So many back and forth arguments about why this team isn't better and wasn't more competitive against SC. There are those who say it's all on Odom... 100% bad coaching. Then there are those that think Odom needs time to rebuild this team and cite the fact that the overall talent declined in Pinkel's last few years as HC. I'm one of those.
I keep hearing from the detractors that the talent gap is just an excuse and it's all coaching. However, a number of those detractors have also complained about our poor recruiting and how it needs to improve to be competitive. So if you believe that, then why is it an "excuse" when it is mentioned as a factor? Why is it not simply part of our reality?
As an example, Missouri's last 5 recruiting classes have been ranked #40 nationally on average. South Carolina's last 5 classes have ranked #19. Missouri had its best recruiting class in a decade in 2010, which ranked #21. In the past 5 years, South Carolina has had 4 classes ranked #19 or better. And South Carolina is not even that competitive in the SEC.
I get that some people don't like Odom. But how can anyone argue that it's not partly a talent disparity issue? Even more, how can someone argue out of both sides and say our talent sucks AND it is 100% coaching. The fact is, we have a huge talent gap AND a new coaching staff that is still getting its feet wet. I personally believe that he will get the program back on track. And we could have even won the game against SC if a couple of things had taken a different bounce. Our coaching needs to continue improving. But no coach is going to work wonders without more talented players. There is no simple answer and no magic bullet. Thoughts?
I keep hearing from the detractors that the talent gap is just an excuse and it's all coaching. However, a number of those detractors have also complained about our poor recruiting and how it needs to improve to be competitive. So if you believe that, then why is it an "excuse" when it is mentioned as a factor? Why is it not simply part of our reality?
As an example, Missouri's last 5 recruiting classes have been ranked #40 nationally on average. South Carolina's last 5 classes have ranked #19. Missouri had its best recruiting class in a decade in 2010, which ranked #21. In the past 5 years, South Carolina has had 4 classes ranked #19 or better. And South Carolina is not even that competitive in the SEC.
I get that some people don't like Odom. But how can anyone argue that it's not partly a talent disparity issue? Even more, how can someone argue out of both sides and say our talent sucks AND it is 100% coaching. The fact is, we have a huge talent gap AND a new coaching staff that is still getting its feet wet. I personally believe that he will get the program back on track. And we could have even won the game against SC if a couple of things had taken a different bounce. Our coaching needs to continue improving. But no coach is going to work wonders without more talented players. There is no simple answer and no magic bullet. Thoughts?
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