Daaaaaang.
This is the saddest story I've seen on Rutgers yet: an analysis of what happened to the heralded recruiting class of 2008.
There are days, even now, when Rutgers sophomore Chelsey Lee dreams of buying a plane ticket home to Miami and ditching the drain of basketball practice.
“It’s hard,” she said. “I’m serious. It’s so hard.”
....
Problems arose early. The players were exhausted mentally by Stringer’s expectations and physically by her marathon practices. All five expected extended playing time as freshmen, and did not receive it. Personality quirks and chemistry problems piled up, splintering the group.
Lee, Speed and Sykes all admit they considered leaving, even if they maintain that those feelings are fleeting now.
Stringer believes the group turned a corner this year. But thinking about the hype, her voice rose. Her face looked stricken.
“They ain’t worth a dime,” Stringer said. “They haven’t proven themselves. They haven’t done anything. That’s just conversation. They should have left that alone.
....
“I just kept giving it chance after chance,” Dixon said in a telephone interview earlier this month from Los Angeles, where she averages 14.7 points a game for the Bruins. “And I realized, ‘Okay, I’m not going to waste any more time.’ I know when something isn’t right, and I felt that wasn’t right.”
....
That reporter got Jasmine Dixon to say more than she ever has on the subject. And "they ain't worth a dime"? What kind of way is that to talk about your players?
As for Maryland, forget about going to the big dance. They aren't even ranked.
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9 comments:
"they ain't worth a dime" It may be time for CVS to gracefully retire and turn the program over to somebody else. It sounds like a bit of dementia.
If Stringer is hating it that much, she should find a new job.
It's one thing to criticize a player's game, but to attack their person and say they aren't worth anything is quite another.
OK what do you expect her to say when an article comes out like that, I am not a big fan but do y'all remember Charde Houston!!!
On one hand they are saying how tough it is but in another I read 1 of them sayd she loves Stringer so not sure what you believe on this.
I'm no fan of Stringer, but I took "they ain't worth a dime" to reference the player rankings.
The rest of her comments were definitely about players and they were vile.
I can't even imagine what it must be like to be in that situation.
There was a graph a while back in Rebkell (did you do it?) that showed how many players were lost to transfer. It was incredible.
I haven't been on the rebkell board in almost two months, but that graph sounds very interesting. I can't recall more players leaving a program than they have from that one the last few years.
She's not in the hall of fame for nothing. These kids don't get it. She may be tough but she's not the one on the court turning the ball over and going 1-15 in games and you're an ALL-AMERICAN. Kids these days... its NEVER their fault. EVER.
Actually, according to Stringer, it's never HER fault. Her interviews should be cause for concern to those close to her. I truly believe she's having a breakdown.
You don't get 800 wins for nothing but you also have to adapt, tactically and psychologically. She's shown an incredible lack of flexibility but that would jive with the ego she's demonstrated. A little humble pie.
The girls signed up for basketball, not prison camp.
I think it's a bit of both. I'm not a fan but she has been successful and she has her following - but the group were also over hyped and had a long way to fall. It will be interesting what happens to Cals class!!
Jasmine Dixon has proven her greatness at UCLA. It remains to be seen if this group was overrated (Dixon certainly wasn't) or if they were incorrectly used and developed. Brooklyn Pope starts next season at Baylor and lots and lots of talk that Nikki Speed will be leaving. We may see how talented this class was when they're at other schools.
I think most observers in California would agree that the Cal class was overrated but are hopeful that Boyle could make something really special of a class with more potential than actual ability.
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