Collins

[clarificationcat]

Watching Chris on the sidelines it’s pretty clear he is still really engaged. I always thought he was a little crazy, which you want in your head coach. I got a big kick out of him getting in some kind of defensive crouch from time to time.

Barring any more season ending injuries, this season should be a lot of fun. It will probably come down to the last couple of minutes in a lot of games.

 

[NURoseBowl]

Hoping CCC becomes a Northwestern lifer.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

Hoping CCC becomes a Northwestern lifer.

#ChrisCollinsCourt

 

[hdhntr1]

Watching Chris on the sidelines it’s pretty clear he is still really engaged. I always thought he was a little crazy, which you want in your head coach. I got a big kick out of him getting in some kind of defensive crouch from time to time.

Barring any more season ending injuries, this season should be a lot of fun. It will probably come down to the last couple of minutes in a lot of games.

Any more? Or are you referring to last year. We definitely need Page to stay healthy. We have depth everywhere else

 

[its_the_sauce]

I sit in 108 right by bench. Got a kick out of CC last night, when calling out Gill to go in he refers to him as "Fish" LOL.

 

[NURoseBowl]

#ChrisCollinsCourt

Yes, sir.

 

[RhabdoWildcat]

Yes, sir.

I think he will be barring something unusual.

Only thing I can think of is if Duke comes calling.

 

[Kat burglar]

The funniest thing about Collins on the sideline is how he is always talking to Bmac. They aren't really talking WITH each other. It is just Collins going over to Bmac and venting. Like "did you see that?, How can he do that?" And Bmac lowers his head knowing that Collins is not looking for feedback but rather venting. It happens so frequently that it becomes comical.

Bmac is the "Collins whisperer!"

 

[clarificationcat]

Any more? Or are you referring to last year. We definitely need Page to stay healthy. We have depth everywhere else

Last year. We have depth but if we are going to get to the tournament Martinelli , Page, Singleton and Reid need to stay healthy imo.

 

[clarificationcat]

The funniest thing about Collins on the sideline is how he is always talking to Bmac. They aren't really talking WITH each other. It is just Collins going over to Bmac and venting. Like "did you see that?, How can he do that?" And Bmac lowers his head knowing that Collins is not looking for feedback but rather venting. It happens so frequently that it becomes comical.

Bmac is the "Collins whisperer!"

Yes. It is not intended to be a dialogue. Collins yells at the players a lot less than he used to during games, which I think has been a good thing for him and the team. Most of the players seem to genuinely like him which I don’t think was always the case. A lot of the venting is now directed at the assistants, particularly BMac. He tends to live and die with each play, particularly against weaker opponents, so he needs an outlet.

 

[hdhntr1]

Last year. We have depth but if we are going to get to the tournament Martinelli , Page, Singleton and Reid need to stay healthy imo.

Of course we generally do not have the depth to not say that every year

 

[clarificationcat]

Of course we generally do not have the depth to not say that every year

I don’t think most teams have lost as many critical pieces as we have the past couple of years. I am hoping that we are due for some good luck.

 

[hdhntr1]

I don’t think most teams have lost as many critical pieces as we have the past couple of years. I am hoping that we are due for some good luck.

Many of our pieces were sort of one off where loss of one guy can cripple the season. We have just not had the depth at any of a number of positions so the loss of any of the key guys could do serious damage to the season. Last year it was the loss of Barney or Matt, or Leach or Martinelli that could cripple the season. They were really all positions where it was hard for us to replace any one of them let alone more than one of them. This year is better, While Martinelli would be hard to replace, it could be done by committee. The only position that we don't have adequate coverage for right now is Page. We have multiple coverage for PG (Reid, West, Clayton and even KJ. With Singleton and/or Chello, we have Green, Mullins and KJ. and Kropp. With Page we sortta have Kropp though he is not ready yet.

 

[ricko6543211]

Last year. We have depth but if we are going to get to the tournament Martinelli , Page, Singleton and Reid need to stay healthy imo.

I think mostly just Martinelli and Page this year. Singleton and Reid are good but we have depth at PG and Wing that we can survive those.

G Reid, West, Windham, Green, Clayton
F Martinelli, Singleton, Mullins, Ciaravino
C Page, Kropp?

Reid and Singleton are good, potential difference makers don’t get me wrong, but I think we have plenty of depth behind them at those spots. Martinelli is 1 of 1 obviously so the drop off is huge. Page is the other spot where we really lack depth, also his early season play has been impressive, to me at least. Kropp is getting some minutes but he doesn’t yet seem comfortable or confident. Let’s hope he starts to find it because we will no doubt need him. Hopefully not due to injury but at the least due to foul trouble in some games against the depth or size of bigs at teams like IL Wiscy Purdue Mich (the 7-3 guy).

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Many of our pieces were sort of one off where loss of one guy can cripple the season. We have just not had the depth at any of a number of positions so the loss of any of the key guys could do serious damage to the season. Last year it was the loss of Barney or Matt, or Leach or Martinelli that could cripple the season. They were really all positions where it was hard for us to replace any one of them let alone more than one of them. This year is better, While Martinelli would be hard to replace, it could be done by committee. The only position that we don't have adequate coverage for right now is Page. We have multiple coverage for PG (Reid, West, Clayton and even KJ. With Singleton and/or Chello, we have Green, Mullins and KJ. and Kropp. With Page we sortta have Kropp though he is not ready yet.

Last was a top loaded team. Once we lost Barney and Leach, Nick had to do most everything including bringing the ball up against the press. At the beginning of the year we nearly lost to Eastern Illinois and Montana State. It was close to a miracle we ended up over 500 with the injuries.

 

[clarificationcat]

Many of our pieces were sort of one off where loss of one guy can cripple the season. We have just not had the depth at any of a number of positions so the loss of any of the key guys could do serious damage to the season. Last year it was the loss of Barney or Matt, or Leach or Martinelli that could cripple the season. They were really all positions where it was hard for us to replace any one of them let alone more than one of them. This year is better, While Martinelli would be hard to replace, it could be done by committee. The only position that we don't have adequate coverage for right now is Page. We have multiple coverage for PG (Reid, West, Clayton and even KJ. With Singleton and/or Chello, we have Green, Mullins and KJ. and Kropp. With Page we sortta have Kropp though he is not ready yet.

We are definitely deeper and I think we can stay competitive but I don’t think we can be a tournament team if we lose any of those players for the season. Conference is strong again and making the tournament is tough. Hopefully, we don’t have to find out.

 

[JournCat]

The funniest thing about Collins on the sideline is how he is always talking to Bmac. They aren't really talking WITH each other. It is just Collins going over to Bmac and venting. Like "did you see that?, How can he do that?" And Bmac lowers his head knowing that Collins is not looking for feedback but rather venting. It happens so frequently that it becomes comical.

Bmac is the "Collins whisperer!"

I have watched this for years and am so glad you brought it up. Brian James is still the funniest when Collins goes into these rants at his assistants. He just has this dead stare at the court ... doesn't look up at all. I live for the rants and for color commentators' disappointment anytime defenses let Martinelli go left.

 

[Deeringfish]

I don’t think most teams have lost as many critical pieces as we have the past couple of years. I am hoping that we are due for some good luck.

I've said it before but Im convinced that injuries are more likely when guys are playing tired. A deeper bench that gives guys like Mart an extra rest especially as the game wears on will help reduce the likelihood of injuries.

 

[hdhntr1]

We are definitely deeper and I think we can stay competitive but I don’t think we can be a tournament team if we lose any of those players for the season. Conference is strong again and making the tournament is tough. Hopefully, we don’t have to find out.

The only ones we cannot really cover are Martinelli and Page. Might even be able to cover for missing Martinelli if the young guys develop

 

[hdhntr1]

I've said it before but Im convinced that injuries are more likely when guys are playing tired. A deeper bench that gives guys like Mart an extra rest especially as the game wears on will help reduce the likelihood of injuries.

Good point. Last year Barney was coming back from injury, When he got back we had to quickly ramp him up to extended minutes as he was so important, When tired easy to be less precise and that makes one more vulnerable

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

The only ones we cannot really cover are Martinelli and Page. Might even be able to cover for missing Martinelli if the young guys develop

With basically zero front court depth, we better hope Kropp stays healthy and develops quickly.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

I've said it before but Im convinced that injuries are more likely when guys are playing tired. A deeper bench that gives guys like Mart an extra rest especially as the game wears on will help reduce the likelihood of injuries.

To me, it isn’t the minutes, it’s the quality of the minutes. Nick had to be the main option on offense every single night and he also routinely broke the press since we didn’t have a true PG all season. He had too much responsibility for those minutes.

I am not a big believer in extended minutes lead to players being tired which cause injuries. I am a believer in your actual play can suffer when you have too much responsibility on your plate. Nuisance, but different. I have not seen any studies that would confirm that you are more likely to get injured in the 30th minute of a game versus the 5th. These guys are typically some of the best conditioned people on the country.

 

[ThatadultfromHolland]

If Reid, Martinelli, or Page were to miss extended time, it would drastically limit this team’s ceiling and lower its floor. Northwestern does have better depth this year, but those three are foundational pieces. They’re the ones who stabilize the rotation and dictate how the team flows on both ends. Losing any one of them would have real repercussions for lineup balance, spacing, and overall identity. The increased depth will show itself if a role player goes down or goes through a tough stretch of play.

 

[hdhntr1]

To me, it isn’t the minutes, it’s the quality of the minutes. Nick had to be the main option on offense every single night and he also routinely broke the press since we didn’t have a true PG all season. He had too much responsibility for those minutes.

I am not a big believer in extended minutes lead to players being tired which cause injuries. I am a believer in your actual play can suffer when you have too much responsibility on your plate. Nuisance, but different. I have not seen any studies that would confirm that you are more likely to get injured in the 30th minute of a game versus the 5th. These guys are typically some of the best conditioned people on the country.

Sorry but it is more both. If you are tired, yes your play suffers. You are an inch short on your shot so it clangs of the iron. You are half a step slow so you don't get that steal or rebound or get to the ball to keep it from going OOB.

But also the muscles fatigue and cannot protect you, You land awkwardly and twist a knee and on and on

Too many minutes can hurt on so many levels and performance and injuries are but two of them

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Sorry but it is more both. If you are tired, yes your play suffers. You are an inch short on your shot so it clangs of the iron. You are half a step slow so you don't get that steal or rebound or get to the ball to keep it from going OOB.

But also the muscles fatigue and cannot protect you, You land awkwardly and twist a knee and on and on

Too many minutes can hurt on so many levels and performance and injuries are but two of them

I am sure you can find a gazillion fans that feel this way. Now show me one player that blamed an injury on fatigue?

 

[DaCat]

If Reid, Martinelli, or Page were to miss extended time, it would drastically limit this team’s ceiling and lower its floor. Northwestern does have better depth this year, but those three are foundational pieces. They’re the ones who stabilize the rotation and dictate how the team flows on both ends. Losing any one of them would have real repercussions for lineup balance, spacing, and overall identity. The increased depth will show itself if a role player goes down or goes through a tough stretch of play.

If those three stay healthy, we can make a deep run in the tournament. Without any one of them, we are struggling to make the tournament.

 

[hdhntr1]

I am sure you can find a gazillion fans that feel this way. Now show me one player that blamed an injury on fatigue?

Players are not apt to think that way. They think that they put their foot down wrong but not that fatigue was the reason for it

How about, how many times is the serious injury in the players last play on the court? So it must have been because they played too many minutes.

Questionable statement but that is how yours comes across as well

 

[BillBlues_rivals]

Re: injuries per minute played, the thought occurred to me that somebody must have done a statistical study on this. Turns out they have. A bit of googling found This study on season ending injuries for NBA players. In short, "The most significant risk factor associated with injury was minutes per game"

 

[macarthur31]

I anticipate that disbursing minutes across 10-11 guys will be a real growth edge for Collins this year. He's never really had to do it in his career, and it's so irresistible to embrace the notion that their youth should be able to sustain higher quantity of minutes under stress. It's been my experience that leaders want to reduce complexity and variability, and I imagine that rolls over into managing a roster. All this to say, I'm hoping to be patient, cause this has gotta be uncomfortable for him as well.

 

[NJCat]

Collins has said repeatedly this season that the roster will shorten when the games get more difficult. He keeps sayin he knows this is hard but guys just have to be ready when their number is called.

 

[PURPLECAT88]

How about, how many times is the serious injury in the players last play on the court?

Aren't all serious injuries on the player's last play on the court? It's like how you always find the lost item in the last place you look.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Re: injuries per minute played, the thought occurred to me that somebody must have done a statistical study on this. Turns out they have. A bit of googling found This study on season ending injuries for NBA players. In short, "The most significant risk factor associated with injury was minutes per game"

I am just stating an opinion that most injuries are not caused by playing too many minutes. If I’m Coaching the only time I am taking my player out is for reasons that he isn’t required on the court for us to win or he’s too tired to perform to his typical standards. It not that he hit some threshold of usage that his risks suddenly go up.

it’s ironic that you are damned if you and damned if you don’t around here with playing time.

 

[BillBlues_rivals]

I am just stating an opinion that most injuries are not caused by playing too many minutes. If I’m Coaching the only time I am taking my player out is for reasons that he isn’t required on the court for us to win or he’s too tired to perform to his typical standards. It not that he hit some threshold of usage that his risks suddenly go up.

it’s ironic that you are damned if you and damned if you don’t around here with playing time.

FWIW I agree with you that risk of injury in & of itself is not a reason to limit playing time. Being a numbers geek (or as we used to be called, "tech weens") I was curious as to what the actual numbers had to say about injuries vs. minutes when you control for other factors. Sometimes the results of studies like that are counter-intuitive. This one wasn't.

 

[ThatadultfromHolland]

Re: injuries per minute played, the thought occurred to me that somebody must have done a statistical study on this. Turns out they have. A bit of googling found This study on season ending injuries for NBA players. In short, "The most significant risk factor associated with injury was minutes per game"

I mean someone who plays more minutes is more likely to get hurt than someone who doesn’t purely on the fact that with more minutes comes more opportunities. You’re more likely to get hurt playing 40 minutes of intense sport instead of 5 minutes even if you take all other variables out of the equation.

 

[ricko6543211]

I mean someone who plays more minutes is more likely to get hurt than someone who doesn’t purely on the fact that with more minutes comes more opportunities. You’re more likely to get hurt playing 40 minutes of intense sport instead of 5 minutes even if you take all other variables out of the equation.

I can’t read that whole study but if the person who did it didn’t adjust for (ie divide by) minutes played then they are an idiot who doesn’t know how to use statistics. And the summary suggests it is scaled for “game exposures” ie per 1000 games presumably on some minutes played basis.

It suggests factor of 1.06 (vs 1.00 if no impact) for more minutes played (not sure how that is scaled either without access to full study), but just guessing seems like t stat means it is (a) clearly statistically significant, but (b) far from an overriding factor - ie it makes it more likely at the margin. Which makes a lot of sense. They also say season ending injuries are more likely in 3rd and 4th quartiles of the season than 1st or 2nd, which also makes sense from an intuitive perspective based on fatigue to me.

 

[AdamOnFirst]

I can’t read that whole study but if the person who did it didn’t adjust for (ie divide by) minutes played then they are an idiot who doesn’t know how to use statistics. And the summary suggests it is scaled for “game exposures” ie per 1000 games presumably on some minutes played basis.

It suggests factor of 1.06 (vs 1.00 if no impact) for more minutes played (not sure how that is scaled either without access to full study), but just guessing seems like t stat means it is (a) clearly statistically significant, but (b) far from an overriding factor - ie it makes it more likely at the margin. Which makes a lot of sense. They also say season ending injuries are more likely in 3rd and 4th quartiles of the season than 1st or 2nd, which also makes sense from an intuitive perspective based on fatigue to me.

You don’t even need fatigue to be a factor for season ending injuries to rise later in the year: there is literally less season left to miss. A 1/3 season injury early is a 1/3 season injury. The same injury half the season later ends your season. Add to that the dynamic that many teams come the end of the year are out of things to play for and therefore less willing to rush a guy back rather than just heading to the offseason healthy And it’s a pretty obvious finding

 

[SDakaGordie]

In the end, most every team in every sport plays their best players a ton and doesn’t play subs for fear of injury to starters.

 

[hdhntr1]

I anticipate that disbursing minutes across 10-11 guys will be a real growth edge for Collins this year. He's never really had to do it in his career, and it's so irresistible to embrace the notion that their youth should be able to sustain higher quantity of minutes under stress. It's been my experience that leaders want to reduce complexity and variability, and I imagine that rolls over into managing a roster. All this to say, I'm hoping to be patient, cause this has gotta be uncomfortable for him as well.

Reality is that he has not had the depth he has this year, He was forced to go with the thin lineup as the drop off was just too great

 

[hdhntr1]

I mean someone who plays more minutes is more likely to get hurt than someone who doesn’t purely on the fact that with more minutes comes more opportunities. You’re more likely to get hurt playing 40 minutes of intense sport instead of 5 minutes even if you take all other variables out of the equation.

that was why they normalized to MPG

 

[hdhntr1]

In the end, most every team in every sport plays their best players a ton and doesn’t play subs for fear of injury to starters.

Their jobs depend on playing the best players as much as possible as it often gives them the best chance at winning the game