(02-02-2018 05:03 PM)TheWoodenNickle Wrote:  

(02-02-2018 02:23 PM)emu79 Wrote:  

(02-02-2018 12:40 PM)JonesGoddard Wrote:  If the talent is so great and this isn't your father's MAC basketball -- why can't we win then? Is it all on the coach? I would agree the majority of it is, but maybe we just misevaluated our own talent.

Alot of talent has head baggage. Ditto most of Murphy's teams. Don't play intelligent basketball make super dunks but can't consistently make free throws is good example. Lack of focus on the court which makes the defense drift from time to time. Its not all on the coaches.

I'm going to disagree with you on that 79. All of the things you stated are true but the coach can and should control all of it. Would a team coached by Bob Knight, Dean Smith, Tom Izzo, etc have these types of issues on a consistent basis?

Murphy doesnt grap players or throw chairs isn't North Carolina under investigation and Izzo isn't golden anymore

But I agree with you Wooden that Murphy gets less than 75 percent out of his players why the team rarely gets above .500

Rob recruits and that is the end of the positive story.

I think the Western coaching staff went into halftime feeling sanguine that while they were behind by a point, they were not going to continue their sub 30% shooting. They also knew that Eastern would make no adjustments. Same old zone, easy to rebound against and of course the one on one flailing offense.

The big problem is player development. Minnie and Jackson are regressing, much like Baylee Steele did last year. Harris was supposedly good enough to start early and now does not play.

I was very excited to see Murphy recruit the four year kids this year rather than the JUCO kids he favored in the past. But lets face it, Rob is better off scouring the country for talented transfers than developing raw freshman talent.

Groce has the tools to be special in the MAC. He is taller than listed, has the hops and speed plus he shoots the ball pretty well. Three more years with Murphy, however, he will be just another middling player. Ellison, McAdoo, Jones and King have less talent but are hardly "duds", they could become something, but not under Murphy.

Can't help but to agree. Good post.

(02-02-2018 06:50 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  Rob recruits and that is the end of the positive story.

I think the Western coaching staff went into halftime feeling sanguine that while they were behind by a point, they were not going to continue their sub 30% shooting. They also knew that Eastern would make no adjustments. Same old zone, easy to rebound against and of course the one on one flailing offense.

The big problem is player development. Minnie and Jackson are regressing, much like Baylee Steele did last year. Harris was supposedly good enough to start early and now does not play.

I was very excited to see Murphy recruit the four year kids this year rather than the JUCO kids he favored in the past. But lets face it, Rob is better off scouring the country for talented transfers than developing raw freshman talent.

Groce has the tools to be special in the MAC. He is taller than listed, has the hops and speed plus he shoots the ball pretty well. Three more years with Murphy, however, he will be just another middling player. Ellison, McAdoo, Jones and King have less talent but are hardly "duds", they could become something, but not under Murphy.

Player improvement doesn't happen under Murphy. We cannot think of one player under Murphy's coaching who has markedly improved. That is astounding! Even Thompson has plateaued where he should be absolutely dominating at this stage of his development. Lee and Riley never got better. A good coach would have EMU as a perennial contender if they can duplicate his recruiting.

I can’t see EMU buying out Murphy’s contract and paying two head coaches for a year.

(02-03-2018 10:24 PM)vannzee Wrote:  I can’t see EMU buying out Murphy’s contract and paying two head coaches for a year.

I can and they will. If you can't afford such a common maneuver, get the hell out of DI athletics.

Dear Bob,
The budgets of all the Michigan MAC schools are taking serious hits. Eastern is looking at a five million dollar deficit. Enrollments are down. Eastern doesn't have an extra $500 thousand just sitting around to use on coaching salaries.

(02-04-2018 08:43 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Bob,
The budgets of all the Michigan MAC schools are taking serious hits. Eastern is looking at a five million dollar deficit. Enrollments are down. Eastern doesn't have an extra $500 thousand just sitting around to use on coaching salaries.

Ken Bob has no dollars to spare he donated to buy out Kenos contract

(02-04-2018 09:42 AM)emu79 Wrote:  

(02-04-2018 08:43 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Bob,
The budgets of all the Michigan MAC schools are taking serious hits. Eastern is looking at a five million dollar deficit. Enrollments are down. Eastern doesn't have an extra $500 thousand just sitting around to use on coaching salaries.

Ken Bob has no dollars to spare he donated to buy out Kenos contract

Reminder: Keno Davis was NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR and has done a much better job at CMU than Rob "I only know zone defense" Murphy has done at EMU. Rob Murphy can't carry Keno Davis's jockstrap, nor any other decent coach's.

(02-04-2018 08:43 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Bob,
The budgets of all the Michigan MAC schools are taking serious hits. Eastern is looking at a five million dollar deficit. Enrollments are down. Eastern doesn't have an extra $500 thousand just sitting around to use on coaching salaries.

EMU basketball operates at a deficit. They will have to take a slight financial hit by firing Murphy but they have no choice. This is why making smart hiring/contract extension decisions is so critical at the mid major level. Wetherbee's hands are tied, he has a lame duck coach who has proven that he cannot get the job done and who has no chance of getting a contract extension. Keeping him around for an additional season just to save money, with no hope of getting extended would do severe harm to the program.

(02-04-2018 10:58 AM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(02-04-2018 08:43 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Bob,
The budgets of all the Michigan MAC schools are taking serious hits. Eastern is looking at a five million dollar deficit. Enrollments are down. Eastern doesn't have an extra $500 thousand just sitting around to use on coaching salaries.

EMU basketball operates at a deficit. They will have to take a slight financial hit by firing Murphy but they have no choice. This is why making smart hiring/contract extension decisions is so critical at the mid major level. Wetherbee's hands are tied, he has a lame duck coach who has proven that he cannot get the job done and who has no chance of getting a contract extension. Keeping him around for an additional season just to save money, with no hope of getting extended would do severe harm to the program.

Agree that keeping Murphy around for another season would further harm EMU Basketball and Football. These two sports help each other in regional and national limelight. While I don't see EMU averaging 5000 fans at a basketball game over the next couple of years, if they made a good coaching choice like Creighton for basketball, I could see us averaging 3000 fans per game. We need to find a coach who can brand EMU Basketball and make it exciting again. If Murphy finishes at 0.500 in the MAC, and gets another contract extension, Wetherbe would really have his hands tied by this 20 win season clause. I talked to Chris Spears who personally told me the athletics office was going to make the Basketball schedule more difficult. Based on my interpretation of Spears' comments to me, he was going to make Murphy play a couple more payout games on the road and schedule more high caliber mid majors at the Convo. He agreed that EMU needed to reduce the cupcakes (Rochesters, Sisters of the poor (aka D2 schools) from our schedule. Can't reward coaches who win 20 games secured mostly from having a questionable schedule and repeatedly finish 0.500 in Conference.

(02-04-2018 10:51 AM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(02-04-2018 09:42 AM)emu79 Wrote:  

(02-04-2018 08:43 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Bob,
The budgets of all the Michigan MAC schools are taking serious hits. Eastern is looking at a five million dollar deficit. Enrollments are down. Eastern doesn't have an extra $500 thousand just sitting around to use on coaching salaries.

Ken Bob has no dollars to spare he donated to buy out Kenos contract

Reminder: Keno Davis was NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR and has done a much better job at CMU than Rob "I only know zone defense" Murphy has done at EMU. Rob Murphy can't carry Keno Davis's jockstrap, nor any other decent coach's.

"Can't carry Keno's jockstrap"

That's why he hasn't lost to him in like 3 years, which was keno's one good season. You really have to be trolling, because I can't imagine anyone being this dense.

(02-04-2018 11:58 AM)EagleSam Wrote:  

(02-04-2018 10:51 AM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(02-04-2018 09:42 AM)emu79 Wrote:  

(02-04-2018 08:43 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Bob,
The budgets of all the Michigan MAC schools are taking serious hits. Eastern is looking at a five million dollar deficit. Enrollments are down. Eastern doesn't have an extra $500 thousand just sitting around to use on coaching salaries.

Ken Bob has no dollars to spare he donated to buy out Kenos contract

Reminder: Keno Davis was NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR and has done a much better job at CMU than Rob "I only know zone defense" Murphy has done at EMU. Rob Murphy can't carry Keno Davis's jockstrap, nor any other decent coach's.

"Can't carry Keno's jockstrap"

That's why he hasn't lost to him in like 3 years, which was keno's one good season. You really have to be trolling, because I can't imagine anyone being this dense.

You really would have to be an idiot of "Trump voter" proportions if you cannot see that Murphy will NEVER be successful at EMU or any other DI program. In fact, while Keno Davis has been hired at Drake, Providence, CMU, and likely another university in the future, Rob Murphy will NEVER land another DI head coaching job ever again. Period. I would bet money on it.

Say what you want about Rob Murphy but he has owned Keno Davis as far as wins and loses. In fact, overall this season EMU and Murphy are tied with Keno's Chips and they own the tiebreaker so to say that Murphy cant carry Davis' jock is ludicrous. The fact that a coach has been at multiple schools is not a testament to his coaching acumen.

(02-04-2018 04:30 PM)vannzee Wrote:  Say what you want about Rob Murphy but he has owned Keno Davis as far as wins and loses. In fact, overall this season EMU and Murphy are tied with Keno's Chips and they own the tiebreaker so to say that Murphy cant carry Davis' jock is ludicrous. The fact that a coach has been at multiple schools is not a testament to his coaching acumen.

I criticize Murphy as much as anyone, but I enjoy the smackdowns he puts on CMU. Shouldve handed one to WMU last week.

I'm at the front of the Fire Murphy line, but unless one of us has a quarter million to give to the University he gets another year. With the recent budget shortfall the optics of firing him are just not tenable. The faculty union would have a field day interviewing on various media outlets.

Toughen up the schedule next year, make a 20 win season a true accomplishment. Then sit back and watch him try to save his job or audition for some NY small school like Marist.

Murphy will be fired or EMU is not serious about DI basketball.

(02-04-2018 10:39 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  Murphy will be fired or EMU is not serious about DI basketball.

Dito CMU

(02-04-2018 10:51 AM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(02-04-2018 09:42 AM)emu79 Wrote:  

(02-04-2018 08:43 AM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Bob,
The budgets of all the Michigan MAC schools are taking serious hits. Eastern is looking at a five million dollar deficit. Enrollments are down. Eastern doesn't have an extra $500 thousand just sitting around to use on coaching salaries.

Ken Bob has no dollars to spare he donated to buy out Kenos contract

Reminder: Keno Davis was NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR and has done a much better job at CMU than Rob "I only know zone defense" Murphy has done at EMU. Rob Murphy can't carry Keno Davis's jockstrap, nor any other decent coach's.

The key word is WAS national coach of the year. He did the Murphy quick fix recruiting last year with transfers and still was horrible. This year CMU is worse because his prized transfer Marcus Keene was a one and done there. Murphy lucked out with a decent first year and an irrational decision to extend his contract. Keno was probably a good coach 10 years ago and thanks to Enos leaving football he got a
similar deal at CMU. Neither are doing a very good job right now but due to University budget issues, they are likely to work until their contracts expire. Steve Hawkins at WMU is loving it!