Mark Adams taking the blame, looking to snap Red Raiders out of eight-game funk
Mark Adams was frank Wednesday night.
In a game his squad was favored to win, the Texas Tech men’s basketball coach was quick to disclose who the blame should be pinned on following a 76-61 home loss to West Virginia.
"It's on me as the head coach, I've got to get these guys to play better," Adams said following the game, which dropped Texas Tech to 10-10 overall and 0-8 in Big 12 Conference play. "We've gotta bunch of good kids and they're trying hard. This is all on the head coach, and (I) certainly assume that responsibility. Don't want us to take it on these kids.
"They're trying hard, they're good kids and they're wanting to win."
With the loss, the Red Raiders dropped to sole possession of last place in the Big 12. This is a year after Texas Tech advanced to the Sweet 16 and finished with a 27-10 mark — matching its loss total with 11 games left in the regular season.
The first of those being against LSU (12-8), a program which is looking to snap a seven-game losing streak when both squads match up at 1 p.m. Saturday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
So, what’s gone wrong?
Adams had a chance to answer a few questions and disclosed a few tidbits Wednesday night.
Why not switch from the no-middle, side defense to a 2-3 zone when the Mountaineers were in the midst of attempting a season-high 35 three-point shots — making 10, the fourth time WVU has netted double-digit treys this season.
“If you look at the stat sheet, it’s one of the better defensive games,” Adams said when asked of changing defenses. ”They shot 37% from the field for the game. If you can hold anybody to under 40%, you ought to win every game.”
For the first four minutes, things worked as the Mountaineers shot 0-for-6 from the field. But, that improved when a fresh lineup subbed in after the starters trailed 10-2 and turned the ball over five times by the 14:57 mark of the first half.
"They did a great job, they did a great job of making plays on the perimeter," West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. "So, we had shots and we took them. That's not really, normally, the way we would play."
During the eight-game conference losing streak, the Red Raiders have held four teams — Oklahoma (37%), Iowa State (37%), Kansas State (32%) and West Virginia (39%) — to under 40% shooting from the field.
Huggins, a longtime friend of Adams, has shared in those struggles the past two seasons. The Hall of Famer provided some insight as to why struggles may occur — going as far to say the transfer portal can be a savior and detriment to a program — when asked of snapping a 12-game losing streak in conference road games.
”We actually had a chance to have a few more, we just gave it away,” Huggins said, alluding to several Big 12 losses. ”Hopefully we’re learning. … This portal thing and transfer and all that — it takes awhile to put guys together. I think we’re starting to come together a little bit better.
“I think it takes more time than, obviously, we anticipated and more time than what most people anticipate.”
Last season, the Red Raiders thrived with the portal additions of Bryson Williams, Adonis Arms and Davion Warren. Williams became a leader by example and go-to scorer in the post, while Arms and Warren provided solid defense on the perimeter thanks to their wingspans and speed.
This year, the coaching staff elected to get shooters and missed out on several players that could have touted the same length and athleticism needed to enhance the no-middle, side defense with more deflections and charges — something that's lacked through 20 games.
But, the biggest area of concern was effort during a crucial point of Wednesday night’s contest.
A prime example was following a 3-point miss by Stevenson, which was rebounded by Seth Wilson — one of 19 offensive rebounds on the night for the Mountaineers — who dove into his own bench as Jaylon Tyson watched it all occur. Stevenson got the ball back and nailed the triple to put WVU up 52-47.
Of course, having a full assortment of players is helpful. Fardaws Aimaq has missed a majority of the season with a foot injury, Daniel Batcho has missed stretches with illness or various injuries and Pop Isaacs had a concussion and twisted his ankle Wednesday night.
Aimaq was expected to be a centerpiece of an offense — run by assistant Steve Green, who was expected to bring his Golden State Warriors-inspired attack he ran while at South Plains College. The posts would get the ball and either look to score, or kick it out to a bevy of shooters expected to be open.
To say that hasn’t materialized would be an understatement.
But, at some point, the accountability has to come from the coaching staff that assembled the players on the court.
If there’s any silver lining, Adams and company saw Elijah Fisher’s development on the defensive end as he logged 15 minutes — his first signifiant time on the court since logging 13 at Iowa State back on Jan. 10.
The younger talent has a chance to shine, with Fisher making the most of his opportunity. Will Robert Jennings and Lamar Washington do the same, or can D’Maurian Williams and Kerwin Walton find their shooting form to earn time on the court?
That remains to be seen, but the one fact is something is off — excuses or not.
"It does, but we've got a whole list of excuses if we want to go there," Adams said Wednesday when asked if the 44-27 rebounding deficit could be attributed to the lack of Aimaq on the floor. "But right now we've gotta play the cards that were dealt to us and we've got Pop out right now and Daws. We've just got to play better as a team."
And that all falls on Adams and his coaching staff.
TEXAS TECH AT LSU
What: Big 12-SEC Challenge
When: 1 p.m.
Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, La.
Records: Texas Tech 10-10, LSU 12-8
TV: ESPNU
Radio: FM 97.3
Fast fact(s): Texas Tech has lost eight in a row and LSU seven. … The Red Raiders are in danger of being under the .500 mark for the first time since Tubby Smith’s second season when TTU fell to 12-13 overall and 2-10 in Big 12 play after a 71-53 loss to then-No. 8 Kansas on Feb. 10, 2015.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Mark Adams taking the blame, looking to snap Texas Tech Red Raiders out of eight-game funk at LSU
