There are three main things I want to touch on before I hit the meat of this post which will be a kind of reflection on the season and the state of the program up to this point in time. Anyways, the first thing I want to hit on is the whole officiating controversy. To be completely frank, everyone who is getting all angry about Floyd's little rant can go soak their heads. On the replay it was pretty clear that McMillan had not set his feet and that the referee with the best view was ready to signal a blocking foul. There was about forty seconds left to play, and the fact of the matter is that the call made by David Hall made the difference between SC having a realistic shot at winning and having next to zero chance of winning.
Second, I am somewhat curious about the choice of personnell Floyd used in the second half. I really wonder if it was the best idea to have Wilkinson on the court for the majority of the game and have Leonard Washington, despite the allegations that Floyd was not happy with his defense, sit on the bench for the entire second half. Don't get me wrong, I actually think Floyd is a good coach, but that was a strange decision in my mind and deserves closer inspection.
Finally, I wish the players were not so hesitant to shoot. USC had multiple open looks and it seemed like the players were looking to drive or pass, or anything but shoot. In my mind this is too bad and reeks of a lack of confidence. Believe it or not, many of USC's players are pretty good shooters. Derozan, Lewis, and Hackett all have eFG% of 50 or higher and they need to develop that confidence and killer instinct to take that shot without over analyzing the situation. I realize none of our players have that OJ Mayo killer instinct where he would spot up right in front of a guy and take (often even making) the shot with the defender draped all ove them, but they need to have faith in themsleves that the coach and the fans will have faith in them even if it comes up as a missed shot on a good opportunity.
And that is all I have to say with direct respect to the game. Reflections on the season after the jump.
Dear USC Basketball Fans,
I think it is time to fire Tim Floyd. What self-respecting school would put up with all of the awful things he has done to USC basketball? I am sickened and disgusted that he refuses year after year to recruit PGs. Never mind that Ryan Francis was murdered, never mind that Gabe Pruitt left a year early, forget that Derek Glasser was all set to be a walk on until the 11th hour, who cares that Angelo Johnson transferred due to academic issues and the fact that Floyd did not give in to his demands for a starting spot. Don't even talk about how Brandon Jennings was committed for 9 months, how Donte Smith was one of the top rated JUCO PGs in the country, or that there are already commitments from two top 100 PGs in the next two classes (Gary Franklin and Ryan Boatright) and that point guard Mike Gerrity has joined the team a la Marcus Johnson for next season.
And speaking of Marcus Johnson, what the heck is up with Floyd's sadistic streak of maiming our players? Last year it seemed like he could not top himself after giving Mamadou Diarra a hernia in only his freshman season, breaking Daniel Hackett's jaw, and destroying Kasey Cunningham's knee, but no it seems like a week can't go bye without him purposefully thinning the bench.Remember when he denied Alex Stepheson eligibility and re-tore Kasey Cunningham's ACL after he so much as sneezed in an unsettling manner? Clearly his bloodlust was not sated, and he continued on by spraining Leonard Washington's ankle while following that up just weeks later by spraining Dwight's. Most recently he dislocated Taj Gibson's Finger, tore Marcus Johnson's rotator cuff, and used a Loiusiana swamp curse to induce back pain in Nikola Vucevic. And horror of horrors! He has turned to biological warfare and infected poor Taj with pneumonia and gave Hackett the Flu! Won't somebody think of the children?
But the most egregious of Floyd's sins has to be on the recruiting trail. What kind of self-congratulating ego maniac brings in three players that are all 6'6"-6'8" tall? It is of absolutely NO CONSEQUENCE that each player plays a completely different position and each has very different game, clearly they are all the same height and therefore are all swingman and therefore will all be horrible and therefore Floyd is like some kind of Dr. Frankenstein trying to cobble together a monstrous team out of only players that are on average 6'5"-6'8". It is simply heresy to think that any team could be successful with a lineup of players that are predominantly around this height. I just have to shake my head and sigh when Floyd brings in yet another crop of hugely overrated power forwards that everyone scouted and knew about (Taj Gibson, Davon Jefferson, Leonard Washington, Nikola Vucevic) that just can't play, or when he reels in another McDonald's All American that is all flash and no substance like OJ Mayo (20 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.3 APG) and Demar Derozan (14.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.2 APG {in conference}). And shame on him for recruiting players that took a year to develop like Lewis and long term projects like Diarra (already, I might add, a red shirt freshman. Why isn't he on the court dominating like Hasheem Thabeet? I mean he has already been in America for almost 4 years) . Shame shame shame shame shame.
SO with all of this damning evidence the only answer is to fire Tim Floyd. Why, I don't really know why we didn't do it sooner! Get him out the door as quick as possible so we can bring in big Roy Williams or Coach K; lord knows they've been wanting an inlet into the least media friendly and most openly disrespected conference in the country for years. WIth SC's Basketball tradition and history of hoops success there is no reason that we, as fans, should have to continue to put up with Floyd's antics. FIGHT ON and FIRE TIM FLOYD!!
Hugs and Kisses,
Laughing Stock