(03-12-2019 10:49 AM)Dukester Wrote:  

(03-12-2019 10:26 AM)Dukes84 Wrote:  

(03-12-2019 10:00 AM)Dukester Wrote:  

(03-12-2019 09:25 AM)HyperDuke Wrote:  

(03-12-2019 09:18 AM)Dukester Wrote:  There are 353 division 1 programs. You can find numerous coaches to back up any claim.

Why not look at a recent unicorn at JMU

Brady's best year was his third. The team was actually receiving votes in the top 25 mid way thru January. Brady's first year the team was dramatically improved primarily due to his freshman and upgraded coaching abilities. Yeah - freshman and he still improved the program dramatically.

Here's the difference.

(Coming out of the Keener era) Brady's first year 21-15 & had the program up to #131 in the country. The team was 9-9 in the CAA (That with a very good VCU, GMU, and ODU). And this was done on the backs of his freshman class. Arguably one of the younger teams in JMU history with 3 freshman playing such major roles.


Brady's second year was hurt due to injuries. #210

His third year was his best as I said before. #95


Under Lou -

First year #228
2nd year #230
3rd year #263

Each year the claim has been youth.


Who had the bigger hole to climb out of -

Brady after Keener?

Lou after Brady?

Brady for sure. But all things aren’t equal here. If Lou shows 10-11 CAA wins next year, the fanbase has said that’s enough improvement to keep him. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how bad the first 3 years are for a coach at JMU with a 5-year contract. I wish HCLR didn’t have to learn on the job, but if he’s improving the team next year to the tune of .500 or better in the CAA regular season, we ride with the GOAT.

I just don't agree with that Hyper. Did Brady's last year he went 11-7 in the CAA bring the fanbase back? JMU fired him, because the fans were not interested.



JMU had to add stands for Softball due to support for a good program.

JMU's 2004 football NC brought the need for the expanded 25k stadium.

JMU Women's basketball attendance blows away the rest of the CAA.

16 seed in the NCAA tournament, and occasional top 4 finishes in the CAA are not going to bring the fanbase back. Students and alumni have show that the last 2 decades. But Softball, Football, and Women's basketball have shown JMU is one of the best supported (mid - major caliber) schools in the nation.

I don't want this new arena to be a wasted/lost opportunity. I lived through it since 20 years ago when we needed to be patient with Sherm, and have heard the same thing too many times since to count.

We're zeroing in on a quarter of a century (if not already there) to bring the basketball program up to an consistent top team in the CAA.

The support and attendance our factual, real, and undeniable.

We can say give more time, but patience while digging a bigger hole has not been a successful strategy for the program the last two decades.

JMU needs to be a top 100 program. We'll have a top 100 arena, and top 100 support for a top 100 program.

I think Lou Rowe is a great person, and a solid recruiter. He loves JMU, like Sherm did.

But this is not the road map to a top 100 program.



Under Lou -

First year #228
2nd year #230
3rd year #263

And these results were with a team with good health, and a $88,000,000 recruiting tool.

Dukester --

In reading through this thread, it's almost like you're saying that Matt Brady was a pretty good coach. Some would point to his overall record at JMU and say he was just average or less, but he had five seasons out of eight with 19 or more wins. It was the three bad years that pulled his overall record down, of course.

Here's what I would say with respect to your analysis. I would not get too caught up in JMU's relative ranking nationally, as things can turn around very quickly in basketball. Having said that, this year's Rowe team in some respects reminded me of Matt Brady's team following the NCAA tournament in 2013. If you'll recall, that team had a very good core of sophomores (Curry, Cooke and Nation), but with a big freshman class, and they won all of 11 games, even with the prior year's NCAA experience in which Cooke and Nation excelled. With those 11 wins, their national ranking had to be pretty bad and yet the next year they won 19 games and then 21 games and they did this with Cooke transferring out and Nation getting himself kicked out of the program for bad behavior.

The people voicing their support for Rowe are simply saying to let the process play itself out. We're on the right track and perhaps finally Rowe can have a talented and deep roster next season. If you fire him now, the timing is just disastrous and will likely lead to more bad seasons in the short term with no guarantees going forward. Lou may surprise a lot of people next year and he deserves the chance to do it. Don't let the impending opening of a new arena lead to making a bad decision.

'84

I'm saying something you, PG, Nation, and I would all agree on if you are honest "on here". You don't fire Matt Brady to hire Lou Rowe. What I have said consistently many times - Brady was a good hire, that plateaued. We should of taken the next step up with the next coach, but we waited to long and hired the wrong next coach. Brady in some respects was like Withers. He certainly positioned us for the next step and Houston took us there. We waited until Brady had declined, even kicking his legs out his legs by not extending him at the end of year four. Once again, you either terminate or extend after year 5. Lame duck year five was an unnecessary lose - lose situation.

I agree. Hiring Rowe was like the Redskins hiring Jim Zorn to be their coach. It's like they couldn't find anyone else. It was a stupid decision. JMU deserves more than hiring a guy who has never been a coach or even an assistant at a large and successful program. It's clear to anyone who ever played basketball that he can't coach and has no feel for in-game management. On the other hand, he relates well to these student/athletes, they play hard for him and he has what looks to be a successful recruiting class on the way. Unless there is a big splash hire waiting in the wings, it serves no real purpose to fire him when the group next year has potential. If he f***s up again next year, then fire him and get someone that can bring some excitement as we usher in a new arena and era of JMU basketball.