UL basketball in better shape
Jay Walker: "Marty Fletcher left Jessie with four or five seniors his first year except Brooks was hurt and we didn't know this when he took the job."
Chuck: I don't often agree with Jay Walker I don't even like Jay Walker he got Todd Hamilton fired but I agree with him on this. How anyone can say the program is in better shape than when he took the job is beyond my comprehension. No seniors coming back next year means Marty left the program in better shape.
Re: UL basketball in better shape
Quote:
Originally posted by Chuck
How anyone can say the program is in better shape than when he took the job is beyond my comprehension.
For me the lack of comprehension goes the other direction.
In their last three years at Louisiana respectively, Jessie almost doubled Marty's win total 60 to 35. It is undeniable that kids / recruits want to play for a winning program. In that respect the program is in great shape.
In Marty's last year he couldn't win with 5 juniors and yes Jessie was set to have the luxury of their senior campaigns, but if I am not mistaken Jessie ended up with only two of those seniors Manuel and Snowden, he got Poole back the following year. Aside from that, the Marty program was left top heavy and the void showed in Jessie’s second year, his only losing campaign.
The status in which you leave a program is not only determined by experience coming back, it is about raw recruiting as well. Jessie's system has him leaving a program with 2 recruits already signed. They combine to provide experience and youth a freshman and a Juco, a well balanced plan of attack, a well balanced program.
If none of the suspended players make it back next year it is still unbelievable how much better the program is today 2004 than 1996. Only two wins in Marty's 2nd to last year separate 3 straight losing seasons vs. 3 straight winning/post season appearance seasons for Evans.
Counting the recruits so far, and IF the suspended players come back along with those on the bench this past season the UL program will have:
<li>2 Seniors
<li>4 Juniors
<li>6 Sophomores
<li>1 freshman
and perhaps one more recruit who I think should be a freshman, for program balance sake. But then again it’s no longer in Jessie’s hands.