Phelps on the hot seat?

[Aces0976]

Let me jump in the fray here with my vast knowledge of the situation (1 game of watching him this year against UE). After hearing the Drake fans talk about him on here, I actually paid closer attention to him in our game against Drake. I have to say, his in game coaching style reminded me so much of Steve Merfeld, it was amazing. Timeout after timeout, Phelps spent 1/2 of the timeout arguing with the refs, 1/4 of the timeout talking to the assistants and would then get to the players as buzzer would go off. It just kinda seemed like his game management was very poor. I know when Merfeld was here, he seemed to be a decent recruiter, seemed to be a good game planner, but his in-game adjustments were generally not very good. Not to mention how frustrating it was to watch him act like a fool on the sidelines. If you're coach constantly whines to officials on EVERY foul, EVERY travel, it has to affect the players. Either they quit taking him serious or they start emulating him, either way it's not good. As a UE fan, I can definitely sympathize with Drake fans. Losing sucks no matter what, but losing with a coach that you don't respect makes it even worse.

[RoyalShock]

I say this in all seriousness . . . would Barry Hinson be a good fit at Drake?

[Aces0976]

I say this in all seriousness . . . would Barry Hinson be a good fit at Drake?

So many short jokes come to mind with this, but I'm going to leave it alone.

[TylerDurden]

Barry would be an improvement at several Valley schools.

[MSUDuo]

Barry would be an improvement at several Valley schools.

He might be an improvement but there are too many expectations in the Valley for him to work at any school.

[DUBulldog]

I say this in all seriousness . . . would Barry Hinson be a good fit at Drake?

I'm not sure. Coaching-wise, he'd be an improvement. I don't know how well he'd be able to recruit at Drake, given Drake's slightly higher requirements for student-athletes than what the NCAA requires. For the MSU fans....did he recruit true student-athletes or guys who were there strictly for the basketball? If he recruited true student-athletes, then I think he'd be a good fit.

[Husker Dog]

Let me jump in the fray here with my vast knowledge of the situation (1 game of watching him this year against UE). After hearing the Drake fans talk about him on here, I actually paid closer attention to him in our game against Drake. I have to say, his in game coaching style reminded me so much of Steve Merfeld, it was amazing. Timeout after timeout, Phelps spent 1/2 of the timeout arguing with the refs, 1/4 of the timeout talking to the assistants and would then get to the players as buzzer would go off. It just kinda seemed like his game management was very poor. I know when Merfeld was here, he seemed to be a decent recruiter, seemed to be a good game planner, but his in-game adjustments were generally not very good. Not to mention how frustrating it was to watch him act like a fool on the sidelines. If you're coach constantly whines to officials on EVERY foul, EVERY travel, it has to affect the players. Either they quit taking him serious or they start emulating him, either way it's not good. As a UE fan, I can definitely sympathize with Drake fans. Losing sucks no matter what, but losing with a coach that you don't respect makes it even worse.

Just to give you another good example...... Our game against WSU the other night.... we were hanging tough and WSU was struggling in the first half. Phelps calls a time out with the crowd on their feet and going crazy. Of course he pulls out his trusty whiteboard we all hate, and begins to devise some masterpiece plan to finish up the first half. I belive we turned the ball over/missed shot, and WSU gets a quick score before the 1st half buzzer and lady MOmentum left us quick..... GAME OVER!!!! WSU came out in the second half and picked up and ran away with the game. Not saying we had a chance, but it was nice to see the crowd in the game and the players responding to the excitement!!!
Mark Phelps = Momentum killer !!!

[DUBulldog]

Let me jump in the fray here with my vast knowledge of the situation (1 game of watching him this year against UE). After hearing the Drake fans talk about him on here, I actually paid closer attention to him in our game against Drake. I have to say, his in game coaching style reminded me so much of Steve Merfeld, it was amazing. Timeout after timeout, Phelps spent 1/2 of the timeout arguing with the refs, 1/4 of the timeout talking to the assistants and would then get to the players as buzzer would go off. It just kinda seemed like his game management was very poor. I know when Merfeld was here, he seemed to be a decent recruiter, seemed to be a good game planner, but his in-game adjustments were generally not very good. Not to mention how frustrating it was to watch him act like a fool on the sidelines. If you're coach constantly whines to officials on EVERY foul, EVERY travel, it has to affect the players. Either they quit taking him serious or they start emulating him, either way it's not good. As a UE fan, I can definitely sympathize with Drake fans. Losing sucks no matter what, but losing with a coach that you don't respect makes it even worse.

Just to give you another good example...... Our game against WSU the other night.... we were hanging tough and WSU was struggling in the first half. Phelps calls a time out with the crowd on their feet and going crazy. Of course he pulls out his trusty whiteboard we all hate, and begins to devise some masterpiece plan to finish up the first half. I belive we turned the ball over/missed shot, and WSU gets a quick score before the 1st half buzzer and lady MOmentum left us quick..... GAME OVER!!!! WSU came out in the second half and picked up and ran away with the game. Not saying we had a chance, but it was nice to see the crowd in the game and the players responding to the excitement!!!
Mark Phelps = Momentum killer !!!

Or, early in the second half....Drake had just cut a 7 point WSU lead to 1, mostly due to Rayvonte Rice. In the previous 2 minutes, he had a steal, hit a 3-pointer, blocked a shot, and then hit a long 2 after making a move that literally had Grahan Hatch tripping over his own feet trying to defend. A few seconds later, there was a dead ball, and Phelps takes Rice out. And Ryan Wedel for good measure. The starting backcourt. The two guys who had 18 of Drake's 34 points at that tiem. This was before the first media timeout of the half.....they could not have needed a rest. Rice had sat the last 4 minutes of the first half with two fouls, and then had another 15 minute break for halftime.

WSU immediately comes down and hits a 3, and that started a 20-6 WSU run that put the game away. Oh yeah, neither Rice or Wedel scored again in the game. Not only did Phelps kill his team's momentum, he killed his players' individual momentum. And, he makes substitutions like that all the time. It's like he's predetermined before the game who will come in and go out at what time.....and what's happening in the game doesn't change it.

SMDH.