Geez... it's almost January and we've hardly talked about hoops on HerdNation! For those that have missed it, we're off to a rockin' 5-8 record with signature wins over Ohio and UNC Greensboro. I'm just not certain why there's not more excitement as we prepare for the Sunbelt league opener against Louisiana on Saturday!
I mean, we're a run-and-gun team averaging 76.5 points, shooting under 30% from 3, barely shooting 70% from the free throw line, and shooting under 42% from the floor. What's not to be jacked-up about? OAK is averaging a little over 15 pts per game, which will lock him into an honorable mention all-conference award at the end of the season - and might be one of two true Division 1 caliber players on the roster (Voyles being the other). Just think... what could Herd Hoops be if we signed D-1 kids! Everyone thinks Dan stinks, but to be 5-8 with a roster that looks like it should be competitive with WV State, University of Charleston, Fairmont State, and Bluefield is a HELL of an accomplishment! Please note the sarcasm.
But wait there's more... literally, Moore. One of our recruits next year looks just like every other recruit we've signed in the last 10-years... a 6-6 bean-pole white kid whom Dan compared athletically to Tavieon Kinsey (put down the moonshine coach!). At least he had legit offers from multiple D-1 schools, so we're really upgrading our recruiting this year.
Our other signee, Erich Harding, is tipping the scales at a shade over 200 lbs which is pretty heavy for a Dan recruit... oh, I forgot, he is 6'10" so there is a big frame to add weight to once he arrives at Marshall. Of course, no one who has played basketball for Marshall in the past ten years has managed to find the weight room so I'm a little pessimistic about the possibilities. I can't even find stats on this kid in Google searches - so I think we out-recruited UNC, NC State, Duke, and Wake Forest for him... that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I love Marshall Basketball and will root for us to my dying day - but we have got to do something to infuse life into this program. Dan's time has passed. Hillbilly Ball was super-fun when we had Elmore, Burks & Co., but those days are a 1/2 decade in our rearview mirror, and its not like we're "turning the corner" or have any real energy. An empty Henderson center and a really long conference season look to be in our future. A coaching change has to happen... but needs to be handled with dignity. I respect Dan for his love of our program and the NCAA run a few years ago. The time has come and passed to shift gears, bring in a new coach, and try to get Marshall Basketball back to the glory days of the 80s (I know some of you think our glory days were the 70s, but we were literally 76-89 from 1975-1979).
There are plenty of good younger coaches out there that we could be looking to as possibilities for the future... we'll everyone in the country is younger than Dan, so that's not really a very insightful statement. It doesn't have to be the usual suspects that get mentioned like John Brannen or Greg Marshall (although I think either would certainly have us winning and on the map in no time at all). Heck, it doesn't even need to be someone connected to Marshall (i.e., AW Hamilton or Corny Jackson). Let's go find the best college basketball coach that we can afford and bring him in. Let's get back on the winning path and out of the swamp of mediocrity.
I mean, we're a run-and-gun team averaging 76.5 points, shooting under 30% from 3, barely shooting 70% from the free throw line, and shooting under 42% from the floor. What's not to be jacked-up about? OAK is averaging a little over 15 pts per game, which will lock him into an honorable mention all-conference award at the end of the season - and might be one of two true Division 1 caliber players on the roster (Voyles being the other). Just think... what could Herd Hoops be if we signed D-1 kids! Everyone thinks Dan stinks, but to be 5-8 with a roster that looks like it should be competitive with WV State, University of Charleston, Fairmont State, and Bluefield is a HELL of an accomplishment! Please note the sarcasm.
But wait there's more... literally, Moore. One of our recruits next year looks just like every other recruit we've signed in the last 10-years... a 6-6 bean-pole white kid whom Dan compared athletically to Tavieon Kinsey (put down the moonshine coach!). At least he had legit offers from multiple D-1 schools, so we're really upgrading our recruiting this year.
Our other signee, Erich Harding, is tipping the scales at a shade over 200 lbs which is pretty heavy for a Dan recruit... oh, I forgot, he is 6'10" so there is a big frame to add weight to once he arrives at Marshall. Of course, no one who has played basketball for Marshall in the past ten years has managed to find the weight room so I'm a little pessimistic about the possibilities. I can't even find stats on this kid in Google searches - so I think we out-recruited UNC, NC State, Duke, and Wake Forest for him... that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I love Marshall Basketball and will root for us to my dying day - but we have got to do something to infuse life into this program. Dan's time has passed. Hillbilly Ball was super-fun when we had Elmore, Burks & Co., but those days are a 1/2 decade in our rearview mirror, and its not like we're "turning the corner" or have any real energy. An empty Henderson center and a really long conference season look to be in our future. A coaching change has to happen... but needs to be handled with dignity. I respect Dan for his love of our program and the NCAA run a few years ago. The time has come and passed to shift gears, bring in a new coach, and try to get Marshall Basketball back to the glory days of the 80s (I know some of you think our glory days were the 70s, but we were literally 76-89 from 1975-1979).
There are plenty of good younger coaches out there that we could be looking to as possibilities for the future... we'll everyone in the country is younger than Dan, so that's not really a very insightful statement. It doesn't have to be the usual suspects that get mentioned like John Brannen or Greg Marshall (although I think either would certainly have us winning and on the map in no time at all). Heck, it doesn't even need to be someone connected to Marshall (i.e., AW Hamilton or Corny Jackson). Let's go find the best college basketball coach that we can afford and bring him in. Let's get back on the winning path and out of the swamp of mediocrity.