[NU Sports] telling Carmody postgame quote

Thu Jan 27 11:43:04 CST 2011

 Roy has hit it right on the head.  Carmody's job is to maximize the potential of the team he has recruited.  While we probably will never know the true details of the dispute that ultimately led to Coble's separation from the team and the program, if healthy he is clearly No. 1 or 1A in terms of talent and experience on this year's squad.  What has always plagued NU is that we could not match up talent-wise with our conference rivals.  Here we had the opportunity, perhaps for the first time in the long, dark history of 'Cat Hoops, to actually have more good shooters and ball-handlers on the floor than many of our opponents.  At 6-8, 220, Coble was a 5+ rebound/game guy--not great, but at least he would have grabbed a couple of balls.  It really makes little sense to me that a trip to Italy results in our having one of our best players sitting out the entire season.  I know it's "team-building" and important to cohesion--and if Coble simply wanted to go to Hawaii with his family, then I might reconsider this post--but come on, was it necessary for Carmody to make this a "deal-breaker" for the season?  We would have been so much deeper, and guys like Corletti would be in support roles, rather than in front-line positions.  Given the fact that this was our best shot to make "the Dance", and the final season for Juice and Coble, didn't it make sense to find some compromise that would allow NU to have ALL of its best players contributing to what we all hoped and expected would be the break-through season we have been waiting for?   Given all of the obstacles we have to overcome to get to this position--academic requirements, the inadequacy of Welsh-Ryan, the lack of any winning tradition--how can we not go forward with every "ace" in our Coach's hand?  I am sorry, but I just cannot understand this at all.   This is not like Coble not going to class, flunking his courses, breaking team rules, or gambling, or any of the other "sins" that would have led GB or RW or Fitz to throw a FB player off the team.  This seems to me to perhaps be a very collateral issue that was blown up into a test of wills by a Coach who maybe is unnecessarily insecure or otherwise needs to demonstrate who is boss, against a 21-year-old who has been through a lot (mother's cancer, broken foot, etc.).  Having a son the same age- I just think that the punishment does not fit the alleged "crime".  For Carmody didn't only "punish" Coble, as the rest of the team, the students, and we alums are all suffering as well.   

Paul Levinson

-----Original Message-----
From: Roy S. Lamberton <rstetson at capps-assoc.com>
To: 'Eric West' <e-west at northwestern.edu>; nwu-sports at tssi.com
Sent: Thu, Jan 27, 2011 11:48 am
Subject: RE: [NU Sports] telling Carmody postgame quote

When the season is finally over, and whatever happens settles in, the big 
question is still going to be why BC didn't try harder to keep Coble around.

Coble, Shurna and Crawford would have been an outstanding set of forwards - when 
one was having a bad night, the others could step up. Now, if Shurna gets hurt 
or Crawford gets distracted, either Juice or one of the guards off the bench 
have to step up. It's almost a no win.

The other "hole" I see on the team this year is that the center isn't turning 
around at the top of the key and draining a 3 pointer. Luka could even shoot it 
from the foul line and it would help clean out the middle against those big guys 
in the Big 10. Luka needs to make more of his inside layups and putbacks, but 
the center shooting from the arc makes it easier for the rest of the guys.

Finally, we did a good job breaking down Minny's 2-3 zone in the first half. It 
took a while, but once they were forced into man coverage, we went on the run.

In the 2nd half, Minny just went after the middle, and we were stuck.

rsl

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Roy S. Lamberton - Senior Associate & Unix Guru.
Computer Applications & Support Associates
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  Senior League Softball World Series
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Publisher Emeritus: Purple Reign (Fox Sports)
==========  Go Cats -  Beat 'em All  ===========
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-----Original Message-----
From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On Behalf 
Of Eric West
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 11:37 AM
To: nwu-sports at tssi.com
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] telling Carmody postgame quote

On 1/27/2011 10:13 AM, Beamsley, Jeff wrote:
> My theory is that this team had a lot of momentum at the start of the year 
because they saw the possibility that they might be the group that gets NU to 
the NCAA tourney.
>
> Shurna's nagging injury put that goal in jeopardy.  The failure of the rest of 
the team to step up has since put that goal out of reach.

I still think the jury is out on this season. Every Big Ten loss has 
been to a currently ranked team (do people realize that?), and even St. 
John's has been on the positive side of the tourney bubble. We don't 
have a quality win, and the chances to get one are running out, but it's 
still conceivable. All we really need is one (two would certainly clinch 
it).

If we ever actually lose to an unranked opponent, that will be one 
thing. There will certainly be no room for error in that five-game 
stretch. But people seem to forget that how we fare against Ohio State 
or Wisconsin has nothing to do with whether we eventually make the 
tournament. Nothing has been decided yet; let's hope the team doesn't 
give up the way the fans have seemed to.

Eric West
e-west at northwestern.edu

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