This blogger thinks that Al Skinner is the fourth best coach in the ACC. The only guys ahead of him have won national championships.
Catching up with new father Dan Koppen.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Women win and other links
BC beat BU to advance to the third round of the WNIT. Doesn't change what happened Friday night, but hey, we beat BU and won a basketball game. The Eagles take on St. John's next.
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3 comments:
Al Skinner assumed the head coaching duties at Boston College in April 1997. We've come a long way from his first few years when he was working with "inherited players".
How would we feel today if we lost to Syracuse 96-55, including a first half that ended 47-18 like we did on March 3, 1998 - a record-setting rout that was the biggest margin of victory in the conference tournament's 20-year history?
We've had some great years since then - here's the problem - we'd really like to do well every year - and go deep in both the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Our expectations are high - hence we get frustrated. I like Al Skinner a lot, but I'm one that thinks with a little tinkering, he could bring us to the mountain top. That's why I get frustrated, but it's mostly healthy. Come on Al - find us a real banger on the boards.
BC Women - I think they have tremendous upside, and I'd love to see them improve on their ACC record next year. Go BC - beat St. John's on their court!
Yes, I'm in a hotel room again :-)
So I was hard on Al after the loss and though, as the emotions have settled and I have reflected more on what Skinner has done for this program, I have cooled a bit, I still remain frustrated with Skinner's in-game coaching. He just seems to get out-coached in a lot of important games. I am frustrated with the flex and his stubbornness to stay with it despite not having the right players to make it successful. I also hate how he uses timeouts and that he hasn't taught his players how to break the press or inbound the ball (or defend the inbound). These are things that I cannot get over and I hope these are things he addresses. So even though I do acknowledge Skinner's attributes, his shortcomings have become more and more glaring over the years as well. I can only hope he is able to see some of his faults and address them in hopes of taking BC to the next level.
Thanks ibin - I've been hard on Al as well. I think we should pay particular attention next season to the points you bring up:
Is he getting out-coached?
Will he have something besides the flex when it's not working? Will he manage his timeouts better? Will he teach basic basketball in reference to breaking the press and inbounding the ball? Here's another one - what will his basic rotation be? He tends to have the wrong players on the floor for long stretches in some games.
These are legitimate questions for sure!
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