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TU blackout


Guest EagleBackr

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Guest EagleBackr

...wasted several minutes of my life between 2 and 4 Sunday afternoon trying to find out what was going on in the TU-UCO game. No radio broadcast, no webcast, and the GameTracker linked to their official athletics website stalled at 9:00 to go in the first half with TU leading 14-11 (had been a pretty ugly game up to then). What a fan-friendly program they run! Anyone know how the game turned out?

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...wasted several minutes of my life between 2 and 4 Sunday afternoon trying to find out what was going on in the TU-UCO game.

Well I have ya' beat. I wasted a couple hours watching the game in person. Wojcik sure gets on his players! I wonder if a season of getting yelled at will sink in or just build resentment. Nobody likes to get yelled at... especially when you're not winning.

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Sounds like J.D. Barnett (for those that have been around for a while). There is nothing wrong with being intense and competitive, but if it becomes counterproductive and reduces the team's confidence, then you have a "JD Barnett".

Let's hope that this isn't a long-term situation for Tulsa and that Wojo and the players will both find a common comfort zone.

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Guest Rob Marshall

TU will become a tough minded team that will win games they shouldn't on paper because of the mental toughness their new head coach is force feeding them. Soft coaches produce soft players, while mentally tough coaches yield mentally tough players.

Trust me, Wojcik has plenty of warm fuzzies to pass around for his guys when they leave it on the court for their teammates and their coaching staff but that stuff is communicated mostly in the privacy of their locker room.

If you want to see some REAL "verbal abuse," check out the new Jamie Fox movie "Jarhead."

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There was a fair amount of comment about the way that Wojcik dealt with his players on the bench on the TU board as well. It must have been really noteworthy.

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Guest EagleBackr

Trust me, Wojcik has plenty of warm fuzzies to pass around for his guys when they leave it on the court for their teammates and their coaching staff but that stuff is communicated mostly in the privacy of their locker room.

I think it's too early to tell if he will be able to foster an environment of trust and dedication from those guys until they've been through a few more battles. He has to convince them that he's as hard on himself as he is on them. I've had coaches like Wojcik before (and maybe some of you have, too), and it takes awhile before you knew for sure if the yelling is because he cares or just because he's a jerk. Time will tell, and so will their play - if they're still giving their all in February, it will be because they believe in the guy...

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Guest Rob Marshall

EB, you're right about there being a big difference in the motive behind WHY a coach screams at his players. Wojcik is intense there is NO question about that, but having heard him talk about several of his players numerous times and the many positive things he says publically about them, there is no question in my mind that he is delivering a fair balanced message to the kids.

Often times these hard nosed coaches show their teams a "softer" side in private than the general public ever sees. For example, following a humiliating 25-point loss at Kansas State a couple of years ago, Bob Knight lead a VERY "quiet" yet quite efficient and disciplined practice for his Red Raiders the following Monday back in Lubbock. Following the practice, a still quite calm Coach Knight was highly complimentary to his team for their focus during the practice and he thanked his players for their outstanding effort. Quite the opposite of what one might think would happen at a Bob Knight practice following a 25-point loss.

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I went to the Womens game last night, and Wojick showed up at halftime and joined 4 or five of his players watching the game. They were talikng about the game, pointing out players and positions, discussing every aspect of what was going on. The whole time Wojic was as calm as anyof the other fans in the arena. At times they were even joking around with each other, and at one point comparing their cellphone features with one another.

One thing that I have observed about Wojic is that he is all business on that court, and he expects each and every player to understand that is what is expected of them as well. Like Rob said, and as observed above, Wojick does have a softer side. There are concerns about his behavior and they appear to be justified, but as I explained elsewhere, this is the first time he has been a head coach at this level and he is learning his place and responsibilities(and boundaries) just as his players are learning theirs. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt, and wating to see how he and the players adjust over the course of the season.

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He appears to be taking advantage of every opportunity to teach his players. He is constantly instructing.... while the players are on the court, when they come off, etc. I see no problem with it. He is trying to change a system, mesh a lot of new players and instill a fresh mindset. A lot to do in a short timeframe. His intensity can be a good thing if it rubs off on his players - so long as he (and the team) keeps it in perspective. Sounds like he is....

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Oh I agree whole heartedly.

There was a lot of "damage" done over the past 2-4 seasons. A good indication of the urgency of the needed change shows in the number of players NOT returning this year. It would have been professional suicide to replace every player. The ones that remained may be those best suited to his style.

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