BE game thread 1st round

[pdxmuskie]

Sky, I don't disagree with Scruggs not being the player we want him to be but I blame a lot of that on the coach. Maybe he is unreachable but if that is the case then coach needs to pull the plug and go another route.

I really don't care about what players do in their free time. If they develop then all good. If they fail to develop then coach needs to make changes.

There may be some personal responsibility for the lack of growth by Scruggs. I do not know the details but he is not the only player mentally lost on the court so I will assume the bulk of the problem is the coach.

I'd have to see the games again to opine on how often he played a whole game with intensity. Recent games showed a disinterested Scruggs for large portions of the game but I chalk that up to frustration. It is similar to great shooters forcing shots after witnessing teammates take bad shots over and over again. Watching other players get beat over and over again on the defensive end and staying in the game can psychologically remove the desire to play at a high level. Add in the dwindling probability of him playing professionally and I do give him a pass on the last several games. As a coach, I would be all over him about his effort and pull him from the game for it but as a fan that sees the lack of coaching, he deserves a pass. If your complaint is more about the duration of the season then it is a different story but still a coaching problem.

[skyhops]

Scruggs played miserable the last 10 games and Steele rarely too him out or made adjustment, which is on Steele so I somewhat agree. Not knowing the score and fouling three times down the stretch when you are basically a six year player is unacceptable.

[pdxmuskie]

Completely agree about decision making. Which was my point about lack of coaching. There were a couple games in there that you were overly hard on Scruggs but generally I agree he played bad.

[bluegrass]

I thought the meltdown against Butler last year was the worst loss until today. What a choke job. This team is a reflection of their coach . They are mentally and physically weak. How can anyone possibly be excited about next year if he's back. This program is as low as its been in over 45 years. Sad

[yellow20xd]

... That's all I got to say about that... Dan

[X-Expert]

I was never one to say Steele should get fired but honestly, he is ultimately responsible for the teams performance. No he didn't miss layups, FT, or make turnovers but he recruited the players that did and implemented the offense, substitution patterns that may have contributed to these issues. They have been real good through 10 games last 2 years and collapsed. His teams had collapses his first 2 years but he got a pass for the perceived lack of talent they had. He definitely had challenges like covid and injuries but all teams have fought through similar issues. For anyone who feels that coaches should not be responsible for losses because he didn't miss FTs (as they have all years), or he didn't turn the ball over, then very few coaches deserve to get fired. I wish Steele well as i think he is probably a great guy but he doesn't seem to get nearly enough out of his 4 star recruits. I really hope X moves on from him and goes outside Xavier for their next coach,, Their best run was when they went outside and got Matta-Miller-Mack. Started with a non-Xavier guy. Shame that the bubble burst this way again.