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Post by lionspriderestored on Aug 1, 2014 13:22:47 GMT -5
I am a long time fan, who literally found this site this morning. Didn't realize that there were actual LMU basketball fans out there (just kidding...kinda).
I spent some time with Coach Dunlap recently and was extremely impressed. Initially, I was underwhelmed with the hire, but mostly because I didn't know much about Mike. He has been around some great coaching minds (Newell, Karl, Lavin, Sr.; Ravelling (don't laugh)) and used to go meet with John Wooden and learn as much as he could. I would say he is "old school" in a positive way in that he understands fundamentals, attention to detail, hard work, intensity and discipline. Clealy he lives it as he could likely fit into his LMU uniform today - 30+ years later.
I think we'll see some exciting basketball. Look for aggressive, full court pressing defense. On offense he is adamant about passing being the key to success...along with great shooting. He has a great basketball mind and I think we'll see more in-game adjustments than with Max and his staff.
I am struck by his singleminded focus and attention to detail. He has a plan and has brought in the coaches (and will get the players) he needs to succeed. He understands the need for support of the broad LMU community (teachers, adminstrators, students) and he is already working hard on that. The fact that he is an Alum and understands the culture and values is huge. He "gets it".
This a guy, who knows who he is and what he wants. He wasn't physically gifted as a player and hasn't been put in easy coaching positions. He seems to just out work the majority of people and he relishes challenges.
I don't believe he views LMU as a stepping stone and he truly understands the mediocrity since the early 90's is unnecessary and unacceptable. LMU has too much going for it, but also has to commit to long-term success. He has the vision and personality to do that and I believe you'll see positive changes. He's already fought for and received go ahead on locker room remodelling (which will benefit other sports) and will be part of the effort to raised $$ to gut and transform Gersten. He understands there is an "arms" race and LMU has to get in the game. To do this, he knows the players have to represent the values of LMU, but the product on the floor has to be exciting.
He has put a patchwork roster together, but has a vision for the types of players he wants. He went to toe to toe with some big names to land Petr Herman and he will continue to do that. He will leverage his NBA experience when recruiting players with those aspirations (most do). Incidentally, he thinks Herman is so good there's no way he'll be a 4 year Lion (NBA or Europe will beckon)
I don't mean to sound overly optimistic, but I am more excited than I've been since after PW left. Most of the truly great coaches have a plan and pay meticulous attention to detail. That's what I'm seeing so far and what has been missing for 20+ years.
I suppose the 1 wild card could be how do athletes respond. We all know kids are different today - more entitled, thinner-skinned, etc...If we watch how Evan responds we'll probably get a good sense for that. Mike will not be afraid to lose games this year in order to teach lessons and improve for the future. Thus, don't be surprised to see Evan yanked after bad decisions and dumb mistakes.
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Post by ALioninWinter on Aug 1, 2014 17:22:53 GMT -5
lionspride - welcome to the site. I hope you continue to add your thoughts as time goes by.
I completely agree with your comments regarding Coach Dunlap. Being old school myself, I fully support an approach that is disciplined, focused on details and insists upon mastering the fundamentals. As I mentioned in another post a couple of weeks ago, I had to turn off the Lakers' Summer League game because there was absolutely no discipline, no focus and no display of understanding fundamentals.
I'm excited for the coaching change. This is the first time in a long time where I feel we will see a real difference ... not just adjustments, but real changes. It looks like Coach Dunlap negotiated a number of things in addition to his salary when he took the job. We are seeing the results of those negotiations with the new locker room, the very senior staff he has assembled, and I suspect we will see more indicators as time goes by.
Everyone agrees that he knows the game. Everyone agrees that he will work non-stop. Everyone agrees that he has the focus required to be a big time coach. I've felt that Coach Dunlap has two areas where he could fail.
1. He is arrogant. He has to keep that under control. I'm hoping he has learned a few things from his previous jobs that caused him problems. He can't be the only guy rowing the boat. He has to work with the administration, the athletic staff, the fans, the media, the school's professors. Everyone in the LMU community has a role to play in making our Men's Basketball program a success. The more participation he gets from everyone else, the better program we can have. He has to realize this. At first, I was worried he might not. However, I've already seen him reach out to other parts of the university. He is participating in non-basketball activities. He is working with others. Things are pointing in the right direction. 2. Today's players are different than they were in previous decades. I believe there has to be some recognition of that without compromising those old school mantras of discipline, focus and fundamentals. The old Mike Dunlap sometimes failed at finding the right middle ground. I'm hoping the current Mike Dunlap succeeds in this area. I wonder if this year's emphasis on foreign players is part of his grand strategy to avoid the "pampered AAU" players, or if it was simply a matter of being too late in the game to recruit the guys he wanted. I personally believe there are a lot of guys out there who are very good players and are willing to put in what it takes to get to the next level. Almost every coach in the country seems to believe Coach Dunlap has the coaching skills these kids need. Can he communicate this to these kids? Can he use the Johnny Wooden approach effectively in today's environment. Time will tell.
Three more points.
In his initial interview last Spring, he emphasized that the most important task on his list at that moment was to get last year's roster through their academic year. That meant a lot to me. While I believe it is possible to have a quality team while maintaining academic and behavior standards (and I certainly am looking for that with Coach Dunlap), if you force me to select either a quality team or a team that meets LMU's academic and behavior standards, I will take the latter over the former. LMU has a great reputation. The last thing I want to see is for that reputation to be besmirched.
Evan Payne really impressed me when he said he recognized that Coach Dunlap would not let him get away with the things he did under Coach Good. He recognized he needs to alter his approach a bit. That comment told me a lot about this young man. I'm anxious to see how he performs this coming year. He has a lot of talent. Will he let Coach Dunlap maximize that talent? Can Dunlap mature that talent without killing the spirit behind it?
Interesting comment about Herman. I raised my eyebrows when I saw he was coming. I thought he looks really solid but I had no idea he was an early-entry candidate to the NBA.
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Post by Mr. LMU '04 on Aug 1, 2014 17:40:52 GMT -5
alionwinter, the locker rooms were not Dunlap's negotiating. They have been a part of the capital campaign and master plan for the athletic dept for atleast 5 years.
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Post by ALioninWinter on Aug 1, 2014 19:17:20 GMT -5
I stand corrected. Thank you.
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Post by LIONS90045 on Aug 1, 2014 19:49:07 GMT -5
Welcome indeed Lionspriderestored Your observations will excite lots of fans about the Lions prospects for the future including me I'm your opinion, is Herman the man rather than Siame; is Siame also the real deal? Please share your thoughts often
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Post by bebetterthanbradley on Aug 1, 2014 20:46:49 GMT -5
That is NOT correct MR LMU. LioninWinter is correct. The locker room renovations were Dunlaps doing. Whether it may have been in future plans, it was Dunlap who got it done this soon.
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Post by bebetterthanbradley on Aug 1, 2014 20:47:38 GMT -5
ALso from what i have seen, Herman looks LEGIT. About 6'9-6'10, solid muscular kid who can shoot, great footwork and great fundamentals.
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Post by lionspriderestored on Aug 1, 2014 23:32:47 GMT -5
Welcome indeed Lionspriderestored Your observations will excite lots of fans about the Lions prospects for the future including me I'm your opinion, is Herman the man rather than Siame; is Siame also the real deal? Please share your thoughts often Thanks for the welcome. I think coach is cautiously optimistic on Siame, but openly excited about Herman.
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Post by guarddad on Aug 2, 2014 10:43:33 GMT -5
Hi, BeBetterThanBradley is correct, it was Dunlap's doing in getting the locker room renovations done NOW. Dunlap does not like (as he says) "that's nasty". He likes things new. It also makes the team excited when they see new changes. Time will tell. If any of these guys are soft mentally, they will struggle. My understanding is that Dunlap is only going to run his roster 8 deep with only garbage minutes for the rest of the guys. Also the point was made about Coach Dunlap recruiting international players, part of it was the short amount of time for recruiting and the other was not recruiting as he said "knuckleheads" i.e. the pampered, self absorbed, entitled ball players that we have in our country. He wanted guys that love the game, who are good, that are coachable that was either not good enough (in coaches opinion), over looked, or politically under the radar, or not the son of a coach etc. He's going to take this group of young men and mold them into something special. If this group stays together, they will be very competitive on the court, excel academically and bring the student-athlete back to the fore front. Baby steps everyone. There's a lot to be excited about.
Go Lions!!!
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Post by slblions08 on Aug 2, 2014 14:54:20 GMT -5
I have decided to temper my enthusiasm and give Dunlap 3 seasons before I make broad judgements. I think the wait and see approach is the best for now. I just wish he was more endearing to fans. I guess he is trying to instill a real serious and strong armed approach to the program. Kind of like the old adage us teachers hear " don't smile until December".
As far as running an 8 guy rotation I've always thought that's the best way on college to win. As far as junk minutes not a ton in WCC action. But I hope he doesn't wear out his players physically. That being said it will be a wide open tryout essentially. I only see Payne, Egbeyemi, and Herman as certainties. Kravcovic probably gets time because he's the only true PG. I know it's early to speculate but a Kravcovic Payne Egbeyemi Herman Siame starting 5 makes us competitive to at least middle of the pack. If we can find a few guys off the bench to shoot play defense and rebound we can hang in there.
I think they key position battles will be Hays/ Humphries Okonji/Mornar and Spiers/ Haney
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Post by bebetterthanbradley on Aug 2, 2014 16:53:59 GMT -5
Haney I dont think is available this year.. I would be surprised in Humphries doesnt start, but i could be wrong. I think Flint will get some backup minutes as well. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out. So many uncertainties. THe spain trip is sure to help
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Post by ALioninWinter on Aug 2, 2014 22:31:40 GMT -5
Haney is a definite red shirt for the 2014-15 season, so he is out.
I also expect to see Humphries playing. Of course, I base that strictly on the various scouting and media reports I've seen. He has good guard length and reportedly can shoot.
I was a bit surprised to see the 8-man rotation comment. I wonder if Dunlap thinks he has already identified those 8, or if he simply wants to get to that point but doesn't know who they are yet.
I agree that an 8-man rotation is usually the optimal number for maximizing game flow and keeping players in the game in a 40-minute game. It's also usually the easiest number to coach in a 40-minute game. My problem with it is you're setting yourself up for a fall if you suffer key injuries. I'm a lot more comfortable having guys on the bench who have experience playing in crunch time and playing with each other, so they are ready at a moment's notice when one of your key 8 gets hurt. I know it's hard to accomplish but I think a coach should do whatever he can to give every legitimate player on his/her roster prime playing time.... without jeopardizing wins. I'm not saying equal time for every player on the roster, but I like to keep players 9/10/11 well exercised and ready to go. Regarding our upcoming Lions' team, none of us have had enough exposure to the guys to know if there is a significant talent cut-off after 5, 6, .. 9. or 10 players. So, I can't say what I think the rotation should be.
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Post by longtimelionfan on Aug 3, 2014 10:13:52 GMT -5
I was excited to learn about the Spain trip. It is very important for a variety of reasons. First, Dunlap brought in 9 new players - 7 scholarship + 2walk-ons - so it is vitally important for the coaches and players to get to know each other and bond on many levels. Next, although some of the off-season practice rules have been relaxed, I think a team has full in-season practice rights for two weeks before and duing the trip. Next, this trip is to Spain and that is where Canarious Basketball Academy is located (Herman, Kracovic, Ashley Hamilton all matruculated from here). Having our full coaching staff and team meet, greet and interact with Canarious certainly bodes well for future recruiting. Next, this allows Dunlap and staff great opportunities to experiment, learn and play all sorts of combinations outside the view of competitors. Last, this trip late in the summer ends just as the Fall semester begins. Thus, it provides the perfect learning and training platform to move immediately into the fall pre-practice regiment without any mental drop-off.
As for rotations, I'm mindful of the Aussie scout's statement that "fit" not class standing will be the key determiner. I'm sure that the coaching staff is better informed now than it was and will be even better informed after the trip related practices and games. We also don't know the health status of all the players. For example, I'm not clear whether Deji, Godwin, Siame, Chase or all the newbies are "full go" after injuries, surgeries and conditioning. i think it would be foolish for the staff to have made definitive determinations this early and nothing I've heard or read causes me to believe anything about this staff is foolish. i'm sure the staff has thoughts and ideas but those are very tentative and fluid. Finally, I suspect that I'm a little contrarian on my last thought. i think the newbies and underclaasmen win the tie breakers over the seniors. Dunlap is building. He didn't bring in 7 new scholarship players to keep them on the bench if they are roughly even with upperclassman. Thus, Godwin, Deji and Chase will need to be clearly "better fits" to garner significant playing time. Each of these three are fine young men and experienced hard workers- all positives. But, none are knock down shooters or all conference caliber players. If the competition is close, I expect the new players with shooting ability and potentially higher ceilings to get the minutes. Thus, I expect Herman, Speiers, Humphries, Siame, Hayes and Kracovic to win tiebreakers in which they are involved.
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Post by LIONS90045 on Aug 3, 2014 20:30:19 GMT -5
Great conversation on the team Re the 8 man rotation, I can agree this works well during the Conference season but I'm with Winter to see all the (viable ) players get meaningful minutes during the pre-conference schedule and a real chance to show their skills I know Dunlap would like to post the best W-L record he can but I also sense he has a longer horizon for measuring success which I hope holds true Re the Spain trip, it's a smart move indeed to raise LMU's profile in Europe or at least Spain. Maybe there are a few more Gasols there
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Post by aussielion on Aug 4, 2014 0:49:37 GMT -5
my top 8 are in no particular order Krajcovic...Mornar....Humphries....Okonji....Payne....Herman....Egbeyemi....Siam,but we should know a lot more after Spain
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