Shaka needs to learn from Marcus Freeman....

[duanewade]

Marcus Freeman is said to be part of the Urban Meyer school of thought that you do whatever it takes to win.  Which means you put the best players out on the field regardless of class, pecking order, seniority, etc.  It also means you recruit the best QB you can get in every recruiting class even if it might create acrimony with last year's blue chip QB.  Or if your roster doesn't have a great QB ready to lead next year's team... you bypass them all and go to the portal to get someone who can help you win now. 

Players and recruits don't always love him for the above but he views winning games as tantamount and everyone there quickly learns this is his view and how he uses his roster.  The same goes for his coaching staff as he pushed out two offensive coordinators in consecutive years that he didn't see eye to eye with.   

So when ND had an season ending injury to their starting left tackle early in camp he didn't turn to 6'8, fifth year senior Tosh Baker with a spotty track record but rather anointed a true freshman to LT as he trusted his talent more than his veterans.  Also when he wasn't overwhelmed by last year's performance of their two rotating left guards who are both currently seniors, he turned to a sophomore to replace them both.

The result is ND went down to Texas A&M and created running lanes in the 4th quarter for ND to break open a game against a front seven full of future NFL players.  Further it essentially cemented ND's spot in the playoffs as not only are they a very talented team this year, but their schedule is easy and they should cruise to a playoff spot in this year's greatly expanded field.   

Marquette too has more than enough collective talent to win now also... and we don't need to focus on the transfer portal!  Rather Shaka has to be honest with his roster and realize a starting lineup with Kam at the 1, Stevie at the 2, Chase at the 3, Joplin at the 4 and Gold at the 5 is like an island of misfit toys.  More specifically, you have no true point guard in that group, you have no scoring/slashing punch from the 2, you have a 2 sized/skillset player playing the 3, you have a slow/turnover prone/streaky shooting, below average rebounder playing the 4 and you have no back to the backet post play whatsoever at the 5.  Collectively this lineup pencils out to be very poor at team rebounding as well. 

Like Marcus, Shaka has to be willing to mix things up and play younger players over our more experienced players if they are better suited to help us win this year. 

I admittingly don't know what that lineup up of players is and how many minutes each of them will get.  I just know the conventional spelled out starting lineup will not lead us to another stellar year and could even leave us out out the NCAA tournament altogether. 

Hopefully Shaka, and his analytical offensive guru Nevada Smith, realize this too and are already trying to find a winning formula for this year's team.  A longer, athletic team that relies on length and team speed to create deflections and turnovers with our best athletes finishing in transition has been Shaka's wining formula thus far.  Hopefully he doesn't deviate from it to appease the seniority of his roster. 

[tower912]

Thank you for your thoughts.   I think you misjudge the relative skill sets of the projected starters.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Shaka has been way more successful than Marcus Freeman doing it his way.

Not to mention that football and basketball are different sports entirely.

[We R Final Four]

1. No Deek sucks
2. So should Shaka deviate or not? You don't think Shaka knows this team better than you or anyone else to do what's best by them? It's 9/2........games are two months away. Perhaps it's a tad early to project that the starting lineup will suck.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Man I'm a TAMU football fan and even I think using ND beating TAMU one time is not close to a proof of concept

[The Thing]

Thank you for your thoughts.   I think you misjudge the relative skillets of the projected starters.

He is definitely misjudging their skillets. These guys can cook!

[Uncle Rico]

Marcus Freeman is said to be part of the Urban Meyer school of thought that you do whatever it takes to win.  Which means you put the best players out on the field regardless of class, pecking order, seniority, etc.  It also means you recruit the best QB you can get in every recruiting class even if it might create acrimony with last year's blue chip QB.  Or if your roster doesn't have a great QB ready to lead next year's team... you bypass them all and go to the portal to get someone who can help you win now. 

Players and recruits don't always love him for the above but he views winning games as tantamount and everyone there quickly learns this is his view and how he uses his roster.  The same goes for his coaching staff as he pushed out two offensive coordinators in consecutive years that he didn't see eye to eye with.   

So when ND had an season ending injury to their starting left tackle early in camp he didn't turn to 6'8, fifth year senior Tosh Baker with a spotty track record but rather anointed a true freshman to LT as he trusted his talent more than his veterans.  Also when he wasn't overwhelmed by last year's performance of their two rotating left guards who are both currently seniors, he turned to a sophomore to replace them both.

The result is ND went down to Texas A&M and created running lanes in the 4th quarter for ND to break open a game against a front seven full of future NFL players.  Further it essentially cemented ND's spot in the playoffs as not only are they a very talented team this year, but their schedule is easy and they should cruise to a playoff spot in this year greatly expanded field.   

Marquette too has more than enough collective talent to win now also... and we don't need to focus on the transfer portal!  Rather Shaka has to be honest with his roster and realize a starting lineup with Kam at the 1, Stevie at the 2, Chase at the 3, Joplin at the 4 and Gold at the 5 is like an island of misfit toys.  More specifically, you have no true point guard in that group, you have no scoring/slashing punch from the 2, you have a 2 sized/skillset player playing the 3, you have a slow/turnover prone/streaky shooting, below average rebounder playing the 4 and you have no back to the backet post play whatsoever at the 5.  Collectively this lineup pencils out to be very poor at team rebounding as well. 

Like Marcus, Shaka has to be willing to mix things up and play younger players over our more experienced players if they are better suited to help us win this year. 

I admittingly don't know what that lineup up of players is and how many minutes each of them will get.  I just know the conventional spelled out starting lineup will not lead us to another stellar year and could even leave us out out the NCAA tournament altogether. 

Hopefully Shaka, and his analytical offensive guru Nevada Smith, realize this too and are already trying to find a winning formula for this year's team.  A longer, athletic team that relies on length and team speed to create deflections and turnovers with our best athletes finishing in transition has been Shaka's wining formula thus far.  Hopefully he doesn't deviate from it to appease the seniority of his roster.

I ain't reading all that.  Sorry it happened to you or am very happy for you

[wadesworld]

I ain't reading all that.  Sorry it happened to you or am very happy for you

lol thought the same thing. Started and realized he was saying Shaka needs to take notes on how to win from a coach who has been worse at winning and coached a completely different sport where you need way more players on your roster and roster building is entirely different.

[PGsHeroes32]

I think if you are going to say that a coach is doing things wrong and should change it up, regardless of how wrong you are

At the very least, you have to provide an alternative option.

I laughed out loud when you admitted to not even having a better known option then the projected linuep.

[tower912]

He is definitely misjudging their skillets. These guys can cook!

I ❤️ typos and/or autocorrect.

[Scoop Snoop]

Certitude based upon fervently believing in one's own omniscience. Reminds me of a scooper whom I umm...challenge sometimes.

[tower912]

I see some things here.

First, the implications that Shaka doesn't want to win.

Second, the ND football examples cited are all injury related.

Which somehow equates to the projected starting line up, top 25 ranked in most way too early polls, needs to be retooled and unproven players need to be elevated above known quantities.

I am not sure the logic tracks.

If you had said that 65 minutes and two NBA draftpicks just walked out the door and I hope Shaka gives the new guys more run than the last season, I would agree with that.

[Scoop Snoop]

You forgot that we need a quarterback. Maybe DFW Hoya has some eligibility left and would transfer to Marquette.

[BCHoopster]

MU has 10 players that have potential to play this year, not counting Sean Jones, up to the coaches to figure out who should play together, hope they do!

[tower912]

I would love for the young guys to show out and challenge the veterans.   I love 10 man rotations and extended pressure.

[WhiteTrash]

A lot of great coaches learn from and model themselves after the all-time greats like Lombardi, Saban, Phil Jackson, Coach K, Marcus Freeman, Joe Torre, Wooden, Belichick, etc. Those guys got paid big money to write their stories for good reasons.

Maybe Shaka could get squeezed in for a visit with Freeman between Andy Reid and Popovich's pilgrimages to South Bend to learn about wining. 

[Jay Bee]

I love 10 man rotations and extended pressure.

#pawz

[GoldenWarrior11]

Smart advanced to the F4 in his second year as a HC.  Freeman went to the Sun Bowl in his second year, with absolute greater talent than Smart had access to at VCU.  It's easy to cherry pick off limited data, but it does seem Freeman is on the trajectory to being very successful at ND.

Different sports, different metrics of grading and critiquing ways of building a program.  In college football, it has been virtually impossible for G5 programs to even get into the playoff.  Now it is a much more accessible.

[tower912]

#pawz

Well done.

[Jables1604]

Marcus Freeman is said to be part of the Urban Meyer school of thought that you do whatever it takes to win.  Which means you put the best players out on the field regardless of class, pecking order, seniority, etc.  It also means you recruit the best QB you can get in every recruiting class even if it might create acrimony with last year's blue chip QB.  Or if your roster doesn't have a great QB ready to lead next year's team... you bypass them all and go to the portal to get someone who can help you win now. 

Players and recruits don't always love him for the above but he views winning games as tantamount and everyone there quickly learns this is his view and how he uses his roster.  The same goes for his coaching staff as he pushed out two offensive coordinators in consecutive years that he didn't see eye to eye with.   

So when ND had an season ending injury to their starting left tackle early in camp he didn't turn to 6'8, fifth year senior Tosh Baker with a spotty track record but rather anointed a true freshman to LT as he trusted his talent more than his veterans.  Also when he wasn't overwhelmed by last year's performance of their two rotating left guards who are both currently seniors, he turned to a sophomore to replace them both.

The result is ND went down to Texas A&M and created running lanes in the 4th quarter for ND to break open a game against a front seven full of future NFL players.  Further it essentially cemented ND's spot in the playoffs as not only are they a very talented team this year, but their schedule is easy and they should cruise to a playoff spot in this year greatly expanded field.   

Marquette too has more than enough collective talent to win now also... and we don't need to focus on the transfer portal!  Rather Shaka has to be honest with his roster and realize a starting lineup with Kam at the 1, Stevie at the 2, Chase at the 3, Joplin at the 4 and Gold at the 5 is like an island of misfit toys.  More specifically, you have no true point guard in that group, you have no scoring/slashing punch from the 2, you have a 2 sized/skillset player playing the 3, you have a slow/turnover prone/streaky shooting, below average rebounder playing the 4 and you have no back to the backet post play whatsoever at the 5.  Collectively this lineup pencils out to be very poor at team rebounding as well. 

Like Marcus, Shaka has to be willing to mix things up and play younger players over our more experienced players if they are better suited to help us win this year. 

I admittingly don't know what that lineup up of players is and how many minutes each of them will get.  I just know the conventional spelled out starting lineup will not lead us to another stellar year and could even leave us out out the NCAA tournament altogether. 

Hopefully Shaka, and his analytical offensive guru Nevada Smith, realize this too and are already trying to find a winning formula for this year's team.  A longer, athletic team that relies on length and team speed to create deflections and turnovers with our best athletes finishing in transition has been Shaka's wining formula thus far.  Hopefully he doesn't deviate from it to appease the seniority of his roster.

TL;DR

[tower912]

I also disagree with the conclusion that MU hasn't been winning.   56-17 owes no apologies.

[Viper]

Marcus Freeman is said to be part of the Urban Meyer school of thought that you do whatever it takes to win.  Which means you put the best players out on the field regardless of class, pecking order, seniority, etc.  It also means you recruit the best QB you can get in every recruiting class even if it might create acrimony with last year's blue chip QB.  Or if your roster doesn't have a great QB ready to lead next year's team... you bypass them all and go to the portal to get someone who can help you win now. 

Players and recruits don't always love him for the above but he views winning games as tantamount and everyone there quickly learns this is his view and how he uses his roster.  The same goes for his coaching staff as he pushed out two offensive coordinators in consecutive years that he didn't see eye to eye with.   

So when ND had an season ending injury to their starting left tackle early in camp he didn't turn to 6'8, fifth year senior Tosh Baker with a spotty track record but rather anointed a true freshman to LT as he trusted his talent more than his veterans.  Also when he wasn't overwhelmed by last year's performance of their two rotating left guards who are both currently seniors, he turned to a sophomore to replace them both.

The result is ND went down to Texas A&M and created running lanes in the 4th quarter for ND to break open a game against a front seven full of future NFL players.  Further it essentially cemented ND's spot in the playoffs as not only are they a very talented team this year, but their schedule is easy and they should cruise to a playoff spot in this year greatly expanded field.   

Marquette too has more than enough collective talent to win now also... and we don't need to focus on the transfer portal!  Rather Shaka has to be honest with his roster and realize a starting lineup with Kam at the 1, Stevie at the 2, Chase at the 3, Joplin at the 4 and Gold at the 5 is like an island of misfit toys.  More specifically, you have no true point guard in that group, you have no scoring/slashing punch from the 2, you have a 2 sized/skillset player playing the 3, you have a slow/turnover prone/streaky shooting, below average rebounder playing the 4 and you have no back to the backet post play whatsoever at the 5.  Collectively this lineup pencils out to be very poor at team rebounding as well. 

Like Marcus, Shaka has to be willing to mix things up and play younger players over our more experienced players if they are better suited to help us win this year. 

I admittingly don't know what that lineup up of players is and how many minutes each of them will get.  I just know the conventional spelled out starting lineup will not lead us to another stellar year and could even leave us out out the NCAA tournament altogether. 

Hopefully Shaka, and his analytical offensive guru Nevada Smith, realize this too and are already trying to find a winning formula for this year's team.  A longer, athletic team that relies on length and team speed to create deflections and turnovers with our best athletes finishing in transition has been Shaka's wining formula thus far.  Hopefully he doesn't deviate from it to appease the seniority of his roster.

appreciate that you put it out there. Willing to take a shot. Most of the usual snipers on Scoop...one so disrespectful as to admit not reading your post yet willing to comment as much...offer the minimum, as is the case with posters here.

[Shooter McGavin]

Man I'm a TAMU football fan and even I think using ND beating TAMU one time is not close to a proof of concept

This.  100%

[willie warrior]

Comparing what No Dick does in roster building to what Shaka should do is wrong.
The No Dick program, administration, booster support, and fan base is riddled with arrogance and should be cursed, not copied, admired, or promoted.

[MU82]

I admittingly don't know

Welp, at least you got one thing right, even if you had to make up a word to get there.