The Book: 2006-2007 Ragin' Cajuns Basketball

[MiamiCajun32]

Have you seen any of these kids play? Just a question.

You got me on that one. I don't live in Lafayette so support program from afar. But win and loss record really does not lie. Results are results. In the business world we have to be accountable, as does Lee for the very rapid decline of the program, especially one that he is blaming on past transfers, although he brought some in last year and declared that team to be sweet sixteen worthy (before taking away those scholarships and going another route - so indecisvie).

Overall losing records are very bad when you plan in sunbelt. And Cajuns basketball has been a successful program and the flagship of the sunbelt conference in recent years.

It seemed like a gutsy performance against Ole Miss, but Ole Miss may be in cellar of SEC this year. I hope that all us naysayers are completely wrong. I would love to meet up with the optimists at the NCAA tourney and have pie thrown in my face. But unfortunately, I think us naysayers are right. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that the program has fallen rapidly to its lowest level in at least 20 years and probably longer.

[Ewhite]

I hope that all us naysayers are completely wrong. I would love to meet up with the optimists at the NCAA tourney and have pie thrown in my face. But unfortunately, I think us naysayers are right.

I'm thinkin a Key Lime pie....

[Oldman]

This program has been in steady decline since Robert Lee took over. You might not like what I just said, but I just don't think Robert Lee is the Coach you need to get the good players to UL.

YOU'RE ANOTHER IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RedCajun]

For me pride goes deeper than winning and losing. I just wish more people felt that way. Geaux Cajuns!

[Just1More]

A) I back the Cajuns win or lose.
B) I'm fired up when we win and bummed when we lose. See A)
C) I criticize what I don't like. See A)
C1) I haven't given up on Coach Lee. See A)
C2) I didn't like the Evans program. See A)
C3) I don't like 1 to 2 year players as a general rule. See A)
C4) I like 4 year players, with some transfers as needed. See A)
D) But, do whatever it takes to win, short of getting us into NCAA trouble.

Good luck to you and the team this year Coach Lee...

Geaux Cajuns!!!

[paulpaul2]

You know i have been reading this site for about 4 years now, and it never fails to amaze me at how ignorant people really are. To all you so called fans out there who think you know everything about basketball, who are better coaches than any college coach, who must know what it takes to win a tourney game (cos yall have done that). To all those people who like to sit in the stands or at home for that matter and know whats really happening behind the scenes in basketball, for those who would never take an inelligible kid on board cos thats just wrong, to those who love to think that they are true fans and say they love the cajuns but never say anything positive. And finally for those people who really believe they know what is the best way to run a NCAA div 1 basketball program..............STOP KIDDING YOURSELF

Most of you have no idea what coach lee and staff's goals are, if you have not ever been directly involved in the program as a coach/player/manager/trainer then you have absolutly no idea on what the focus is, i just get sick of listening to all you naysayers who know everything, i mean seriously are you that nieve that you really believe you know whats best for the program? Look i was involved in the program for 4 years, i know both Evans Cyp and Lee and when i tell you that Lee is the only one out of those 3 with s dream for these kids i mean it. He is the only one who really cares about life after basketball. And he is the only one who cares about winning atall costs while protecting their futures off the court.

How many tourney games have the cajuns ever won?? 2, 3, 4 maybe i dont know but i do know that the last 5 years the program hasve been some of the best ever, and they only succeeded because of 1 person, and I KNOW THAT FOR A FACT! again if you think you know the story think again, all you are doing is fooling yourself all the people who REALLY KNOW what they are talking about will agree with me on this.

[lxa656]

Uh.... Cajuns won a few sunbelt championships there with those crazy transfers.... If you think the team is on the upswing and not in decline then I guess you are unaware that Cajuns basketball has had mostly winning seasons for decades. This season is likely a losing season for the second year in a row. And here is a news flash: The recruiting class is nice, but none of those guys have the talent of Orien Greene and other transfers cajuns have had in recent years.

I am a stickler for won and loss records and also for winning an ever weakening sunbelt conference (gone are the days that Western Kentucky was a top program and knocking on top 25). It is a mediocre conference and Cajuns are struggling to compete in it now. But, wow, they sure do have discipline and these are some young guys that will compete for sunbelt in a year or two or three (if they remain eligible and stay when Lee is likely fired).

I guess i shouldve specified when i said Championships...i was referring to National titles.

Let me clear something up here, i am not saying that transfers are bad thing or that bigger schools dont get them, but the majority of the players on these teams came up through the respective systems. If you want the Cajuns to be a perennial mid-major power house, ie Gonzaga, then the steps that the General is doing now is what is necessary. UL wont be advancing to any sweet 16s with Brian Hamilton, Dwayne Mitchell, Oriene Greene, or Tiras Wade type players being brought in to play for 2 years.

AGAIN, and I repeat, I am not knocking on the above named players! But building a team on transfers will only take you so far! I think we have proved this! Now take those 4 guys and put them in the program as freshman and there is a chance that team advances very far.

[lxa656]

If the system is a losing one and the players are not as talented as teams in the past, what is your point? Are there special spots available in NCAA tourney for teams that have 4 year seniors? You must have been really disgusted with the two recent NCAA Cajuns teams, including the one that Lee was along for the ride with.

Do you really believe that these kids or this program wont be talented enough to win? I am not saying that a starting 5 of 4 years seniors is an automatic formula for success. But if the kids are the caliber and talent of the Hamiltons, Greenes, etc that were here recently, then those will be some special teams!

[lxa656]

without researching, so there's probably more, but i recall ky winning it all with star transfer Kyle Macy, unlv winning it with star transfer larry johnson, and let's not forget the greatest transfer of them all, bird, being runner-up with basically a 1-AA team on his back.

Again I didnt mean to insinuate that you cant win with tranfers, just that you cant have a successful program relying and building on transfers! The core of those above named teams I am sure were primarily made up of players that were in the coaches system for 3,4, or 5 years!

Transfers can build winning teams, but that cant build winning programs!

[RustyR]

You know i have been reading this site for about 4 years now, and it never fails to amaze me at how ignorant people really are. To all you so called fans out there who think you know everything about basketball, who are better coaches than any college coach, who must know what it takes to win a tourney game (cos yall have done that). To all those people who like to sit in the stands or at home for that matter and know whats really happening behind the scenes in basketball, for those who would never take an inelligible kid on board cos thats just wrong, to those who love to think that they are true fans and say they love the cajuns but never say anything positive. And finally for those people who really believe they know what is the best way to run a NCAA div 1 basketball program..............STOP KIDDING YOURSELF

Most of you have no idea what coach lee and staff's goals are, if you have not ever been directly involved in the program as a coach/player/manager/trainer then you have absolutly no idea on what the focus is, i just get sick of listening to all you naysayers who know everything, i mean seriously are you that nieve that you really believe you know whats best for the program? Look i was involved in the program for 4 years, i know both Evans Cyp and Lee and when i tell you that Lee is the only one out of those 3 with s dream for these kids i mean it. He is the only one who really cares about life after basketball. And he is the only one who cares about winning atall costs while protecting their futures off the court.

How many tourney games have the cajuns ever won?? 2, 3, 4 maybe i dont know but i do know that the last 5 years the program hasve been some of the best ever, and they only succeeded because of 1 person, and I KNOW THAT FOR A FACT! again if you think you know the story think again, all you are doing is fooling yourself all the people who REALLY KNOW what they are talking about will agree with me on this.

Amen my Brother.

[Cajunsmike]

Wow, it sure is better to have 2 to 3 losing seasons and then ramp up to the one ok season. That is much better than the nonsense Cajuns fans had to deal with during other past years, when conference championships were always possible. Now we can go watch a team slowly develop over the years into an average team (that is if the freshmen last 4 years and the 4 players ineligible become eligible).

How do you know we will only develop into an average team as other guys gain eligiblity? Also, how do you know development well be slow and that we will have 2 to 3 losing seasons. I know you are predicting one this year (I am too). Add that to last year and you get two. Where do you get three from?

[Cajunsmike]

This team Lee has now could stick together for 8 years and not be able to compete against a 3rd or 4th seed in the NCAA tourney. If you think that 3 years of rebuilding will turn out a special team that can win NCAA tourney games (rather than fall short with competitvie games, like previous Cajuns teams), you are really kidding yourself.

The team we have now will not be the one we have next year. Our freshman will have experience and the guys sitting out are the scorers.

[Cajunsmike]

You know i have been reading this site for about 4 years now, and it never fails to amaze me at how ignorant people really are. To all you so called fans out there who think you know everything about basketball, who are better coaches than any college coach, who must know what it takes to win a tourney game (cos yall have done that). To all those people who like to sit in the stands or at home for that matter and know whats really happening behind the scenes in basketball, for those who would never take an inelligible kid on board cos thats just wrong, to those who love to think that they are true fans and say they love the cajuns but never say anything positive. And finally for those people who really believe they know what is the best way to run a NCAA div 1 basketball program..............STOP KIDDING YOURSELF

Most of you have no idea what coach lee and staff's goals are, if you have not ever been directly involved in the program as a coach/player/manager/trainer then you have absolutly no idea on what the focus is, i just get sick of listening to all you naysayers who know everything, i mean seriously are you that nieve that you really believe you know whats best for the program? Look i was involved in the program for 4 years, i know both Evans Cyp and Lee and when i tell you that Lee is the only one out of those 3 with s dream for these kids i mean it. He is the only one who really cares about life after basketball. And he is the only one who cares about winning atall costs while protecting their futures off the court.

How many tourney games have the cajuns ever won?? 2, 3, 4 maybe i dont know but i do know that the last 5 years the program hasve been some of the best ever, and they only succeeded because of 1 person, and I KNOW THAT FOR A FACT! again if you think you know the story think again, all you are doing is fooling yourself all the people who REALLY KNOW what they are talking about will agree with me on this.

Sounds like you are someone close to the program. If so, what do you think has to happen for the team to reach it's potential this year.

[MiamiCajun32]

I guess i shouldve specified when i said Championships...i was referring to National titles.

Let me clear something up here, i am not saying that transfers are bad thing or that bigger schools dont get them, but the majority of the players on these teams came up through the respective systems. If you want the Cajuns to be a perennial mid-major power house, ie Gonzaga, then the steps that the General is doing now is what is necessary. UL wont be advancing to any sweet 16s with Brian Hamilton, Dwayne Mitchell, Oriene Greene, or Tiras Wade type players being brought in to play for 2 years.

AGAIN, and I repeat, I am not knocking on the above named players! But building a team on transfers will only take you so far! I think we have proved this! Now take those 4 guys and put them in the program as freshman and there is a chance that team advances very far.

Do you think any one of the above mentioned 4 players would have considered Cajuns as high school seniors? Greene was a high school All-American and chose Florida.

Speaking of Florida, and other top teams, their best players rarely stay 4 years, although they don't have to deal with transfers because they can get the top talent as Freshmen.

If Cajuns finish with a losing record this year, for the second year in a row, this team has no chance in future of rising even above what they were two years ago, a solid mid major. You are not going to become a Gonzaga by recruiting high school players that the major programs are not interested in.

And if Lee has always been so focused with bringing in 4 year players, why did he go after all the transfers last year and then declare the team to be sweet sixteen worthy. Was he just joking around when he gave those players scholarships, knowing that he was not going to honor those scholarships the following year?

I am tired of hearing all the excuses. Less wins, less fans at games. Worse team in over 20 years. If that is what is needed in your opinion in order to take this program to the next level, then I hope you are right, but it seems idiotic.

[MiamiCajun32]

Do you really believe that these kids or this program wont be talented enough to win? I am not saying that a starting 5 of 4 years seniors is an automatic formula for success. But if the kids are the caliber and talent of the Hamiltons, Greenes, etc that were here recently, then those will be some special teams!

These kids don't have the talent of Hamilton, Greenes, etc., or they would be freshmen at much more major programs. It is always possible that one of the youngsters is a diamond in the rough, but Greene started for the Gators as a freshman and was a high school all american. He also happens to have nba talent. The idea that Cajuns had an option to bring in the Hamiltons and the Greenes as freshmen is just not realistic. They only could have had them as transfers.