I can't help shake the feeling that the change from Seth to JJ has done more than ease the ulcers of Jim Weaver. From ACC Media Day, David Teel tweeted out these quotes from Hokie point guard Erick Green:
#Hokies PG Erick Green: "We want to do this not just for ourselves, but for Coach Johnson. We know how bad he wants this."— David Teel (@DavidTeelatDP) October 17, 2012
More Green: "You’re going to see a big change. We’re running up and down the court. There is no walking the ball up the court." #Hokies— David Teel (@DavidTeelatDP) October 17, 2012
Last Green: "We’re playing with a swagger we never really had. Coach Johnson brought that out of us. Go out there and have fun." #Hokies— David Teel (@DavidTeelatDP) October 17, 2012
Soooooo is it just me, or do those sound like hidden potshots at the Greenberg administration? Not saying that it'll make a difference...but is this team a candidate for either the "no one believes in us" theory, or the "we're so happy to have a new coach we will automatically play better just because we're happy" theory? (Okay so I made the latter up).
Thoughts? Am I reading too much into this, over-optimistic or both?
Comments
Go back and look at some of the comments from former Hokies like Jeff Allen and Malcolm Delaney, they didn't have very nice things to say about Greenberg when he got fired. It's not a secret that Greenberg was a hard guy to get along with, hopefully JJ can turn this thing around.
Overthinking
I think you may be over-thinking a bit. I still remember when word first got out, how stunned all the players were. I know Greenberg had a snotty reputation with media, officials, etc., but he had a special bond with his players. Many threatening to leave until they realized they would be getting a familiar face back. Just the other day I read Raines' tweet about how Greenberg texted him "happy birthday" and how he missed him. I don't think Green was throwing shots, I just think he wants to get the fans excited for this season by saying things are going to change after such a disappointing year last year.
Not to get all "I know a guy who knows a guy" but I do lol. Guys who are starters were considering transferring before Seth got canned. I heard it all year and from what I understand it was the love of VT that kept some of them there. JJ is very popular among the players and they want to succeed for him.
Seth was a prick case closed, and like the Beamer/Saban discussion we had a couple of weeks ago; sometimes players respond to yelling and cussing sometimes they don't.
I'm Thinking it depends
on the player. Lots of former players seemed to be unhappy, and while I'm sure Eric Green is happy to play in an up-tempo offense, I don't necessarily think he's saying anything bad about Greenburg. Not to mention, we lost the highest rated (would be) incoming recruit in the programs history because he loved Greenburg (how he would have felt after 4 years of stagnant, pass the ball around the top of the arc offense, I don't know).
As for this year, I guess there's some "nobody believes in us" potential but there's also a lot of "clearly the worst team in the ACC" potential. I hope we have a little more up tempo game, but I won't be reading too much into how JJ does as a coach until he gets starts getting some depth back in the system.
"because he loved Greenburg"
We didn't lose anybody because they loved SG. Doe-Doe was gone either way, Harrell used it as an excuse because his stock took off and he wanted to go elsewhere.
And there is no "clearly the worst team in the ACC" potential.
I'm with Blue Collar
I knew a guy too, I lived with the bball team manager 2006-2008. Seth was a great recruiter and sweet-talker, so it's no surprise recruits decommited when he left. However, these great recruits came in and immediately realized that things weren't what they seemed, and that Seth wasn't the great guy they thought he was. I'm convinced these players are happy to be playing for another guy, as Seth was not the best coach to play for. Lack of motivation. Just look at players like Delaney, Green, Vassallo, and Allen that would give Seth lip on the sidelines during games and not care about anyone seeing it. That shouldn't ever happen, and DOESN'T happen with other good coaches. There was a rift there, and now I think they're excited for something new.
I totally agree. I think players are definitely happy to have JJ vs Seth. Their initial reactions on twitter told that story. I really think they're buying into JJ's system and style more too. I wouldn't look too much into friendly comments between players and Seth, obviously they are still acquainted with the guy but the chemistry was never right with the players and Seth. I already feel like it's the opposite now.
I'll be interested in seeing how well we can recruit this year. We clearly need to get some talent to buy off on VT. there'll be some gaps after losing those recruits that might really hurt us next year.
Btw picked to finish 9th in the ACC by Athlon