A Big Challenge for Coach Jeff Capel

[Panther_in_Kentucky]

Can he "reel in" the Premadonas ( Xavier Johnson & Trey Gowens ) and get them to be team players concerned with playing for the name on the front of their jerseys not the name on the back?

The Truth is: Neither are good enough to make their living playing professional basketball. I hope they are getting their education.

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

Can he "reel in" the Premadonas ( Xavier Johnson & Trey Gowens ) and get them to be team players concerned with playing for the name on the front of their jerseys not the name on the back?

The Truth is: Neither are good enough to make their living playing professional basketball. I hope they are getting their education.

Premadona? And you’re worried about them getting an education?

 

[JD1976]

Can he "reel in" the Premadonas ( Xavier Johnson & Trey Gowens ) and get them to be team players concerned with playing for the name on the front of their jerseys not the name on the back?

The Truth is: Neither are good enough to make their living playing professional basketball. I hope they are getting their education.

I think calling them “Premadonas” is a bit harsh. These are guys who joined a winless program and started from day one knowing as they go the team goes. I’m sure Capel told them as much directly. It doesn’t excuse poor decision making like we saw yesterday, but they should be judged on the 40+ games they have played in their career and I still wouldn’t characterize them as anything other than still being young and not quite ready for prime time.

 

[pittjas]

Can he "reel in" the Premadonas ( Xavier Johnson & Trey Gowens ) and get them to be team players concerned with playing for the name on the front of their jerseys not the name on the back?

The Truth is: Neither are good enough to make their living playing professional basketball. I hope they are getting their education.

@DT_PITT These are the kinda of posts I’m talking about regarding fans turning on Trey and X. And it hasn’t just been 1 or 2, there’s been a good many.

2 things: just because they make selfish plays does NOT mean they are “playing for the name on the back”... they simply are trying to make plays to help THE TEAM win.

Lastly, they both absolutely are good enough to make their living playing professional basketball and both will do so barring any injuries or anything else of that nature. Are they NBA ready right now? No. Trey might never be. But they absolutely can play professional basketball and both could after this year if they really wanted to and were willing to play in the G League or a good league overseas.

 

[below0w]

Xavier Johnson will 100% play pro basketball at a high level. Only his NBA hopes have faded for the time being.

 

[PT Panther Fan]

Can he "reel in" the Premadonas ( Xavier Johnson & Trey Gowens ) and get them to be team players concerned with playing for the name on the front of their jerseys not the name on the back?

The Truth is: Neither are good enough to make their living playing professional basketball. I hope they are getting their education.

Great question. Are these guys even coachable? We all knew when the ball was in Johnson’s hands coming down the stretch that he wasn’t going to give it up, we’ve seen it over and over again. You can bet Wake Forrest knew it, and they were waiting for him. I would be shocked if in the prior timeout if Capel didn’t instruct the guards to pass the ball out if the lane was clogged. He sure sounded frustrated in his post game radio interview with players not realizing they can’t do things without the help of their teammates. I suspect that is what he was referring to.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

@DT_PITT These are the kinda of posts I’m talking about regarding fans turning on Trey and X. And it hasn’t just been 1 or 2, there’s been a good many.

Well for this particular post, consider the source. And the general level of knowledge that he's displayed in the past.

 

[Tonyt66]

I said this in another thread that coach was talking about hero ball and how you can be a hero without taking the last shot it's all about making the right play an until these two understand that we will be in tight games and it can go either way every night

 

[joeydavid]

Can he "reel in" the Premadonas ( Xavier Johnson & Trey Gowens ) and get them to be team players concerned with playing for the name on the front of their jerseys not the name on the back?

The Truth is: Neither are good enough to make their living playing professional basketball. I hope they are getting their education.

Should change your handle to Clueless_in_Kentucky.

 

[BFo8]

Can he "reel in" the Premadonas ( Xavier Johnson & Trey Gowens ) and get them to be team players concerned with playing for the name on the front of their jerseys not the name on the back?

The Truth is: Neither are good enough to make their living playing professional basketball. I hope they are getting their education.

Not to pile on here, but geez. Do you realize how relatively easy it is for decent college players to make a living playing basketball? I think former Panther benchwarmer Chase Adams is still earning paychecks a decade or so later.

If that’s what they choose to do neither of these guys will have trouble finding a job overseas.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Not to pile on here, but geez. Do you realize how relatively easy it is for decent college players to make a living playing basketball? I think former Panther benchwarmer Chase Adams is still earning paychecks a decade or so later.

If that’s what they choose to do neither of these guys will have trouble finding a job overseas.

Many guys are playing the equivalent of a guy playing for the Washington Wild Things. Like meal money, free housing, and maybe a couple hundred bucks a week. Its not enough to make a living. They need regular jobs. I think a guy like Johnson will get a 2-way deal and play some NBA games but is probably a G-league or upper to middle tier Euro player unless he vastly improves.

 

[DT_PITT]

@DT_PITT These are the kinda of posts I’m talking about regarding fans turning on Trey and X. And it hasn’t just been 1 or 2, there’s been a good many.

2 things: just because they make selfish plays does NOT mean they are “playing for the name on the back”... they simply are trying to make plays to help THE TEAM win.

Lastly, they both absolutely are good enough to make their living playing professional basketball and both will do so barring any injuries or anything else of that nature. Are they NBA ready right now? No. Trey might never be. But they absolutely can play professional basketball and both could after this year if they really wanted to and were willing to play in the G League or a good league overseas.

I do believe Coach Capel does need to find a way to reach X and Trey to get them to play better team basketball. But the rest of the post is insulting and ridiculous and I hope you will choose to ignore it.

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

Can he "reel in" the Premadonas ( Xavier Johnson & Trey Gowens ) and get them to be team players concerned with playing for the name on the front of their jerseys not the name on the back?

The Truth is: Neither are good enough to make their living playing professional basketball. I hope they are getting their education.

I don't feel and have never thought they are selfish. They are just street ballers who believe they need to score to win and they don't have a high basketball IQ.

 

[DT_PITT]

I don't feel and have never thought they are selfish. They are just street ballers who believe they need to win and they don't have a high basketball IQ.

They are doing their best to help the team win. There's no doubt about that in my mind.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Many guys are playing the equivalent of a guy playing for the Washington Wild Things. Like meal money, free housing, and maybe a couple hundred bucks a week. Its not enough to make a living. They need regular jobs. I think a guy like Johnson will get a 2-way deal and play some NBA games but is probably a G-league or upper to middle tier Euro player unless he vastly improves.

I think you seriously underestimate what some of these guys are making overseas. They aren't getting rich, but they are making enough that basketball is their "living". There's a certain former D2 player who played at the ProAm who never played in the highest level leagues over there, but he made enough every year that basketball was his "job". He had an offer to play in Germany this season, which would have been pretty good money, but he decided for non-basketball reasons that he wasn't going to play any more.

And here's another one for you. There is an assistant on the Pitt women's team who had a WNBA tryout and played in Europe a couple years, and when she was playing over there basketball was her "job" as well. She didn't come home in the off season and do something else to make money. And she wasn't even in one of the top women's leagues. She played her second year over there in Poland.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I think you seriously underestimate what some of these guys are making overseas. They aren't getting rich, but they are making enough that basketball is their "living". There's a certain former D2 player who played at the ProAm who never played in the highest level leagues over there, but he made enough every year that basketball was his "job". He had an offer to play in Germany this season, which would have been pretty good money, but he decided for non-basketball reasons that he wasn't going to play any more.

And here's another one for you. There is an assistant on the Pitt women's team who had a WNBA tryout and played in Europe a couple years, and when she was playing over there basketball was her "job" as well. She didn't come home in the off season and do something else to make money. And she wasn't even in one of the top women's leagues. She played her second year over there in Poland.

It depends on the league. There's only 10 leagues in Europe where you can earn a comfortable living and with only a few Americans allowed per team, opportunities are scarce.

France
Spain
Italy
Greece
Turkey
Germany
Russia
The Balkan League
Israel (some teams)

And those are the 1st divisions. Chase Adams was playing in the 2nd division in Germany which would be like the Wild Things here. Maybe he also coached a Youth Team but there's no way he would even be making 20K.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

It depends on the league. There's only 10 leagues in Europe where you can earn a comfortable living and with only a few Americans allowed per team, opportunities are scarce.

France
Spain
Italy
Greece
Turkey
Germany
Russia
The Balkan League
Israel (some teams)

And those are the 1st divisions. Chase Adams was playing in the 2nd division in Germany which would be like the Wild Things here. Maybe he also coached a Youth Team but there's no way he would even be making 20K.

The person I'm talking about wasn't playing in one of those countries, and yet as I said he made enough that basketball was his "job". Because once again you really don't know something, but have no problem posting as if you do.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

The person I'm talking about wasn't playing in one of those countries, and yet as I said he made enough that basketball was his "job". Because once again you really don't know something, but have no problem posting as if you do.

Then they are either lying or they are counting wages as being a Youth Coach and giving private lessons. Kinda like Riverhounds players do. They make next to nothing playing for the Riverhounds.

Anyone who tells you they are making 100K playing in Romania or Bulgaria or Austria is lying.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Then they are either lying or they are counting wages as being a Youth Coach and giving private lessons. Kinda like Riverhounds players do. They make next to nothing playing for the Riverhounds.

Anyone who tells you they are making 100K playing in Romania or Bulgaria or Austria is lying.

Well there's the problem right there. Do you really think that someone needs to make 100K a year to make a living at basketball? Seriously? And keep in mind that during the season these guys have apartments provided for them for free, and they also get other freebies from the team, such that during the season they really don't have to pay for their living expenses.

Like I said, once again you really don't know what you are talking about, but it doesn't stop you from talking.

 

[DT_PITT]

I think you seriously underestimate what some of these guys are making overseas. They aren't getting rich, but they are making enough that basketball is their "living". There's a certain former D2 player who played at the ProAm who never played in the highest level leagues over there, but he made enough every year that basketball was his "job". He had an offer to play in Germany this season, which would have been pretty good money, but he decided for non-basketball reasons that he wasn't going to play any more.

And here's another one for you. There is an assistant on the Pitt women's team who had a WNBA tryout and played in Europe a couple years, and when she was playing over there basketball was her "job" as well. She didn't come home in the off season and do something else to make money. And she wasn't even in one of the top women's leagues. She played her second year over there in Poland.

I know a certain Div I player who didn't play for P-5 team and didn't even start for his team. He didn't play in Europe but another country and his monetary contract was $75,000, which was what he was paid for the season (about 6 months). He also received "living expenses" but I don't know exactly how much that was. He did this for two years, and the reason he didn't continue was because he didn't want to live out of the country for that long. But that not a bad paying job right out of college! And like you mentioned, this was not a higher end player, in any kind of a higher end league.

 

[Cavalier Panther]

They need to play better: they're not making good decisions and they're trying to do too much. But I'm not sold that it's because they're selfish or want the fame or want to hit the big shot. It might be because they put a lot of pressure on themselves and because, frankly, for much of their college career an out of control drive was better than passing it off to a teammate. But Justin is a solid option, and Brown has improved since last year and Murphy is a decent shooter. They have to find and trust those guys.

They guards don't need to do everything and they need to pass more, but that doesn't mean they're bad guys. I would like to see them give the ball up to shooters on the wing more quickly. There was a play last Saturday where Ryan was open, X dribbled a couple more times then passed, and it was too late; the defender closed on Ryan. Similarly, we set all of these high screens but never ever hit the guy who set the pick as he stands in open space. Maybe there's a reason, but I'd like to see us throw it into that midrange area a little more even if it's just so we can pass it out again to one of our cutting guards.

 

[pittbb80]

They need to play better: they're not making good decisions and they're trying to do too much. But I'm not sold that it's because they're selfish or want the fame or want to hit the big shot. It might be because they put a lot of pressure on themselves and because, frankly, for much of their college career an out of control drive was better than passing it off to a teammate. But Justin is a solid option, and Brown has improved since last year and Murphy is a decent shooter. They have to find and trust those guys.

They guards don't need to do everything and they need to pass more, but that doesn't mean they're bad guys. I would like to see them give the ball up to shooters on the wing more quickly. There was a play last Saturday where Ryan was open, X dribbled a couple more times then passed, and it was too late; the defender closed on Ryan. Similarly, we set all of these high screens but never ever hit the guy who set the pick as he stands in open space. Maybe there's a reason, but I'd like to see us throw it into that midrange area a little more even if it's just so we can pass it out again to one of our cutting guards.

Good post. I also don’t think it’s selfishness or ego driven. I think it’s a combination of two things. Last year these kids were the only option and so a forced drive was better than the alternative. I think Capel didn’t discourage it then because it was the best chance if winning and he wanted to build their confidence. Those bad habits are hard to break now that they have more options. You have to be careful in reeling them in not to destroy their confidence as you still don’t have other options to replace them

 

[JRPITT]

I don't feel and have never thought they are selfish. They are just street ballers who believe they need to win and they don't have a high basketball IQ.

They've been playing basketball their whole life and don't have a high basketball IQ? I think there's more to it than that.

 

[Cap pitt]

I don't believe that X and Trey are NBA material, maybe sometime later, but deffinetly not now. They are just above average at best