there is going to be conflict.

 

[cincyhoops]

I agree that this could be the case. But people automatically assume the coach is in the right and kid is in the wrong. Sometimes the coach screws up too.

So he shoots alot? Who cares - is he effective at making them? He shot 42% from 3 as a Junior in high school. That is very good and evidence of a skilled shooter who you would want on the team. Yet you're shunning him for doing what he does best?

There's no way the LE staff didn't know what they were getting into when this kid transferred. They knew what type of player he was. He's been a known player in this area since early grade school. Is it the kid's role to completely change his game to fit the mold or the coach's job to mold his best skills around the team?

I rarely blame the kids in this situation. There's no way 16-17 year olds have any sense of managing this type of conflict, especially if there was a group of legacy kids with deep history already. It sounds to me like the kid started on the outside and continued to be disliked because he shot alot. Well, that's likely why the LE staff wanted him. If people got mad that he shot alot, then that's on them. This kid has played this way his whole life and there's no way they didn't know that.

It's a cop out to make a kid the fall guy, imo. Likely blame on all fronts.

I wasn't referring to anyone in particular. I believe East had at least 3 transfers, maybe more. I was speaking in general, that bringing in kids who didn't come up through the East program seemed to have hurt the team chemistry. I believe they also had transfers from Fairfield and Colerain.

 

[HoopDreams80]

"the culture was fractured and he stated guys were not bought in to the East Way of doing things"

This is the quote that I kind of roll my eyes at. The kid has been jacking 3's his whole life. And he's a good shooter.

Did the LE coaches sit him down and say "you can't play here unless you play LE basketball" or did they say "we really like your shooting ability, it can really enhance our team, we're glad you're here" - I would guess it's the latter. And if the expectation was the former, and he came in and just started jacking up all kinds of shots, whose fault is that if it was let to continue and he hurt the team because of it? There's no way he would have gone to play there if the expectation was that he couldn't be a shooter.

If you're going to let "outsiders" into the fold, and you expect them to comply to a set of demands instead of meeting them halfway, of course there is going to be conflict.

I agree that this could be the case. But people automatically assume the coach is in the right and kid is in the wrong. Sometimes the coach screws up too.

So he shoots alot? Who cares - is he effective at making them? He shot 42% from 3 as a Junior in high school. That is very good and evidence of a skilled shooter who you would want on the team. Yet you're shunning him for doing what he does best?

There's no way the LE staff didn't know what they were getting into when this kid transferred. They knew what type of player he was. He's been a known player in this area since early grade school. Is it the kid's role to completely change his game to fit the mold or the coach's job to mold his best skills around the team?

I rarely blame the kids in this situation. There's no way 16-17 year olds have any sense of managing this type of conflict, especially if there was a group of legacy kids with deep history already. It sounds to me like the kid started on the outside and continued to be disliked because he shot alot. Well, that's likely why the LE staff wanted him. If people got mad that he shot alot, then that's on them. This kid has played this way his whole life and there's no way they didn't know that.

It's a cop out to make a kid the fall guy, imo. Likely blame on all fronts.

I'm not blaming the kid he did what he knows and what's he's used to being told to do. It's both the kid and the coach's job 1. The player needs to learn the culture and how they do things, he's a 3 point shot taker in the East offense he would've been the recipient of drive and kicks all day long so that volume shooting would have probably been more like more of precise 3 point shooter. His misses are considered turnovers on 0 to 1 pass possessions when he misses. 2. Coaches should have sat him down to get buy in on their style of play and how his shooting would be most effective for them. He's a teenager I'm not looking for him to think with rationale when it comes to playing basketball especially if he's been that way since elementary. He does have responsibility in playing within their style and if not the coaches should hold him accountable. Plain and simple.
I don't have a dog in this but I am a fan of Lakota East and what they have done since Adkins took over from Vickers and I believe we can all agree what we have watched was a team that underachieved 2 years in a row when it came to tourney time. The chemistry was off and there's a common factor here not the kid but how the personalities and players was handled. That's where I think Adkins missed and hopefully he learned from it and can get that program back to playing for district titles. I believe it's going to a tougher road because they don't have as much talent in the pipeline but if they play as overachievers they could shock some people.

 

[OnTheLine85]

That's the risk/reward you play in the transfer game.

If you choose to start opening your program up to free agents, you can't dictate that they buy into something that even you admit has taken years and years for the other players to adapt to. When you choose to open your program to free agents, you have to do some adapting to them. There has to be some meeting in the middle or conflict is the inevitable result.

If you want to keep the "East Way", then stick with the kids that have been indoctrinated with it. It's not fair at all to take a kid in that everyone knows doesn't play that style, and then bash him for playing that style, and then blame it on him "not buying in". Coaches dictate culture, and a culture of transfers will never work with "our way or the highway", because cultures takes years to evolve.

It's like throwing Rayvon Griffith into the GCL and getting mad at him and calling him selfish (which would undoubtedly happen probably after game 3) for using his elevated skill level to take over a game because it's not team ball.

This isn't the kids doing.

As much as people fault the kid for disrupting culture for his style of play, I blame the Coach more for the disintegration of culture by being distracted by the shining object (transfers). Most usually give the coaches a pass in situations like this, and coaches rarely take accountability for it either.

 

[OnTheLine85]

I'm also not saying using transfers can't work. It absolutely can. But if that is your strategy, you have to be MUCH more lenient with dictating a style of play because every year you're having to put together different parts.

The Lakota East way can also be very successful. But if that's the path, stick to it and harvest the culture. It will reap its own rewards.

Both can work under the right cultural circumstances.

 

[HoopDreams80]

That's the risk/reward you play in the transfer game.

If you choose to start opening your program up to free agents, you can't dictate that they buy into something that even you admit has taken years and years for the other players to adapt to. When you choose to open your program to free agents, you have to do some adapting to them. There has to be some meeting in the middle or conflict is the inevitable result.

If you want to keep the "East Way", then stick with the kids that have been indoctrinated with it. It's not fair at all to take a kid in that everyone knows doesn't play that style, and then bash him for playing that style, and then blame it on him "not buying in". Coaches dictate culture, and a culture of transfers will never work with "our way or the highway", because cultures takes years to evolve.

It's like throwing Rayvon Griffith into the GCL and getting mad at him and calling him selfish (which would undoubtedly happen probably after game 3) for using his elevated skill level to take over a game because it's not team ball.

This isn't the kids doing.

As much as people fault the kid for disrupting culture for his style of play, I blame the Coach more for the disintegration of culture by being distracted by the shining object (transfers). Most usually give the coaches a pass in situations like this, and coaches rarely take accountability for it either.

Oddly enough a couple of those transfers have been living in district the entire time so East is their "home" school. Maybe the shining object was the winning culture shown over the years that they wanted to be apart of.

I can definitely agree with you on the coach being distracted. That's where I think there was a miss in handling the transfers and the culture once the discord started to manifest. I'm still a fan and hope to start seeing them again on District Day.

 

[SWO]

I did not see East live this year so just thoughts based on box scores and comments. Totally agree that a discussion of throwing up threes versus “trust me when I say we will get you the ball” was needed. Maybe it occurred… maybe it didn’t. The idea that the core of seniors played together for 10 years is most likely the issue. Adkins was probably preaching to those kids from day one (one of whom was sitting at his dinner table every night) how they were going to make the dream come true. And then Boom, there’s a new guy in town. Instead of focusing on how he disrupted their flow, maybe more important is how he may have helped them but they weren’t quite ready to let him do so. He may have been embraced by them… until their “you are Lakota East basketball” angle changed due to his arrival. And yeah, he’s just as homegrown as they are, but he wasn’t part of their fold from day one. Totally on the coach to sell the new look and talk the kids into a change is good mentality but he had 10 years to unfold. When roles change after years and years, that’s tough on 17 year olds. Adkins needed to sell the revised vision better. Not easily done, but I think that was the issue more than one kid’s questionable shot selection.

 

[Kurt Rambis]

I agree that this could be the case. But people automatically assume the coach is in the right and kid is in the wrong. Sometimes the coach screws up too.

So he shoots alot? Who cares - is he effective at making them? He shot 42% from 3 as a Junior in high school. That is very good and evidence of a skilled shooter who you would want on the team. Yet you're shunning him for doing what he does best?

There's no way the LE staff didn't know what they were getting into when this kid transferred. They knew what type of player he was. He's been a known player in this area since early grade school. Is it the kid's role to completely change his game to fit the mold or the coach's job to mold his best skills around the team?

I rarely blame the kids in this situation. There's no way 16-17 year olds have any sense of managing this type of conflict, especially if there was a group of legacy kids with deep history already. It sounds to me like the kid started on the outside and continued to be disliked because he shot alot. Well, that's likely why the LE staff wanted him. If people got mad that he shot alot, then that's on them. This kid has played this way his whole life and there's no way they didn't know that.

It's a cop out to make a kid the fall guy, imo. Likely blame on all fronts.

I'd like to see a lot of these coaches around the city that are "so good".... to actually coach the kids who just show up in their school. No transfers. No recruiting. No AAU connections. Let's see how good you are with the cards you're dealt!

 

[Kurt Rambis]

I did not see East live this year so just thoughts based on box scores and comments. Totally agree that a discussion of throwing up threes versus “trust me when I say we will get you the ball” was needed. Maybe it occurred… maybe it didn’t. The idea that the core of seniors played together for 10 years is most likely the issue. Adkins was probably preaching to those kids from day one (one of whom was sitting at his dinner table every night) how they were going to make the dream come true. And then Boom, there’s a new guy in town. Instead of focusing on how he disrupted their flow, maybe more important is how he may have helped them but they weren’t quite ready to let him do so. He may have been embraced by them… until their “you are Lakota East basketball” angle changed due to his arrival. And yeah, he’s just as homegrown as they are, but he wasn’t part of their fold from day one. Totally on the coach to sell the new look and talk the kids into a change is good mentality but he had 10 years to unfold. When roles change after years and years, that’s tough on 17 year olds. Adkins needed to sell the revised vision better. Not easily done, but I think that was the issue more than one kid’s questionable shot selection.

the fact that one of the transfers in questions went from Noscza to Adkins and expected anything different is nuts. Both demanding coaches with high expectations. Odd move to me

 

[JElder]

Kronauge had to find a way to get his own shot??? Nobody shot more than that kid, maybe in the whole league ?

I was thinking the same thing. The other kids on the team had to have been annoyed with his shot selection to say the least.

 

[OnTheLine85]

I was thinking the same thing. The other kids on the team had to have been annoyed with his shot selection to say the least.

He shot 42% from 3 and 45% overall- that's really good for a volume shooter.

If he's shooting a bunch of terrible shots, but he's still shooting 42-45%, I'd say shoot some more terrible shots.

If he was as bad as everyone is saying he is with shot selection, I would have assumed his shooting percentage was terrible.

This all seems personal, which sucks because the kid is a very good player. I'm sure he has some things to work on too.