Rawkhawk73
Banned
If you look at the "mid major" coaches that haven't been able to get it done versus the ones that have, one thing stands out to me.......system vs. freedom.
What I mean is, the guys that come from mid majors with a "system" seem to be the ones that fail.
Some "system" guys:
1. Barry Collier - Big success at Butler. Created the "Butler Way". Brought the "Butler Way" to Nebraska and failed miserably.
2. Greg McDermott - Big success at UNI. His system has something like 500 set plays. Takes them to ISU and has failed.
3. Todd Lickliter - Big success at Butler. Brought the Butler Way to Iowa and failed miserably.
Now, some "freedom" guys:
1. Bruce Pearl - Big success at UWMilwaukee. Goes to Tennessee and is a rousing success. Doesn't have a system. On offense, gives his players freedom to create and adjusts to the situations. On defense, will press when necessary and back off when situation warrants.
2. Thad Matta - Success at Butler and Xavier. Huge success at OSU. Doesn't have a system. Learned the Butler Way at Butler but has gone away from it at high-major places. Uses match-up zone on defense, but will switch when necessary. On offense, will play to his players' strengths (Oden, Turner, etc) and give freedom to create.
Why is this important? In my opinion, the players that are good enough to play at a high-major school want "freedom".....they don't want to be pidgeon-holed into a "system" that stifles creativity. That's where you see a lot of transfers occuring and/or an inability to recruit the players necessary to win. I think the "system" coaches make the mistake of thinking that because it worked at the low/mid major level it will work at the high-major and it has shown time and again that it doesn't. They mistake "system" for a "plan".
That's where I think FM will have success and why I'm really pumped about the McCaffery hire. The guy obviously has a plan for getting us back to where we were and I think the freedom and flexibility he is willing to give his players will result in both an ability to get higher caliber players than the guys in the "system" category and give him a better chance of keeping them for 4-5 years.
What I mean is, the guys that come from mid majors with a "system" seem to be the ones that fail.
Some "system" guys:
1. Barry Collier - Big success at Butler. Created the "Butler Way". Brought the "Butler Way" to Nebraska and failed miserably.
2. Greg McDermott - Big success at UNI. His system has something like 500 set plays. Takes them to ISU and has failed.
3. Todd Lickliter - Big success at Butler. Brought the Butler Way to Iowa and failed miserably.
Now, some "freedom" guys:
1. Bruce Pearl - Big success at UWMilwaukee. Goes to Tennessee and is a rousing success. Doesn't have a system. On offense, gives his players freedom to create and adjusts to the situations. On defense, will press when necessary and back off when situation warrants.
2. Thad Matta - Success at Butler and Xavier. Huge success at OSU. Doesn't have a system. Learned the Butler Way at Butler but has gone away from it at high-major places. Uses match-up zone on defense, but will switch when necessary. On offense, will play to his players' strengths (Oden, Turner, etc) and give freedom to create.
Why is this important? In my opinion, the players that are good enough to play at a high-major school want "freedom".....they don't want to be pidgeon-holed into a "system" that stifles creativity. That's where you see a lot of transfers occuring and/or an inability to recruit the players necessary to win. I think the "system" coaches make the mistake of thinking that because it worked at the low/mid major level it will work at the high-major and it has shown time and again that it doesn't. They mistake "system" for a "plan".
That's where I think FM will have success and why I'm really pumped about the McCaffery hire. The guy obviously has a plan for getting us back to where we were and I think the freedom and flexibility he is willing to give his players will result in both an ability to get higher caliber players than the guys in the "system" category and give him a better chance of keeping them for 4-5 years.
