Coaching Carousel-2023

[Schasz]

1 minute ago, HoosierPal said:

So you are agreeing with me. Next time do some research. 

Can I assign you to do my research in the future?  I'm well past my college days when I had to do lots of that!

[Bay Area Billiken]

24 minutes ago, Schasz said:

No team went to the NCAA in the Covid year! Travis Ford has been HC for 7 years and has 1 NCAA trip when his team had to win 4 games to get there. I was thrilled then but they did get drilled by VA Tech. No I don't know you, but what does that have to do about posting on a SLU fan website. Now I did know quite a few MBM's when I lived in the Lou and was a Billiken Club Member for years, as well as a season ticket holder for years.

Wow...BAB are you counting my posts??? if so, you have more time than I do! Stand down. That seems inappropriate from a fellow MBM. Whether I agree or disagree I'd NEVER say that to another MBM for any reason!

Do you think I counted your posts? One was one too many on this subject. It must hurt you an awful lot to be wrong. And you don’t like being told you are wrong. You did make sure there’s no shortage of glue. Are you going to spend the rest of the Winter and the Spring too on your Don Quixote quest to oust the Coach? More importantly are you going to fund said ouster? 
 

 

[billiken_roy]

2 hours ago, Schasz said:

No, I'm a Finance Major with a MBA that was Finance and Marketing oriented. So I understand when the turnstiles don't click because fans lost interest in the product (SLU Hoops) then someone better be losing their job so the turnstiles start turning the right way. I also remember when I lived in St. Louis how fickle the sports fans can be with exception to the Cardinals baseball team. Please don't act like SLU is the sisters of the poor Roy...you know me and know I also attended SLU too!!! I also still have contacts in St. Louis!

i never said slu was poor.  hell they have the 4th largest endowment of all catholic universities.   however the BoT isnt interested in using any more money than they have to extend to our sports programs and expect the athletics department to function on their own.   i.e. boosters and donations more than ticket sales.   if we depended solely on ticket sales, the price of our tickets would be far far higher than they already are. 

i am not by any means advocating extending coach ford or even giving him a raise, but i do understand the fact that his buyout plus the coach of greater or even equal skills wont be cheap.   and i dont believe that $500,000 annually will be the needed money to keep up with the big boys for the NiL nonsense.   hell kentucky's best player cost them almost $2,000,000 alone.   and since we all expect the billikens to get to at minimum the sweet 16 annually, keeping up with the likes of northern iowa and bradley (the level that a half a million dollars might get us to) isnt going to go to the second weekend of the tourney every year.   we need an NiL budget on the same level with the big boys. 

add that to the coach buyout and hire, that is a lot of money to ask our big boosters to come forward with.  

now someone the other day said something about just hiring another gates that wouldnt cost all that much.  first, he just got the extension that is that much.   and secondly if we are talking about hiring an unknown, do you really think that guarantees even the paltry 20 wins and not quite finishes that ford has given us?   i say it is a shot in the dark.  

i am not saying we should settle for this.   i am only saying we arent in a place right now to do this.   was that smart?   no.   not sure why we have the highest paid coach in the atlantic 10.   i agree he hasnt shown he is worth that.   but it is what it is and until the booster money is found to make such a move we are stuck hopeing that the roster we got/will have overachieves or develops (likely on their own) to that point that we are once again happy.  

btw, if you go back on the board to the time ford was announced, i was not happy.   i predicted this would happen.   the only thing i missed on was the time frame.   i expected the patience to snap after 5 years.   amazingly we lasted a lot longer than i expected.  

my point is it does no good playing the cards we have all been guilty of this year.   ford isnt going anywhere and our b!tching is only making our fandom more toxic.  might as well just let it play out.   someone said give it three more year and then it's time.    that could happen.   if the administration plays their cards right and makes the annual moves they need to we could be in the position in 3 or 4 years.   but it isnt going to happen now or even next year.   if that doesnt work out for you you might as well just burn anything you have left that is billiken blue and go all orange.   tennessee is a public unversity and they have a lot more resources to play the game off the court that would make you happy so it looks like that is the right fit for you and your own sanity.   good luck.

 

[DOC]

1 hour ago, slu92 said:

SLU suffers from battered wife syndrome…..they never leave the current situation because they think they can’t do better than a Travis Ford or a Jim Crews….just like the wife doesn’t leave the husband because she doesn’t think she can do better. In reality they both should cut off ties and everyone would be way better off! SLU is the battered wife in this example. Again if SLU doesn’t make a change they aren’t serious about MBB program. They have the money to spend, St. Louis would support a winning program, if none of this is true why are 35k at xfl game right now, why did mls expand and build state of the art stadium and why do cardinals sell out every game? Blues are terrible and fans still show up to games. AND if we aren’t serious about winning why did we just invest building a champions center???? For what? And why are we way overpaying millions for a mediocre at best, retread head coach? If he’s so great why hasn’t a power 5 scooped him up, bc he turned them down, doesn’t want to make more money? Loves St. Louis so much? It’s bc nobody else wants him that’s why it’s insanity keeping him. If Chris May loves the guy so much fine, go on record and say if Travis doesn’t go to ncaa in next two years we both should be fired. Think he will do that? No way. Travis Ford isn’t the hill you want to die on defending. 

You make 10 post then say you will stop, but you don’t. Now we’re about to get another 10 repeating the first 10. What is it that you suffer from?

[TheA_Bomb]

It's just raw right now knowing we choked in a 1 bid league and lost 3x to a 12 seed and it wasn't close. 

The posts will wane until beginning next season.  It will be like this until CTF changes the narrative or is fired. 

[Schasz]

15 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

i never said slu was poor.  hell they have the 4th largest endowment of all catholic universities.   however the BoT isnt interested in using any more money than they have to extend to our sports programs and expect the athletics department to function on their own.   i.e. boosters and donations more than ticket sales.   if we depended solely on ticket sales, the price of our tickets would be far far higher than they already are. 

i am not by any means advocating extending coach ford or even giving him a raise, but i do understand the fact that his buyout plus the coach of greater or even equal skills wont be cheap.   and i dont believe that $500,000 annually will be the needed money to keep up with the big boys for the NiL nonsense.   hell kentucky's best player cost them almost $2,000,000 alone.   and since we all expect the billikens to get to at minimum the sweet 16 annually, keeping up with the likes of northern iowa and bradley (the level that a half a million dollars might get us to) isnt going to go to the second weekend of the tourney every year.   we need an NiL budget on the same level with the big boys. 

add that to the coach buyout and hire, that is a lot of money to ask our big boosters to come forward with.  

now someone the other day said something about just hiring another gates that wouldnt cost all that much.  first, he just got the extension that is that much.   and secondly if we are talking about hiring an unknown, do you really think that guarantees even the paltry 20 wins and not quite finishes that ford has given us?   i say it is a shot in the dark.  

i am not saying we should settle for this.   i am only saying we arent in a place right now to do this.   was that smart?   no.   not sure why we have the highest paid coach in the atlantic 10.   i agree he hasnt shown he is worth that.   but it is what it is and until the booster money is found to make such a move we are stuck hopeing that the roster we got/will have overachieves or develops (likely on their own) to that point that we are once again happy.  

btw, if you go back on the board to the time ford was announced, i was not happy.   i predicted this would happen.   the only thing i missed on was the time frame.   i expected the patience to snap after 5 years.   amazingly we lasted a lot longer than i expected.  

my point is it does no good playing the cards we have all been guilty of this year.   ford isnt going anywhere and our b!tching is only making our fandom more toxic.  might as well just let it play out.   someone said give it three more year and then it's time.    that could happen.   if the administration plays their cards right and makes the annual moves they need to we could be in the position in 3 or 4 years.   but it isnt going to happen now or even next year.   if that doesnt work out for you you might as well just burn anything you have left that is billiken blue and go all orange.   tennessee is a public unversity and they have a lot more resources to play the game off the court that would make you happy so it looks like that is the right fit for you and your own sanity.   good luck.

 

Roy,

You make a lot of good points, and I will always root for the SLU hoops team just as I do Shari's Vols team. I also understand the difference between the two U's. While my wife went there I have had the chance to go to a number of football and basketball games at UT. Their facilities are 2nd to none. Having been to some SEC away basketball venues I actually prefer Chaifetz to some SEC venues. The difference between SLU and UT in hoops is there is no comparison to their HC's Rick Barnes will be in the HOF shortly after he retires at UT, and yes he makes more than Ford. 

I don't know if there is any MBM who truly knows what the real financial situation is regarding the money people supporting SLU's Hoops team is? If there is sure would be nice if they speak up here...it's frustrating for lifelong fans/graduates! That IMHO is the $64K question that needs to be answered...along with the number of years left on both Ford and May's contracts...at some point the trigger needs to be pulled on incompetence. Smaller U's than SLU have fired their HC in less than 7 unproductive years. It is tough seeing the NCAA Selection show again tonight with other Catholic U's getting into the Tourney and many are familiar names (some were SLU opponents in prior leagues and/ or the A-10) who obviously put an emphasis that True Blue Billiken Fans always just hope SLU would put on the Bills Hoops team. Chaifetz was a major step and one hopes coaching SLU's revenue sport gets the needed leader ASAP!

[Littlebill]

34 minutes ago, DOC said:

You make 10 post then say you will stop, but you don’t. Now we’re about to get another 10 repeating the first 10. What is it that you suffer from?

He’s made the board unreadable

[Billiken Rich]

16 hours ago, Schasz said:

I think I got your last rib...yes I do root for my wife of 44 years TN Vols just as she has those same years for SLU. Happy to say the Vols are going to the NCAA Tourney again as they do almost every year (How boring...Huh). Meanwhile my Alma Mater 1 in last 7 just doesn't cut it with me. Guess you are completely happy with that record so we'll NEVER AGREE on SLU Hoops even though we still root for them!

You root for the Bills the way I root for Missouri.....

[slu92]

16 hours ago, DOC said:

You make 10 post then say you will stop, but you don’t. Now we’re about to get another 10 repeating the first 10. What is it that you suffer 

If you don’t agree that’s one thing, but just being mean and snippy on a message board makes me think you might want to talk to someone as well. Have a Coke and a smile on me buddy. 

[TRN]

https://twitter.com/OleMissMBB/status/1635302262661627905?s=20

[brianstl]

3 hours ago, TRN said:

https://twitter.com/OleMissMBB/status/1635302262661627905?s=20

I am surprised he got a P5 job this quick.  I thought it would take a few seasons.  I guess Ole Miss doesn't care about the screaming mob.  Good for them.  

[TRN]

1 hour ago, brianstl said:

I am surprised he got a P5 job this quick.  I thought it would take a few seasons.  I guess Ole Miss doesn't care about the screaming mob.  Good for them.  

They are about to have a really good basketball team fast. 

[brianstl]

21 minutes ago, TRN said:

They are about to have a really good basketball team fast. 

They are.  They have the best coach in college basketball.

[TheA_Bomb]

The other thing Beard does that Romar did to an extent is engage the students to increase campus participation.   He threw a party for the students prior to the the Gonzaga game (i think) with music food trucks then went over and led the students into the arena.  He highlighted fans in the locker room post game.

Just 1 bad night can bring it all down ya know.

It's like that old story about Pedro the guy who built bridges.

[TaLBErt]

https://thespun.com/.amp/college-hoops/sports-world-wants-prominent-head-coach-fired-sunday

Dayton fans aren’t happy either.

[TaLBErt]

 

[Lord Elrond]

1 minute ago, TaLBErt said:

https://thespun.com/.amp/college-hoops/sports-world-wants-prominent-head-coach-fired-sunday

Dayton fans aren’t happy either.

No reason for Dayton fans to be happy with how their season went.

[Littlebill]

16 hours ago, brianstl said:

They are.  They have the best coach in college basketball.

Bill Self is going to Ole Miss?

[wgstl]

14 minutes ago, Littlebill said:

Bill Self is going to Ole Miss?

But really, both Bill and Beard are top 3. You could rank Self, Ford, and Beard in any order. 

[courtside]

On 3/11/2023 at 8:00 PM, Marlow said:

After struggling at Texas, Shaka Smart  is doing a great job at Marquette. Being in the right place for success is not a science.

Same guy, much different system. Smart changed and evolved. There are a variety of ways to win and be successful. He decided to focus on offense. 

Greg McDermott struggled at Iowa St., (after success at N. Iowa) but he has done well at Creighton. Shaka didn’t struggle at Texas as much as he didn’t meet high expectations. And of course he is having success again. 

This type of route has worked well for some coaches, and not so much others. You have to find a good fit. Fit does matter. And he has a good fit.

What jumps off of the page about Shaka Smart is that he has coached 3 different types of ball at 3 different schools. Havoc full pressure d at VCU, half court top 40 d at Texas, and now he changed to an offensive focus.

His current offense is interesting and unique. The change began when Smart hired Nevada Smith, and when he consulted with Northwest Missouri State’s Ben McCollum about offense. Then his offense started to improve a lot his final season at Texas before leaving. 

Now: Spacing, ball movement, cutting, extra pass. Having skill in non-traditionally skilled positions.

They run double ball screens where one screener pops and the other rolls And the point is pass first, shoot second. They set a lot of ghost/fake screens to create indecision for defensive switching that leads to dribble drives. Their slot guy cuts and clears out the defense for corner three’s.

They have many concepts and the players decide what is working and when to change based on d adjustments. They isolate their big on one side a lot, and he can handle, pass, shoot a little hook. They have 5 guys who can handle. shoot, and pass. That’s pretty helpful if you play 5 out. A big with 3.3 assists a game. Their 4 will be on the other side cutting for a pass, and if not, finishes the cur on the other side for catch and shoot or dribble drive in isolation. Shot selection is anything deep in the paint or open 3. Everyone has a role and stays within it.

He has an elite top 10 offense, with an interesting mix of players, where the ball moves a lot, and where each player has multiple skill sets. But the players play within their role for the team. They don’t have a lot of one skill set players and they don’t have non team players. And that has worked for them.

Unlike at Texas, there isn’t pressure to recruit 5 star, one and done types. So, he can have a roster of good, under the radar 4 year types of players (they scooped up Zaide Lowery from Springfield, MO for 2023 who fits this category for example)’that can each do a variety of things to fit the system, They have freedom/options within the system too, meaning it isn’t just rigid set plays. but, who also know their role on the team. And players like playing offensive ball. They aren’t a great defensive team, but they force a lot of turnovers to make them good enough, to go along with an elite offense. 

SLU also did not play good defense. But SLU also didn’t have an elite offense. Good not great. Inconsistent., as they were in a variety of areas. One way to overcome defensive challenges is to play elite offense. Players like it, fans like it, and elite offenses can overcome some defensive deficiencies.  The current SLU group had potential for something like this. 

Smart is doing it with a mix of a few inherited players, a few transfers. and a few new recruits. And almost all of them are in year 2 together while still being a young team. He had zero new incoming transfers this season. All of that seems very doable for a program like SLU. 

 

 

 

 

[HoosierPal]

 

[BLIKNS]

Temple coach  Aaron McKie  has stepped down

[courtside]

10 minutes ago, BLIKNS said:

Temple coach  Aaron McKie  has stepped down

They want to hire Matt Langel (Colgate) before someone else does.

11 years in Philly, playing and coaching under Fran Dunphy at UPenn, and Temple.

[HoosierPal]

Western Kentucky has hired Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Steve Lutz as its new men's basketball coach, the school announced on Saturday.

[slu72]

And Pitino will end up at St John’s. Another bid for the Beast.