It’s been a whirlwind offseason for the men’s basketball program, and a bit disorienting, but I mean that in a good way. I’m not used to this level of planning or calculation from a coaching staff in building a roster, because it feels like we’ve been flying by the seat of our pants (sometimes in a helicopter) since roughly 2007.
Plenty of good things happened in that time (not so much the helicopter part), though a lot of it felt like an accident. It’s not like that anymore.
The makeover off the court has been as dramatic as the one on it, and yes, the extra walkin’ around money has been a big key to the way the team has come together, but plenty of programs have gone bust while spending big dollars aimlessly (hi, Indiana).
Bad results on the court are a lot easier to take when you feel like the process behind them is good and for me that’s the biggest difference with this new era. I suppose this is a lengthy way of saying that Will Wade and his staff know what they’re doing and I trust them. I’ve noticed that all this basketball anxiety I didn’t know I was holding onto has dissipated. I’m not worrying about the guys running the show, so I can relax and just look forward to the basketball part. I assume this is how normal fans of normal, routinely competent programs feel all the time. It’s nice. Still don’t know what to do with my hands, but it’s nice.