03-13-2015, 05:24 PM
Last night was hapless and hopeless. I told RJ I would be shocked if Stanford kept it within 10 and I wasn't shocked at all. However, I was proud of the players for playing the first half with everything they had. They simply ran out of gas, and nothing that they or Dawkins could have done would have changed the outcome.
Not that I'm making excuses. Rather, that Stanford was in the situation it was in last night - tired, injured, and outmanned at almost every position - is 100% Dawkins' fault. He has failed to recruit & develop enough talent to have the bench depth that is needed to compete at the level Utah & Arizona are playing - it;s not even close. This results in thin benches that have two big impacts:
- Starters play too many minutes and wear down over time. Randle & Brown in the last 10 games were not the same players, not even close
- Injuries have a much bigger impact because there are fewer players who can fill in. I don't know if Stanford's injury rate is materially higher than NCAA averages, but it does seem that at least one player is always hurt and the impact is greater than on most teams especially those going to the big dance.
Layer in the highly questionable coaching and playcalling decisions, along with the gross inconsistency of the last several seasons, and you have the recipe for a mediocre basketball program.
Stanford MBB desperately needs new leadership.
Not that I'm making excuses. Rather, that Stanford was in the situation it was in last night - tired, injured, and outmanned at almost every position - is 100% Dawkins' fault. He has failed to recruit & develop enough talent to have the bench depth that is needed to compete at the level Utah & Arizona are playing - it;s not even close. This results in thin benches that have two big impacts:
- Starters play too many minutes and wear down over time. Randle & Brown in the last 10 games were not the same players, not even close
- Injuries have a much bigger impact because there are fewer players who can fill in. I don't know if Stanford's injury rate is materially higher than NCAA averages, but it does seem that at least one player is always hurt and the impact is greater than on most teams especially those going to the big dance.
Layer in the highly questionable coaching and playcalling decisions, along with the gross inconsistency of the last several seasons, and you have the recipe for a mediocre basketball program.
Stanford MBB desperately needs new leadership.