Admiral Schofield Appreciation Thread

We had 2 late leads with under 35 seconds left to win and needed 1 stop, after missing 12 of 24 fts. Yes. the players were still in position to win. You can blame and badmouth Barnes all you want. Just makes you look like you dont understand basketball.

 

This is a coach who let a goal tend count as a 3 against us w/o saying a word. It’s his fatal flaw.

 

I know lack of leadership under pressure. Most coaches see their team struggling and stop the bleeding w/ a timeout. Barnes let’s it go on for a while half.

 

Barnes is one of the most liked and respected coaches in college basketball. This is great and I’m sure beneficial to him, and in turn us, in many ways.

But his charge is to win games, and not to be well-liked, be it by coaches, referees or others.

There were numerous - NUMEROUS - times this season where Tennessee got absolutely jobbed by the refs, and Barnes either demurred or outright failed to call it out, be it in game or afterwards, ostensibly, because he was more concerned with being nice and seeming fair, than advancing the interests of his players and team. Grant Williams was routinely on the short end of a ton of terrible calls / no-calls, throughout the season. And Admiral’s seeming frustration with the lack of Barnes’ protecting the players is nothing new, because he tweeted something out about mid-season, essentially saying that he was going to lose his shit if Grant continued being thrown to the ground. This isn’t a comment that you make, particularly publicly, if you feel like your coach is doing or will do all that he can to protect his players.

I can imagine that if you are already frustrated that Barnes seems more concerned with being nice / liked than being an effective advocate for his players, that his comments saying Turner fouled Edwards would sting. But you just don’t say it publicly, as it’s not only an ineffective way of dealing with it (it will almost certainly make Barnes get defensive and further dig in) but mostly because it’s just chicken shit. That both Admiral and Turner must each and certainly know that you never, ever air locker room info, particularly dirty laundry such as this, but still felt the need to do so, is both telling and concerning, IMO.

This also bears watching, because if players who still remain on the team are feeling this way, the worry is for next year’s locker room, and how this might play to those who you are still recruiting and hope to sign.

Their point is entirely valid, but they shouldn’t have said this publicly.

 

Between this and his "I can't do it" against Iowa, he's basically guaranteed himself a career in Europe.

 

Then I have a favorite European team. I’ll ride with the Admiral.

 

Barnes, like many coaches, will give his team a chance to play thru it, see who steps up, see who falls back. Saw us call timeouts plenty of timeout]s this year. If people want to debate a TO should be taken prior, so be it.
Much different argument than he didnt care as much as players and is the worst in game coach in college basketball.

 

It’s not as much about the timing of the timeouts, though that has been an issue, as his inability to stop other teams from keeping momentum. He doesn’t seem to know how to stop the bleeding in the heat of the action. I like Barnes. It is what it is. But it’s why he’ll never be a champion.

 

And that is wonderful November through January.

 

I don't really know what to think, but I do know I don't like your take. he was always going to Europe, and it shouldn't be used as a way to diminish him for speaking his mind.

 

Those things, plus not being good enough or consistent enough to play in the NBA.

 

He was a tweener who has worked his ass off at a shot at the NBA. Moreso than anyone I can recall ever at UT. And what little shot he has is likely gone.

Speak your mind all you want. But there are consequences when you aren't guaranteed at the top.

Simple as this - to sacrifice what he has over the last 4 years to do what he's done the last 10 days seems monumentally stupid to me.

 

I don’t think Admiral is going to strike anyone as a cancer. Almost the exact opposite.

 

Admiral doesnt have the ballhandling skills needed at the next level. I like him. Not mad about benching himself or the tweet.
If we didnt have the worst coach in college basketball, one who doesnt change playcalls or coach at all during games and timeouts as he sits quietly, imagine what he and the team coulda done

 

Barnes is a great developer of talent, but there are some real head scratchers from him. His defense, as thoroughly discussed, drove me crazy with some fundamental aspects. And, his justification for playing starters well into blowouts was the most asinine thing I've heard from a coach in a long time.

On this one, you've got to back your guys. If Turner was adamant about not fouling Edwards, you can't contradict him, especially if there's been an issue within the team regarding support for them in certain instances.

My thought on the hiring of Barnes was not one of excitement. However, I did feel he probably would be good at rebuilding the program to hand off to a more dynamic coach and we would be in better shape than when he started, without winning much of importance. He got me a little more excited this year and last year's SEC title was fantastic, but I'm not so sure my original estimation was too far off.

 

Judas [uck fay]ing Priest. We foul, questionably, with 1.4 seconds left on another bullshit 3 where we have to get a hand up, and now we are back to the Barnes ceiling stuff.
Barnes wont sit in front of a mic and appear to blame refs. Maybe he shhoulda said he'd like to see it. If you listen to the entire comment, im summary, he said we werent there without Lamonted efforts, he played it right and jumped to the side to avoid him. Edwards kicked his leg out and there was contact so its called"

 

Should've listened to the coach down the road in San Antonio on managing minutes. That's the most obvious mistake Barnes makes IMO

 

That last play was a bullshit storm.

 

Agree on minutes at ends of games.

 

Barnes the person is great. Barnes the coach is pretty good.

He's already won more than I expected him to win here when he was hired. He wasn't just coming here for a golden parachute, which is nice. He is, historically, a sweet 16 coach, though.