I’m here to suck it up…

They started to show promise and when we nearly beat UCLA I said to myself, “hmmm, these guys are better than I thought.” I started to buy in a little. How different would the season have been if we won that game?

Good observation on the subbing and ever changing starters.  We have a high school coach here that does all kinds of interations of the starting lineups and minutes throughout the season like he is looking for something and not finding it.  Or he is overthinking matchups or trying to position for the futre.  Or he is rewarding certain behaviors or attitudes, even if those don’t necessarily translate to success.  My son played three years for that coach and never figured out any rhyme or reason for any of it.  And the net result has been a confused, frustrated, and in some cases demoralized team because the lack of consistency and lack of predictability causes stress, and makes players question their role, rather than accept it. And ultimately question themselves and the coach, none of which is healthy.

My wife and I have joked off an on that Krystko is Utah’s version of this Coach.  But in all seriousness, I wonder if there are some parallels here.  I think there is some value in just knowing your role, and knowing where you fit in the pecking order.  We transferred my younger son in order not to go through the same thing.  And he loves the new situation, because it is much clearer where you stand, lineups are consistent game to game.  It’s not that everyone necessarily agrees with their playing time, but they certainly see where they stand.  And if someone improves and makes a move, they aren’t in one day and out the next, they play increasing minutes to prove their productivity and if they can sustain it, their role can grow.

I will say this, that kind of coach/system is not a problem for everybody.  But certain people find it very difficult to deal with the uncertainty.  I think a guy like Collette as an example would be just as productive regardless.  But a player like Barefield, I really wonder if he is in a bad place mentally because he just isn’t sure where he stands.  One day starting, next not, one day playing big minutes, next he is in the dog house.  What we found was that even if there are just one or two that struggle with the approach, it throws the chemistry off for the whole team.