I have very little time, but let me quickly weigh in on the Harrison Gaines situation. First, read the very strong column in today's paper by my colleague Matt Flegenheimer. Then, after the jump, read my brief lengthy thoughts.
Throughout the season, I have been able to rationalize -- at least in my mind -- most of the issues that have plagued this basketball team. I firmly believed, and still believe, that Glen Miller has had incredibly bad luck throughout his tenure, to go along with the fact that this team was simply too young and inexperienced to win consistently over the past two years.
That said, the Harrison Gaines story is very troubling to me for a few reasons, some of which reflect poorly on Miller. While I don't fully know all of the circumstances surrounding Gaines' decision to transfer, here is what I can offer based on my conversations with Harrison over the past two years and my general knowledge of his role on the team.
1. Gaines was part of Miller's very first recruiting class -- and a player that Miller expected to play a very big role in this program. There is a reason why Gaines started last season, and why even with Zack Rosen taking over the starting point guard role this season, Miller still tried to get Gaines into the starting lineup, especially down the stretch. Any time a highly-sought after recruit (Remy Cofield cannot be categorized as such) chooses to bail on the coach that recruited him, for whatever reason, it is a serious problem.
2. Given his father's comments, which stated that Gaines had been thinking about leaving as early as last year, Gaines likely chose to leave for the obvious reason that he was brought in to the be the point guard of the future, and just as he was learning the ropes, his coach brought in another point guard. This is a dicey situation -- Rosen is a more skilled pure point guard than Gaines, but Gaines came to Penn to run the point, or so he was told, before Rosen got here. I have a tough time faulting Miller for trying to grab the best recruits he could get, but Gaines' desire to leave as a result of this situation is perfectly understandable.
3. His decision to transfer raises questions about Miller's management of this situation. However, it is hardly an uncommon occurrence to have a player change his role or position on a team as new players come in. Throughout the Ivy stretch, Miller made an effort to get Gaines involved in the starting lineup and get him touches. Gaines responded by becoming the one of the team's most reliable scorers. I wrote on numerous occasions that, while I once thought Gaines' career was essentially doomed the second Rosen signed on with the Quakers, it now appeared that Rosen's arrival was the best thing that could have happened for Gaines. It seemed that by taking Gaines out of the point guard role and letting him focus on scoring, everyone benefited. As such, I really do question what Gaines is thinking when he claims he wants to better utilize his full set of skills. It seemed to me that Miller was casting him in a role that maximized his strengths and minimized his weaknesses. Evidently, Gaines disagreed. He's not tall enough to play anything other than point guard in a more competitive conference than the Ivy League, but at Penn with Rosen in the backcourt, Gaines' ideal role was the one he was playing at season's end. If he simply wants to run the point and be a scorer and can find a program that can accommodate him, then more power to him.
4. Regardless of Gaines' judgment or assessment of his own skill set, the one thing that I will say is that he has been a true class act in his two years here. As a reporter, I can tell you that he has provided the best, most entertaining, most candid, and most articulate interviews of anyone on the basketball team over the past two years. To that end, the manner in which he announced his departure is rather suspicious. Especially given all of the controversy surrounding Miller this season and the other departures, Gaines could have easily made a statement about how this was a personal decision and had nothing to do with the coach, or something to that effect. I would have expected as much from him if that were truly the case. Instead, he made no effort to save Miller from the vultures. I can only infer that he was not pleased with the state of affairs, and that is a direct reflection on the coach.
Still, it is vital to keep in mind that while he might not publicly admit it, Gaines could have felt personally affronted by Miller's pursuit and signing of Rosen. From the press release, it clearly bothered him last year, and perhaps he just never got over it. And I can't blame him for that -- it's too bad that he and Miller couldn't work it all out. Miller is responsible for this situation and can fairly be blamed for the loss of Gaines, for better or for worse. It is a bad reflection on him and the program, regardless of the circumstances. At the end of the day, if Rosen blossoms into the superstar many expect him to become, then Miller doesn't look quite as bad. But if the situation with Gaines could have been managed differently, and both players continued to work together in the backcourt, the future prospects for this team might have been brighter. Sadly, we will never know for sure.
Your comments are welcome as always, though I apologize in advance if I do not respond to them and follow up in the next week with new posts as I usually do. I'm swamped with thesis work right now -- I am now even regretting this 30-minute Buzz diversion...
Tags: basketball, harrison gaines
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March 18th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Excellent article! Good luck on your thesis!
March 18th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Intersting insight, but what it is lacking (not your fault Andrew) is insight on what goes on behind the scenes. It makes a ton of sense to analyze this from the on-the-court perspective, looking at playing time, roles, etc, but you just cannot know what is going on behind the scenes. How is Miller treating his players? How is Miller treating the Dunphy recruits vs. his recruits? How is Miller treating the "first string" players versus the subs? How does he interact with alumni, fellow Big 5 coaches, Philly high school coaches, staff in the AD's office, his assistant coaches, and the basketball staff? Did Gaines just have enough of Miller and his treatment of Gaines?
The more people that leave the program (and while we went back and forth on this in another post, the total number who LEFT this year is 5, not 3, because you have to factor in Kach's and Grandieri's choice not to apply for a 5th year of eligiblity, whether they would have received it or not) the more you have to wonder about the behind the scenes issues....the way Miller interacts with his players, the way he uses the media to throw players under the bus, the way he makes excuses without taking any of the blame himself, and wonder if it's just too much for a 19-year old kid to handle.
I'm still waiting for the first columnist who will write a "Miller Must Go" column and join the ranks of the DP columnists of the past that called for coaches heads. And where is the pressure being put on Bilsky to right this mess? Boy is he ruining his legacy with being the overseer of this program meltdown. So much for being a starting guard on the 70-71 team that went undefeated in the regular season and was ranked No. 2 in the country behind Marquette going into the tournament, Steve. You're writing your own epitaph right now.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Isn't Carson Sullivan a point guard too? Sheesh.
March 18th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
I wish Harrison the best of luck at wherever he decides to transfer. If he goes to what might be called a "big" D-1 program, as was pointed out, he is not big enough to play the 2. If he expects to be the PG, he will be disappointed IMHO because he does not have the skill set to make his teamates better, to lead or to see the entire floor as Rosen does already as a frosh.
March 18th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Carson Sullivan is a shooting guard.
March 19th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Maybe Gaines left because of Smith's impending return. He probably wouldn't have played much last year if Darren didn't get hurt, and with Rosen entrenched at the PG position, the writing was on the wall. I mean look at Gaines Stats> Low shooting percentage, (fg's & ft's) not many assists. We need a PG who passes first/shoots second (Rosen). We need a SG who can actually shoot a decent %. Maybe Miller knows more than we know!
March 19th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
For those who don't recall Gaines was 31st in the nation in assist ratio as a freshman point guard. Rosen was 38th this year. Miller obviously showed more of a commitment to Zach than he did Gaines. Gaines was in and out of the starting lineup. All it took was a subpar game as a starter and back to the bench. Zach's subpar games were tolerated more. Gaines low assist numbers this year are probably more attributed to the fact the coach changed his role and wanted him to think shot and not pass. From a distance I sum it up, doesn't look like equal treatment, a lack of commitment and a lack of a fair shot to Gaines.
http://kenpom.com/team.php?team=Pennsylvania
March 20th, 2009 at 8:52 am
PENN ALUM gets it right on Gaines. He was neither, ultimately, an effective point or shooting guard. He had some decent athleticism (but nothing great)...but his decision making was erratic. True, he was jerked around by Miller, given a much shorter rope than Rosen, but again, his erraticism (not to be confused with his eroticism) was a problem.
I'm sorry Gaines is going....he's probably got good reason to feel pissed off and disappointed, maybe even betrayed...but he also probably (at least to Miller) proved a disappointment as a player...
FROM A DISTANCE points to his impressive high school assist to turnover ratio...perfect example...that wasn't going to translate to Penn, never...he just isn't and never will be a really point guard...to see him play and argue otherwise, testifies either to one's denial or blindness.
March 22nd, 2009 at 12:59 am
Steve Becker the numbers I point to high assist ratio/percentage are from his freshman year at Penn when he played point guard. He has some skills Zach's doesn't not have and vice versa but in the end you are right it appears he was given a shorter leash. Pointing to my summation "doesn’t look like equal treatment, a lack of commitment and a lack of a fair shot to Gaines." A coach has to also build confidence in a player and that doesn't happen by yanking him in and out of the lineup. Regardless of where we feel Gaines abilities lies, we also know he should have been in the starting lineup more this year.