Any Insight into what was really going on in MSU-SC Champ game?

[revolution]

Ok, I don't understand how MSU's coach, Schaeffer, is not getting a lot of serious heat for not playing his #1 sparkplug, Mo Williams, for the last 10 minutes of the championship game.

Seems with about 5 minutes left, MSU cut the lead to 4.  Wouldn't that have been the ideal time to bring back in your star to finish off the comeback?

I can't imagine a coach on the men's side doing this because he didn't like his star's body language or because something was said negatively in the heat of the moment.  Was Schaeffer's point he made to this young lady really worth handicapping his team's ability to win a national championship?  Did he not have a responsibility to those other girls, his school, and the fans to put his team in the best position to win.

Seems like there's been very little reporting about this issue.  Maybe Schaeffer was completely justified.  But this is a huge story that is being largely ignored or at least no reporting beyond the surface statements by Coach and the player.

I just can't imagine Williams or Few getting so incensed in the heat of a championship game that they do not play their best player in the last fourth of the game.  She had 8 points, 4 assists, etc. in what 23 minutes?  Let's project that out - 4-6 more points, another assist when MSU was struggling to score.

Maybe Schaeffer's ego got the better of him?  Maybe not.  Any insight out there?
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[logic]

He gave her every chance in the book.  However, she just wasn't playing well which is understandable after such an extreme effort the prior game.

[revolution]

He gave her every chance in the book.  However, she just wasn't playing well which is understandable after such an extreme effort the prior game.

Sounds good, but consider the box score. 

Morgan Williams had 8 points, 2-6 from the field, 4-4 from the free throw line, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 foul and 1 turnover in 23 minutes.

Meanwhile, Victoria Vivans played 34 minutes and was 4-16 from the field, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 fouls and 5 turnovers.  Scored 12 points.

Obviously it wasn't just her not playing well.  MSU had many more players not playing as well as Morgan Williams, but they weren't benched for the whole fourth quarter.

There was an attitude moment?  But isn't it the coach's job to bring all the individuals together and get them to sacrifice themselves for the team's success?  Did Coach Schaeffer model this, or did it become more important to him to teach a lesson to Morgan Williams on the biggest stage, with the National Championship hanging in the balance.

Seems as if William's attitude and ego got the best of her for a time, so did Coach Schaeffer's.  What's more important?  Who's the Big Boss or Winning the Game?

Seriously, would you be happy if Coach Anderson benched his best player in the last 10 minutes of a championship game because the player snapped and said something inappropriate? 

Obviously I don't know much - that's why I'm asking.  Perhaps this was a re-occurring issue with Morgan Williams?  But where's the reporting on that angle?

[flippinhogmana]

the truth is that adrenaline can have a draining effect.  I think Morgan William was shot emotionally by the previous highs and just didnt have anything left to give and her energy level showed it.  She was flat, drained, spent.  I dont think Vic wanted her on the floor at the end because she is close to him, and I dont think he wanted her to have that in her memory.  I think it was just a little psychology for the future and not detrimentally so.

[Dr. Starcs]

Schaefer tried to play tough guy in the worst possible time from my view.

She wasn't nearly as bad on the court as he or she claimed to be. Certainly not as bad as some of the others.

Hope his lesson was worth it.

[psycHOGlogist]

I agree - you have to dance with who brung you. I didn't understand that choice. Drained or not, you're disrupting the whole team.

[flippinhogmana]

Schaefer tried to play tough guy in the worst possible time from my view.

She wasn't nearly as bad on the court as he or she claimed to be. Certainly not as bad as some of the others.

Hope his lesson was worth it.

I agree - you have to dance with who brung you. I didn't understand that choice. Drained or not, you're disrupting the whole team.

I respect you both and value your posts and insights but you are both just wrong.  I saw early that Morgan William just didnt have 'it' the spark that carried her team on previous occasions.  Morgan is the last person that Vic would play tough guy with, c'mon.  They are close.  But that doesn't say that he might not have handled it like you or I would.  But I honestly think he was trying to protect her, particularly at the end, more than trying to motivate her or certainly not to punish her. 

Like I said, adrenaline is a chemical (pharmaceutically it is manufactured as epinephrine; it is sometimes called liquid speed).  It can have a leaching effect on the nervous and muscular system that results in a downer effect eventually.  That is a fact, not some fuzzy theory.  I think she just didnt have it as a result. 

That was my independent observation before this thread was posted from watching the game and watching her.  Again, not saying as a coach that I would have handled it exactly the same, but I am not questioning the coaches motives here.  I probably would have brought her in a couple of times and tried to reach her; all the while suspecting I couldn't, because it wasnt a matter of her will or heart.  But that is more my style.  I think in the end Vic didnt want to hang the loss on her not being a heroin once again.  I dont think he wanted that for her.

[Birminghog]

The idea that there was any bad blood between Vic & Morgan or a need for Vic to show her who was "boss" is unlikely. Vic has essentially become Morgan's dad since her dad died three years ago. Morgan and Vic's daughter are roommates and best friends. Vic and Morgan are uber close.

Morgan's a great kid. She and my daughter went to high school together. She likely just ran out of gas, but I certainly don't know that. She deserves every plaudit that comes her way, as does Vic.

[Dr. Starcs]

I can't imagine the vitriol that would be on this board if you replaced the names Vic Shaefer and Morgan William with Mike Anderson and Dusty Hannahs or Daryl Macon.

Imagine Hannahs scores 41 in an elite 8 win over top seeded Kansas. Then takes down North Carolina in the final 4 with a game winner. Only to be benched for the entire last 10 minutes in the title game against Kentucky with the same exact stat line William had last night.

[flippinhogmana]

I can't imagine the vitriol that would be on this board if you replaced the names Vic Shaefer and Morgan William with Mike Anderson and Dusty Hannahs or Daryl Macon.

Imagine Hannahs scores 41 in an elite 8 win over top seeded Kansas. Then takes down North Carolina in the final 4 with a game winner. Only to be benched for the entire last 10 minutes in the title game against Kentucky with the same exact stat line William had last night.

haha!  I also can imagine that!

[flippinhogmana]

The idea that there was any bad blood between Vic & Morgan or a need for Vic to show her who was "boss" is unlikely. Vic has essentially become Morgan's dad since her dad died three years ago. Morgan and Vic's daughter are roommates and best friends. Vic and Morgan are uber close.

Morgan's a great kid. She and my daughter went to high school together. She likely just ran out of gas, but I certainly don't know that. She deserves every plaudit that comes her way, as does Vic.

hear, hear! ditto!  My sentiments exactly and I was referring to that when I said Morgan was the last person that Vic would do that too.

[TomasPistola]

I don't understand a whole lot about criticizing a final 4 coach. I kinda figure at this point he knows what he's doing.

[Inhogswetrust]

I don't understand a whole lot about criticizing a final 4 coach. I kinda figure at this point he knows what he's doing.

And no fan knows the whole story.

[revolution]

the truth is that adrenaline can have a draining effect.  I think Morgan William was shot emotionally by the previous highs and just didnt have anything left to give and her energy level showed it.  She was flat, drained, spent.  I dont think Vic wanted her on the floor at the end because she is close to him, and I dont think he wanted her to have that in her memory.  I think it was just a little psychology for the future and not detrimentally so.

Interesting take.  I hope that was the thinking.  Honestly, I don't know any of the history there, so the whole thing just seemed really odd to me.

[flippinhogmana]

Interesting take.  I hope that was the thinking.  Honestly, I don't know any of the history there, so the whole thing just seemed really odd to me.

Well, my friend you were not the only one curious about it.  I was watching her (knowing what I know about adrenaline highs-I have observed its effects in sports before but also in real life, as a former medic, and as a city manager with police and fire personnel)- I watched to see if it would have any effect.  To me she seemed flat from the start.  Later when Vic pulled her (she normally plays nearly the whole game) on more than one occasion, it was obvious to me that he saw the same thing.  I dont think I have ever seen anyone fully successfully solve such a situation which a motivational speech, or discipline either.

[logic]

Well, my friend you were not the only one curious about it.  I was watching her (knowing what I know about adrenaline highs-I have observed its effects in sports before but also in real life, as a former medic, and as a city manager with police and fire personnel)- I watched to see if it would have any effect.  To me she seemed flat from the start.  Later when Vic pulled her (she normally plays nearly the whole game) on more than one occasion, it was obvious to me that he saw the same thing.  I dont think I have ever seen anyone fully successfully solve such a situation which a motivational speech, or discipline either.

Whether it is adrenaline or extreme effort over a long event such as 40 minutes of basketball, the body and perhaps mind and body requires time to recover.  Didn't Frank  Shorter fail to win the Olympic gold in the marathon in 1976 because he had to also compete  in the USA Olympic trials and didn't have sufficient time to recover?