In the win over NC State last week an interesting nugget was uncovered. As the Wolfpack closed the gap in the second half, Adrian Autry called a timeout and his team responded. The Orange scored on 8 of its next 9 possessions and only turned the ball over once. What was said in that huddle?
“Just lock in. Don’t be punked,” said Chris Bell. “That’s what he told us. Go out there and be tough.”
These are the types of coaching axioms that fill history books. Leaders need to demand internal fortitude, mental toughness, and a winning mentality. There’s plenty of truth in this messaging, it has defined great teams for a long time.
Autry certainly believes he’s tough enough for this job. Recently he was asked about the outside criticism of his team and he famously claimed, “I’m from the hood. So I’ve seen a lot worse.” This sounds a lot like “don’t get punked.” Autry likes to talk tough.
But the problem seems to be whether the Orange actually are mentally or physically tough. The Orange blew a 13-point lead in the second half against the Hokies and ultimately lost. Once again a close game in crunch time went against Syracuse. The Orange led the Hokies with :90 to go, lost the lead, and needed a Jaquan Carlos three at the buzzer just to force overtime. In the OT, had an 89-88 advantage with 2:30 to play and lost by six.
Fans can certainly debate whether this team has the right talent to win. As documented, the transfer portal decisions have been questionable and the NIL money is nowhere near where it has to be. But downstate an old Big East foe talks tough and actually backs it up. St. John’s is ranked in the top 10 and has clinched the league’s regular season title for the first time in 25 years. A video of Rick Piitno scolding his team early in the season went viral.
“Where is your f–king toughness? Where have you guys been raised that you’re so weak mentally that you just f–king give up when something doesn’t go right for you? Don’t you know what adversity is all about? That’s the f–king game of life, not the game of basketball. You don’t f–king get down when things go wrong, you dig in and get tougher.”
The character flaws of Pitino have been well documented here. This writer in particular has made it a point to drag him for his scandals over the years. But the Red Storm are undeniably tough. Without a go-to scorer, they have relied on rebounding and defense to become one of the best teams in the country. Pitino has challenged them and they have responded by being a team that actually relies on toughness to win.
Autry seems to challenge his team, but the message has failed to create results. The losses in two-possession games have been relentless. Texas, Texas Tech, Georgetown, FSU, Pitt, UNC and Virginia Tech all beat the Orange is tight games. Late leads have evaporated. Aside from Eddie Lampkin any decent work on the glass is sparse. Defense feels optional for many Orange players in crunchtime.
Autry was part of some incredible SU moments as a player, and his first season as a coach resulted in 20 wins. He clearly wants what’s best for the program and landed a tremendous recruiting class for next year. He deserves a chance to coach them. But the tough talk rings hollow as the losses pile up. At some point the team has to actually be tough or you risk becoming a caricature of your catchphrases.
