How talented is this team? Do we have the sort of talent that would have caused us to expect to be 24-3 at this point in the season. I don't think so; not at all. This is a talented team, no doubt about it. But there is not even the kind of talent on this team that Georgia State had on their team last year, at least in my humble estimation. We are good, talent-wise, but we are not great. This staff has done a marvelous job getting the most out of the talent we have. Without this staff, this team would not have been nearly so good.
How good is this coaching staff? Would we have looked just at the staff and thought that we would be 24-3 headed down the stretch? I don't think so. I think Beard has done a superb job, likewise the rest of the staff. They have done a great job molding a thrown-together roster into a cohesive unit. But is this staff so good that it, by itself, would have caused us to expect 24-3? Probably not. Not many of Beard's former teams did that well. Perhaps not any of them. But this team has proven itself to be very coachable and resilient. They obviously listen and learn, and have gotten better. That shows a lot about a team, when they get better as the season progresses. If this team hadn't listened, this staff would not have accomplished nearly as much this season.
I will go even one step further. Even with a good team and a good staff, if the fan base and the student body had not responded as it has, we probably would not have been quite where we are. During the games I got to attend, there were times when the team was back on its heels and the crowd carried them through. The fans have responded, and in basketball, perhaps more than any other major sport, that make a difference.
I don't know what will happen for the remainder of the season, but 24-3 is very special, and it has been a joint effort.
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