Jones - control - emotions

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#1

I made myself re-watch the awful game last night. It appeared to me that Mason tried to play with little emotion and totally under control last night. It also appeared that this just doesn’t work with him. When he’s been at his best in a game, he’s extremely passionate, emotional and on the edge of “out of control”.

At the MO game, he definitely crossed that edge. He needed the talk I’m sure he got from CEM. It appeared, either CEM went too hard about him staying in control of his emotions, or Mason went overboard in how he took the instruction.

If we have any hope of making the NCAA Tournament, Mason has to be at his best these next few games until Joe returns. He doesn’t need to be thinking about anything except playing as hard as he can and playing with great confidence. He’s lost some confidence in his shot and you can see it in some hesitation before the shot. That needs to stop. He has a great stroke and he’s got to trust that.

Mason is at his best when he plays with great passion and lots of emotion. Last night he wasn’t having any “fun” on the court. Hopefully, from here on, he will find that magic line again between “great passion” and “out of control”. That great smile he has on the court when he’s having fun needs to return.

#2

I totally agree.

Coach Musselman obviously thought that Mason needed to pay a penance for his outburst and he did.

I know there were some calls on message boards and radio shows for him to be suspended for a game and some even called for him to be suspended for the year.

I love the young man. I have been around him enough to know the type of person he is and not just to look and judge him as an athlete.

I hope he gets his joy and emotion back as a player for himself, not for the team.

There are some who point to Coach Sutton and Coach Richardson and how they would have handled this situation.

Yes, Coach Sutton once tossed Willie Cutts off of the team during a game, but it was just the last outburst among numerous public ones.

I was actually the manager that picked up Willie’s uniform out of the trash near the end of the bench, took him to the locker room and that was the end of his career.

Coach Sutton also suspended Brad Freiss for a game during warm-ups because he smiled and didn’t think he was ready to play.

But Coach Sutton also let Darrell Walker, Alvin Robertson and Scott Hastings go at him during games and practices and just kept playing them.

As for Coach Richardson, he would bench a guy every once in awhile after a pubic outburst, but also let Todd Day, Corey Beck, Scotty Thurman and Corliss Williamson talk back to him in the flow of the game.

It’s time, place, situation - and let’s be real - it’s also about the level of player.

I am also saying that while both were great coaches, I think some of you have selective memories as to the overall picture of discipline.

He may have been written on the practice shirts and, shorts and been the overall philosophy, but was also weighed against the better good of the team.

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#3

I think Muss handled it well, but I’m more concerned about his demeanor last night than Mason’s. Mason was struggling with the handle and shot selection last night.

#4

I would be more concerned if he were handling the losses well.

Too much of that around UA sports lately

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#5

Mason just tweeted this. I take it he’s on the path to refocusing:

Time to level up Mase... how do you want to be remembered? A winner or loser.... Be great , more life God 🤝

— Mase (@masonjones2) February 12, 2020
#6

As Mason is tweeting his refocus, I expect to see the normal version of fiery, walking, talking Muss on the sidelines Saturday.

#7

Yeah I think you got to keep in mind he’s still just a kid. He had an awesome run of games where he was just phenomenal. He’s just going to have to realize that he’s a marked Man and it’s going to be tougher for him to score than it was. I would just advise him to let the game come to him, be aggressive when there’s opportunities and when there’s not pass the ball.

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#8

Without Joe, I think you double team Mason and let the other guys beat you. Like Bruce Pearl finally did in the last minutes of the Auburn game. Who else is gonna get you 20-25?

Mason somehow needs to get refreshed and rested for us to compete and win against SEC competition. I don’t know if that is possible without some time off. He is not getting any of that, so it will be a struggle for us.

#9

Got an extra day this week. The Tuesday to Saturday swing is better than the Saturday to Tuesday swing.

#10

He also didn’t play much in the 2nd half last night.

#11

This says that Mason wasn’t focused at Tennessee. Hmmmm.

#12

I haven’t watched the game yet, but from the score, I would assume not many of them were focused and ready to play…for the first time this season.

#13

It was weird from the outset. Couldn’t throw a beachball in the ocean and couldn’t catch routine passes. Lack of focus? Maybe, but that’s not what struck me; the horrible execution is what struck me. Maybe the focus waned as the game went on and we were making no indication of ever getting into a competitive position. I admit I didn’t watch much of the second half.

#14

At the start of the game, I’d say that is correct. I will say, Jimmy Whitt came out of the 2nd half and played well. Good senior leadership, unfortunately, he didn’t really have any followers, except maybe Chaney.

#15

Coaching and conducting aren’t identical…but I suspect all of the former athletes I know that are conductors, would say its actually pretty similar. You have to study your butt off and you wind up pushing buttons to get other people to perform their best. And, inevitably, you grow closer to your hardest workers. And when you are close to someone you are coaching, sometimes they pop off to you and vice versa. Its happened to me a million times. Its the price you pay for being close. Sometimes when things aren’t going well under pressure things are said.

I think this episode is being way overblown. We are talking about because we saw it on the TV. Musselman seems to have dealt with it.

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#16

When the coach is not talking to you (or yelling), that’s the time to worry.
Wilson Matthews told me the ones he didn’t think could play, he’d leave alone. And, he paid attention if a player snapped at him, but usually he made them run!

#17

Do you suspect it was the fatigue that caused them to lose focus as a group?

#18

I can’t make an evaluation of that until I watch the game.

#19

IIWII, as I have said for the past 50 years…
Life goes on: new issues every day, week, month, year, decade etc… At least we hope mentally we are able to gripe. Right?
Otherwise we would be in a nursing home with no TV or newspaper and just want to eat and sleep! Dull

#20

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