Was Ionescu for Graves what Mariota was for Helfrich?

[Charles Fischer]

I've been wondering about this, as I just heard another Duck fan chew on my ear over the phone about the Womens Basketball team.  He has been critical of the coaching, and some of his complaints have been in the comments here as well.

 

Nobody really knew what kind of head coach Mark Helfrich was in 2013 and 2014....because Marcus Mariota was here.  The other players so respected him that they did their roles and all benefited....in spite of Helfrich.  Then when Mariota left....the team fell apart almost immediately in 2015 and fully flat-lined in 2016 as Helfrich lost the team when Marcus was gone.

 

Was Sabrina Ionescu the same for Kelly Graves?

 

[Annie]

I think it's too soon to know. The current team is young, with 5 freshmen who have not been able to bond, because of the pandemic, the way freshmen ordinarily would in a regular season.

[FishIceCream]

I agree with Annie, and also go back to my opinion about Helf at the time: I think he was a fine coach (and still is no doubt) but struggled taking over the CEO job.

 

I think he would have grown into it if they gave him a little more time, and would have kept FishDuck types from complaining about boring offense and pistol formation. I doubt he'd be recruiting on the level we've come to expect over the last couple years, however.

 

In the end, I hope Graves is given time to work things out. I always scorned schools that fired their successful coaches after a bad season; hate to become known as one of those schools.

[widgeon]

NO.

 

[30Duck]

Yeah, I don't really see a parallel between Helfrich and Graves, while Mariota was a Duck, Helfrich was Diet Coke, and did okay, when Marcus left, Helfrich was New Coke, and we all knew how that worked out. Graves not only lost Ionescu, also gone were Hebard, and Satou Sabally, the force behind not only the best women's basketball team that season, in the argument for one of the best of all time.

 

Without the Big 3, and playing in the most competitive basketball conference in the country, Kelly and his team of 5 star freshmen, Sabally's sister, Nyarra, coming back from an ACL tear, Sedona Prince, also recovering from serious leg issues, a transfer from Maryland, Mikesell,  struggle through an inconsistent season, and their freshman PG misses the end of the season with a foot injury.

 

The comparison I see is between this season's Women's team, and the Men's team the season after the Final Four team. Gone from that team, Dillon Brooks, Jordan Bell, Chris Boucher, Dylan Ennis, Tyler Dorsey. That team finished 21-13, lost in the 2nd Round of the NIT. The next year they  got to the Sweet 16, losing to eventual champ, Virginia, 53-49.

[Haywarduck]

Interesting question, but Graves continues to recruit, and would seem to be having a season like Cristobal. Freshman make freshman mistakes, coaches look like they don't know what they are doing.

 

Helfrich inherited success, and destroyed a proud program. Bottomline a coach has to recruit and Helfrich was lousy at this and managing players. 

 

Graves inherited a mess and won 3 straight Pac-12 titles and would have, arguably, won a national title. The women's program hadn't won the Pac-12 title in almost 20 years, completely different animal than what Helfrich inherited.

 

If anything one can wonder if Graves is like Ernie Kent, only as good as his point guard. Does Graves need floor leadership to cover up his weakness at calling games. I doubt this too, as he is a great coach for the program and Oregon Women's Basketball wouldn't be the same without him. 

 

 

[Jon Sousa]

Graves is a great coach and I can't see anything to complain about.

 

No team can take the massive turnover from last year to this... add a ton of freshmen who have never played at this level... add the chaos of COVID... subtract a whole bunch of non-conference games to get some kinks out... add the fact that this team lost to no one outside the top 15 in the country except the Beavers who were inside the top 15 before COVID turned them on their heads...

 

I don't think we have any reason to question Graves as a coach.

 

Take a look at his very long history of coaching women's basketball. He is one of the best.

[woundedknees]

Graves is here because of his long, VERY successful career.

 

Oregon recruited him as hard as Graves pursues top level student athletes.

[nogerO]

Kelly Graves is and has been a great basketball coach.  He lost the GOAT and her 2 sidekicks and started over with what?  Boley and Giomi and a bunch of freshmen and two transfers with bum legs an a season that was completely out of whack due to the latest bad flu.  One has only to look at KG's record before coming here. 

 

Last season was a mess and I'm sure if you asked him he would tell you that.  A coach is only as good as his players and players are only as good as their team mates.  The players in turn are only as good as their ability to learn from and use the coaching they are given.  I still have my doubts about recruiting pampered 5* players and their ability to adjust to the fact that at the next level they aren't the best player on the floor.  Not that any of our fab 5 are that, but I do wonder sometimes when I see the head scratching play I saw this year that looked like 5 individuals more often than a team.

 

Having said this, I think KG is a GREAT coach and I would be surprised if this team isn't leaps and bounds better next year after what I hope will be a "normal" year of basketball.  Time will tell and I'm betting on Mr. Graves...

 

GO Ducks!!!