The Book: 2006-2007 Ragin' Cajuns Basketball

[AstroCajun]

McCaleb used his head as well as his shoulder on one play. Don't blame him though. He is an aggressive player who is very competitive. Why not get away with it if you can?

Thing is, if Rhett WAS set. In most cases that's enough.

But if Rhett does it properly (i.e., holds his hands at his sides, and not in front as a defensive reaction) we probably get the correct call.

[DestinCajun]

Thing is, if Rhett WAS set. In most cases that's enough.

But if Rhett does it properly (i.e., holds his hands at his sides, and not in front as a defensive reaction) we probably get the correct call.

"probably"

Did you forget where we were. Not likely.

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. – Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns men’s basketball team fell victim to a 14-0 Arkansas State run to start the second half and dropped its second straight Sun Belt Conference game losing 73-63 here Sunday afternoon at the Cajundome. The ASU run helped the Indians (7-7, 2-0 Sun Belt) erase a 35-28 halftime deficit within the first four minutes of the second stanza. The visitors never trailed the rest of the game. The loss was the third straight overall for Louisiana-Lafayette (2-8, 0-2 Sun Belt) who now take a break from Sun Belt action for a pair of non-conference games next week. The ASU win snapped a string of four straight wins by the home team in the series between the two conference rivals. The Indians became the first road team to win in the series since Feb. 3, 2001, when ASU won 82-80 in the Cajundome. The Cajuns were led by the tandem of David Dees and Ross Mouton who each scored 14 points. The Indians had four players reach double figures led by a game-high 18 points from Isaac Wells. ASU shot 53.8 percent in the decisive second half hitting 14-of-26 shots. The Cajuns percentage fell to 30.6 percent as UL struggled and shot 11-of-36. The Cajuns took a couple of minutes to get on track. ASU scored the game’s first three points and held a 3-0 lead until the 17:31 mark. Derek Gray scored UL’s first points at the 17:31 mark when he grabbed the loose ball on the Cajuns third attempt at a basket and converted the layup. Back-to-back defensive stops resulted in baskets from Mouton and then Dees that upped the Cajuns lead to 6-3 with 16:28 left in the first half. The Indians responded with an inside basket from Abayomi Ajasin at 16:14 and took the lead after a Cajuns turnover on the inbounds pass following the first media timeout. Shawn Morgan grabbed the loose ball on the inbounds and raced in for a fastbreak layup that put ASU in front 7-6. Dees was fouled by Morgan on the ensuing possession as he was firing off a three-pointer at 15:21. Dees made all three freebies to give UL a 9-7 lead. The Ragin’ Cajuns held onto the lead as the two squads traded baskets over the next two minutes. UL broke a 13-all tie at 12:46 with a free throw from Valentino Hart. The next two ASU possessions saw three-pointers from Ryan Wedel and Adrian Banks that gave the visitors their largest lead at 19-14 with 11:53 remaining in the half. The Cajuns didn’t let the Indians stretch the lead any further as the squad scored five points over a 17-second span. It began with a three-pointer from Mouton at 11:40 closing the deficit to two points. After an ASU miss on the other end the Cajuns found Hart in transition in the paint for a hook shot that evened the score at 19-all. UL and ASU traded baskets in the 10-minute mark. A Wells dunk after the media timeout put ASU up 21-19. A pair of free throws from Adam James at 10:07 drew a 21-21 tie. The Cajuns eventually regained the lead at the 8:48 mark when Tyren Johnson buried a three-pointer in the left corner that put UL on top 25-22. The scoring spree slowed down after Johnson’s basket. The two teams missed several baskets over the next five minutes. The only field goals until the 3:37 mark were inside baskets from UL’s Courtney Wallace and Ajasin. The Cajuns lead was 27-26 after Ajasin’s bucket at 5:11. A free throw from Millsap at 4:01 made it 28-26. The Indians forced the eighth tie at the 2:54 mark when Wells made a layup that tied the score 28-28. The Cajuns went back in front at 2:36 when Abray Milson scored inside. The Cajuns defense clamped down forcing ASU to go without a field goal made in the final 2:30 holding the Indians to three field goal attempts and two turnovers. UL got three free throws and a bank shot off the backboard by Mouton with 29 seconds remaining to lay claim to a 35-28 lead at halftime. The Cajuns missed their first two shot attempts of the second half and turned the ball over twice allowing the Indians to score five unanswered points to trim the lead to 35-33 by the 18-minute mark. After a timeout the Cajuns missed two more shots and ASU continued to take advantage. Wells converted a turnaround hook shot at 17:31 to tie the game at 35-all. After a pair of Dees misses in the paint the Indians worked their way back to their end of the floor for a Wedel triple at 16:58 that gave ASU its first lead of the second half at 38-35. The Cajuns lost control of the ball at midcourt on the ensuing possession. The Indians would get another three-pointer from Wedel. He was fouled by Willie Lago and made the free throw to complete a four-point play that increased the Indians lead to 42-35 with 16:24 left in the game. UL ended its scoring drought when Millsap scored inside at 16:05 to cut the deficit to 42-37. When Mouton connected on a three-pointer on the left wing at 15:12 the Cajuns clawed back within striking distance at 42-40. ASU then turned to its transition game which resulted in three straight baskets all at least two feet of the basket to rebuild their lead to 48-40 with 13:56 on the clock. The Ragin’ Cajuns battled back using an 8-2 run over the next 3:25 to close the gap to 50-48. The Cajuns trailed 55-48 at the seven-minute mark before back-to-back baskets drew the game closer. Dees worked his way on the baseline for a second-chance basket at 6:40 to make it 55-50. On the ensuing possession, Lago read an ASU pass perfectly and picked off Wedel at the top of the key. He ran it back for a layup that trimmed the ASU lead to 55-52 at 5:58. Wedel’s third triple of the second stanza came on the next possession at 5:32 and rebuilt the ASU lead to six points at 58-52. The Indians lead grew to 10 points off the hands of Morgan. He made two free throws at the 4:03 mark to make it 60-52. Morgan was the catalyst nearly one minute later when he muscled his way on the baseline for a putback basket at 3:05 upping the advantage to 62-52. The Cajuns got four points from Millsap in the two-minute mark capped off by a slam dunk at 2:09 that cut the deficit to 62-56. The Indians threw a homerun pass that found Morgan deep in their territory. He drew a foul on a layup attempt and knocked down two charities upping the score to 64-56. ASU forced a steal on the ensuing possession and the long outlet pass found Wells wide open for a fastbreak dunk after the turnover which returned the lead back to double digits. Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 20 when they meet Cal State Fullerton at Titan Gym in Fullerton, Calif., to complete a non-conference home-and-home series with CSF. The game will begin at 9:05 p.m. (CST). center>LOUISIANA SI

[NewsCopy]

As far as we know, UL's basketball team may still be in the Cajundome. Almost an hour after Sunday's second-half embarrassment and a 73-63 loss to Arkansas State, Ragin' Cajun coach Robert Lee hadn't let anyone escape from the locker room. "They may stay in there all night," Lee said. "We're going to check the rule book and see how long we can keep them." It really didn't matter what time they left, because Lee had already informed his squad that they'd be back on the 'Dome floor at 5 a.m. this morning. Such was his disappointment Sunday night. "I can take it if we lose, if we play the best we can play," Lee said. "But we've got a few guys who think they're better than they are. Maybe this team just doesn't understand the effort that it takes on this level." The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[MiamiCajun32]

When will UL give up on Lee? My prediction is that a few of these new 4 year players will grow tired of him and the high discipline program that does not turn out wins. Kind of like those alleged bad apple guys that transfered last year (something tells me another coach would have been able to coach those guys) Hard work that is inefficient does not automatically equal success.

[rhineaux]

When will UL give up on Lee? My prediction is that a few of these new 4 year players will grow tired of him and the high discipline program that does not turn out wins. Kind of like those alleged bad apple guys that transfered last year (something tells me another coach would have been able to coach those guys) Hard work that is inefficient does not automatically equal success.

Instead of contstantly forcing us to listen to your _____ing, why don't you call the president's office and/or athletic department and force it on them. Everytime they lose, its the same freaking thing out of you. Leave it alone, we all know you don't like the coach. Your comments have long since passed annoying.

[CajunProud]

When will UL give up on Lee? My prediction is that a few of these new 4 year players will grow tired of him and the high discipline program that does not turn out wins. Kind of like those alleged bad apple guys that transfered last year (something tells me another coach would have been able to coach those guys) Hard work that is inefficient does not automatically equal success.

I'll readily admit that I know little to nothing about basketball. So to be able to tell you that Coach Lee is the man for the job, I don't really know. What I do know is that I love his intensity and passion. He is by far the toughest coach we have had here and I love the discipline that he brings. I also love the fact that he speaks his mind and doesn't give us the same old coach speak. If the kids on the team think he is too tough, then they don't need to be here. Give Coach Lee a break.

[MiamiCajun32]

Instead of contstantly forcing us to listen to your BIRDing, why don't you call the president's office and/or athletic department and force it on them. Everytime they lose, its the same freaking thing out of you. Leave it alone, we all know you don't like the coach. Your comments have long since passed annoying.

I know you would prefer that this board only be for the small % that see the rosy picture even during arguably the worst period in Cajuns basketball since the death penalty. At least I am still caring at all. Judging by the attendance, most just have moved along.

One problem with Cajuns athletics is that the fans don't demand more. I am a big Cajuns fan, but went to UF for college. Ron Zook was a really nice guy too, just like Lee, he worked as hard as anyone and 99% of Gator Nation really liked the guy as a person. However, he had to go. The fans demanded it.

What is going on now at the Cajun Dome is inexcuseable. A sunbelt champion team turned into the league door mat and one of the worst D1 teams in the country within two years. Even if this team does stay together a few years (doubtful) and gets much better (probable if they stay together), they can only get so much better and still will not be at the level the program has consistently played year after year.

There has to be accountability. The program is in shambles. I don't give a %$&#*@ if they are practicinig hard and more disciplined than ever. A 5-22 type season is a very bad one, any way you slice it.

So if you would rather me and other fans like me just go away, then so be it. Maybe I will just go away and not care about the program any more (and I was in the stands watching Andrew Toney). It does seem to be more and mroe a waste of my time.

I don't live in Louisiana so I can't go to the games, except when they are in South Florida or when I happen to be in Lafayette. A lot of the enjoyment in keeping up with the program comes from this board. But no criticism is allowed. Seems like a lot of you guys would just prefer to get together with 500 or so like minded people at the games and watch an alleged "highly disciplined" team lose games to a greater extent than we have ever seen at UL. Seems like you would prefer that to a winning program.

Lee has to be accountable. At most universities he would already have been fired, simply because of the huge step back the program has taken since he became coach, regarding wins and losses. Period.

I keep writing because I am amazed at how bad this team is and how far the program has fallen. It is an interesting talking point and one that is made for forums like this. But, oh, I forgot! This forum is for only rah rah rah.

Wow! How great those young men look in Lee's highly disciplined program. Maybe in 3 years this team will finish above .500. Damn! Yee haw! I am so excited about this program! Get all the naysayers out of here and let's play the games in a small gymnasium so us die hards can watch the game in a more intimate setting and see the great Lee at work, moldinig these young guys into men! wow!

I don't think I will be participating in the forum any longer.... I don't have the rose colored glasses that is a requirement.

[rhineaux]

I know you would prefer that this board only be for the small % that see the rosy picture even during arguably the worst period in Cajuns basketball since the death penalty. At least I am still caring at all. Judging by the attendance, most just have moved along.

One problem with Cajuns athletics is that the fans don't demand more. I am a big Cajuns fan, but went to UF for college. Ron Zook was a really nice guy too, just like Lee, he worked as hard as anyone and 99% of Gator Nation really liked the guy as a person. However, he had to go. The fans demanded it.

What is going on now at the Cajun Dome is inexcuseable. A sunbelt champion team turned into the league door mat and one of the worst D1 teams in the country within two years. Even if this team does stay together a few years (doubtful) and gets much better (probable if they stay together), they can only get so much better and still will not be at the level the program has consistently played year after year.

There has to be accountability. The program is in shambles. I don't give a %$&#*@ if they are practicinig hard and more disciplined than ever. A 5-22 type season is a very bad one, any way you slice it.

So if you would rather me and other fans like me just go away, then so be it. Maybe I will just go away and not care about the program any more (and I was in the stands watching Andrew Toney). It does seem to be more and mroe a waste of my time.

I don't live in Louisiana so I can't go to the games, except when they are in South Florida or when I happen to be in Lafayette. A lot of the enjoyment in keeping up with the program comes from this board. But no criticism is allowed. Seems like a lot of you guys would just prefer to get together with 500 or so like minded people at the games and watch an alleged "highly disciplined" team lose games to a greater extent than we have ever seen at UL. Seems like you would prefer that to a winning program.

Lee has to be accountable. At most universities he would already have been fired, simply because of the huge step back the program has taken since he became coach, regarding wins and losses. Period.

I keep writing because I am amazed at how bad this team is and how far the program has fallen. It is an interesting talking point and one that is made for forums like this. But, oh, I forgot! This forum is for only rah rah rah.

Wow! How great those young men look in Lee's highly disciplined program. Maybe in 3 years this team will finish above .500. Damn! Yee haw! I am so excited about this program! Get all the naysayers out of here and let's play the games in a small gymnasium so us die hards can watch the game in a more intimate setting and see the great Lee at work, moldinig these young guys into men! wow!

I don't think I will be participating in the forum any longer.... I don't have the rose colored glasses that is a requirement.

Its not about rah rah rah, moron. Its about you spewing the same worthless crap once a week. I know you don't like the coach. you have made that known. so why do you keep bringing it up? Do you think that continuing to tell us about it is going to get him fired?

[MiamiCajun32]

I'll readily admit that I know little to nothing about basketball. So to be able to tell you that Coach Lee is the man for the job, I don't really know. What I do know is that I love his intensity and passion. He is by far the toughest coach we have had here and I love the discipline that he brings. I also love the fact that he speaks his mind and doesn't give us the same old coach speak. If the kids on the team think he is too tough, then they don't need to be here. Give Coach Lee a break.

Give him a break? Maybe if I turn in the worst performance in my firm's history I should ask my supervisor to give me a break?

This is not some little league team where we all just feel good that the young ones are having a good time and learniing lessons in life.

Coach Lee may be a great guy. It seems that he is based on all the glowing reports on him as a person. However, he is failing at the job in a way that is more dramatic than anyone could have imagined.

This is major D1 college basketball! Is it not?

Demand more as fans and supporters of the program!

If Lee does not want criticism he should not have become a head coach at the D1 level. I am sure he is fine with the criticism and understands the business. Perhaps at his next stop, he will be more successful. But at UL he is failing miserably.

But you won't hear any more from me. The last poster made sure of that. I don't have time for such nonsense. Go check out other programs' fan forums and you will see that criticism is actually part of the deal....

I have less criticism for the football program because it is heading in the right direction, no matter how dissapointing this season was. It was one of the worst in the country and now is respectable and competitive. The basketball program is one that is deep in winning tradition and has always been well respected nation-wide. I was a bit upset that 35 years of winning tradition has been stopped in its tracks by the new regime. I guess I got carried away because I was not paying attention to how Lee's guys practice hard and such....

[MiamiCajun32]

Its not about rah rah rah, moron. Its about you spewing the same worthless crap once a week. I know you don't like the coach. you have made that known. so why do you keep bringing it up? Do you think that continuing to tell us about it is going to get him fired?

coaches do get fired based on fans demanding it be done. But it takes an actual fan base that cares. Seems like UL will not have a large passionate fan base any time soon.

I hate to bring up the Ron Zook example again, but he was fired quicker than he otherwise would have, in some part, because of fireronzook.com. I certainly don't advocate that kind of bashing website, but take a dose of reality. As long as Cajuns' fans accept mediocrity then that is what we will get. Now it seems that most Cajuns basketball fans have just decided to sit out the Lee regime and wait around for an eventual change in a few years. A small percentage (most of this board for example) seem to be happy with things and don't want to hear any criticism of their program. An even smaller percentage are complaining.

Have fun at the games this year with the other 500 people.

I will get off your precious board.... I am obviously not a true fan....

[cajunlove]

coaches do get fired based on fans demanding it be done. But it takes an actual fan base that cares. Seems like UL will not have a large passionate fan base any time soon.

I hate to bring up the Ron Zook example again, but he was fired quicker than he otherwise would have, in some part, because of fireronzook.com. I certainly don't advocate that kind of bashing website, but take a dose of reality. As long as Cajuns' fans accept mediocrity then that is what we will get. Now it seems that most Cajuns basketball fans have just decided to sit out the Lee regime and wait around for an eventual change in a few years. A small percentage (most of this board for example) seem to be happy with things and don't want to hear any criticism of their program. An even smaller percentage are complaining.

Have fun at the games this year with the other 500 people.

I will get off your precious board.... I am obviously not a true fan....

Your comparison of Robert Lee to Ron Zook doesn't exactly fit. Zook took over a national power that had access to the best high school recruits in the country. Lee took over a program that was not a national power and that was comprised mostly of junior college transfers and talented kids who had issues at other programs.

The difference between the two situations is that Florida Football will always be able to re-load with talented players right out of high school and UL Basketball always had to rely on transfers. When many of the talented transfers either left or graduated, i.e. the class with Wade, Grene, Hamilton...etc; the team was severely stripped down. In that situation, without a strong high school recruiting base, Lee was forced to scramble to find more transfers.

I believe that Lee realizes the problem with the transfer based "Jesse Evans model" and has began the program's transformation Lee is striving to transform the UL basketball program into one similar to the Florida program Ron Zook inherited. Namely, a program built from the ground up with high school recruits, that accepts transfers on occasion, and demands excellence from all players.

I like what I see in Robert Lee's coaching style. He is honest, accountable, and dedicated. I agree with the earlier post in that if players don't like a demanding coach, they can leave. With the shift in philosophy, Lee should be given at least a couple more years before he is judged as a coach.

[Just1More]

coaches do get fired based on fans demanding it be done. But it takes an actual fan base that cares. Seems like UL will not have a large passionate fan base any time soon.

I hate to bring up the Ron Zook example again, but he was fired quicker than he otherwise would have, in some part, because of fireronzook.com. I certainly don't advocate that kind of bashing website, but take a dose of reality. As long as Cajuns' fans accept mediocrity then that is what we will get. Now it seems that most Cajuns basketball fans have just decided to sit out the Lee regime and wait around for an eventual change in a few years. A small percentage (most of this board for example) seem to be happy with things and don't want to hear any criticism of their program. An even smaller percentage are complaining.

Have fun at the games this year with the other 500 people.

I will get off your precious board.... I am obviously not a true fan....

You can criticize all you want "Dixie Chick"... but you might get popped for what you say. You somehow think you know how the whole fanbase feels based on monitoring this board? Lee's program is under scrutiny by many. There are people that like some of his coaching attributes... wins/losses is the result that he will ultimately be judged by.

You can leave the board. That is your choice. Getting criticized for slamming Coach Lee, but not sucking it up against someone who is tired of hearing it, is small. Keep the banter going... it reduces real-world stress.

[RaginEsquire06]

For the first time this season...IMO the Cajuns appeared to have quit before the game was over....I saw a lot of talking back...obvious displays of agitation by the players. Not sure but...looks like are players strengths are not being played up to...Milsap is gonna be something special! Looked as if the players were hesitant to take shoots...even if they were open...Maybe Lee needs to re-evaluate his game plan...The talent is on the court!

[MiamiCajun32]

Your comparison of Robert Lee to Ron Zook doesn't exactly fit. Zook took over a national power that had access to the best high school recruits in the country. Lee took over a program that was not a national power and that was comprised mostly of junior college transfers and talented kids who had issues at other programs.

The difference between the two situations is that Florida Football will always be able to re-load with talented players right out of high school and UL Basketball always had to rely on transfers. When many of the talented transfers either leave or graduate, i.e. the class with Wade, Grene, Hamilton...etc; the team is severely stripped down. In this situation, without a strong high school recruiting base, the coach is forced to scramble to find more transfers to fill those holes, e.g. last year.

I believe that Lee realizes the problem with the transfer based "Jesse Evans model" and has begun the program's transformation . Lee is striving to transform the UL basketball program into one similar to the Florida program Ron Zook inherited. Namely, a program built from the ground up with high school recruits, that accepts transfers on occasion, and demands excellence from all players.

I like what I see in Robert Lee's coaching style. He is honest, accountable, and dedicated. I agree with the earlier post in that if players don't like a demanding coach, they can leave. With the shift in philosophy, Lee should be given at least a couple more years before he is judged as a coach.

I can certainly take constructive criticism of my points. Much better than just a bashing because I have a negative post.

Keep in mind though that just like UF fans expect the Gators to compete for the SEC each year in football, Cajuns fans have come to expect that their basketball program will be a top 2 sunbelt team each year in basketball (and usually have good shot at making NCAA tourney, with some years good enough to win or play close against a high seed in the big dance).

Zook took the Gators program down to middle of the pack SEC. Lee has taken the Cajuns basketball program down to bottom half of sunbelt and to a lower than .500 team overall. The team appears to be getting much worse each year.

The Jesse Evans way of recruiting worked just fine in the wins and loss column. Lee tried the same last year, but could not find a way to motivate and teach those players to victories and staying in school.

Unfortunately, it seems that the Cajuns will not be able to compete with major teams in the south / southeast for high school talent. They were just starting to be able to a few years ago, based soley on Jesse Evans' success with wins and losses (came close with Ryan Francis and the , along with the national attention that brought. Recruiting a solid sunbelt high school class and hoping that they stay eligible and together for a few years (so there can be one good year out of 4) is a HUGE drop off in quality for the Cajuns basketball program.