Northern Colorado 73 – Colorado State 64

A season of promise that began with a road win over a solid Northern Iowa team has come to a crashing halt. A second half meltdown to a very average UTEP. A home loss to a little better than average Long Beach State. A second half home meltdown to rival Colorado.

But this one has me completely at a loss. And completely discouraged as a long time fan and season ticket holder.

Its the same shit over and over. Terrible defense on the perimeter ball screens opens the floor up for the opponent to have their way. Every other team I watch hedges ball screens with their big and forces severlal passes, allowing the defense to recover. Not CSU. The big doesnt help which means that the guard has a free jump shot if his defender goes under the screen or a layup if the defender goes over the screen.

It happens every game, every possession. No change. Same old shit.

On offense, they take hero shots as if they are still playing JuCO ball and trying to earn a scholarship. Guess what? They’re already on scholarship. Division 1 ball is about sharing it, making a shot for yourself but a better one for a teammate.

At what point do you hold the head coach accountable?

For me its now.

I see nothing out of CSU’s current coach in terms of getting his team to play better. I see nothing in terms of in-game management by the head coach. He bitches at his players but tonight when the game was on the line he was silent with them, choosing to grouse at his assistants. There was a point when Joe DeCiman turned to the bench to ask who on UNC to foul in the final minute and he was greeted with silence.

The head coach was completely checked out, almost happy to lose to prove his point.

He grouses about defense and rebounds when he sits the team’s best interior defender and rebounder for extended periods of time (the final 12 minutes in tonights game for those that are counting).

He says the team is neither tough, nor determined.

The head coach is neither.

And when I hear a post-game rambling interview of the head coach where he says that he coaches the team just like the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Golden State Warriors, I really have to wonder.

That is bordering on delusional.

I’ve been in Greeley when CSU has lost. I remember seeing a Dale Layer coached team get waxed. I remember seeing Tim Miles first team get pounded by a Tad Boyle coached team and then a team of freshmen with Dorian Green, Pierce Hornung, and Greg Smith get beat as well.

I’ve supported the program through some pretty rough years but the payback came in the form of two NCAA at-large bids. A program of friendly coaches, friendly players, a genuine family.

And now just three short years later, the program has completely derailed. Everything built by Tim Miles has been completely torn down in four years. This team has no hope of an at-large NCAA bid, no hope of winning the MWC Tournament, and little hope of making any post-season tournament

And that is on our $1m coach. Plain and simple.

I’m going to keep going to Moby and I’ll cheer loudly for the players.

But from where I sit, the sooner this coach leaves, the sooner this program can move forward on a positive trajectory. Whether he’s lost this year’s team is irrelevant. He’s running the program into the ground.

This will be my final blog on the men for the time being.