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The Morning Stake | 2020.06.05

The Morning Stake
Seth C

The Morning Stake | 2020.06.05

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CBS Sports’ Ben Kercheval ranks the Big 12 coaches and has Texas Tech head coach Matt Wells 9th overall:

Matt Wells (51): Similar to Brown, Wells was a rising Group of Five coach who took over a rebuilding Power Five job and the results weren’t great. But after one 4-8 season with quarterback injuries, I don’t think we should be too harsh on him. Wells was good at Utah State with two 10-win seasons. Treat 2019 like a Year Zero for him. Last Year: 9

This is only ahead of Baylor’s Dave Aranda who is at 10 and right behind Neal Brown at West Virginia who is at 8. I’m still pretty well conflicted about what Wells is. I like the way that he’s handled things since the pandemic started. Both he and Kirby Hocutt have been quiet recently, which I don’t have a problem with particularly (they both released statements after George Floyd was killed). This is a huge year for Wells, but honestly, you could say this about every year as coaches just aren’t given the longer leash that they’ve previously had.

Want to know how to create a shitshow? Yesterday, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell said in a story in the Athletic that he personally spoke with each player about the George Floyd’s death and about the racial injustice of America. That was the direct quote, that Norvell had personal conversations. Florida State defensive tackle Marvin Wilson essentially said that those conversations didn’t happen and that he had received mass text from Norvell. Wilson (not sure if he really talked to the entire team) said that they weren’t practicing until this was resolved. Novell later apologized and said that he should be very careful with his words and had a team meeting yesterday where the situation was resolved.

That scene in itself is something, but maybe what’s more impressive is that the players refused to perpetuate something that wasn’t true. They had the power in this situation and if you want to know one more thing that’s about to happen as a result of George Floyd’s death is sure, players are in a sligly compromised position because they could lose their scholarship, but these players have a certain amount of power and they are figuring out how to use it.

Of course, Norvell abused his position as a coach and the players were having none of it.

If anything, this is a reminder that to be anything other than a truth teller is a waste of everyone’s time and as a coach, you better be telling the truth at all times.

The NBA has decided to move the NBA Draft to October 15th, and the date for underclassmen to declare is August 3rd, or 10 days after the NBA combine. This puts Texas Tech and Jahmi’us Ramsey in a bit of a bind as that’s a pretty late date, obviously before classes start, but a very late date to make a decision for players and teams that have, most likely, handed out all of their scholarship spots. Via Forbes, a draft expert, Rashad Phillips, believes that being able to participate int he combine would be beneficial to a player like Ramsey:

“So you probably won’t get any guys being drafted high because of their workouts so you are going to miss that element of it which is sad. I look at a kid like a Jahmi’us Ramsey [of Texas Tech], I believe he would be the type of kid that you will see how good he is in a workout as opposed to his Synergy stats and all that stuff.”

Avalanche Journal’s Don Williams digs into the running back room and notes that yes, there is only one scholarship running back right, SaRodorick Thompson, but the staff did confirm that they would give Xavier White the opportunity to play running back when practices resume:

When teams are able to reassemble on the field in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, Tech’s offensive staff will audition Xavier White at running back. Tech coach Matt Wells liked the quickness and moves White showed last year at inside receiver before he suffered a season-ending injury.

“Just from his explosion with the ball, how he runs and some of the things he does … ,” Yost said. “He does some things we think could be kind of great at tailback, and it gives him a chance to get more touches.”

Here are some tweets.

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