I’ve been slack. Truth is … my kids are on the middle of sports season. So I’m constantly on the run. Last couple games I’ve watched from the stands … on my phone!
I just reread it and TBH, feel there's plenty of room for criticism of the post. Start with the title. What conundrum? Now forgive me for what follows, but am going to highlight some of your not-so-greatest hits. This part was fair and true. The bold part is pretty strong and I wonder if you might be coming around on CTG a bit since you wrote this. Don't you feel like the offense is vastly improved? It might not have even been as bad as you thought on Jan 16. At the moment, FL is 25th in pts/per possession, a measure of offensive efficiency. On Jan 17, FL was 39th, not great, but also not poor. Golden is 4-0 vs. GA. Not only that, GA is folding fast. This was what you stated as the conundrum. Given the way things have unfolded since then, it's hard to agree with either part of this statement. Love what you bring to the forum and don't mean to be confrontational, but we all make statements at times that turn out to be less than accurate. If it were me, I'd just own it and move on, but feel free to disagree.
I know this thread is about TG.. but I just saw Cal walking into the arena for the Auburn game, is it just me, or is he looking more and more like Johnny Sac?
That was a cool interview - he was so happy. But I’m old school and prefer that he doesn’t talk about us being such an underdog vs SoCa. I look forward to him changing that tone - not the first time he does that. You belong Todd. Own it dude.
I have never been over the moon with TG but also never overly critical, I don't think. Just wanted to let it play out and see what happens. I will say this has been thr most fun team to watch in probably 10 years? The roster he put together through the portal and the young bigs we have are top tier. I don't like to give rivals credit, but hes done something similar to Norvell did in the portal, just quality guys where you need them and they have all produced better than I ever expected. It's refreshing to watch our guys shoot and rebound like they have.
I think beyond the Xs and Os, CMW is wound way too tight and his teams tend to play that way as well.
Hmm . . . not able to view the video. I disabled my adblocker, but still just getting a black screen. Thanks for sharing. Maybe it will work in a little bit.
The conundrum was/is as I stated…. This is a “win now” environment, especially if you have a roster perceived as being capable of doing so. Golden… to his credit… has assembled a very talented team, imo. It’s no secret that assembling talent now requires $$… and so there is, perhaps, an ROI expectation. And this is the conundrum…. A coach capable of acquiring talent, but maybe too green to maximize. As you know… I have always been a proponent of a high-upside coach being allowed to grow and learn on the job at Florida. But does the current environment and financial investments allow for such patience? Hence…. “Conundrum”. We have certainly gone on a great streak since my post, and since your goocher….lol! But the book is yet to be written as to whether or not results ultimately match roster talent. I am certainly feeling better about our chances. And I left open that door in my post. My admission to not being initially thrilled about the hire doesn’t change with time or result. That would be dishonest. He may prove an incredibly successful hire…. that would not change my initial feeling. The offense has been much better late, sans when facing a zone. I think we have one of the best guard combos in the country, and a really balanced roster. We have seen better usage of both. I still do not really like our half court offense and do not see much creativity. But in fairness… i hated the ddo. i think White is a more learned coach, so my comment remains. Does that mean I’d prefer him over Golden at this point? Nope. The other mentioned attributes of TG makes him a better program fit right now. The final stanza is where my assessment may be wrong…. And I hope it proves so! Golden may very well be able to not only assemble talent, but win enough to suggest he is hardly over his head. This is, without a doubt, a tourney roster… and he now has it on that track. I’d love for him to be entirely up to the task and pull everything from this roster. If he falls a bit short… I still stand by my philosophy… of letting a high ceiling guy grow with the program. But will the conundrum of college sports allow for the same? That was the intended tenor of my post. I stand by it all… and hope my concerns are proven moot!!
