ADVERTISEMENT

Help a 'fan' understand the season

dmarsh1985

I.T.S. Senior
Oct 30, 2008
1,091
35
48
Posters,

With little ones all around my time following the bball season (or any season) has been limited, but I am truly perplexed and need some fellow fans help understanding what happened and what is happening with the bball program.
Throughout the year Haith favored veterans and defense over potential and offense. He continually trotted the same guys out there expecting results that did not happen. We were very limited, but did not try anything new. In his opinion there were no opportunities for the young guys to be in games that "did not matter" and so we were relegated to the "old guard" for most of the season, albeit the two or three push over games that were for increased record, etc.
Then the season ended. As expected the young guys, who were given 0 credit and opportunity (again not able to follow practices or the insider info as others have so maybe they were just bad players/pieces/etc), are leaving- I understand this, especially if Haith was not up front about what this season was about for guys new to the program (other than Richie). But not only are we seeing those all leave, we are also seeing the guys that were given every opportunity and all the PT leave as well. This is either idiotic egos of guys leaving or terrible planning. Wouldn't logic dictate that you lift up certain players to the center of what you are doing next year? It seems that we have neither and the pieces we have left are role players at best, not dudes that you would run offense through (again personal opinion). I just don't get why those that were given the PT and the ball in their hands would go?
Perhaps the guys coming in are much better and will be given free reign? Perhaps that's who he will build around? I'd be for that. But I would also have been for doing that his year with Peyton, Williams, Shumate, Gendron, Early, etc. Help me understand, seriously. I need some perspective.
 
Don’t read too much into guys leaving, because of the special circumstances of a covid year allowing everyone an extra year of eligibility and instant eligibility at a new school it’s happening everywhere. A normal portal is around 300 players, this year it’s approaching 900 and 16 teams are still playing. It could reach 1000 players before all is said and done. also a player can enter the portal and still return if he can’t find a better situation and is still wanted. That happened with several AAC players last off season.

As far as what happened this season you will get lots of speculation about what caused the downward trend but no one truly knows. The same guys that started the conference season 4-1 with wins over Houston and Memphis as well as a 3-0 road record during that span ended up losing 4 out of 5 in what should have been an easy home stand. Once it was certain we weren’t going to the post season I also would have liked to see all the youngsters get a chance, 0-5 wouldn‘t have been much worse than 1-4.
 
Last edited:
Don’t read too much into guys leaving, because of the special circumstances of a covid year allowing everyone an extra year of eligibility and instant eligibility at a new school it’s happening everywhere. A normal portal is around 300 players, this year it’s approaching 900 and 16 teams are still playing. It could reach 1000 players before all is said and done. also a player can enter the portal and still return if he can’t find a better situation and is still wanted. That happened with several AAC players last off season.

As far as what happened this season you will get lots of speculation about what caused the downward trend but no one truly knows. The same guys that started the conference season 4-1 with wins over Houston and Memphis as well as a 3-0 road record during that span ended up losing 4 out of 5 in what should have been an easy home stand. Once it was certain we weren’t going to the post season I also would have liked to see all the youngsters get a chance, 0-5 wouldn‘t have been much worse than 4-1.
Nevada, thank you- and I get all you said. There is a fine line between “working out the year” and “calling it quits”- don’t think Haith knew when was the time- just really disappointed we didn’t get to see what the young guys could do and now theyre gone- know very well what the guys who played can do (as did our opponents, which was the cause for the flip)- still unhappy with the lack of development from last year from the dudes in the program, no Martins-like player, IMO
 
I agree with Nevada’s comments. The main thing I can’t understand is playing time allocation. I have recently heard it was well known Joiner was transferring after the season. If so, why did we leave Williams on the bench all season & not give the highly touted freshman PG a chance to gain experience.

3 of our 4 scholarship freshmen (including Williams) & half the team have already transferred, so we’re again starting over the process of building a roster. Yes, this is a special COVID year, but Haith has had major roster rebuilds more often than any TU coach I can remember.
 
It was known he was leaving as well...homesick.
This is very helpful, thanks Chris. Perhaps the same for Shumate- that dude was the prototype 4/5 in today’s game that would give the “bigs” fits. It’s a guards game and if the ball dominated guards on the team cannot create or shoot you’re toast- unfortunately that seems to define most of our guards- love Jackson’s intangibles, but need every other player able to shoot close to 37% from deep
 
  • Like
Reactions: TU 1978
I think I would read a bit into the kids leaving this year, even if in this new climate of transfers due to the changing rules. Don’t we think that a kid is a lot more likely to be “homesick” when they’re basically not being allowed to contribute on a team that’s already playing like dog crap? That would make me want to go somewhere else too.

Yes, Tulsa has an opportunity to pick up kids in this new “Free Agency” but so does every other team. It’s going to be tough to put together a team that’s cohesive with 8-9 new kids even if they are decent transfers with experience.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tulsafanzz
Don’t we think that a kid is a lot more likely to be “homesick” when they’re basically not being allowed to contribute
There's just no way to tell. I completely understand these kids being homesick in the current environment. Due to Covid, they weren't getting the usual college experience. Look at Isaiah Hill. There was no coronavirus, and he played over 20 minutes per game in 31 contests as a true freshman, yet he still got homesick and transferred back to California.
 
There's just no way to tell. I completely understand these kids being homesick in the current environment. Due to Covid, they weren't getting the usual college experience. Look at Isaiah Hill. There was no coronavirus, and he played over 20 minutes per game in 31 contests as a true freshman, yet he still got homesick and transferred back to California.
He’s a completely fair exception. The rest of the guys I’m skeptical of and they usually seem to have been run off. (Which actually points to recruiting misses more than anything else)
 
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT