Re: Spartan Hockey takes a vacation; turns a page
I agree....
The proof will be whether or not Anastos can win...if he can no one will care about his lack of coaching experience. That said, he has some advantages to start with.
1) Taking over an underperforming team. This team was better than 10th place and the odds are it should place higher next year with a little more puck luck.
2) Several good recruits in the pipeline...assuming he can convince them to stick with the program.
3) Connections -- He has lots which he could use to his advantage.
The first indications of where we are headed will be:
1) How many, if any, current players jump ship.
2) How many, if any, of our top verbal recruits decommit.
3) Who he picks as his assistants. I'd expect him to keep one for continuity and replace the other. Who he picks could be pretty telling especially if it's someone like a Danton Cole.
From Wednesday morning to now - a mere 48 hours, I believe my system has experienced a small amound of G-force in its 180-degree revolution of heart about this decision.
OK - the guy hasn't been
behind the bench of a college hockey program in 20 years. However -
You think this guy doesn't know every nuance of the game, its rules and quirks, how to deal with personnel and how to manage in his 2
5 years as coach, administrator and advocate of college and youth hockey?
How about X's and O's? Besides the fact that a couple good assistants can play a major role in this area, you'd better believe he has a working knowledge - maybe almost as much as any single coach in the league - how each of the 11 run their offenses, defenses, special teams, how their tack shifts from period to period, etc. etc.
What about setting your bench, line changes, when to call a timeout, that sort of thing? Again, (and especially perhaps in his first 3-4 games out), a good assistant can be a great asset.
But what really has me convinced, now, is what I am hearing from people who have been around the game (the college game, I mean) a LONG time. I hear nothing but praise about the integrity and character this guy has, his ability to motivate and his ability to communicate and build rapport. No, this isn't just media-speak, these come from personal encounters. That's the kind of guy that I THINK
can close the deal with recruits and keep current players loyal.
You say "but Michigan-Dearborn?", but I say you can't coach for 3-4 years (and be successful at it) without the subtleties of the profession coming back to you fairly quickly.
No, I think this is rather savvy. As someone put it, people really questioned Hollis when he brought in people like Suzy Merchant and Jake Boss Jr. and now these are well on their way to becomming two highly successful programs. I believe this AD really is putting a lot of emphasis on recruiting and retention, and - well the jury could still be out until, say the middle of April - but I'm looking forward to what this offseason could bring.
I admire the extended Miller family and what they have meant to MSU hockey over the last three decades. But doesn't it seem to you that there is a small amount of a sense of royalty (entitlement?) when you read about certain tweets or statements that seem nothing but hostile?
