Kim, make excuses! (Seriously.)

[volfan102455]

I’m buying into what is proven. The coach is proven and the players are not.

I think a lot of you have non-basketball reasons for attacking Kim.

Nope - she failed this year to prove that she can coach in the SEC. That is my problem. And when she failed, she blamed it on the players - not that she failed, not that her system failed but that the players failed and they quit and she couldn't do anything about it. To do anything about it would have implied that she did not have enough players to run her sub style so she couldn't sit them on the bench.

She never took accountability in public that maybe the system just did work. If anything she doubled down on that.

She is just not ready for the SEC - that is very apparent.

 

[volfan102455]

And former coaches at UT never backed down on playing the best if the opportunity allowed for it.

 

[volfan102455]

And to add - I was really hoping she would succeed this last year given the talent - but this season went the same way as the first season - only worse with better talent.

I've given up - this coming season could prove me wrong - but at this point I have no hope of a better season in 2026.

 

[adam.vol]

Nope - she failed this year to prove that she can coach in the SEC. That is my problem. And when she failed, she blamed it on the players - not that she failed, not that her system failed but that the players failed and they quit and she couldn't do anything about it. To do anything about it would have implied that she did not have enough players to run her sub style so she couldn't sit them on the bench.

She never took accountability in public that maybe the system just did work. If anything she doubled down on that.

She is just not ready for the SEC - that is very apparent.

Again, her system has proven that it works and that’s why she got the job. She has taken accountability as head coach and she has been honest about why she thinks it struggled. Barnes says the same things when his team plays sloppy and gets dominated. You guys are living in a fairy tale if you think good coaches never hold their players accountable for playing with less energy or for playing mentally weak.

I don’t want someone who is going to lie. If that’s what she thinks, then thank you for saying it out loud. If she proves to be wrong, then it will come about when the time is right.

 

[volsagain]

They did not quit - they played hard to stay with UCONN in the first half, then UCONN adjusted and blew them out.

You are buying into the narrative and excuses of the coach.

Players are the first to realize things are broken and it ain't working.

Just a thought if a softball player strikes out 3 or 4 times in one game do you think they should just walk away from the game ? In a press defense or any offense system success is accomplished by team work. If one part gets out of position or heaven forbid not get back in position it want work. Just a thought

 

[volfan102455]

Again, her system has proven that it works and that’s why she got the job. She has taken accountability as head coach and she has been honest about why she thinks it struggled. Barnes says the same things when his team plays sloppy and gets dominated. You guys are living in a fairy tale if you think good coaches never hold their players accountable for playing with less energy or for playing mentally weak.

I don’t want someone who is going to lie. If that’s what she thinks, then thank you for saying it out loud. If she proves to be wrong, then it will come about when the time is right.

The system worked at the D2 level, and it worked for Marshall until they played a good team, then they got blown off the court. It seems to work against the "lesser" teams in D1, but the good ones figure it out the second time around and it no longer works well.

As for her taken accountability - she always points to the team as the issue. She also uses the "they" word not the "we" word. Barnes typically uses the "we" not the "they". There is a subtle yet major difference with that word choice.

"They" takes the person who is speaking out of the equation shifting accountability completely away from them. "We" gets the point across while also keeping accountability on the one whose job it is to correct the problem.

In retrospect, she hasn't faced this type of failure before and seems to have a chip on her shoulder about the system. I don't think she really knew how to handle failure but wanted to make sure the failures were deflected away from the system as the problem. Thus, the only place to deflect was to the players because no way it could be the "system".

 

[glv98]

Just a thought if a softball player strikes out 3 or 4 times in one game do you think they should just walk away from the game ? In a press defense or any offense system success is accomplished by team work. If one part gets out of position or heaven forbid not get back in position it want work. Just a thought

I’ll bet that coach would help you adjust your swing, not tell you to just swing harder.

 

[TNnative]

On a superficial level that sounds just right. But how do we define
successful?
- the team is aggressive on defense, creates turnovers, shoots quickly from 3 point land and wins?
or
- the team is aggressive on defense, creates turnovers, shoots quickly from 3 point land and loses because the opponent turns us over just as many times and scores more fast break points?
or
- the team follows KC's system and wins because the other team is a creampuff?
- we do everything Kim asks, except convert on FTs, and lose by a point?

If we say her style is successful every time we win, and declare it unsuccessful when we don’t, then we will have created a useless truism.

I believe the true test is whether we follow her system closely against the top four or five SEC teams and win the majority of those games.

I don't know how you define successful. And I am sure that if fifty people chime in, you easily could get fifty different answers.

Well, here is mine: The final buzzer sounds. All eyes glance up to the scoreboard. If your side of it shows more points than the opponent? That is successful. Easy. Pure. Simple. And no matter what is said in discussions about the nit picky aspects and expectations, and how better managed some would have wanted it to be? A win is a win.

NEXT?

 

[volfan102455]

I don't know how you define successful. And I am sure that if fifty people chime in, you easily could get fifty different answers.

Well, here is mine: The final buzzer sounds. All eyes glance up to the scoreboard. If your side of it shows more points than the opponent? That is successful. Easy. Pure. Simple. And no matter what is said in discussions about the nit picky aspects and expectations, and how better managed some would have wanted it to be? A win is a win.

NEXT?

But what about effort? Doesn't that count for something? (Please note the blue font!)

 

[adam.vol]

The system worked at the D2 level, and it worked for Marshall until they played a good team, then they got blown off the court. It seems to work against the "lesser" teams in D1, but the good ones figure it out the second time around and it no longer works well.

As for her taken accountability - she always points to the team as the issue. She also uses the "they" word not the "we" word. Barnes typically uses the "we" not the "they". There is a subtle yet major difference with that word choice.

"They" takes the person who is speaking out of the equation shifting accountability completely away from them. "We" gets the point across while also keeping accountability on the one whose job it is to correct the problem.

In retrospect, she hasn't faced this type of failure before and seems to have a chip on her shoulder about the system. I don't think she really knew how to handle failure but wanted to make sure the failures were deflected away from the system as the problem. Thus, the only place to deflect was to the players because no way it could be the "system".

I think to admit that your system is badly flawed really means you have to start over as a coach and reinvent yourself. I imagine that most professional coaches would recommend not abandoning what got you to the big leagues in the first place.. The captain goes down with the ship.

Some innovative people may add to their system in the offseason, but I can’t think of any success stories of a coach completely abandoning their approach except maybe in a Hollywood film.

 

[volbeast33]

And to add - I was really hoping she would succeed this last year given the talent - but this season went the same way as the first season - only worse with better talent.

I've given up - this coming season could prove me wrong - but at this point I have no hope of a better season in 2026.

We had more potential but worse talent this season.

 

[volsagain]

eI’ll bet that coach would help you adjust your swing, not tell you to just swing harder.

You mean like all coaches with any success at all of course. Players practice to get better some just never have full understanding of what it takes to succeed and just do the minimum to get by .

 

[TNnative]

But what about effort? Doesn't that count for something? (Please note the blue font!)

Well a loss is still a loss. I guess if you see one of the players walking by that busted her ass in a loss, a few kind words of appreciation in passing might be nice. And next game, if she glances up and smiles at you? Well, those exchanged moments of appreciation between players and fans are part of what makes the players play harder, and keeps fans buying tickets. Rarely gets talked about, because I would think it happens everywhere, but it is not news. I guess it is just part of the human condition.

But nothing changes the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat.