because he didn't make the NCAA, and we end up with a bust as his replacement, I am going to laugh, and laugh, and laugh.

Well, if that happens we'll just get someone else. The point is how long can this program continue to make zero impact on the national scene. That's why Coach Petterson gets the big bucks. Not to stay the same, but to get better.

And if we get the NCAA with someone else, will you still be laughing..? Doubt it.

Low expectations yields crummy results.

(04-06-2009 11:30 AM)Scotto Wrote:  And if we get the NCAA with someone else, will you still be laughing..? Doubt it.

Sure. Laughing happy.

(04-06-2009 11:21 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  because he didn't make the NCAA, and we end up with a bust as his replacement, I am going to laugh, and laugh, and laugh.

It's certainly possible that could be the case, but you can't stand around with your feet stuck in the mud. You've got try and improve things and move forward. We are stuck in the mud. You never know what a change is going to bring, but we do know what making no change will bring, more of the same. I don't think this program is strong enough to survive without trying to do something to improve it. Every year it seems that someone I know drops out, and we end up with another seat or two empty.

I remember some Dickey Nutt supporters asking for years, "who can we get who will be any better?" I believe that this year they will see that they did indeed find one who will be better. Although we may not like the results.

The bottom line is getting the right guy. Sometimes hiring one of your assistants works out okay, but before I'd do that, I'd want to make sure that I had looked around the country to see what was out there, and to get the best man I could get.

If Shields stays, then, with most of the squad leaving, it will probably be because he got lucky at the right time, because I don't see anyway that we will be anywhere close to the best team in the conference. Then, we would be retaining, not the best coach, but a lucky coach. The caveat to that would be, of course, as we all hope, that this incoming class is as good as we all wish it could be.

(04-06-2009 11:40 AM)LRTrojan Wrote:  

(04-06-2009 11:21 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  because he didn't make the NCAA, and we end up with a bust as his replacement, I am going to laugh, and laugh, and laugh.

It's certainly possible that could be the case, but you can't stand around with your feet stuck in the mud. You've got try and improve things and move forward. We are stuck in the mud. You never know what a change is going to bring, but we do know what making no change will bring, more of the same. I don't think this program is strong enough to survive without trying to do something to improve it. Every year it seems that someone I know drops out, and we end up with another seat or two empty.

I remember some Dickey Nutt supporters asking for years, "who can we get who will be any better?" I believe that this year they will see that they did indeed find one who will be better. Although we may not like the results.

The bottom line is getting the right guy. Sometimes hiring one of your assistants works out okay, but before I'd do that, I'd want to make sure that I had looked around the country to see what was out there, and to get the best man I could get.

I guess we are back to arguing what is "mediocre". I didn't think winning 20 games last season was mediocre, but our RPI in the 170 area certainly was. This year we won 23 games, tied for the best record in the conference, and finished with an RPI of 90. That puts us just about in the top 25% of teams in the entire country. How anyone can consider that "mediocre" considering our conference affiliation, budget, etc. is beyond me. I'll take 23 wins and 15 conference wins every year- unfortunately, it may be awhile before we do that again.

(04-06-2009 11:55 AM)mjs Wrote:  I'll take 23 wins and 15 conference wins every year- unfortunately, it may be awhile before we do that again.

In a heartbeat. If we could do that every year, we would be going to post-season on a fairly regular basis, because some years the chips would fall right. The problem is that we had been winning 17-18 in our good years, not 23.

(04-06-2009 11:30 AM)Scotto Wrote:  Well, if that happens we'll just get someone else. The point is how long can this program continue to make zero impact on the national scene. That's why Coach Petterson gets the big bucks. Not to stay the same, but to get better.

And if we get the NCAA with someone else, will you still be laughing..? Doubt it.

Low expectations yields crummy results.

The old "who could we get who was better" is not really a sensible question. You have to assume that if a coach can only take you to a certain level, and that's it, then a change needs to be made. That's the nature of the beast. If his replacement doesn't get the job done, then you hire another. Five years is a sufficient time for a coach to reach whatever goals your AD sets for him. I would imagine the post season has been mentioned for several years now to our coaching staff, and that's why assistants have been changed out twice. I think it's now or never for the head man, and it's going to be difficult losing the players we did unless the returnees mesh with the new guys and we have a surprisingly great season. I hope for Steve's sake that we do.

(04-06-2009 11:30 AM)Scotto Wrote:  Well, if that happens we'll just get someone else. The point is how long can this program continue to make zero impact on the national scene.

How many programs in the Sun Belt have any impact on the national scene? The Belt gets one NCAA bid -- the tourney winner. In the mid-1990s, the Belt had two teams in the NCAA tournament, but that hasn't happened since 1994. No Belt team has won an NCAA game since '95, when Western Kentucky beat Michigan in overtime before losing to Kansas.

Most mid-major conferences just don't have any kind of impact nationally.

(04-13-2009 10:31 PM)Trojan Man Wrote:  

(04-06-2009 11:30 AM)Scotto Wrote:  Well, if that happens we'll just get someone else. The point is how long can this program continue to make zero impact on the national scene.

How many programs in the Sun Belt have any impact on the national scene? The Belt gets one NCAA bid -- the tourney winner. In the mid-1990s, the Belt had two teams in the NCAA tournament, but that hasn't happened since 1994. No Belt team has won an NCAA game since '95, when Western Kentucky beat Michigan in overtime before losing to Kansas.

Most mid-major conferences just don't have any kind of impact nationally.

Have you been in a coma the last two years? The Belt got two teams in last year and WKU made the Sweet 16. This year Western won a first round game and lost a buzzer beater to Gonzaga in the 2nd round.

Well I wish the Belt would share the love. We need to go sometime.

(04-13-2009 10:34 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(04-13-2009 10:31 PM)Trojan Man Wrote:  

(04-06-2009 11:30 AM)Scotto Wrote:  Well, if that happens we'll just get someone else. The point is how long can this program continue to make zero impact on the national scene.

How many programs in the Sun Belt have any impact on the national scene? The Belt gets one NCAA bid -- the tourney winner. In the mid-1990s, the Belt had two teams in the NCAA tournament, but that hasn't happened since 1994. No Belt team has won an NCAA game since '95, when Western Kentucky beat Michigan in overtime before losing to Kansas.

Most mid-major conferences just don't have any kind of impact nationally.

Have you been in a coma the last two years? The Belt got two teams in last year and WKU made the Sweet 16. This year Western won a first round game and lost a buzzer beater to Gonzaga in the 2nd round.

And how about George Mason getting to the Final Four just a few years ago. And if the seedings were fair and weren't set up to try and eliminate the mid majors in the first round, there would be a lot more mid major wins.