Basketball

[ohio herd]

Okay here goes. I understand many of you being upset with the loss the other night. However, if there is anything we know about our basketball coach it is this:

He is a Son of Marshall.
He isn't going to allow the inmates to run the ship
He is smart enough to know the inmates haven't exactly got us to an NCAA tourney since 1987.
He and his brother are known for having an eye for undiscovered talent and bringing them into the NBA.
He and his brother are known for developing players into high quality players in the NBA.
He has been forced to play many young kids way too soon because he had to clear house of the mess it was in.
He is smart enough to know we can't out recruit UK for stallions so maybe it makes sense to recruit a different type of player.
He and his brother Mike helped change the way the game is played in the NBA. Having him here is awesome and having Mike available is really worth more than we can afford.
He is in year 2 of a rebuilding task and we are into game 3 now. Maybe we give it more than 2 games before we run him out of town.
I tell you this, if we are here in another year or two in the same position I will come on here and admit I was wrong. But for the time being, I think DD is a good hire for this program. Most of us would be challenged in our professions to be expected to turn around a situation like this in a little over a year. Attacking his recruiting saying WV kids and Euros are all scrubs in silly. This strategy may not get us into the Final Four but it might just get us a C-USA conference title in 2-3 years.

 

[bbneutralfan]

Ohio Herd wrote "This strategy may not get us into the Final Four but it might just get us a C-USA conference title in 2-3 years." Another 2 to 3 years? Only time will reveal the truth to this statement I guess. I hope you are correct in all that you wrote. From my view he is going to have to recruit outside of West Virginia and Serbia to play the schedule we have. Anyway Go Herd! Beat WKU!
Beat James Madison! Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[oldeherd]

Okay here goes. I understand many of you being upset with the loss the other night. However, if there is anything we know about our basketball coach it is this:

He is a Son of Marshall.
He isn't going to allow the inmates to run the ship
He is smart enough to know the inmates haven't exactly got us to an NCAA tourney since 1987.
He and his brother are known for having an eye for undiscovered talent and bringing them into the NBA.
He and his brother are known for developing players into high quality players in the NBA.
He has been forced to play many young kids way too soon because he had to clear house of the mess it was in.
He is smart enough to know we can't out recruit UK for stallions so maybe it makes sense to recruit a different type of player.
He and his brother Mike helped change the way the game is played in the NBA. Having him here is awesome and having Mike available is really worth more than we can afford.
He is in year 2 of a rebuilding task and we are into game 3 now. Maybe we give it more than 2 games before we run him out of town.
I tell you this, if we are here in another year or two in the same position I will come on here and admit I was wrong. But for the time being, I think DD is a good hire for this program. Most of us would be challenged in our professions to be expected to turn around a situation like this in a little over a year. Attacking his recruiting saying WV kids and Euros are all scrubs in silly. This strategy may not get us into the Final Four but it might just get us a C-USA conference title in 2-3 years.

All well and good, but if DD is wanting to all get totally squeaky clean, all choir boy and boy scouts to play for the Herd, then I am sure we will be a national power in any manners and conduct contest. But we are suppose to be fielding a team to compete in MAJOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL!

He wants to play up tempo basketball and press. Based on our first 2 games we have nowhere near the talent overall to press any competent D1 team full court. If he wanted athletic big men with offensive skills to play one on one, with outside shooting ability, then he should have had Cline scouring the jucos to find 6'7"-6'8" athletic front court players with an intermediate offensive game. Guys who can take it to the paint and either score or dish to an open three shooter (Loop, etc.). Instead, we have at least 3 Eastern European players, athletically limited, who are more suited for the Half Court Game, like Herrion was trying to run. Right now, these bigs are not as offensively ready to contribute to the extent that Sane and Kambola did last year. Not at Mbao's level, maybe, but not able to provide any consistent inside scoring punch.

So that leaves Taylor and Kelly, basically, for any inside offense. And when Kelly goes outside to shoot 4 or more threes, and makes none, the result is the Herd gets slaughtered on the boards, like at Morehead. And, if on the other end we have no one other than the above 2 to play interior defense and get rebounds, the other team feasts on points in the pain, like at Morehead.

We let Herrion go after 4 season, 2 of which were winning seasons. If DD is losing after his 3rd year, do we really give him 2 or 3 more years? The fact that he was hired "late" is ALL ON HAMRICK and the crazy way he conducted the "coaching search".

 

[bbneutralfan]

What coaching search? MH played the "Waiting Game" hoping for MD and not DD but any ole D was good enough. Wonder what Eastern Kentucky's coach will tell his team in the locker room before our game with them!

 

[dshoe123]

What coaching search? MH played the "Waiting Game" hoping for MD and not DD but any ole D was good enough. Wonder what Eastern Kentucky's coach will tell his team in the locker room before our game with them!

Since Jeff Neubauer is no longer at EKU anymore, but is the Head Coach at Fordham in the A10, I don't think it will come up

 

[bbneutralfan]

dshoe you are correct. I forgot they have a new coach.

 

[whf2]

Watched John Brannen's NKU team lose to Morehead at home last week by 9 or 10. The discipline on his team, ball movement, defensive effort, and overall energy displayed made me instantaneously wonder what it would have been like if he'd been hired at MU the year before he came up here (back home) to NKU. He's been here since last January I believe, and the team doesn't have a lot of talent yet, but they do look and play like a D1 team. Hopefully DD will alter his plan and gain understanding about the need to play against an opponent at this level, rather than just keeping on doing what he wants to do. There are two teams on the floor, he IMHO hasn't grasped that yet.