Brands post B1G Tourney thoughts

MSU158

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I honestly think Tom wants his wrestlers to win worse than the wrestler sometimes. Crushing defeats and disappointing wrestling by his guys really takes a toll on him I think. He is extremely vested in his guys.
No doubt. That is the absolute hardest thing about coaching. Much like parenting, you want the absolute best for them and when something doesn't go right it often breaks you harder than them. It is very hard not to feel like you let them down in some way and when you can't pinpoint the how or why, it can drive you absolutely crazy.
 

Sir Pin Alot

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No doubt. That is the absolute hardest thing about coaching. Much like parenting, you want the absolute best for them and when something doesn't go right it often breaks you harder than them. It is very hard not to feel like you let them down in some way and when you can't pinpoint the how or why, it can drive you absolutely crazy.
This is the mindset that needs to be gotten away from. Do or die is too black and white. There is no "zen" in the thinking, it is all metal vs grinder.
 
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Jan 21, 2012
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This is the mindset that needs to be gotten away from. Do or die is too black and white. There is no "zen" in the thinking, it is all metal vs grinder.
Kids now days are much deeper thinkers than we were. They also think everything is supposed to be fun. IF and I mean IF, TnT communicate with the kids the way they communicate with the press, I can see why they feel so much pressure and are injury prone and wrestle tight.
 

redghost1974

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Jan 22, 2006
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I am genuinely curious. How do you gameplan for a guy that NEVER relents and is simply better than you in every position? The ONLY thing you can really do is try to force your best positions and HOPE he makes a mistake. It's not like there are visible weaknesses to exploit. The guy has a 100% bonus point season for a reason...
That is the coaches job is to find those positions he may not be as strong in. MM is definitely an exception to every rule, but other than running laps they have to put Mikey in positions to slow him down. Giving him space to buzz saw is not a good option. To think MM has another year to improve is insane.

Beyond MM scenario, the philosophy to not game plan opponents is ridiculous. Taking down against a strong top rider is stupid depending on the score. Desanto not being able to overcome the 1 arm bandit still irks me. I realize it's not all on the coaches, but that's the job, optimize what they have.
 

PSU Mike

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Jul 28, 2001
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the sandlot wtf GIF
I like turtles.”
Lol. Carr has beaten him 3 out of 4 times they’ve wrestled. He got beat and the only reason it was close is some generous stall calls.
I disagree. Carr was dead. Mitch thought he had two minutes of SV to pick a sure shot against a guy that couldn’t really defend at that point. But yes, Carr certainly has done well against him. Only Hamiti has kept him down as long as Carr in three years of folk.
 

maxpain

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Jul 6, 2006
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Mitchell gets stuck in front headlock a lot because of how much he shoots. Maybe Mikey has been working for the past year on the Mark Hall cement mixer and saving it for their last finals match.

Joking but not joking because I feel like he would need to pin him or keep it close enough to where he hits a 7 pointer in the 3rd period and keeps him down long enough where Mitchell can’t come back.
 

Crablegs1

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Feb 27, 2009
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I like turtles.”

I disagree. Carr was dead. Mitch thought he had two minutes of SV to pick a sure shot against a guy that couldn’t really defend at that point. But yes, Carr certainly has done well against him. Only Hamiti has kept him down as long as Carr in three years of folk.
So you’re telling me that Mitchell, Mr Rat on a Cheeto who never stops attacking, had Carr dead to rights to a point he couldn’t even defend himself and decided to just wait 20 seconds to go into overtime instead of trying to win the match? Makes sense.
 

PSU Mike

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So you’re telling me that Mitchell, Mr Rat on a Cheeto who never stops attacking, had Carr dead to rights to a point he couldn’t even defend himself and decided to just wait 20 seconds to go into overtime instead of trying to win the match? Makes sense.
Yes. Mitch was as tired as I’d seen him as well. I’m guessing that was his calculus - find a spot where he couldn’t fail.
 

Libertylover

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Along with being candid with his guys, I would sure hope he would be more coherent than he appeared in that video. Sheesh
If you watch any of the clips that were filmed at team practice and working with only 1 or 2 college or senior freestyle wrestlers at a time will give you a better idea of what they are like and how they coach. At one of them, Tom or Terry was sharing his favorite scripture quote with the guys he was working with because he felt it had a correlation. All you get in the press interviews is generic coach speak, just like Kirk Ferentz. When I’ve listened to a few of Carls they are pretty generic also, he’s not giving away secrets or in depth information about himself or the team. That’s one thing they have in common as coaches. They keep everything very confidential, which frustrates fans, especially if your sliding backwards like we are.
 

Libertylover

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I am genuinely curious. How do you gameplan for a guy that NEVER relents and is simply better than you in every position? The ONLY thing you can really do is try to force your best positions and HOPE he makes a mistake. It's not like there are visible weaknesses to exploit. The guy has a 100% bonus point season for a reason...
Caliendo is like Daniel Comier with Cael. He was Caels only real competition but just didn’t have the right tools to ever beat him. The only American who has the right skill set to give him trouble is Carr, and then it’s usually real close.
 

Libertylover

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The problem with wrestling is MOST of the interviews are done at times where it is completely unrealistic to get composed, well thought out answers. Interviewing wrestlers right after coming off the mat is beyond stupid. No matter how well conditioned, they are exhausted in nearly every way. Give them 10-15 minutes and they would be way better. The same can be said for coaches. Especially the Brands. I swear they come off the mat more drained after a match than their wrestlers.

I don't think you will ever get a clear answer on much with Brands, but you sure as hell weren't going to get one there...
The craziest example of that was espn jumping Tom for an interview in the corner while he was actively coaching a tough match. I was scared for the guy, but older Tom handled it well by saying we are in a bee hive right now. In other words, get clue and go away.
 

Libertylover

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I honestly think Tom wants his wrestlers to win worse than the wrestler sometimes. Crushing defeats and disappointing wrestling by his guys really takes a toll on him I think. He is extremely vested in his guys.
Terry even more so. He’s alway standing in a wide stance, getting low, with a look of physical pain on his face. JW and TnT couldn’t be more different in desire and intensity. I know I’m beating a dead horse, but Bo Bassett may have been the most similar to them of any wrestler they coached or almost coached.
 

Libertylover

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This is the mindset that needs to be gotten away from. Do or die is too black and white. There is no "zen" in the thinking, it is all metal vs grinder.
It’s an intense way to work, takes its toll. Gable was the same way, and retired at 47. May have added years to his life. He he continued another 10-15 years, would have made it harder for Carl to break all his records.
 

Sabula

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Terry even more so. He’s alway standing in a wide stance, getting low, with a look of physical pain on his face. JW and TnT couldn’t be more different in desire and intensity. I know I’m beating a dead horse, but Bo Bassett may have been the most similar to them of any wrestler they coached or almost coached.
Except for the ethics gene.... Tom appears to at least have that.
 

Libertylover

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Kids now days are much deeper thinkers than we were. They also think everything is supposed to be fun. IF and I mean IF, TnT communicate with the kids the way they communicate with the press, I can see why they feel so much pressure and are injury prone and wrestle tight.
I don’t know, some transfers like Parco and Buchanan who came in expecting the worse from drinking the kool aid from our rivals, were surprised how they were welcomed in and treated like family. Doesn’t mean they won’t put a foot in your butt like a good dad has to do sometimes to keep you on the straight and narrow. Williams and Bailey found out, seems like Bailey is starting to buy in. Who knows if we ever see Williams again.
 

Jcchawk

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Great decision on 157. Did not get an at large. Tom likes him though.
 

el dub

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It is 100% an intentional word salad. He doesn't like most questions and does not want to answer them. So, he uses 100% coach speak to give an answer that really doesn't say anything.
While I agree with that analysis in general, in that interview he seemed to have more difficulty formulating words and concepts than he usually exhibits, imo.
 

MSU158

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While I agree with that analysis in general, in that interview he seemed to have more difficulty formulating words and concepts than he usually exhibits, imo.
No argument from me there. From the very beginning you could tell he didn’t want to be there AT ALL. Every bit of his being was thinking about being somewhere else.

Regardless of the theme on this board, the guy isn’t stupid and can actually be rather eloquent when he chooses to be. However, once amped up or stubbornly opposed to something, you are likely to get answers like those…
 

sdvike

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Different abilities and skillset and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, age/experience. This version of Mesenbrink is considerably better. Fully experienced and exudes confidence in every position.

Even then, wasn't there a rare score communication snafu where Mesenbrink didn't realize he needed to score again?
I don't remember that but do remember the referee really really wanting MM to win.
 
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I really think it comes down to asst coaches. PSU wrestlers do drop matches however I don't think there are any better tacticians than Cody and Casey. When rematches occur, there is definitely a change in strategy. On Iowa's side you saw it with Caliendo and him keeping a couple of the matches to just decisions. That came with the expense of him taking way fewer shots and becoming much more defensive.
I think we saw that preparation with Duke Vs Taylor. A totally different match the second time around. Duke seemed passive in the first meeting…. This time all out aggression. However Blaze at 133 didn’t change from the first meeting, as far as style and Davino prevailed. We might see a third meeting?
 

Sir Pin Alot

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I think we saw that preparation with Duke Vs Taylor. A totally different match the second time around. Duke seemed passive in the first meeting…. This time all out aggression. However Blaze at 133 didn’t change from the first meeting, as far as style and Davino prevailed. We might see a third meeting?
I believe that was due to blaze thinking he could win the same way again. Duke knew he couldnt. Will be interesting to see if blaze starts to open up more now.
 

TNTwrestle

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Jun 6, 2025
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Great decision on 157. Did not get an at large. Tom likes him though.

If he got an at large then he would have been seeded 32/33 — he wasn’t winning a match at NCAA anyway.
I didn't like the decision either. That said, if he's really nursing an injury, and with his attitude, I highly doubt he would have done better. And he most definitely wouldn't have gotten an At-Large bid. He didn't have the RPI, his record was worse than VV's (because he wrestled most of the better opponents). VV actually beat some Top 30 guys, so he might not have been 0-BBQ, depending on seeds/draw. I didn't like it, but it was probably the right decision. We'll never know for sure, but I doubt either would have made it, or scored much at Nationals.
 
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Trapper85

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Jun 22, 2020
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Terry even more so. He’s alway standing in a wide stance, getting low, with a look of physical pain on his face. JW and TnT couldn’t be more different in desire and intensity. I know I’m beating a dead horse, but Bo Bassett may have been the most similar to them of any wrestler they coached or almost coached.
My wife has walked by the tv a time or 2 and saw Terry watching a match, saw his face, and said something like "that guy looks like he really needs to take a ****". 😂

Now Karl, he seems like a very calm guy....whose mentor is Jeffrey Dahmer. 😉
 

Reiterate

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Dec 27, 2016
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I am genuinely curious. How do you gameplan for a guy that NEVER relents and is simply better than you in every position? The ONLY thing you can really do is try to force your best positions and HOPE he makes a mistake. It's not like there are visible weaknesses to exploit. The guy has a 100% bonus point season for a reason...
You picking him for the Hodge trophy this year?
 

Reiterate

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Dec 27, 2016
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Different abilities and skillset and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, age/experience. This version of Mesenbrink is considerably better. Fully experienced and exudes confidence in every position.

Even then, wasn't there a rare score communication snafu where Mesenbrink didn't realize he needed to score again?
Yes there was.
 

vhsalum

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Nov 14, 2002
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If Mendez continues to cruise to a title, I would probably choose him after winning 3 in a row, but I would be fine having them share it…
Duck that.

Hodge is a one person award. And not a career one. I'm glad Hendrickson won it last year.

Didn't know MSU likes participation trophies. Cuz that's exactly what it would be to give/share it with Mendez. Hell, 165 is a tougher weight.
 

MSU158

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Duck that.

Hodge is a one person award. And not a career one. I'm glad Hendrickson won it last year.

Didn't know MSU likes participation trophies. Cuz that's exactly what it would be to give/share it with Mendez. Hell, 165 is a tougher weight.
Unless they changed it recently and I didn't see it, isn't "past credentials" a very specific category? Are you saying MSU158 changed the criteria? Hell sportsmanship/citizenship and HEART are also right on the damn DanHodgeFoundation website....

With that said, Mendez is 22-0 with 6 Falls, 10 TF's, 3 MD's and the 3 decisions were 5-1 over Ech and 4-1 and 7-2 against Hardy(last year's Finalist). The guy is ABSOLUTELY deserving based on the ACTUAL criteria....
 

grasshawk40

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Dec 16, 2022
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Unless they changed it recently and I didn't see it, isn't "past credentials" a very specific category? Are you saying MSU158 changed the criteria? Hell sportsmanship/citizenship and HEART are also right on the damn DanHodgeFoundation website....

With that said, Mendez is 22-0 with 6 Falls, 10 TF's, 3 MD's and the 3 decisions were 5-1 over Ech and 4-1 and 7-2 against Hardy(last year's Finalist). The guy is ABSOLUTELY deserving based on the ACTUAL criteria....
holy ****, he is now referring to himself in the third person.....