James Strong named as new assistant coach
Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2023 9:26 am
A familiar face moves up to the bench.
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If Strong had any sort of a jump shot he would have been all-SEC. Between the time I started following VU Basketball until probably Jeff Taylor he was the most explosive athlete in a VU basketball uniform. Could do everything but shoot.MemorialMagic wrote: ↑Sun Jul 02, 2023 7:32 pm Stallings loved Strong for his fearlessness. Stallings’s first summer here, I believe the team was going on a trip abroad so they could have summer practices. It was the first time Stallings was able to get on the court with his new team. In one of the first practices, Stallings said Michael Leblanc was acting like a punk. James got all up in his grill (James was 3-4 inches shorter than Leblanc) and told him he’d kick his you know what right then and there if he didn’t shut up and fall in line. Stallings loved him from that day forward.
All-time, I’ll go with Saben Lee…he would explode on anyone with no fear!!Jason94 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 03, 2023 8:25 amIf Strong had any sort of a jump shot he would have been all-SEC. Between the time I started following VU Basketball until probably Jeff Taylor he was the most explosive athlete in a VU basketball uniform. Could do everything but shoot.MemorialMagic wrote: ↑Sun Jul 02, 2023 7:32 pm Stallings loved Strong for his fearlessness. Stallings’s first summer here, I believe the team was going on a trip abroad so they could have summer practices. It was the first time Stallings was able to get on the court with his new team. In one of the first practices, Stallings said Michael Leblanc was acting like a punk. James got all up in his grill (James was 3-4 inches shorter than Leblanc) and told him he’d kick his you know what right then and there if he didn’t shut up and fall in line. Stallings loved him from that day forward.
I don’t really think Stackhouse has any particular reason to favor Strong over a stronger candidate. Sure, he has the VU connection, but not one that would necessarily mean all that much to Stack and his tenure at VU. Maybe Strong opted to decline seeking out or accepting other positions and stayed in Nashville/at Belmont because he really wanted to wait for an opportunity to arise at VU???LawoftheWest wrote: ↑Tue Jul 04, 2023 12:25 am Something does not seem to quite add up. Strong graduated in 2000. 23 years ago. Yet he has not especially advanced as a coach. In no way do I question his ability as a player at Vandy. Or his dedication to Vandy, although he spent quite a few years elsewhere, for example as an assistant at Belmont.
I am concerned about Stong's coaching skills. If he is a great coach, why has he not advanced to being a head coach at some school, especially at his age? Or the lead assistant in a top basketball program? He came from Belmont to Vandy in a somewhat entry level position.
I do not want to be negative. Still, I wonder what he brings to the staff. Is he a great recruiter? Good with X's and O's? Or, is this showing loyalty to a former outstanding player? To me this is somewhat of a headscratcher.
I used to think this way, generally. But as I've gotten older, I've moved away from this presumption. That doesn't mean you're ultimately wrong, but I've run into way too many situations where superior talent got overlooked for innumerable good and bad reasons.LawoftheWest wrote: ↑Tue Jul 04, 2023 12:25 am If he is a great coach, why has he not advanced to being a head coach at some school, especially at his age?
There are lots of potential reasons.LawoftheWest wrote: ↑Tue Jul 04, 2023 12:25 am Something does not seem to quite add up. Strong graduated in 2000. 23 years ago. Yet he has not especially advanced as a coach. In no way do I question his ability as a player at Vandy. Or his dedication to Vandy, although he spent quite a few years elsewhere, for example as an assistant at Belmont.
I am concerned about Stong's coaching skills. If he is a great coach, why has he not advanced to being a head coach at some school, especially at his age? Or the lead assistant in a top basketball program? He came from Belmont to Vandy in a somewhat entry level position.
I do not want to be negative. Still, I wonder what he brings to the staff. Is he a great recruiter? Good with X's and O's? Or, is this showing loyalty to a former outstanding player? To me this is somewhat of a headscratcher.
Good point. Upward mobility (up to a point) is over-sold and over-sought. No one wants to live on the government dime or from paycheck to paycheck. But societal pressure to get that next promotion, to buy that bigger house or better car is intense. It's especially hard for me to understand with professional athletes with salaries in the stratosphere. They bolt from Team A to Team B for an extra $5-$10 M a year. What, $30M a year isn't enough to live on and make you happy?mathguy wrote: ↑Wed Jul 19, 2023 11:49 amThere are lots of potential reasons.LawoftheWest wrote: ↑Tue Jul 04, 2023 12:25 am Something does not seem to quite add up. Strong graduated in 2000. 23 years ago. Yet he has not especially advanced as a coach. In no way do I question his ability as a player at Vandy. Or his dedication to Vandy, although he spent quite a few years elsewhere, for example as an assistant at Belmont.
I am concerned about Stong's coaching skills. If he is a great coach, why has he not advanced to being a head coach at some school, especially at his age? Or the lead assistant in a top basketball program? He came from Belmont to Vandy in a somewhat entry level position.
I do not want to be negative. Still, I wonder what he brings to the staff. Is he a great recruiter? Good with X's and O's? Or, is this showing loyalty to a former outstanding player? To me this is somewhat of a headscratcher.
I'm going to go with: not everyone *wants* to be upwardly mobile. I'm a classroom teacher. I have no interest in ever being a principal. That doesn't mean I'm a bad classroom teacher. A year ago we had a principal opening ... we pretty much begged one of our assistants to apply for the job and she basically said 'no way in heck'. Well, the principal we hired ultimately was gone by the end of October, and she *reluctantly* agreed to be the interim principal for the remained of the school year. As a staff, we loved her. School year ended with a another principal opening. Did she want to keep the job? Nope. Not even interviewing for it. Eager to get back to assistant.
Coaching isn't the same, but assistants make good money and moving to head coach involves a MASSIVE increase in stress and responsibilities. Maybe Strong just isn't interested.
It's also possible Strong is tied to the area and doesn't want to leave for personal/family reasons. So Belmont to Vandy? Sure. But looking outside Nashville for a promotion? May just be an automatic non-starter for him.
I agree 100%. I know that there is a certain amount of peer pressure to take the extra money to help set the market for your fellow players (I once read an interview with a QB, I want to say Mahomes but could be wrong, that said as much ... he wanted to sign for less, but was afraid of angering the players union because the next high profile free agent would have a hard time arguing he deserves more than Mahomes).geeznotagain wrote: ↑Wed Jul 19, 2023 1:51 pm Good point. Upward mobility (up to a point) is over-sold and over-sought. No one wants to live on the government dime or from paycheck to paycheck. But societal pressure to get that next promotion, to buy that bigger house or better car is intense. It's especially hard for me to understand with professional athletes with salaries in the stratosphere. They bolt from Team A to Team B for an extra $5-$10 M a year. What, $30M a year isn't enough to live on and make you happy?
My father has been in the auto racing business since the early 1970s. Started as a driver/engineer but most of his career has been as an engineer.buffy wrote: ↑Tue Jul 18, 2023 9:12 amI used to think this way, generally. But as I've gotten older, I've moved away from this presumption. That doesn't mean you're ultimately wrong, but I've run into way too many situations where superior talent got overlooked for innumerable good and bad reasons.LawoftheWest wrote: ↑Tue Jul 04, 2023 12:25 am If he is a great coach, why has he not advanced to being a head coach at some school, especially at his age?