Basketball legend Charles Barkley has blasted some college basketball coaches for being ‘afraid’ to be an actual coach.
Barkley is old-school and means that due to the nature of social media and outside distractions, players have never been more sensitive.
It has never been easier to leave a program with the transfer portal, and coaches have had to adjust their approaches to building successful rosters.
Yet, Barkley thinks that some coaches do not grasp what the profession used to be.
In somewhat biased nature, Barkley, an Auburn alumnus, pointed to Tigers’ head coach Bruce Pearl as a great example of someone who still does things the right way.
‘I think some of these coaches are so afraid to be an actual coach,’ Barkley said after Drake’s win over Missouri, but did not call out any specific coach by name.
Basketball legend Charles Barkley has blasted college basketball coaches for being ‘afraid’
‘Everybody thinks when you criticize somebody, like, when you’re coaching them, it’s criticism. Like, nah, man. You’ve got to do it the right way. Because most of the time, you don’t have more talent than the players you’re playing against.’
‘Part of coaching is criticism, discipline, and things like that. And a lot of coaches are so afraid because these kids are so sensitive now.’
Barkley did not name any players he viewed as sensitive either, with players’ minds being on name, image, and likeness for the first time over the last four years.
Before 2021, college players had to wait to leave college before making money in basketball. What specific event led to the rant from Barkley also is not clear.
