In the spirit of Duke hoops, I thought I would start a thread about what we expect the team to do without Allen for an unknown period of time. Please, for the love of all that's holy, let's try to keep this civil and not devolve into another flame war about Grayson
I see this situation as an opportunity on two fronts.
First, leadership. The team will likely be disjointed and a little unsettled as a result of the suspesnion and the vitriol and hate being spewed on TV, Twitter, etc. They can try to avoid reading it, but they can't miss all of it, especially in the Triangle. How do you rally a bunch of people when times are tough? Leaders must emerge and exert their influence. Enter Matt Jones and Amile Jefferson. I think we have two guys who can help the others see the need to become a tighter group and more cohesive in the face of adversity. Rather than look outside at the haters, focus on having your teammates' backs and doing whatever it takes for the team to succeed.
Second, playing time and enhanced roles. Grayson's absence opens up about 35 minutes of PT. Who steps in and takes it? Based on history, the time will be earned in practice, not by reputation. This is a golden opportunity for Frank to assert himself and earn more PT with ball distribution and D. Jeter could help us go big and move to the 5, letting Amile play the 4. Tatum and Kennard can expand what they do, especially in terms of creating for others. Bolden & Giles have a golden opportunity to step into the void and put their stamp on the team.
In short, I am excited to see how the coaches and the team respond. If things go like I expect they will, I would not want to be Virginia Tech in 9 days. I think the team will have focused, hard practices between now and then. I expect to see an explosive effort in Blacksburg and one that epitomizes the kind of team that plays together. (Think of K's analogy of a fist.)
What do others think?
I see this situation as an opportunity on two fronts.
First, leadership. The team will likely be disjointed and a little unsettled as a result of the suspesnion and the vitriol and hate being spewed on TV, Twitter, etc. They can try to avoid reading it, but they can't miss all of it, especially in the Triangle. How do you rally a bunch of people when times are tough? Leaders must emerge and exert their influence. Enter Matt Jones and Amile Jefferson. I think we have two guys who can help the others see the need to become a tighter group and more cohesive in the face of adversity. Rather than look outside at the haters, focus on having your teammates' backs and doing whatever it takes for the team to succeed.
Second, playing time and enhanced roles. Grayson's absence opens up about 35 minutes of PT. Who steps in and takes it? Based on history, the time will be earned in practice, not by reputation. This is a golden opportunity for Frank to assert himself and earn more PT with ball distribution and D. Jeter could help us go big and move to the 5, letting Amile play the 4. Tatum and Kennard can expand what they do, especially in terms of creating for others. Bolden & Giles have a golden opportunity to step into the void and put their stamp on the team.
In short, I am excited to see how the coaches and the team respond. If things go like I expect they will, I would not want to be Virginia Tech in 9 days. I think the team will have focused, hard practices between now and then. I expect to see an explosive effort in Blacksburg and one that epitomizes the kind of team that plays together. (Think of K's analogy of a fist.)
What do others think?
