An Early Kudos to Farrelly!

[Polito]

Thought I would throw Mike a shout out in his own thread, I just listened to this weeks coaches report, I think he deserves some shine so far. Obviously we all know the situation he's been thrust into, but I wanted to note my reaction to his sessions with SG.

His transparency and frankness is awesome and very refreshing - almost no 'coach speak' nonsense, he's genuine and vulnerable - I really really like his style

Some key points:
-- The practice and game intensity, focus, and effort were not where they need to be.
-- The offense is getting plenty of good / open looks, just need the guys to actually make their shots. I def agree, in all games thus far the O is producing plenty of scoring opps - it's working, but gotta finish. And if they don't, they may need to adjust they type of opps they're creating / going for.
-- Defense needs to continue to improve, and I'd say that's directly related to A) the intensity issues noted, and B) some youth (i.e. Cramer)
-- Coburn's development is really important, intriguing, and exciting. He has such a valuable and diverse skill set, he can be the guy and take over games. But he's clearly still growing into being front and center after being a deeper option previous years. The one area he needs to I am desperately looking for either Ray or Coburn to take over this team and LEAD them. Part of that is producing of course, but the other part is being THE vocal leader - and that's the part that's missing from this team, and one of those guys needs to rise to the occasion this year.


I am not thrilled thus far with the staffs inability to ensure a productive PG, nor do I agree with force feeding a true freshman into a starting role when he's clearly not ready. Nor am I pleased that this team has not been working on the press in some reasonable basic capacity.

But overall with the context of this seasons challenges from graduating top talent to lack of an offseason to losing the HC, man is HU really fortunate to have Farrelly during this time w/out JM - he's really doing a standup job and has answered the call. A LOT more to do, and clearly some things that need to be much better and that's on his and the staffs shoulders, but all in all, I like him at the helm! Keep going and keep growing Mike!

[HUSID74]

Well stated Polito...the program was very lucky to have someone of Mike's experience and talent step in for his longtime mentor. IMO, Mike was definitley ready to be a D One head coach.

[daHUPride]

Nice post - Polito.
Coach Farrelly - i like the kid and agree with everything you write above - plus I like his sense of humor.
He was always a favorite - in past years - in the Pride Room.

[joeg1]

I was reading some of the obits on former Giants coach Ray Perkins, and current coach Judge made some comments. To paraphrase, the older coach relayed to the younger that the most important role he performs is player development, and not to rush to judgment and give up on players too quickly.

How true.

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[Polito]

I think this is something HU does really really well. And God bless them, not sure I have the patience for it LOL

One of the key quotes from Carlos's commitment was that this staff allows their players to play through their mistakes - that's great great stuff, and a huge factor to young talented players. Especially guards who want to showcase and don't want to be hampered or benched because they are aggressive.

In all my fan frustration, I am very happy with this staff all in all - these guys work their tails off, and they run this program like true professionals.

[Polito]

Bumping up... just a follow up to Farrelly's SBU postgame.

Makes NO excuses, takes full ownership for it all, calls it like it is, doesn't blame players, doesn't excuse them either, and knows this isn't about moral victories, it's about the win - yes there's value in the growth and development experience, as he notes, but also confirms you either win or you don't.

LOVE this guy. Totally gets it. Needs a bit more head whistle time under his belt, but so far he's sold me - should only get better as the season goes on.

[4EverDutch]

GREAT coaching job today, and he got the WIN!

[stuball888]

So as we see this team and develop with players like Burgess Green and Kramer grow into their roles so has this coaching staff With JAM out mike speedy and colin have taken on added responsibilities They have done a tremendous job. In our three losses we have not been blownout Rutgers 12 point loss Iona 8 point loss and St Bonnie an 8 point loss

[HofstraMathew]

Completely agree with all the kudos given here. We are also getting what seems like more minutes (i am sure EvanJ can correct me if I am wrong) from Freshman (both true and redshirt). I wonder if this is more of Farrelly's approach or just a result of the roster that was built.

[Polito]

I am extremely impressed with three primary things - and I'm referencing Mike, but know full well the staff as a whole deserves kudos:

His Transparency - I LOVE his post-games, his weekly sessions with SG, literally anytime he is speaking to the 'public' his openness and vulnerability is fantastic and refreshing. To hear him talk about the play calls, whether good or bad, is the kind of genuine stuff that engages a fan base.

His Play Calling - I am certainly no X and O expert, but for whatever reason the games 'feel' different - I think I noted in a previous post how the O they're running is producing noticeably great looks, open lanes, high % buckets, etc. And if I can see it, I'm sure there's a much deeper layer as well. What he's calling is working, the only challenge has been making the baskets early on - but when they guys make shots, HU is always in a solid position to win.

His Bench / Rotation Use - As HM and others have noted, he is clearly using more of the bench than we have normally seen, and is very willing to mix up the rotations as needed. He does not seem to be burning guys to the ground by the end of the season. Now I think part of that is because of the COVID concerns, ALL teams in ALL sports have been forced to prepare depth just in case. And then I think another part of it is his style / preference.

I did not like the one grouping yesterday that had Schutte and Masic out there at the same time, can't remember the rest, but it was awful and ineffective. Outside of that, he's pressing the right buttons at the right time - this can't be overstated, an effective coach puts their players in a position to win.

I'm not sold on Masic yet, think he's a support guy, and I definitely would not be forcing Green into a starting role, but those are really the only 2 things I can nitpick. BUT there is clearly a reason they are doing so, and that trumps my feeling lol.

This is no knock to JM by the way at all, he is the reason we are even in this position and have MF in the first place. I am just SUPER impressed with Farrelly - he has turned out to be my kind of young up and coming coach that I think can help HU rise up a notch. And I fully admit I did not think he was quite ready yet to be a HC, felt another season or 2 would be better, but he has fully exceeded my expectations, and I am really proud of the guy.

Agree Stu, what he's doing being thrust unexpectedly into this role and losing guys like Buie and Pemba has everyones attention, we could be witnessing the birth of something really special here with the development of Mike and the new talent - I'm excited to see where this goes...

[EvanJ]

Completely agree with all the kudos given here. We are also getting what seems like more minutes (i am sure EvanJ can correct me if I am wrong) from Freshman (both true and redshirt). I wonder if this is more of Farrelly's approach or just a result of the roster that was built.

There aren't season statistics pages that give each player's year. I can get that from our rosters, which takes longer. I'll compare to last season. I'm not going farther back. Last season we used four freshmen, Burgess, Miranda, Hughes, and Gibson Jr. They combined for 41/2,596 = 1.58 percent of our points and 265/6,800 = 3.90 percent of our minutes. This season we have used three freshmen. They combined for 79/516 = 15.31 percent of our points and 307/1,400 = 21.93 percent of our minutes. It would be interesting to have breakdown by year for the whole NCAA, but that doesn't exist.

[HUclassof19]

are the praises of mike hidden shots at joe? or am i reading into this wrong.

if they are. i disagree.

[HUSID74]

I agree that this staff has done a tremendous job given the set of circumstances; COVID and Joe's leave.

As for Masic I beleive that he is seeing additional playing time for a couple of reasons;
1. He is mature beyond his age with his Euro experience
2. He is a good ball handler who can come in when Burgess is out
3. He does NOT make mistakes like the turnover chukker Silverio

I beleive that Farrelly mentioned his use in one of his pressers.

[Pride97]

are the praises of mike hidden shots at joe? or am i reading into this wrong.

if they are. i disagree.

I don’t think so (but I can’t speak for all). I think it’s more about the fact that we didn’t know how MF would fare and he has done a great job - probably beyond our expectations.

I think (and hope) everyone realizes what Joe has done here. He took a program in terrible shape and made it into a yearly contender. He has put Hofstra back on the map and based on the recruits we have been getting ... it’s clearly getting around. We have won three regular season titles and got over the hump last year. Pretty impressive when you start with 4 players seven years ago.

I was listening to an interview Jerry Beach did with some Monmouth podcasters a few weeks back and was great to be reminded of all that Joe has accomplished. He has brought in many great players that are even better people that I’m proud to represent the school.

MIke is a product of Joe and I think he’d be the first person to say it.


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[Captain]

Very well put. Coach Joe has been amazing in every way for the program.
We all should pray for a complete and speedy recovery. Also thank you for having such a good and loyal right hand man in MF.
I am sure he has learned a lot under Coach M and the Coach respects his opinions.
This year we had 4 new players and 2 possibly departing core players. This might have been a year where need and competency would have required Coach M to play a deeper bench.
It would not surprise me if the 2 coaches are communicating. I believe after all this time that the bond is really strong.
Let’s just be thankful that the program is in good hands and thank you to all involved.

[The Shadow]

I can only wish Coach Joe and his family All the Best for the Holidays and a healthy 2021. I hope he can return to the HU bench soon. I think the HU program is in very good hands with Coaches Mike, Speedy, Colin, Andrew, and the rest of the staff. The past few months must have been a very difficult time. Just reflect on all the problems that this outstanding staff has overcome (including coach replacement, recruiting during COVID, scheduling, Zoom meetings, travel, online college classes, etc.). We cannot know all the hours and hours this has taken this staff. We should be very grateful how they have successfully overcome all of this. A thank you should also go to Mike Neely and the HU ticket department organizing all the Zoom 3C Coaches meetings. Last, we should also thank AD Cole, Stephen Gorchov, and the rest of the administration.