Coach Steele

[Xavier]

He’s not talking either. He chickened out of the postgame radio interview.

Another Croninesque move.

There are a lot of things Travis has done that are concerning. This is hardly one of them- I know both Mack and Miller would miss them from time to time- usually after an ugly game- still yelling at the team type thing.

It is clear that Travis is in over his head right now. This team is not fun to watch at all. The team was playing better basketball at the end of last year than it is now. So tough.

[jhelmes37]

We lost Hankins, Welage and Castlin.

We added a top 25ish class with Tandy, Bishop, Ramsey, Miles + we picked up Carter and Moore + every one of the core 4 players were expected to take a step forward.

Finally, we saw a team getting a lot better at the end of last season (that would return the core 4).

How does anyone look at this season and think the team won’t be better than what we saw last year?

This is what's killing me... I think we all saw the inspired play at the end of last year and thought if X had played like that all year, they'd have been a top 30 team in the Dance.

So assuming that trend would continue after upgrading the roster and a year of coaching under Steele's belt would be prudent.

But what we're seeing is garbage horsesh*t.

Steele needs to get Mack and/or Miller on the phone for a conference call here. Ask them what the move is.

Mack told Lyons to take a hike and I really think it earned the respect of the players to let a player of that caliber leave. He didn't buy into Mack, and Mack told him to shove it.

Time for Steele to make his move.

And to take some blame and actually come out to press conferences and face the music... that would be nice, too...

[Muskie4106]

Not even man enough to answer.questions. what a bitch

Could not do the post game because he took too long in the locker room and had to do the presser. Depressing game for sure

[XUGRAD80]

So, whadda ya think?

How we lookin’?..........Not good.

Well, they tried pressing, and that didn’t work. They tried putting different lineups in, and that didn’t work. I don’t think it was lack of effort either. I could see looks of frustration in the faces of the players and coaches, but I didn’t see anyone look like they have any answers. The Gang that Couldn’t Shoot Straight, comes to mind. Certainly don’t see any type of leadership from any of the players. The only bright spot seems to be Freemantle on the offensive end, but he still gets pushed around down low by players that are older, bigger, and stronger. He’s just a freshman, so no surprise there. I wouldn’t even consider pulling the redshirt by Miles, as it’s likely he is in the same position of needing to add weight and strength (haven’t seen him since last HS season so can’t say if he has added any bulk yet, but I kinda doubt it) and his presence certainly won’t change anything. It’s NEVER time to PANIC, but that doesn’t mean that you have to keep doing the same old thing and can’t make some changes or additions mid season. Certainly not going to completely revamp the team and how you play, there just isn’t time enough to do that at this point. Nor is it time to just throw in the towel and just play the freshman all the time.

I certainly don’t have any guaranteed solutions, but I’d like to see them TRY:

Having Jones and Freemantle on the court at the same time. Perhaps with Naji, Carter, and Scruggs filling out the lineup.
Playing a zone with that lineup. It’s tall and long and should be hard to drive on and pass on.
Can it score?
Can it rebound?
Can it stop the opposition?
Who knows, but I think it’s worth a try.
They have a week until the next game so they have some time to work on some new stuff.

At this point I wonder just how many games they might win the rest of the season. I figure that they will run into a team or two that has a bad night, and they are likely to have a game or two where they get hot and shoot well. But I don’t see where they have the talent and abilities needed to win more than a few games. Can’t think of anyone that I feel they should be a favorite against. So what? 3-4 wins max? That puts them at 15-16/16-15 going into the BE tourney. Certainly not what anyone expected and certainly not what anyone will accept as successful. Would definitely put Travis on the hot seat IMO.

No matter what, I’m not going to let this ruin MY life. I’m a big fan of Xavier BB, but I’ve been through almost 50 years of fandom and know that doing so is senseless.

[bleedXblue]

This is what's killing me... I think we all saw the inspired play at the end of last year and thought if X had played like that all year, they'd have been a top 30 team in the Dance.

So assuming that trend would continue after upgrading the roster and a year of coaching under Steele's belt would be prudent.

But what we're seeing is garbage horsesh*t.

Steele needs to get Mack and/or Miller on the phone for a conference call here. Ask them what the move is.

Mack told Lyons to take a hike and I really think it earned the respect of the players to let a player of that caliber leave. He didn't buy into Mack, and Mack told him to shove it.

Time for Steele to make his move.

And to take some blame and actually come out to press conferences and face the music... that would be nice, too...

He did go the press conference....LOL he blew off the radio show

[jhelmes37]

He did go the press conference....LOL he blew off the radio show

My bad. I turned that shit off at the 12 minute mark and checked the boards this am.

[xavierj]

My bad. I turned that shit off at the 12 minute mark and checked the boards this am.

There are a lot of questions about Travis but he did take all the blame in the press conference. Someone tried to put it on senior leadership and he seemed a little ticked by the question and said it’s all on him to figure out. Now from what I see, I am not sure if anyone could figure this team out. It’s like they are all playing basketball for the first time. As for Goodin, it’s not that he can’t shoot, it’s that he seems checked out and seems to be giving a piss poor effort, at least according to his body language. He seems like he is somewhere else when he is on the court. Hopefully he can regroup and leave a mark in the last 13 games of his Big East career.

[Xville]

There are a lot of questions about Travis but he did take all the blame in the press conference. Someone tried to put it on senior leadership and he seemed a little ticked by the question and said it’s all on him to figure out. Now from what I see, I am not sure if anyone could figure this team out. It’s like they are all playing basketball for the first time. As for Goodin, it’s not that he can’t shoot, it’s that he seems checked out and seems to be giving a piss poor effort, at least according to his body language. He seems like he is somewhere else when he is on the court. Hopefully he can regroup and leave a mark in the last 13 games of his Big East career.

Glad to hear this from Steele. As far as q, it is time to have a come to Jesus moment with him and the staff. He needs to be told, you either fall in line, and give max effort and be a leader ot here is the door. It has come to that point with him.

[Lamont Sanford]

Saw that travis said changes are going to be made and starting positions are open. We'll see. All I have seen from Steele is a lot of tough talk and not a lot of action. We will see in a week.

+1. Actions speak louder than words. With that said, I don't foresee wholesale changes made.

[X Factor]

There are a lot of questions about Travis but he did take all the blame in the press conference. Someone tried to put it on senior leadership and he seemed a little ticked by the question and said itÂ’s all on him to figure out. Now from what I see, I am not sure if anyone could figure this team out. ItÂ’s like they are all playing basketball for the first time. As for Goodin, itÂ’s not that he canÂ’t shoot, itÂ’s that he seems checked out and seems to be giving a piss poor effort, at least according to his body language. He seems like he is somewhere else when he is on the court. Hopefully he can regroup and leave a mark in the last 13 games of his Big East career.

He's said the same thing after ever loss. "It's on me to figure it out. It's not on them." Obviously whatever he's doing is not working.

Does he ever yell at anyone? I get being a "player's coach", but hold them accountable for stupid mistakes, bad decisions, and lack of effort.