Hendo can't win the big games

[jackdaniel]

Absolutely, and losing does the opposite, why i'm glad we win most of the time

[MNJack3]

Getting really tired of the Team not being ready to play big games.

They are 11-4 with losses to a Ranked WVU, always tough St. Mary's, and 2x to USD. The USD losses suck but they're pretty Dang Good this year. Until 2nd Half Saturday night, both Dent & Doug have not been the same players as last year. Doug's issue being related to injury but I'm not sure on Dent. The one tedious knock you could say is not bringing in a true PG but we have a really F'ing good one coming in next year. PFW last year was the worst shooting team in the league and we sagged off defensively which is what any team would do and the Dons just had one of those nights where they shot the lights out to start the game, oh and we were without Doug Wilson that night. GTFO here with this talk.

It's been a really weird year for the Jacks do to so many Game Cancellations and a month long gap of no games. Wilson is still healing, Mims is still hurt, and they just haven't been able to log enough game time to get their rhythm. Hendo will have them ready in Sioux Falls.

[da_coach]

It's been a weird year, for everyone.

Kind of tough to say a coach can't win the big games, when he's only been the HC just over a year and a half.

John Wooden was at UCLA for 15 years before he won 1 National Championship.

I'm sure Hendo would be the first to admit, that he can do a better job of preparing the team for big games. But that doesn't make him a bad coach. Very small sample size.

[Nidaros]

It's been a weird year, for everyone.

Kind of tough to say a coach can't win the big games, when he's only been the HC just over a year and a half.

John Wooden was at UCLA for 15 years before he won 1 National Championship.

I'm sure Hendo would be the first to admit, that he can do a better job of preparing the team for big games. But that doesn't make him a bad coach. Very small sample size.

Hendo is still okay in my book. To spend time reviewing game film while the rest of us were enjoying ice cream and our warm beds says a great deal about about his program that he is trying to run. I know I am repetitious. Y

[91jack]

I didn't read the whole thread but I find this take interesting. The team is 11-4. They lost to two good teams and USD twice.
Losing to USD sucks but Wilson didn't play at all in the first game and Freidel didn't play half of the game. That is your two best players. You take them out and you have Wingett, Mims and Easley in there. They are good players but not Wilson and Freidel.
In the second USD game, Wilson was 4-12 from the free throw line and Freidel was 2-12 from the 3-point line. Your two best players struggled again. When you only have 8 active players, you can't really bench them and play other players.
On the other hand, if Freidel would have drove more and shot less 3's or Easley would have been in to guard AJ who knows what would of happened.
You have to remember that TJ lost to a #8 seed Western Illinois in the Summit League tourney less than 2 years ago so how many "big games" has Hendo coached in? He is 33-14 so Is every loss a big game?
I almost forgot that TJ took Jenkins Jr. with him when he left so that hurt the team when Hendo took over. He had lots of good players but if Jenkins stays, last year could have looked different.

[MontanaRabbit]

I didn't read the whole thread but I find this take interesting. The team is 11-4. They lost to two good teams and USD twice.
Losing to USD sucks but Wilson didn't play at all in the first game and Freidel didn't play half of the game. That is your two best players. You take them out and you have Wingett, Mims and Easley in there. They are good players but not Wilson and Freidel.
In the second USD game, Wilson was 4-12 from the free throw line and Freidel was 2-12 from the 3-point line. Your two best players struggled again. When you only have 8 active players, you can't really bench them and play other players.
On the other hand, if Freidel would have drove more and shot less 3's or Easley would have been in to guard AJ who knows what would of happened.
You have to remember that TJ lost to a #8 seed Western Illinois in the Summit League tourney less than 2 years ago so how many "big games" has Hendo coached in? He is 33-14 so Is every loss a big game?
I almost forgot that TJ took Jenkins Jr. with him when he left so that hurt the team when Hendo took over. He had lots of good players but if Jenkins stays, last year could have looked different.

I think you can argue that losing Jenkins could have been an addition by subtraction. It didn't seem like it at the time but he liked to play hero ball at times and is awful on defense.

[91jack]

I think you can argue that losing Jenkins could have been an addition by subtraction. It didn't seem like it at the time but he liked to play hero ball at times and is awful on defense.

I was thinking along those lines. When Wilson was healthy, Jenkins gone didn't matter as much. But in the Summit League tournament, SDSU could have used another scorer since Freidel couldn't do it all himself.

[SUPERBUNNY]

Like 91jack, I find this thread interesting. I get the reaction after losing to the Yotes twice and having a little ass hurt. It pisses me off too. Just imagine how pissed the players are.

This has been a year like no other and hopefully won't be repeated with all that COVID has done to change everything.

This team is 11-4 and with all of the cancelled games and things they have had to deal with I think it is pretty impressive. They are the the best team in the league. Nobody disputes that. My hope is that they can remain healthy enough to keep everyone on the floor and avoid catching the Rona. If they do that, they are capable of doing something special. Wilson, Freidel, and Scheirmann all have the chance to go down as Jackrabbit legends. Combine that with a steady player like Arians and you have a pretty solid squad with a deep bench.

My take is enjoy Hendo while we can because if he keeps winning like this opportunity will come knocking. And if he wins "the big ones" that will happen even faster.

SUPERBUNNY

[LakeJack]

How about turning it down a notch, LakeJack. Statements like the above together with demands for "yes" or "no" answers etc, makes me think you're on this board intending to cause problems.

Cool I'm out. That is what this board needs less posters. Especially ones from 2007. I have legitimate concerns. Read my body of posts since 2007 and you will see you are wrong.

I wish nothing but the best for Hendo and the Rabbits. i hope we don't lose another game this season.

Last Summit League Post Season Championship AND win 2018 for the Men. If you want to be a Mid-Major power you need to win when it counts. Regular Season wins over WIU don't mean a lot. I still think this Team is under performing this season. Even after they turned on the jets in the 2nd half of the 2nd half of the 3rd USD game. Just my opinion.

[LakeJack]

P.S. please re-read this thread. My concerns aren't about wins and losses. We can and will lose. I had no issue with the WV game. Came out hard, played well, lost. No issue. Came out flat against USD game 3, ultimately won, still have an issue.

It is about coming out flat in big games. Trying and not succeeding is one thing. Starting games with no emotion and no energy is another. Peace out Rabbit Nation.

[LetsGoRabbits]

Lots of thoughts. have been biting my tongue, because i did not want to keep this thread moving and keep it near the top of the page. sooooo....
thought #1- can one of the administrators PLEASE just remove this topic. i just do not think it does anyone any good to have a thread titled, Hendo CANT win the big games, taking up permanent or even temporary residence on a forum that is for FANS of sdsu athletics.

#2- Mr lakejack, i do not know you at all, at least as far as i know, i graduated from state in 1990 so you tell me if it is possible. i am very willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. i am VERY imperfect and i screw up every day!! i need lots of grace from the people around me all the time, so i try very very hard not to make harsh or permanent judgements about others. there is ZERO room for me to treat others that way!! but i would say that i think you made some questionable choices, related to this topic. first i am pretty sure that you posted very near the end of the game, maybe even during. for myself, if i am going to say something that is negative in tone, i try to make an honest assessment about the degree emotions are driving my actions and choices. i really do not think there is a single rabbit fan who was not frustrated with the way the game went on friday, but based on some of your later posts, i feel like as time has passed you have moved further away from the statement you made when you started this thread with the title that you did. i mean if you had titled this thread, I am really frustrated by some of our performances in big games OR Does anyone else feel like out team is underperforming? those would have seem to lead to the conversation that has been going on here without near the degree of negativity as the current title. i have NO negative judgement to you and i wish you all the best!! but i hope you will think more before you make statements that have a very FINAL and JUDGEMENTAL tone.

#3- i think coach henderson is an incredible coach and we are very fortunate in many ways that we have him. first and most important i think he is a hall of fame MAN! he exemplifies incredible character and work ethic and i cannot think of anyone i would rather have representing the school and the state that i call home! second, he fits extremely well into the traditions of what jackrabbit athletics and jackrabbit basketball have been about, for the last 50 or more years. somebody said something about the rabbits not being tough. i could NOT disagree more. i have not had the pleasure to spend much time around coach henderson, but i know coach thorson very well and knew coach nagy well also, and i have known many of our athletes very well, including having ongoing friendships/ relationships with several former athletes and/ or their families. and coach henderson, like the others that i know has taught that you have to give your best effort on BOTH ends of the floor, they teach that they want you to play hard defense WITHOUT fouling, NOT as someone said bc they are soft and want soft teams!!, but bc they know it is a great advantage to shoot more free throws than the other team. plenty of great coaches believe this, including coach K the winningest coach of all time. i know, beyond, ANY doubt that coach nagy believed this and it was a foundational part of his philosophy! none of those coaches was soft. but they also taught their players to do the right thing bc it is the right thing! character is what you do even if nobody is looking! so yes as someone mentioned some coaches teach the philosophy BE PHYSICAL and we do not care how much you foul, dare the officials to call them all, NO DOUBT that is the philosophy of coach P of the usd ladies and on top of it she will defend her players on EVERY call no matter how blatant and she will put pressure on the ref from the moment she steps on the floor to give her team more calls and clear the way for them to foul more/ break more rules. i absolutely do not believe that character is taught at usd. i have had many former players recruited by both schools. and there is ZERO doubt, which school expects their players to grow FIRST as young men and women, next as students, and finally as athletes. anyway, i could go on about this for a very long time and i have more than a couple tangible examples about the expectations that each school carries. but to the point, coach henderson coaches the game correctly, in that he expects the best effort in every aspect of the game and he has the correct priorities! the priorities that i have ALWAYS know SDSU to be about! and a final thought i truly believe he means it when he says that brookings and sdsu FIT his family and that he and they are happy here. of course if the right opportunity comes along he could go, i think he would listen like coaches Johnston has and coach Nagy did on several occasions before he left, but i think like those two did that he might listen but he will often think that he is in the best place for him bc SDSU fits him not only as a coach, but as a husband , father, and man. i think we have a chance to have yet another coach who could be here for a very long time, like we have been so often blessed with over the recent decades, not someone who see sdsu as a stepping stone to some thing bigger and better. and when you talk about wanting us to be a mid major power, i want that too and have believed it could happen since the move to D1 was first discussed. well something very very common for those schools is coaching stability. they are not changing philosophies every 3 or 4 years. so if that is your true goal, i believe that we have the guy who can get us there. he has only been a d1 head coach for less than 2 years, he probably will continue to learn things and grow more, but the best coaches do that all the time anyway. if we make this job unattractive by posting things like he cannot win the big one, and he leaves for whatever reason, this job will be less attractive to future coaches, and people will not want to stay here, even if they do have success, they will want to leave for someplace better, or at least where they may have to put up with the same garbage but they get paid a lot more. and every time we switch coaches there is the chance we get one who just wants to run up and down all day and shoot 3s and never teaches defense, or who brings players in who will not buy into a team oriented style bc they do not plan to be here long anyway and maybe when they leave they could just take players with them anyway.

#4 i think winning on the road at ISU and Bradley have to count as BIG games, i could list others as well. and sometimes no matter how well prepared you are things do not go your way. but as far as prepared goes, i think teams with less character and a different coach would have probably been beaten by FAR FAR more than 8 on friday, it is very very hard to keep playing defense like our guys did the whole game when you just cannot buy a basket!! eventually that will take the heart and energy out of many many teams. and when saturday began the way it did and the offensive struggles continued they still kept playing and found a way to turn it around. YES i freaking hate losing to usd, i NEVER want them to win EVER!! losing to them is like having an organ removed from my body with a butter knife!! but i think what we saw this weekend gives many reasons to believe in this team and this coach. and the player who maybe had the toughest weekend of all shooting, also the one who has had some difficulty making the best decisions when his emotions take control, even in the middle of all the missed shots was still diving on the floor for loose balls. there a some things in sports and in life that we cannot control. but i am not questioning the effort from this coach or the preparation of this team.

finally, i will put an end to this novel, but someone had a thought about DJ and addition by subtraction. well it would have been very very interesting to see what would have happened with DJ and coach henderson. i think he definitely would have been the player to most challenge coach henderson share the ball, team oriented, play on both ends of the floor philosophy, but i think maybe this coach could have gotten him to see how the success of the team increases the success of the individuals. i think if we had our previous coach and the exact same team plus DJ, i think he would have averaged over 25 shots a game last year and probably had a FG% around 40 at best. last i looked he was leading unlv in FG attempts with a % of about 37-38. i wish both the player and the coach nothing but happiness but if i could choose of the players who we lost i would much much rather have caleb grill. i think with coach henderson for his coach the whole time, if you add him to our current roster, then we would be looking at arguably one of the few very best teams in jackrabbit history. at the moment they are very good and very very fun to watch most of the time, but they are definitely flawed and having so many long stretches without games hurts the rhythm and the flow of the overall game and i do believe makes it harder for them to hide the flaws.

as i said i try hard not to judge, but i will readily admit that any of you might need to make some harsh judgements about any idiot who would take the time and energy to write such a novel. i am questioning my own wisdom and judgement, at the moment)) GO RABBITS!!

[LetsGoRabbits]

i simply disagree with you about the team being flat. i think this team always gives a very quality effort! they are simply flawed and they really need all the pieces to work together for them to be at their best. i think they truly are a good team, but if you look at recent conference championship teams we have had, they are among the least talented. they cannot come close to competing with the nate walters teams. there is NOT a nate walters or mike daum on this team. compare nates teams to this one. i take fiegen over dent, dykstra over wilson, by the time he done sheierman might be close call with b. carlson but today i think you have to take carlson. by time done i def think noah will be an all time great, but very unlikely he is in conversation with walters or daum. and i absolutely love AA and i thik i probably take him over chad white bc of his all around game, but it is not a slam dunk. i actually think daum freshman year is probably most talented team, maybe not best, but most talented. current team has no g marshall, no d parks, and no daum. probably the most talented trio ever at this school at one time and they also had telly and i am having brain lock on the walk on from ogorman, it will come to me as soon as i post this)) anyway in many way this is a compliment to this team!! i do not think they are the most talented and they cannot just show up and expect to win. they need to work together and do the little things right almost all the time, and we have been very blessed to cheer for them bc most of the time they do that!! but sometimes they get out of rhythm and it can look ugly. of course good teams are most likely to keep them from finding the right rhythm so it will happen in what are considered big games. but they have also put it all together and played very well in plenty big games like the WV game you mention and last year road game at fargo, where they basically beat ndsu without wilson, and plenty others. i mentioned some others already. i will stop now. i actuall do have some semblance of a life. i better get back to it)) GO RABBITS!!

[discoDancinRabbit]

I’d take Dent instead of Fiegen if we’re picking teams on the playground. Little more size and physicality, I guess it depends what you are looking for

[LetsGoRabbits]

i think that is a fair argument) idk if it has been done before here, but might be interesting new thread sort of discussing ratings? maybe rating the best or favorite teams or maybe picking your all time all jackrabbit team or something like that??) when i said i would pick fiegen over dent, there is ZERO disrespect to matt!! i have incredible respect for him as a person and i appreciate very much what he brings to this program and team!! i am very happy to see him have the games he has had the last 3. happy for the team and happy for him!!!! he is a very easy kid to cheer for!! was hard to see him have some struggles this year, but never doubted he would keep battling and do everything he could to find his way through!! happy to see him looking like the player we believe he can be