Fran is a good mix of carnival huckster and old-school disciplinarian,imo.
Part of reviving a bb program is the former...you come in,you fire up the fans,and the players blowing a little smoke. Now, that said, Fran is pretty precise in his comments,even tho they seem hyp-ish. He did not say that Mel would make the NBA,only that Mel wants to make the NBA and that he is on the right track. Again,that is not saying that Mel is a lock ,just that to have any chance he has to work his butt off...I am fine with that.
Other comments by Fran in the past: he gushed about Gabe's rebounding in practice last fall...what he said was that he led the team in rebounding in practice...well, that was not hard with a bad rebounding team,and Fran did not say that the rest of Gabe's game was ready for prime-time. I think Fran will always find something positive about a players game, and highlight that. No lying,but accenting the positive.
I think the positive slant is clearly the way to go when building up the program. Now, when we reach a level of excellence,like make the tourny,he will probably back it off a bit to keep expectations in check. When you are rising, build the confidence of the players and fans,once you make it, keep them from getting overconfident.
Remember when Fran gushed about Aaron White as a potential starter? I scoffed.
That buys a lot of cred in my world.
I think these compliments on Mel are the real deal and he will be improved next year,as he was already showing in the NIT. Taking ownership of the team is an important step for upperclassmen like Mel,Zach,and Devyn.
