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Username Post: Passion        (Topic#20982)
Chet Forte 
Postdoc
Posts: 2958

Reg: 03-02-08
01-15-18 03:23 PM - Post#243628    

One thing about Kyle Smith was that he had passion. Engles seems to have none. And Kyle lived on Morningside Heights. Engles is a New Jersey commuter. Kyle’s teams played with passion. And that passion carried over to playing tough defense and not giving up open threes. Sometimes shooting can’t be helped through coaching, but tight defenses is a hallmark of great coaching. We need a coach who shows passion, teaches tight defenses, and lives on or around campus where he is available 24/7 for his guys. So unless this team shows some life and we have some dynamite recruits coming in, I see no point in having another year like what this year looks like. And I really hope that I have to eat my words.


 
Murph 
Masters Student
Posts: 626

Age: 63
Reg: 09-13-11
Re: Passion
01-15-18 03:38 PM - Post#243633    
    In response to Chet Forte

Kyle Smith had a lot of passion for getting out of Morningside Heights as quickly as possible. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, Smith was on the first flight out, to return to coaching in his beloved West Coast Conference.





 
Silver Maple 
Postdoc
Posts: 3765

Loc: Westfield, New Jersey
Reg: 11-23-04
Passion
01-15-18 09:18 PM - Post#243665    
    In response to Murph

In addition to wanting to move back home, it's possible that Kyle Smith concluded that he had taken Columbia as far as it could go, and that there was no additional benefit to be gained from sticking around longer.

 
RHunter3 
Junior
Posts: 281
RHunter3
Reg: 12-02-14
Re: Passion
01-16-18 12:30 PM - Post#243694    
    In response to Murph

Coach Smith wasn't looking to get out of Columbia as fast as possible. There are a few good reasons that he left that are beyond basketball. He loved Columbia and the kids here.

 
Murph 
Masters Student
Posts: 626

Age: 63
Reg: 09-13-11
Re: Passion
01-19-18 10:25 AM - Post#243957    
    In response to Silver Maple

  • Silver Maple Said:
In addition to wanting to move back home, it's possible that Kyle Smith concluded that he had taken Columbia as far as it could go, and that there was no additional benefit to be gained from sticking around longer.



Right. There was no additional benefit to be gained by Kyle Smith from sticking around longer.

It would be nice to have a coach like James Jones who's been at Yale for 19 years, or Tommy Amaker who's been at Harvard for 11.

 
palestra38 
Professor
Posts: 32682

Reg: 11-21-04
Re: Passion
01-19-18 10:39 AM - Post#243958    
    In response to Murph

That's part of the brand advantage both of those schools possess against the rest of us...not to mention virtually unlimited funds with which to pay a coach.

 
Silver Maple 
Postdoc
Posts: 3765

Loc: Westfield, New Jersey
Reg: 11-23-04
01-19-18 10:42 AM - Post#243959    
    In response to palestra38

It's possible that, had Smith been a New Yorker, he would have stayed a lot longer. There's a lot about the Columbia job to keep a reasonably successful coach in place for awhile. Where's Engles from?

 
Murph 
Masters Student
Posts: 626

Age: 63
Reg: 09-13-11
01-19-18 11:24 AM - Post#243971    
    In response to Silver Maple

Engles is from Staten Island.

I like Engles' demeanor. He's very professional on the court, and doesn't scream at the kids or the officials. I like his recruits, and I like the idea of running an up-tempo offense with more athletic players (although that certainly hasn't worked out to date). And I like the fact that he tries to play as many players as possible, and doesn't seem to have a doghouse.

I just wish Engles would put it all together and win some games (starting this weekend), before he gets fired.


One obvious area that needs to be improved is Columbia's defense. The Lions' defense was much better under Smith, which kept them in most games.

 
palestra38 
Professor
Posts: 32682

Reg: 11-21-04
01-19-18 11:34 AM - Post#243977    
    In response to Silver Maple

I believe he is John Engles' nephew.

 
palestra38 
Professor
Posts: 32682

Reg: 11-21-04
01-19-18 11:35 AM - Post#243978    
    In response to Murph

CU would never fire a basketball coach after 2 years.

 
Chet Forte 
Postdoc
Posts: 2958

Reg: 03-02-08
01-19-18 04:21 PM - Post#244040    
    In response to palestra38

I have always thought of Staten Island as being more off a New Jersey type of place. In any event, Engles is a NJ commuter. I like my coaches to live on campus. Smith did.


 
Silver Maple 
Postdoc
Posts: 3765

Loc: Westfield, New Jersey
Reg: 11-23-04
01-19-18 04:24 PM - Post#244041    
    In response to Chet Forte

That's probably the most insulting thing you could ever say to a Jersey guy. You New Yorkers can keep Staten Island.

 
Columbia 37P6 
Postdoc
Posts: 2163

Reg: 02-14-06
Passion
01-19-18 04:49 PM - Post#244045    
    In response to Silver Maple

Am I right in saying that,

1. Less than 5% of persons residing in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn or Quees have ever been to Staten Island.
2. Less than 5% of persons residing in New Jersey have ever been to Staten Island.

3. New York City Mayor, Bill DiBlasio hates 85% or more of the residents of Staten Island.

4. 85% or more of the residents of Staten Island hate Bill DeBlasio.

5. None of this has anything to do with the success or failure of Columbia Basketball this year or in the future.

6. It means nothin whether any Columbia coach of any other college coach anywhere lives near a college campus as long as he or she wins games.

7. While it is unlikely that in the past the Columbia Athletic Director would have terminated any coach after only two years, the mood within the administration has changed the last few years and therefore the "honeymoon" period may be two years or less.

8. Everyone supports Columbia's present men's basketball coach, simply because He is the Columbia coach, but his record this season and last has not been so great.

9. It would be very nice if the Lions defeat Cornell this weekend and then proceed to win enough games to make the Ivy League Post-Season Tournament.

10. If the Lions do not make the Ivy League Tournament for a second straight year, there will be some questions asked.

Edited by Columbia 37P6 on 01-19-18 04:50 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

 
LionFan 
Senior
Posts: 398

Reg: 11-07-06
01-20-18 11:16 AM - Post#244104    
    In response to Columbia 37P6

Isn't the criticism of Engles a bit unfair? After all, he inherited a team that lost four starters, who had taken the Lions'-share of game minutes, especially in the backcourt. In his second year, he has a team with only two seniors, one of whom had lost a year of play to injury. He has had only one full year of recruiting. He has a team that couldn't miss a shot in the first half against Connecticut and couldn't make a shot against Princeton (despite open looks). His schedule opened with 7 road games, and includes 4 power conference games. His young team was competitive in each game, despite a thin and inexperienced front line, with the exception of the Princeton game. They've had some key injuries in a young and thin rotation. And those of us who watch closely can see improvement individually and as a team, especially on the defensive end. His record at NJIT, which was a really hard sell when he got there, suggests he knows How to build and coach a winner. Maybe he deserves some more time to turn things around? And by the way, he was Pilling's (much praised) choice. It's unlikely the AD will pull the plug soon absent misbehavior, which is highly unlikely in Engles.
That said, I'd question the team's continued heavy reliance on three-point shooting with such an inconsistent-shooting team.
Anyway, tonight's game will tell us something about the progress they've made. Princeton was a buzz saw, making so many contested treys. Penn was winnable, despite a couple of their guys playing over their heads. The Cornell games will allow the team to get some traction, if they are going to do it this year. I'll be there tonight with fingers crossed. Regardless of what happens, I expect significant improvement in the W-L next year, both out of conference and in league play.

 
Dr. V 
PhD Student
Posts: 1536

Reg: 11-21-04
01-20-18 01:03 PM - Post#244118    
    In response to LionFan

Finally some sense of reason.

 
Chet Forte 
Postdoc
Posts: 2958

Reg: 03-02-08
01-20-18 02:40 PM - Post#244123    
    In response to Dr. V

Nobody on this board wants Engles to fail. Far from it. But that shouldn’t make criticism unwarranted. I have had two concerns. First, this team has shown a tendency to be unable to close out games. Second, I have found some personnel decisions to be frankly inexplicable. Granted he is a pro and I am not, but sometimes things seem hard to explain, such as giving big minutes to players who have apparently forgotten how to put the bal in the basket. If we have some really talented first years, we need to play them.


 
Dr. V 
PhD Student
Posts: 1536

Reg: 11-21-04
01-20-18 04:35 PM - Post#244176    
    In response to Chet Forte

I understand that no one intentionally wants anyone to fail, but starting talk about a coach possibly losing a job a year and a half into his tenure may have the unintended consequence of later contributing to that. Recruiting competition is fierce and a mention can turn into a rumor into a talking point.

Some purportedly Columbia fans on the Voy board also started such loose talk last week. That is plain nuts, as even our Penn friends have pointed out, and possibly harmful.

None of that is to suggest that fans shouldn't question or criticize, although I would suggest that it is difficult to know from the outside how players are performing in practice, which usually is the basis for playing time allocation, what the sense of the team is etc.

 
Murph 
Masters Student
Posts: 626

Age: 63
Reg: 09-13-11
Passion
01-21-18 10:11 AM - Post#244302    
    In response to Dr. V

The transition from the slower half court style of play that relied more on defense and limiting possessions, to a more up-tempo style of play, such as what Engles successfully ran at NJIT, has proven to be more difficult and to take longer than anyone anticipated.

Hopefully, starting with the win over Cornell last night, the Lions are finally developing some chemistry and picking up the new offense.





 
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