Eric Konkol’s new culture resulting in more intense practices and tougher defense for TU basketball
The Golden Hurricane opens the season Nov. 7 at Oregon State.
TW article about Konkol's approach
- Thread starter drboobay
- Start date
Cautiously optimistic. It sounds like he’s really building this program the right way.
A bit "Nasty". That was the elite eight team's character. That was one time Tulsa was meaner than Cincy. And it IS Houston every night. I thought the aggressiveness of SGC was an interesting tidbit. I had seen that at practice too. He was careful not to talk a lot about the Freshmen who I look forward to watching.
Every time I see something like this published I love what I’m hearing. It will be interesting to see if it translates to results. I’m really looking forward to Myrtle Beach where I will see them play three against varying competition.
I really liked Chapman’s athleticism last year and he looked great in shoot arounds but his limited minutes never really resulted in him doing much. I’m hoping a new system and a larger role, required if we have a tough man defense, will allow him to thrive.
I'm actually going to be a negative nancy, which is kind of unusual for me.
And this is based on language, because I've not been to a practice. Konkol's language hasn't changed, and that might not be good. Meaning he used these two words a lot early on, and hasn't changed them. He said our intent and and effort were good early in practices, and that hasn't changed up to present day. That is still the big general compliments that comprise his assessment.
The fact that his general compliments haven't changed could be a sign of two things. One, it could be motivation, and that's good. The other, and more likely though, is that he is saying our skills and abilities aren't there yet. The good intent and effort is a cover for inadequacies on other more important levels.
That tells me it might be a rough first season. Regardless, we still probably have the ability to compete with Oregon St.
Our starting lineup is most definitely going to be Griffin and Pritchard.(Betson will have to settle for backup right now.) But I also think two prime players to start are Dalger and SGC. Dalger competing in statistics so well bodes well for him getting the early nod to start. And SGC's aggressiveness on the court and rebounding will probably get him the nod too.
Here's my guess:
PG Pritchard
SG Griffin
SF/Wing SGC
PF Dalton
C Special K(a little less certain on this starter/could go small)
And this is based on language, because I've not been to a practice. Konkol's language hasn't changed, and that might not be good. Meaning he used these two words a lot early on, and hasn't changed them. He said our intent and and effort were good early in practices, and that hasn't changed up to present day. That is still the big general compliments that comprise his assessment.
The fact that his general compliments haven't changed could be a sign of two things. One, it could be motivation, and that's good. The other, and more likely though, is that he is saying our skills and abilities aren't there yet. The good intent and effort is a cover for inadequacies on other more important levels.
That tells me it might be a rough first season. Regardless, we still probably have the ability to compete with Oregon St.
Our starting lineup is most definitely going to be Griffin and Pritchard.(Betson will have to settle for backup right now.) But I also think two prime players to start are Dalger and SGC. Dalger competing in statistics so well bodes well for him getting the early nod to start. And SGC's aggressiveness on the court and rebounding will probably get him the nod too.
Here's my guess:
PG Pritchard
SG Griffin
SF/Wing SGC
PF Dalton
C Special K(a little less certain on this starter/could go small)
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Dang, those young men come across as crazy mature and eloquent. These are the kind of guys you really want to be successful, even if they weren't our team. If they string together some wins, they'll be the darlings of the 918.
Somebody has been watching too much “Roadhouse“. If he lets loose with one of those reverse roundhouse kicks he’ll definitely open up some room under the basket.I'm actually going to be a negative nancy, which is kind of unusual for me.
And this is based on language, because I've not been to a practice. Konkol's language hasn't changed, and that might not be good. Meaning he used these two words a lot early on, and hasn't changed them. He said our intent and and effort were good early in practices, and that hasn't changed up to present day. That is still the big general compliments that comprise his assessment.
The fact that his general compliments haven't changed could be a sign of two things. One, it could be motivation, and that's good. The other, and more likely though, is that he is saying our skills and abilities aren't there yet. The good intent and effort is a cover for inadequacies on other more important levels.
That tells me it might be a rough first season. Regardless, we still probably have the ability to compete with Oregon St.
Our starting lineup is most definitely going to be Griffin and Pritchard.(Betson will have to settle for backup right now.) But I also think two prime players to start are Dalger and SGC. Dalger competing in statistics so well bodes well for him getting the early nod to start. And SGC's aggressiveness on the court and rebounding will probably get him the nod too.
Here's my guess:
PG Pritchard
SG Griffin
SF/Wing SGC
PF Dalton
C Special K(a little less certain on this starter/could go small)
BTW, that’s my guess at a starting lineup also. I’m a little more sure of Special K than you are but SGC might be replaced by KES.
I'm not that unsure of special K, just feel like there is a slightly larger chance I could be off on him, than the other two frontcourt spots.
KES has been a starter for us and a former 4 star player. Can Konkol be the first coach to get the best out of him ? It appears he is in better shape and certainly will not be intimidated on the court.
This is my favorite potential storyline for the upcoming season. If KES can be a pleasant surprise, this team can be a lot better than perhaps many of us hope.
I truly believe coach Konkol has brought a totally different culture to this program and you are certainly going to see results sooner rather than later in my opinion. I also believe we have a true coaching GEM in coach Konkol.
The best part of the article is something I think Montgomery needs to learn. Konkol heavily emphasizes character. If you are late to practice or late to class you are ineligible for Cane of the Week...according to the article it's like being up by 2 with a couple minutes to go and then you get a technical foul allowing the team a chance to tie. You have to be disciplined and play smart, show character. Do the right things at the right time. I love that.
I’ve seen several unsportsmanlike penalties cost us dearly in Montgomery’s era. This looks like a better direction. We saw SGC have some difficulty with that control last year , but if that energy is positive, he will be really good.
Focusing on measureable targets and tracking progress towards goals is certainly a good way to direct yourself towards success. The real question surrounds, what do you do when your metrics stop trending towards their targets or you reach a plateau?
What levers are you pulling in terms of improving the players skills, the interplay between the players, and your offensive and defensive systems, etc...
You have to keep in mine that if you decide your players have plateaued in terms of their ability to improve, then you have to look at roster changes in the offseasons; however, if you make those changes, you also have to acknowledge that other things might change on you (like the effectiveness of your rotations or your gameplans overall)
What levers are you pulling in terms of improving the players skills, the interplay between the players, and your offensive and defensive systems, etc...
You have to keep in mine that if you decide your players have plateaued in terms of their ability to improve, then you have to look at roster changes in the offseasons; however, if you make those changes, you also have to acknowledge that other things might change on you (like the effectiveness of your rotations or your gameplans overall)
“Offense is always going to take care of itself when you have talented players and a good flow, but if you have no defensive identity, it’s really hard to win like that. That’s been a great emphasis.”
And I love he is keeping track of "hockey assists"
And I love he is keeping track of "hockey assists"
You wonder...If you go with KES, you may be giving up a 4 rebound differential between
him and SGC.....KES has experience, maybe a little difference in handle, and a sometimes
advantage in outside shooting......
My preference is SGC because of his physical type of play on the boards...from what
little we saw last season, he may be the better defender.....At the same time, however,
It is my hope that KES has improved enough to be considered for the starting position..
That would mean another player that qualifies for the playing rotation.....This season,
that may turn out to be important.....
Yes indeed! I think it was Self that was so high on deflections....If you are playing serious
defense, a deflection usually means someone on your team will get the ball...Sometimes
in great position to rush down the floor and score........
Also KES is like 35....
Seriously, he was in the same class as Trae Young at one point in time. Trae young has been in the NBA for 5 seasons now and he had one at OU.
Tubby was the first coach I saw who quantified deflections. He talked about how Shea was so good in that category. Your rebound differential discussion between the triple abbreviation players was on point. I’m going to the 9:30 scrimmage today to get a final pre-season look.
I was impressed with the freshmen from Houston and Selanbague he is really built solid and aggressive on the boards. Looks like they will shoot a lot of threes just hope they make them. I thought Urbanic looked good made some threes.
My money is on us making them much more often than in the past. Knowing that you aren’t going to be benched as soon as you miss is a great incentive to be more relaxed and comfortable with the shot, which should translate in not a higher percentage.
Yes both freshman were shooting some threes. A good percentage The guard from Chicago State looked good I didn’t see much improvement from Konstanovsky(spelled wrong). Selanbangue blocked a shot of special K. He is a man I bet he plays a lot if he isn’t foul prone Griffin will be our leading scorer
If you are going to mention spelling on one player and not on another...
Selebangue(main thing is there ain't two N's.)
What is the over/ under on misspellings on our players this year? Lol.
Yesiree, started out as a typo. Then I thought it went along with the post.
Only if you wait a few minutes after they drop,(for editing/post posting) to read my posts. 😜
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