Quick thoughts during packing.
It's championship weekend - NCAAs & IRAs - and I am in Corvallis packing up the apartment, trying to balance a hectic schedule in the next 72 hours. And because I'm a procrastinator of the highest order, I've spent the morning reading articles and pushing piles of clothing around the apartment.
First, I am writing this post in the style of my friends Chris and Sonja.
An interesting article on the NY Knicks, Phil Jackson, and coaching. I thought the article hit on some key insight.
Attention seeking behavior at championships. I am against doing anything "special" for championships, and by "special" I don't mean shirts, or hats. I'm talking about the rowers finding...individualized looks. Dyed hair, interesting hair cuts, etc. I've had many crews and athletes ask me if they can do _____, and my response is always the same.
No.
Call me old school, or a square, but we will draw attention to the program through hard work, professionalism, and having a championship performance. That's my opinion, and that's how I like my crews to look. I also believe that nothing in this world makes you look more foolish than doing something "interesting" and not performing. Then that attention seeking look draws the microscope over you, your crew, and your program, and you're known for looking silly while you bring up the end of the field. I am rather passionate about this.
An interesting write up from FiveThirtyEight on the Chicago Bulls. I am 50/50 on FiveThirtyEight. I find their approach - analytical most of the time - interesting, but there are times where I think they are writing simply to write. I believe you can apply analytics to everything, but I don't always see the point.
My opinion on Chicago and the firing of their coach? Not a good move. I'm not a GM, owner, and I don't have a lick of basketball IQ. I simply look at the last franchise to fire a coach with an excellent record, and not a lot done in the way of the post-season (The Denver Nuggets) and how well that's gone since then.
In my opinion, a lot of franchises operate in the, "What have you done for me today," realm, which is both understandable, and not entirely wise. Hands up if you think John Wooden would have survived at UCLA to win his first title? I don't believe you. His first season was 1948-49, but he did not win his first title till 1963-64. UCLA went 247-150 before he won his first title. It's my opinion, but I'm willing to bet he would have been ousted before he reached his first title.
Everything has gotten faster these days, and we are in a hurry to get to next year before we get to tomorrow. I'm roughly 12 days removed from Pac-12s, and I'm already going stir crazy. But we tend to forget that building takes time, and that a rush job frequently means rushed results. Yes there needs to be noticeable progress, and improvement, however, we need to know that we're even alive before we talk about walking let alone running.
First, I am writing this post in the style of my friends Chris and Sonja.
An interesting article on the NY Knicks, Phil Jackson, and coaching. I thought the article hit on some key insight.
Attention seeking behavior at championships. I am against doing anything "special" for championships, and by "special" I don't mean shirts, or hats. I'm talking about the rowers finding...individualized looks. Dyed hair, interesting hair cuts, etc. I've had many crews and athletes ask me if they can do _____, and my response is always the same.
No.
Call me old school, or a square, but we will draw attention to the program through hard work, professionalism, and having a championship performance. That's my opinion, and that's how I like my crews to look. I also believe that nothing in this world makes you look more foolish than doing something "interesting" and not performing. Then that attention seeking look draws the microscope over you, your crew, and your program, and you're known for looking silly while you bring up the end of the field. I am rather passionate about this.
An interesting write up from FiveThirtyEight on the Chicago Bulls. I am 50/50 on FiveThirtyEight. I find their approach - analytical most of the time - interesting, but there are times where I think they are writing simply to write. I believe you can apply analytics to everything, but I don't always see the point.
My opinion on Chicago and the firing of their coach? Not a good move. I'm not a GM, owner, and I don't have a lick of basketball IQ. I simply look at the last franchise to fire a coach with an excellent record, and not a lot done in the way of the post-season (The Denver Nuggets) and how well that's gone since then.
In my opinion, a lot of franchises operate in the, "What have you done for me today," realm, which is both understandable, and not entirely wise. Hands up if you think John Wooden would have survived at UCLA to win his first title? I don't believe you. His first season was 1948-49, but he did not win his first title till 1963-64. UCLA went 247-150 before he won his first title. It's my opinion, but I'm willing to bet he would have been ousted before he reached his first title.
Everything has gotten faster these days, and we are in a hurry to get to next year before we get to tomorrow. I'm roughly 12 days removed from Pac-12s, and I'm already going stir crazy. But we tend to forget that building takes time, and that a rush job frequently means rushed results. Yes there needs to be noticeable progress, and improvement, however, we need to know that we're even alive before we talk about walking let alone running.
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