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Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 1:41 pm

The MaroonView user's profile





Joined: 23 Feb 2007
Posts: 459


Location: Bethlehem, PA
2008pards wrote:
Leadership starts at the top. What have you seen in Coach Smith to inspire success? She seems distant, distracted and over matched. Watch during TO's to see her impact. She spends half the TO talking to her assistants and goes into the players huddle and offers up a few words and the kids walk back onto the court looking like they gained nothing from the break.

What's her record? Who is getting better as the season progresses? Is the team improving week in and week out? She reminds me of the old Women's Lacrosse coach. She seemed like a nice enough person but just didn't have a clue on how to put players in a position to be successful.

The offense is dull and unimaginative. The defense is inconsistent since it's usually 5 against 3 or 5 against 4 because not everybody is committed to playing defense (watch for your selves to see who is working on offense and who rests on defense). And worst of all, the younger players are pulled immediately after making a mistake giving them no time to learn on the court. That's just poor coaching by taking the easy way out. I've also heard she has pinned the blame squarely on a player for a loss but yet fails to accept responsibility for own coaching and personnel blunders.  

Doesn't seem like the kind of coach you'd want to play for. How long do they stay with a coach with that kind of W/L record and lack of development and progress?


I try not to nitpick, but the timeout thing is interesting. Most programs I have dealt with---the coaches confer with the assistants at halftime and the assistants talk to the players on the bench when they come out--but rarely do I see a conference on every TO.

Kind of coach I'd want to play for? Her players seem to LOVE playing for her. Considering the turmoils of the program most of her players don't transfer and play for four years. I've always been impressed with the chemistry of this team--they really do seem like a family--and credit has to be given there to Tammy.

I don't agree with a lot of what  you said--but I agree with your main point--the buck stops with the coach. Tammy's become kind of a "Rockyesque" figure to me--she's been beaten down for so long I REALLY want her to have success. It's hard for me to even post this because I really think she's a class act. She's never moaned about bad calls in interviews, always is stoic on the bench. I've emailed her a couple of times and honestly I wouldn't have been the least bit offended if she didn't have time to reply--but she did courteously and professionaly. Certainly beyond the call of duty. She's a great representative of our school---But as you guys correctly point out--this is D1.

I really thought we turned the corner last year---I thought 17 wins were possible! I don't for the life of me understand what's going on this year and I'm even more concerned about the overall health of the program. I really don't want to watch us go 8-22 next season with the excuse that we lost 5 seniors--including our back-court.

Maybe X is right--if his predictions ring true the entire tone of the conversation changes.
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Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 5:54 pm

2008pardsView user's profile





Joined: 13 Aug 2008
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Don't know Tammy at all and don't dispute your characterization of her. Just like to see progress and development and haven't seen that in past few years (last year was an exception). Spicer is overused a bit but who or what's the option? Zavocki needs to hit threes or she's a bit of a liability. The bigs can play, they just seem mis-used to me. I love Alex and think she'll be a very very good player before all's said and done.

All in all, I've nothing against Tammy but when is it time to win? Or better put, when does Mc Cutcheon demand results from his coaches? How long do you go with someone who is not having success?

I don't know if they "LOVE" playing for her or just love to play basketball and she's the coach of the team they play for. You tend to credit Tammy for this, I would respectfully credit the love of the game of the players. But people can disagree without being disagreeable.

I hope the Lady Leopards do indeed turn it around and make some late season noise, I just don't know if it's probable that they will.

Good luck tomorrow night against Colgate. Go Pards!!!

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Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:25 pm

The MaroonView user's profile





Joined: 23 Feb 2007
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Location: Bethlehem, PA
2008pards wrote:
Don't know Tammy at all and don't dispute your characterization of her. Just like to see progress and development and haven't seen that in past few years (last year was an exception). Spicer is overused a bit but who or what's the option? Zavocki needs to hit threes or she's a bit of a liability. The bigs can play, they just seem mis-used to me. I love Alex and think she'll be a very very good player before all's said and done.

All in all, I've nothing against Tammy but when is it time to win? Or better put, when does Mc Cutcheon demand results from his coaches? How long do you go with someone who is not having success?

I don't know if they "LOVE" playing for her or just love to play basketball and she's the coach of the team they play for. You tend to credit Tammy for this, I would respectfully credit the love of the game of the players. But people can disagree without being disagreeable.

I hope the Lady Leopards do indeed turn it around and make some late season noise, I just don't know if it's probable that they will.

Good luck tomorrow night against Colgate. Go Pards!!!


We agree on a lot more than we disagree that's for sure.

I base what I say that they love playing for her in that she had very few defections of note during the REALLY lean years. Also I have seen teams where the coach has lost credibility---I'm willing to bet you have too--and its a sad site.  I really think if they were really unhappy with their experience playing for Tammy they'd show it more. The girls on Pat Fisher's teams looked miserable half the time. I don't discount your love of the game (and camraderie among the players) POV, but I also have seen coaches who suck the love of the game from players---and Tammy definitely hasn't done that.

Still...You are at the same point I am at. I HAVE NO IDEA what to think about what standards we should have for Tammy at this point. I do think some of her teams have underachieved. I don't think a decent season last year (and I for one thought it could have been better) should automatically buy her 3 more seasons. We've been having this discussion for years....First it was trying to weigh have no scholarships vs doing a little bit better than 7-70? Than it was about giving her time with scholarships. Now it's about how much time? We're even giving her a pass on her first scholarship class because she didn't get a full cycle to recruit them. At what point do we expect to stop making excuses and start competing for a league title? I can definitely see the argument to end it now....LIke I said, I hope X proves prophetic and we can win 4 of the last 6. We win 2 or 3, it's murky waters as to what to do.
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Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 9:33 pm

carney2View user's profile





Joined: 24 Feb 2007
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2008pards wrote:
All in all, I've nothing against Tammy but when is it time to win? Or better put, when does Mc Cutcheon demand results from his coaches?


Where exactly does Bruce fit in all of this?  Does he have the authority to hire and fire, or is he just a bureaucratic link between the coaches and the real power structure?

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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 1:11 am

LafalumView user's profile





Joined: 06 Mar 2007
Posts: 843
good question, I have thought for years his main objective was to preserve jobs (especially his) rather than advance the department. Winning is an afterthought. A very good bureaucrat though, seems to fit this admistrations view of things and the last one as well.

Last edited by Lafalum on Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:11 am; edited 1 time in total

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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 7:29 am

2008pardsView user's profile





Joined: 13 Aug 2008
Posts: 166
Folks

If I do the math right, according to last nights Game Notes, Tammy is 162-242 (.401 winning%) in her coaching career. She is 49-174 at LC which is .220 winning % Sad  WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Franks, how does she keep......?

As far as McCutcheon, I really don't know his role and to what extent he is involved in the coaching decisions, I just assumed as the AD, he would be responsible for results in his department; Athletics, not college "feel good" ambassador. Isn't he charged with fielding the best possible teams and coaches for each team? He sure does look the part but perhaps he's not as focused on W & L's as we are. I understand there is more to college athletics than winning, but it's gets pretty demoralizing to work and work and work only to have people around you or in leadership roles above you who aren't capable and/or committed to excellence. Maybe Bruce needs a gentle reminder that women's sports mean as much to the women playing them as men's sports do to the men playing them.    Just a thought.

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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:37 am

The MaroonView user's profile





Joined: 23 Feb 2007
Posts: 459


Location: Bethlehem, PA
Lafalum wrote:
good question, I have thought for years his main objective was to preserve jobs (especially his) rather than advance the department. Winning is an afterthought. A very good bureaucrat though, seems to fit this admistrations view of things and the last one as well.


I don't entirely agree, I think a lot of his personnel decisions (Campbell, Bohn, the fh coach whose name escapes me) have been excellent. I don't like that he gets people into long-term contracts--especially since I think Fran pushed him into a corner by calling him on his way back from a job interview and he caved. I would've called his bluff..."Take the Lasalle job bud"....

Maybe the Tammy situation is more clear cut than I have chosen to see it. It will certainly be so if they lose tonight.


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