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Richard Fox was interviewed on a Spokane radio show today and had some interesting things to say. I was in my car, so am working from memory. I don't know the name of the show but it was on 1510 am in Spokane. I think the lead announcer is a fellow named Toby. I chose the topics I remembered and paraphrased liberally & (I believe) accurately. Fox, imo, is really, really good at what he does. Insightful and very smart, too.
• re Zags running up big leads and then losing that lead, or the game, as happened this year. He was asked what was the main cause. Fox said it was mostly player immaturity. "Look at it in terms of runs. Every team has its run - a period in which they try and make a comeback or do make a comeback. The mature teams run up the lead and then don't give up enough to let the team catch back up. Immature teams, like ours, make too many mistakes and allow teams back in. We'll have this conversation in a couple of years and be saying our guys are mature and didn't let that happen. At least that's what I expect. He said an example of team immaturity was players attempting to check into the game, even the last one vs CS Bakersfield, in which some players did not know how to check into the game or even whom to approach. the announcer laughed at that and noted he, when he was announcing earlier in the season, was also approached a couple of times by Zags trying to check in with him.
To this Fox went into a long discussion about what it's like for these 18 year olds to make all the adjustments they are making in their lives, add in basketball and all its pressures and then summed it up by asking rhetorically: "Has anyone ever tried to get an 18 or 19 year old to pay attention to anything ? Well, that's what's happening with this young, immature, team, too. It's not a matter of whether or not they are told what to do, it's a matter of how long it will take them to mature and begin to listen and then listen, understand and act."
• re seeding, playing in Spokane versus matchups. Fox said it's all about the matchups. He didn't name any preferable teams or give examples but did say he'd rather see a more favorable matchup than see us play in Spokane. "Matchups are everything. Every team has strengths and weaknesses. If we get the kind of matchup that is good for us, our odds are much better, regardless of the seeding. It's always been that way."
• re Zags running up big leads and then losing that lead, or the game, as happened this year. He was asked what was the main cause. Fox said it was mostly player immaturity. "Look at it in terms of runs. Every team has its run - a period in which they try and make a comeback or do make a comeback. The mature teams run up the lead and then don't give up enough to let the team catch back up. Immature teams, like ours, make too many mistakes and allow teams back in. We'll have this conversation in a couple of years and be saying our guys are mature and didn't let that happen. At least that's what I expect. He said an example of team immaturity was players attempting to check into the game, even the last one vs CS Bakersfield, in which some players did not know how to check into the game or even whom to approach. the announcer laughed at that and noted he, when he was announcing earlier in the season, was also approached a couple of times by Zags trying to check in with him.
To this Fox went into a long discussion about what it's like for these 18 year olds to make all the adjustments they are making in their lives, add in basketball and all its pressures and then summed it up by asking rhetorically: "Has anyone ever tried to get an 18 or 19 year old to pay attention to anything ? Well, that's what's happening with this young, immature, team, too. It's not a matter of whether or not they are told what to do, it's a matter of how long it will take them to mature and begin to listen and then listen, understand and act."
• re seeding, playing in Spokane versus matchups. Fox said it's all about the matchups. He didn't name any preferable teams or give examples but did say he'd rather see a more favorable matchup than see us play in Spokane. "Matchups are everything. Every team has strengths and weaknesses. If we get the kind of matchup that is good for us, our odds are much better, regardless of the seeding. It's always been that way."
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