A ten minute sit down meeting and point blank asked- “how do you think I’ve done in four years? And what if anything would you recommend going forward?”
how would you respond?
how would you respond?
Let's hope he's not. And I don't think he is. But next year's tourney is HUGE for Jon and the program. And right now, it's hard to say what the expectation is without knowing who is on the roster.Yeah pretty much as the others have said. I’d say you’ve done a really good job and to keep recruiting at the level you are. However, no hiding and no sugar coating the fact you’ve folded when it’s mattered the most and you have built a reputation for such. I saw something on X today that said he’s a young Doc Rivers which cuts deep.
I was in denial telling myself there is no way we blow this lead even if the refs call 3 fouls in a row on us to start the second halfI saw how we closed that first half and i immediately knew it was going to become a tight game.
Jon has done an excellent job. At this point he has one glaring issue. His teams get tight in close games and lack the killer extinct to smell blood and complete the mauling.
Maybe some of you are too young but when Mike Tyson in his prime smelled blood, he kicked it into overdrive to maul his opponent. Arizona is playing that way right now.
But we didn’tI would give him a B+ based on regular season success. D+ for NCAAT success, you just cannot underachieve with the amount of talent we’ve had 2-3 years in a row. People forget we should have loss to 16 seed Siena in the first round
D+? 3 ACC tournament championships out of his first four years, 3 straight elite eight, and a Final Four is pretty damn good. Very few schools have done that in the same time frame. Yes, the back-to-back brutal endings are terrible ways to go out. But I think you're being too harsh, big-picture-wise. I'd say for the four seasons, recruiting A+, roster construction A-, regular season A-, ACC tournament A, NCAA tournament B.I would give him a B+ based on regular season success. D+ for NCAAT success, you just cannot underachieve with the amount of talent we’ve had 2-3 years in a row. People forget we should have loss to 16 seed Siena in the first round
Yeah I’ve seen this far too much. We didn’t lose in the first round yet some would make you believe we did. Odd to me.But we didn’t
I felt like K was fading out at the end of his career. His teams were peaking early and the offense was all iso ball. I hated to see him go, but he knew it was time. I give Jon a pass, because he’s shown improvement each year and has only been a head coach 4 years. People just don’t understand how hard it is to win a national championship. How many of you recliner coaches would have held the ball if you were Cayden? I sure as hell wouldn’t have called timeout like a lot of people are saying.Dan Hurley just got lucky and he know it. He’s got to have one giant horseshoe stuck up his a$$.A D+ lord. If this is a D+ what do you consider K from 2016-the end?
Yep, growing up one of my dad’s friends was a Tarheel fan. He always said Lefty Drisell was a great recruiter, but couldn’t coach. To me recruiting is the biggest part of coaching, Jon’s getting much better with X’s and O’s.Other teams fans grade us on a curve due to all the talent. Fair or not they do.
Talent on paper. I mean outside of Cameron all year , Evans was hit or miss during games and not until the end of the year was Cayden good for ten points each game . Sure the defense was there but you got to score as well.Other teams fans grade us on a curve due to all the talent. Fair or not they do.
But ask your self this , Do you pass on the talent in hopes of being the highest bidder in the portal? Kids now a days can literally go to four different schools in four years where you used to have to sit out if you transferred beyond a coaching change . So how do you retain a starting five every season ? This isn’t like the years of past Even Duke began to see multiple transfers under K before the rule change . How do you sell to non starters to return ? Do you literally stop recruiting because you believe all five are coming back and you recruit for the bench ? What happens if at the last moment two players in your starting five leave then how do you recover those two spots when most the portal is gone ? There is no right or wrong to today’s game . It’s simply the way it is as as far as the “ Duke Effect “. If it was looked at as being that much exposure , going into the portal and getting who you want wouldn’t be an issue .I debated whether to jump into this or not but since its an opinion thread...why not! I have no idea whether JS is a good coach or not. Why? Because he hasnt had to coach anywhere with less talent than the teams we play. He served an apprenticeship under the GOAT and was handed a program with a National reputation, massive TV exposure, and an alumni brotherhood of pros, a program with a history of success. These are massive advantages for a young coach. The results are good, but is it coaching or talent and circumstances? His recruiting of HS talent has been excellent or it hasnt fallen off from when Coach K left. Where he has fallen off is in the recruiting ( portal) and retention/identification of key multi-yr players, which make a significant impact on team cohesion and leadership. JS was on the 2010 Championship team, which had great guards, Singler with size and scoring, senior leadership, a true center and talented role playing freshman. He played in a system that valued defense and was adaptable offensively so the leading scorer each night wasnt one guy. It had balance. Given that was the recipe for success - I'd have to ask him why he has chosen to go freshman heavy, rely on individual excellence and not team excellence and seemingly abandon the recipe of success he experienced as a player. Is it the current NIL/portal situation? Is it to try to establish his own "brand"? Given the success of mature teams the past few years, why are we perennially freshman-heavy? The expectations following Coach K are high, very high, so I hope JS takes a serious look at our program history, and maybe restores some of what made us the most feared program in the Country.
Agreed that the landscape has changed but other teams seem to have cracked that code....retained experience and brought in talent - HS and portal...But ask your self this , Do you pass on the talent in hopes of being the highest bidder in the portal? Kids now a days can literally go to four different schools in four years where you used to have to sit out if you transferred beyond a coaching change . So how do you retain a starting five every season ? This isn’t like the years of past Even Duke began to see multiple transfers under K before the rule change . How do you sell to non starters to return ? Do you literally stop recruiting because you believe all five are coming back and you recruit for the bench ? What happens if at the last moment two players in your starting five leave then how do you recover those two spots when most the portal is gone ? There is no right or wrong to today’s game . It’s simply the way it is as as far as the “ Duke Effect “. If it was looked at as being that much exposure , going into the portal and getting who you want wouldn’t be an issue .
He’ll win multipleWhen he gets over the hump and wins out all, I have no doubt that within 5 years he'll get another.
And have they won it all since the rule change ? You also have to look at their players draft stock .Agreed that the landscape has changed but other teams seem to have cracked that code....retained experience and brought in talent - HS and portal...
Yes...one will win it this year, one won last year and the year before and back to 2021 Baylor...Seniors and talented fr...its the trendAnd have they won it all since the rule change ? You also have to look at their players draft stock .
In 2021 , Baylor started only one senior , UCONN in their back to backs didn’t start one senior they were mainly freshman and sophomores . Floridas 2025 roster was the only one to start three seniors , a sophomore and a junior with the two transfers .Yes...one will win it this year, one won last year and the year before and back to 2021 Baylor...Seniors and talented fr...its the trend
Didn’t we blow a 20pt lead against nc state in the elite 8 that year ?D+? 3 ACC tournament championships out of his first four years, 3 straight elite eight, and a Final Four is pretty damn good. Very few schools have done that in the same time frame. Yes, the back-to-back brutal endings are terrible ways to go out. But I think you're being too harsh, big-picture-wise. I'd say for the four seasons, recruiting A+, roster construction A-, regular season A-, ACC tournament A, NCAA tournament B.
2023 is a what-if. Duke came in hot, and Mark Mitchell went down before Tennessee killed us. I think that team beats Tennessee with Mark. And that bracket had opened up with a bunch of upsets.
Overachieved with the 2024 team, and it's losing to an 11 seed that everyone is focused on, but that State team was on a heater. We upset Houston in that tournament.
In 2025, I believe this team was the best and should've won it all. And they underachieved. But they also made it to within a game of taking it all. This year was another heartbreaking collapse. Something has to change. But Jon is 11-4 in his first four years with 3 sweet sixteens, 3 elite eights, and a final four. Hardly a D+. And if you factor in the ACC tournament record, 9-1 with 3 titles, it's pretty damn good.
No. Not sure they were even better than NC St by the time the elite 8 game came around. They were up by like 2 at halftime and then NC st over powered them.Didn’t we blow a 20pt lead against nc state in the elite 8 that year ?
Who cares about ACCT championships ? I guess that’s the standard for Duke now.. smh. How long will we continue to justify zero National championship game appearances for the past 11 years while having some of the best teams and players?
I understand how hard it may be but that’s why I believe our philosophy must change, we must get older.
Do we all agree that the OAD approach is just not working? We have been close the past few years but how much is it Jon being out coached vs our lack of experience?