I feel sorry for David Padgett. No one could have worked harder to give this team what it needed but in the end they just could not improve their obvious weaknesses. Lack of basketball IQ by two of the starters showed up consistently especially at the end of close games. They just have not played enough basketball to learn what to do. Coaching can only help with this problem but experience is only achieved over time. Foreign players do not bring enough of the IQ needed to compete effectively. Red shirting one might have helped. The other got "pro money" in his head and did not improve some needed skills. He still might achieve this if he chooses his future wisely. A third player would just not give what it would require to play defense and his ball handling skills are lacking. He also has time to work on these lacking skills if he recognizes the problem and works on them. The freshmen have time to improve. Skills are there and time might be on their side..
Looking back at this team
- Thread starter Cardfan1937
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As an interim coach with no head coaching experience and a makeshift staff he did about as well as you could expect. I don't think in his position he was able to get the most out of the players and I think David knew it too. It would have helped to have had a little leadership from some of the upperclassmen with all the turmoil surrounding us but there was literally none.
The best way to explain this team they were an experienced team that was terrible in the last 3 minutes of games. That pretty much sums up a previous post about having no leadership on the team.
Yup. No mental toughness or killer instinct. The stupid mistakes and lack of discipline probably reflect how the team practiced. A temporary staff can only exert so much authority and without strong leaders within the team I am amazed we did as well as we did.
I can't blame the players, they came to U of L to play for a coach that would drive them harder than they ever had been driven before, would make smart game decisions, help handle the pressure of the ACC schedule. No knock on Dave but he's not that type of coach. Maybe in time but not today. The players knew what type of coach they needed to be successful, unfortunately he wasn't here anymore.
Compared to experienced coaches who have made dough and failed ( Crean, Billy G) Id say hes cut some slack.
It’s hard to say how David will do when hired into what will be his program. But I suspect he’ll be just fine. Unfortunately David was more like a substitute teacher; hard to work under those conditions. I think David will be an outstanding coach in time. He’ll be the head coach somewhere next year.
I don’t care who stepped in to takeover it wouldn’t have been an easy road. Chances are we end up the same.
He was one of the lowest paid coaches in a Power 5 conference. I count 7 coaches outside the Power 5 paid more than him. And a lotta those coaches paid more than him had losing records this year.
Proving again that some of our fans--if that's what this lightweight is--are clueless...
Each player is accountable for what he did or didn’t do.
They aren’t babies. Quit pampering them.
Everybody is accountable.
