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Despite it being his first season with Florida State men's basketball, Jim Moran feels like he has coached multiple iterations of the current Seminoles team.
While the initial vision from Moran, the program's associate head coach, and the coaching staff, led by head coach Luke Loucks, was closer to a fast-paced, high-scoring outfit, the Seminoles (13-13, 6-7 ACC) have morphed into an improved, defensively focused team with a more balanced offense.
A 0-5 start to conference play and a 7-11 overall record in mid-January forced the coaching staff to make a change. After lineup and gameplan tweaks, the Seminoles have won six of the last eight games and enter a showdown with Clemson (20-7, 10-4 ACC) with a chance to legitimize postseason basketball chances.
"I look back on a lot of stuff, and I feel like I've coached in this one season, I feel like I've coached two or three different teams or different seasons. It's evolved so much," Moran told the Democrat. "We play that five-game stretch, and it was a little bit of a wake-up call for us, because it was like, 'Wait a second, are we the team that went to Alabama and Florida, or is this who we are?'
"I think it really allowed us, as a staff and as a team to kind of really dig deep and say we've shown we can compete with the best of the best. Why can't we do it more consistently? And then I think out of that, spawned the small rotation tweaks and lineup changes."
While an NCAA tournament bid remains unlikely, an appearance in the NIT is in play for the program in Loucks' first year, especially if the Seminoles can find a way to upset the Tigers at Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Tigers have lost three straight games ahead of the contest against the Seminoles. A revitalized FSU program heads to Clemson, looking to snap a six-game winning streak for the Tigers, who are 25-13 all-time at home against the Seminoles.
Moran credited the team for their ability to refocus after a poor start to conference play, which culminated in a 113-69 loss to North Carolina State, and put the program back into the win column consistently. That defeat has become a rallying point, and the Seminoles are 6-4 since that game, with each loss decided by 10 points or less.
The turnaround on the court was spurred on by staff meetings that often featured as many arguments as agreements amid multiple viewpoints from assistants. Loucks encourages the input from his staff, and at times prefers disagreement among the group, something Moran feels has helped the staff turn things around.
"People in our coaching staff meeting aren't afraid to have confrontation, and when they don't have it, I'll create it," Loucks said after the 80-72 win over Boston College. "I love a little confrontation. I love people disagreeing with each other aditmentaly, but everyone walking out of the room with a united idea of 'We got to get this message across to our players."
"I think he gets a lot of credit for that, because you have to have the courage to actually stand behind and support those guys, and he's done that with our staff," Moran said about the staff meetings. "It's been fun. Because starting off 0-5, we could have gone in a completely different direction and just blamed it on a multitude of things. But we found a way to continue to compete and find ways to sneak some wins here and there. And I think our guys are really starting to believe in what we're trying to do."
Loucks has credited his assistants, including Moran, for their work developing the Seminoles through the ups and downs of the season. Alongside player development, Loucks said his assistants have helped him become better as a first-time head coach.
The Seminoles have three former head coaches on staff, with Moran a former G-League head coach and Michael Fly and Gerald Gillion both collegiate head coaches. The rest of the staff is filled with former players, including FSU's Derwin Kitchen, and the ranging perspectives and experinces has helped not only Loucks, but the entire staff learn how to get the best out of the team.
"I've been coaching for a long time, and I think there are a lot of times where coaches, especially during the season, just kind of want to keep doing it the way they feel like it needs to be done, regardless of the outcome. I feel like a lot of coaches just think that at some point they're going to turn a corner," Moran said.
"I give Luke a lot of credit, because we've pivoted a few times and gone a couple different directions as a staff with our philosophies and even the lineups, rotations, and I think to Luke's credit, a lot of the stuff that we've adjusted to has come from these meetings where he allows guys to speak freely, and guys come their thoughts and ideas."
Moran played four seasons at William & Mary, where he was an All-CAA selection twice, and he averaged 12.4 points per game, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. After a decade-long career in Spain with Gran Canaria and multiple appearances for the Irish national team, Moran began coaching in 2013 with the Maine Red Claws. He spent over a decade coaching in the NBA and a season as a G-League head coach.
While experienced as a player and a coach, Moran admitted he and Loucks are both still learning the college game, and he credits Fly and Gillion for helping the pair better understand it. With the constant changes and input from the staff, Moran has seen players react in a positive way.
Moran feels the belief that has been instilled in the players has helped the program turn its season around ahead of a crucial road contest vs. Clemson.
"What I've noticed with these guys is you have to let them know that you believe in them, and you have to instill that confidence in them, because there's a lot of time they might not have that self-confidence, that self-belief," Moran said. "So a lot of times when guys are coming off the court after mistakes and stuff, it's not so much about correcting it... I try to just let these guys know we believe in them. We know they can do it."
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU basketball: Jim Moran, staff sparked Seminoles' turnaround
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While the initial vision from Moran, the program's associate head coach, and the coaching staff, led by head coach Luke Loucks, was closer to a fast-paced, high-scoring outfit, the Seminoles (13-13, 6-7 ACC) have morphed into an improved, defensively focused team with a more balanced offense.
A 0-5 start to conference play and a 7-11 overall record in mid-January forced the coaching staff to make a change. After lineup and gameplan tweaks, the Seminoles have won six of the last eight games and enter a showdown with Clemson (20-7, 10-4 ACC) with a chance to legitimize postseason basketball chances.
"I look back on a lot of stuff, and I feel like I've coached in this one season, I feel like I've coached two or three different teams or different seasons. It's evolved so much," Moran told the Democrat. "We play that five-game stretch, and it was a little bit of a wake-up call for us, because it was like, 'Wait a second, are we the team that went to Alabama and Florida, or is this who we are?'
"I think it really allowed us, as a staff and as a team to kind of really dig deep and say we've shown we can compete with the best of the best. Why can't we do it more consistently? And then I think out of that, spawned the small rotation tweaks and lineup changes."
While an NCAA tournament bid remains unlikely, an appearance in the NIT is in play for the program in Loucks' first year, especially if the Seminoles can find a way to upset the Tigers at Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Tigers have lost three straight games ahead of the contest against the Seminoles. A revitalized FSU program heads to Clemson, looking to snap a six-game winning streak for the Tigers, who are 25-13 all-time at home against the Seminoles.
Moran credited the team for their ability to refocus after a poor start to conference play, which culminated in a 113-69 loss to North Carolina State, and put the program back into the win column consistently. That defeat has become a rallying point, and the Seminoles are 6-4 since that game, with each loss decided by 10 points or less.
The turnaround on the court was spurred on by staff meetings that often featured as many arguments as agreements amid multiple viewpoints from assistants. Loucks encourages the input from his staff, and at times prefers disagreement among the group, something Moran feels has helped the staff turn things around.
"People in our coaching staff meeting aren't afraid to have confrontation, and when they don't have it, I'll create it," Loucks said after the 80-72 win over Boston College. "I love a little confrontation. I love people disagreeing with each other aditmentaly, but everyone walking out of the room with a united idea of 'We got to get this message across to our players."
"I think he gets a lot of credit for that, because you have to have the courage to actually stand behind and support those guys, and he's done that with our staff," Moran said about the staff meetings. "It's been fun. Because starting off 0-5, we could have gone in a completely different direction and just blamed it on a multitude of things. But we found a way to continue to compete and find ways to sneak some wins here and there. And I think our guys are really starting to believe in what we're trying to do."
Jim Moran, FSU basketball assistant coaches key to Luke Loucks, team turnaround
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Loucks has credited his assistants, including Moran, for their work developing the Seminoles through the ups and downs of the season. Alongside player development, Loucks said his assistants have helped him become better as a first-time head coach.
The Seminoles have three former head coaches on staff, with Moran a former G-League head coach and Michael Fly and Gerald Gillion both collegiate head coaches. The rest of the staff is filled with former players, including FSU's Derwin Kitchen, and the ranging perspectives and experinces has helped not only Loucks, but the entire staff learn how to get the best out of the team.
"I've been coaching for a long time, and I think there are a lot of times where coaches, especially during the season, just kind of want to keep doing it the way they feel like it needs to be done, regardless of the outcome. I feel like a lot of coaches just think that at some point they're going to turn a corner," Moran said.
"I give Luke a lot of credit, because we've pivoted a few times and gone a couple different directions as a staff with our philosophies and even the lineups, rotations, and I think to Luke's credit, a lot of the stuff that we've adjusted to has come from these meetings where he allows guys to speak freely, and guys come their thoughts and ideas."
Moran played four seasons at William & Mary, where he was an All-CAA selection twice, and he averaged 12.4 points per game, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. After a decade-long career in Spain with Gran Canaria and multiple appearances for the Irish national team, Moran began coaching in 2013 with the Maine Red Claws. He spent over a decade coaching in the NBA and a season as a G-League head coach.
While experienced as a player and a coach, Moran admitted he and Loucks are both still learning the college game, and he credits Fly and Gillion for helping the pair better understand it. With the constant changes and input from the staff, Moran has seen players react in a positive way.
Moran feels the belief that has been instilled in the players has helped the program turn its season around ahead of a crucial road contest vs. Clemson.
"What I've noticed with these guys is you have to let them know that you believe in them, and you have to instill that confidence in them, because there's a lot of time they might not have that self-confidence, that self-belief," Moran said. "So a lot of times when guys are coming off the court after mistakes and stuff, it's not so much about correcting it... I try to just let these guys know we believe in them. We know they can do it."
How to watch FSU basketball vs. Clemson
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- When: Saturday, Feb. 21 / Noon
- Where: Littlejohn Coliseum / Clemson, South Carolina
- Watch: CW
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU basketball: Jim Moran, staff sparked Seminoles' turnaround
Continue reading...
