We all know Coach Josh Pastner is no John Calipari these days, but a lot can be said about his coaching tactics. Calipari was one of those coaches that was extremely active during games and really seemed to know how to get his point across to his players. He would scream in their faces if they messed up, which is why many agree made him so successful. Coach Pastner on the other hand doesn't curse whatsoever and rarely screams directly to his players. Many people believe that the reason why the Tigers have plummeted out of the rankings is because of the coaching my Pastner. He is the kind of guy that high fives his players and feels that the way to establish that certain chemistry among his players is to be nice to them even when they screw something up.
I feel as if the reason why the Tigers haven't performed up to their preseason potential can be pointed towards Pastner, but has a lot to do with the players themselves. If you recall in the losses we have had thus this far, our key players haven't "showed up" when needed. Will Barton and Joe Jackson seem to get caught up in the moment and don't perform like we all know they can. Of course the fact that they are freshmen and shouldn't have to carry the team, but we have seen them have phenomenal games. The Tigers need that upperclassman leadership from both Wesley Witherspoon and Will Coleman in order to make a decent run in the NCAA tournament at the end of the year. I think if anything they should be the ones blamed for the Tigers poor start to the 2011 season. So in the end, yes Coach Pastner has weird tactics towards his coaching, but shouldn't be blamed for everything. I think the certain people who say he is a "pitiful coach" are the very ones who just watch the highlights and the Win or Loss column.
I have high respect for Coach Pastner because of his commitment to remain true to himself and his values. In a city with fair-weather fans, being swayed by fans' sidelines coaching and criticisms would only weaken his unique style. He aims to build a better team by building better players. To do so, he appears to be attentive to the players' development both on and off the court. I loved his statement that the players "play for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back."
ReplyDeleteJessica