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Ford on 920 right now


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But really, are Drew, Stallings, or Jacobsen such unrealistic names to throw out there? Two coach in the Horizon and Valley, and the other was on his way out of Vandy and has local roots. Those are entirely reasonable names to float, as some people here did. How things evolved - Valpo making a run, Stallings going to Pitt, Vandy and GT pursuing Drew - were things that hadn't happened when people put those names out there. They ended up being unrealistic, but by no means were they ridiculous ones to nominate (and the AD may have well talked with one or more of them).

Bernie and Frank and others were saying we wanted Izzo, among other living legends. That's just dumb. People put out the best possible reasonable names at the time. There's no shame in that, but it is a shame that the local sports media either doesn't know enough college basketball to see why, or would rather just make up.

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Jacobson? The guy that engineered blowing a 14 point lead in 34 seconds? No I would enthusically take ford over jacobson. Talk about proven no floor coaching.

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But really, are Drew, Stallings, or Jacobsen such unrealistic names to throw out there? Two coach in the Horizon and Valley, and the other was on his way out of Vandy and has local roots. Those are entirely reasonable names to float, as some people here did. How things evolved - Valpo making a run, Stallings going to Pitt, Vandy and GT pursuing Drew - were things that hadn't happened when people put those names out there. They ended up being unrealistic, but by no means were they ridiculous ones to nominate (and the AD may have well talked with one or more of them).

Bernie and Frank and others were saying we wanted Izzo, among other living legends. That's just dumb. People put out the best possible reasonable names at the time. There's no shame in that, but it is a shame that the local sports media either doesn't know enough college basketball to see why, or would rather just make ###### up.

Well said, they set up the straw man or they cannot read.

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I agree, but I believe he was commenting on the few that thought we were going to get Drew or Stallings or that we should go after Jacobsen. His assessment that we had unrealistic expectations was not accurate in that it did not reflect what many on the board were feeling. I only agreed with him with respect to those that thought we should get one of those guys.

You know the only poster I ever see bringing up Jacobsen is you. Maybe if you keep posting that, it will make your narrative come true.

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He was right. Those that thought we were getting Drew or Stallings or Jacobsen weren't being realistic.

That being said, Bernie needs to stop reading message boards, or at the very least realize that message board represent only a small portion of a fan base. I like listening to Bernie, but he needs to stop using the "my opinions vs. the message boards opinions" crutch to drum up controversy for his opinions and his show. He's entertaining to listen to without that. I always thought of him as the anti sports shock jock type.

The names Bernie hyperbolically referenced were Izzo, Self, and Krzyzewski. That is a far cry from Drew, Stallings, or Jacobsen. Those names, while perhaps a bit aspirational, are not unrealistic expectations. I'm sure a lot of people thought Majerus was an unrealistic expectation, too. Furthermore, his position was a dramatic misrepresentation of those many fans who wanted someone like Otzelberger, Ingelsby and the like. I enjoy Bernie, but his bloviating and exaggerations can get old fast.

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He was right. Those that thought we were getting Drew or Stallings or Jacobsen weren't being realistic.

That being said, Bernie needs to stop reading message boards, or at the very least realize that message board represent only a small portion of a fan base. I like listening to Bernie, but he needs to stop using the "my opinions vs. the message boards opinions" crutch to drum up controversy for his opinions and his show. He's entertaining to listen to without that. I always thought of him as the anti sports shock jock type.

Stallings reportedly WAS contacted by some SLU reps... so why was that unrealistic for the fans to think about? The Vandy/Stallings marriage clearly had soured, so it was worth exploring. Once the Pitt job opened, he jumped. Drew, who knows? Clearly he was also itching to leave - likely frustrated with his conference affiliation after missing the Tourney. With a family connection to St. Louis and a good salary to offer, sure it was worth exploring.

It will be interesting to see how things evolve with Ford, Drew and Stallings at their new places. A lot of times a coach's success is all about being in the right place and being a good fit for a particular program. Bruce Weber at SIU was considered great. Now after getting fired at Illinois and dropping down to K-State and again being on the hot seat, he is not held in very high regard any more. You can go from a hot young coach to a has been fairly quickly.

Out of Ford, Drew and Stallings, Ford would have been my third choice, but I still prefer him to some of the assistants who were mentioned and I think he is a better fit than Rice. There are no guarantees with any of these options. Maybe Stallings gets in over his head going up against the likes of Duke, UNC, Syracuse, etc. And maybe Drew has a hard time stepping up in class - recruiting against the likes of Pearl, Calipari, Howland, etc.

Regarding Ford, he now has a lot of head coaching experience at a relatively young age. He should be in the prime of his coaching career. He's already had a bite of the BCS apple. This is a big crossroads in his career. If he hits it big, maybe he becomes UK's coach in a decade. But if he fails here, maybe he finds himself back at Eastern Kentucky or at Kentucky's version of Lindenwood.

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Ford, Stallings and Drew were all mentioned for the same jobs not just by message board types but by Bernie's fellow professional sportswriters. Inglesby, who a lot of people on this message board wanted instead of Ford, wasn't mentioned at all. In order for Bernie to call the message board hopes unrealistic, he first needs to figure out what the message board expectations were. Continuing to run with the "SLU couldn't get Izzo" line is not only stupid but lazy.

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Jacobson? The guy that engineered blowing a 14 point lead in 34 seconds? No I would enthusically take ford over jacobson. Talk about proven no floor coaching.

Except he's widely known as an incredible X's and O's coach. Using a 34 second collapse to cast a coach as a bad in game coach is nothing short of absurd. He's one of the best coaches in the country. What he's accomplished at Northern Iowa is incredible.
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Except he's widely known as an incredible X's and O's coach. Using a 34 second collapse to cast a coach as a bad in game coach is nothing short of absurd. He's one of the best coaches in the country. What he's accomplished at Northern Iowa is incredible.

Agreed.

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The names Bernie hyperbolically referenced were Izzo, Self, and Krzyzewski. That is a far cry from Drew, Stallings, or Jacobsen. Those names, while perhaps a bit aspirational, are not unrealistic expectations. I'm sure a lot of people thought Majerus was an unrealistic expectation, too. Furthermore, his position was a dramatic misrepresentation of those many fans who wanted someone like Otzelberger, Ingelsby and the like. I enjoy Bernie, but his bloviating and exaggerations can get old fast.

I really dislike Bernie, because his bloviating and exaggerations can get old fast.

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I didn't think we would get Drew, but I thought we would have a legit shot at Stallings.

I am definitely happier with Ford than Stallings. Ford is an energy boost this program needs. Not sure Stallings would have delivered that.

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Larry Brown and Jim Beheim didn't exactly get by scott free.

Haha. Both are still coaching and Boeheim just made the Final Four. I like your sarcasm.

Wait wait they might vacate someones title AFTER they cut down the nets, and sell the tickets/merch. Hilarity.

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