My take on the CJS regime

[alathIN]

I continued to support Stackhouse through some of the early grumbling, on the basis that he took over a program in dismal condition and I did not expect an immediate turnaround.
I still support this staff and wish for their success.
Other than the moments of fragile vanity on social media, I think Stackhouse is a personality who can represent Vanderbilt well. He comes across as tough and hard working, and I don't have worries about character or discipline blowing up to embarrass the university or rot the program from within. His stellar NBA career gives him a great deal of credibility.
In other words, if successful, he has a lot of the attributes I'd want our coach to have.

My concerns are all in the area of recruiting and roster management. We always seem to be overloaded at some positions and desperately lacking in others. We've seen some unheralded recruits like Wright and Stute developed into legit SEC starters, but our higher rated recruits all seem to sit on the bench then hit the portal. I always root for players like QMB and Lawrence - guys who have some limitations but work hard and play relentless defense - but a program that features those kind of players in major roles is going to have a low ceiling. Maybe our higher rated recruits are over-rated? Maybe Stack can't tolerate freshman mistakes? Either way it's a problem.

My concern is that we are at year 4 of the Stackhouse era and the prospects for this season are not looking good. Nor do I see much promise on the horizon. Even if we write this year off as a rebuilding year, it looks like we are on track to see the same team next year minus Robbins.

I'm not anti-Stack. I want to see him succeed. I just don't see how he can get to success from where we are now.

[OldDude]

Very good post ! There is a great possibility our recruits are overrated. I saw frequent references on here about our four star recruits yet I believe only one service (ESPN ?) had them with 4 stars while most others showed a 3. Nonetheless, like you I worry about their lack of playing time and fear that the portal will hit us hard.

It begins to look like CJS is a good man, but maybe not a good coach. If that is the case, I can fill that bill and cost the university a lot less money.

[cjdore]

It was nice to see Shelby get some PT but I am perplexed why Thomas gets as much PT while our other FR ride the pines. I did not think that the starting 5 that CJS put on the floor was our strongest unit and it showed as we quickly got down by 9-10. Currently our most consistent performers are Wright and Robbins.

[UltimateVUFan]

I talked a little about the rotation and minutes distribution in the thread from the game yesterday. Posting an excerpt of that below:

There’s always a trade off… I don’t envy the coaching staff having to manage minutes. Stack said in post game that they’re still trying to figure out personnel schemes and rotation shifts that will lead to the best chance of winning. I suspect most of us had hoped they would have a better sense of that at this point. Like many have said, once SEC play starts, it sure appears to be a rough season in store. Would love to see our young guys getting more court time at that point. They’ll lose, sure. But maybe they’ll actually decide to stick around for a few seasons and not bolt for “greener pastures.” It’s a tricky thing these days, it seems. You have to keep guys happy and give them PT to encourage them to stay around. Still, Stack played Dylan Disu a lot as a FR/SO and he bolted for TX.
Side note: for those who don’t think Stack has a penchant for developing players, take a quick peek at what Disu has done at TX the last two seasons - nowhere NEAR the stats he was putting up at VU, and perhaps a cautionary tale for those who think the portal always offers better outcomes. I know TX is very good this year, but Disu was getting much more highlight pro exposure and stats at VU. But then, playing winning basketball obviously matters. I guess it’s all about perspective. I think he hurt his pro chances quite a bit with the transfer, but maybe that was less important to him.

[mathguy]

My concern is that we are at year 4 of the Stackhouse era and the prospects for this season are not looking good. Nor do I see much promise on the horizon. Even if we write this year off as a rebuilding year, it looks like we are on track to see the same team next year minus Robbins.

The presumption is that the freshmen, whom we've seen very little of, will be able to replace Robbins next year.

Though that again makes me wonder why we've seen so little of them this year.

If we are talking about a referendum on Stack's job, I am OK with him coming back next year. This year is the first time in his tenure that we will not be better than we were the previous year. Given that I'm feel like firing him after his first true disappointment would be harsh ... but 4 years in ... yeah, it's frustrating to feel like we're in a rebuild from our ... NIT Quarterfinalist peak?

[Nashmann]

Just not sure if Stack is the one....he seems to be recruiting better but don't see much in the minutes played. Our upperclassmen are not very good other than Robbins. The team also does not seem to be playing a strategic offense. There is some passing and weaving but then it immediately breaks down and becomes helter-skelter and resulting in a poor shot. Far from a well-oiled machine. THIS is the 4th year for Stack!! I see very little improvement in play. No one seems to take charge and be a leader. Wright shows very little if any improvement. It was supposed to be HIS team! Stute does not hustle or work for his shot...he is one-dimensional. I don't see this team having a very good year. Don't think there will be any post-season tournament play so why not play the freshmen more minutes?

[janvandy66]

Hope that I am wrong but I don't think that he is a good enough college coach to make it happen, The longer that we stick with him just puts us back more years behind. I think that AD C.S. should hire her own coach and she did not hire him.

[BooMax]

Just not sure if Stack is the one....he seems to be recruiting better but don't see much in the minutes played. Our upperclassmen are not very good other than Robbins. The team also does not seem to be playing a strategic offense. There is some passing and weaving but then it immediately breaks down and becomes helter-skelter and resulting in a poor shot. Far from a well-oiled machine. THIS is the 4th year for Stack!! I see very little improvement in play. No one seems to take charge and be a leader. Wright shows very little if any improvement. It was supposed to be HIS team! Stute does not hustle or work for his shot...he is one-dimensional. I don't see this team having a very good year. Don't think there will be any post-season tournament play so why not play the freshmen more minutes?

He still doesnt put the effort in recruiting SEC players, especially shooters. If you dont have a college system and arent getting 5* players, the 4 and 5 out game doesnt work well for anyone. Unfortunately his track record in coaching is nada beyond VU, so you get what you see. Always wishing the best but not seeing any progress, yet.

[buffy]

It does seem like he's running out of excuses. In year 4 we should be able to be effective on the court. At the beginning of the season, he claimed to have what he needed to win. Well, I think the answer may be that he doesn't actually know how to win with what he has on the court. He does a lot right, but winning is hard. He's smart enough to figure it out, but it might not be here. Eventually, you run out of time.

[EagleDore]

It does seem like he's running out of excuses. In year 4 we should be able to be effective on the court. At the beginning of the season, he claimed to have what he needed to win. Well, I think the answer may be that he doesn't actually know how to win with what he has on the court. He does a lot right, but winning is hard. He's smart enough to figure it out, but it might not be here. Eventually, you run out of time.

I agree with this and many thoughts above, and I think the key will be adaptability. Is CJS willing to learn and adapt to the college environment and specifically Vanderbilt. No doubt, one comes into this job with an idea of what it takes to succeed. On the court what he has been doing isn't quite good enough, so is he willing to learn and adapt or will he stubbornly stick to what he has been doing. How long does he get? I like him. I think he has the ability to become an excellent college coach, but will he adapt and become that is the question.

[baseball1234]

Perhaps he's a good coach but not so good at evaluating and projecting young talent. Or, perhaps he believes that he can turn raw ability into performance. The problem with the latter is that one or two players can be a "project", but he can't keep putting himself in a position where most of the players are in the developmental stage.