The Book: 2006-2007 Ragin' Cajuns Basketball

[MiamiCajun32]

I hope Coach Lee is emphasizing this info to the players. If he's looking for motivation, this is it...

"CajunBlog: Road could be where Cajuns’ hoop season ends
Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

Four weeks remain before the play-in games for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, and it would take a minor miracle for UL’s men to avoid a road trip for that game. Given the Cajuns’ road struggles, amplified in Saturday’s loss at Middle Tennessee, that’s not a good thing.
The Cajun men lost their 12th straight road game Saturday and did it in ugly fashion, losing to 71-59 to a Middle Tennessee team that hadn’t won at home this year and one that had a losing overall record.


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The loss puts UL at 3-9 in league play, and that ranks the Cajuns 12th out of 13 league teams ahead of only Denver (2-9), and finishing that low is tantamount to a road sentence in the new alignment for the conference tournament.

The winner of each division and the second-place team with the best league record draw byes in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament, and the fourth through eighth teams in the combined standings host the ninth through 13th teams at campus sites in the first-round game. Those five winners advance to the Cajundome to join the three bye teams in the March 4 quarterfinals.

For UL to get to the magic eighth spot and get a first-round home game, the Cajuns will have to turn around a 3-5 January and win at least four and maybe even five of their six remaining conference games.

That’s doable, with three home games and road contests at the two teams — Denver and Florida International — that currently sit at the bottom of the division standings. But after road losses at Florida Atlantic and Middle last week, it’ll take a big turnaround.

If that doesn’t happen, given what’s taken place on the road this year, it’s very likely the Cajuns won’t make a tournament appearance on its own home court"

The chances of Cajuns making an appearance at the conference tourney they are hosting are about 5%.

[MiamiCajun32]

This young thing has to stop. 90% of college basketball teams are young. Did I expect this team to be good? NO. But I also did not expect to see this program close to its all time low.

I just hope that we don’t fall so low that it takes 15 years to rebound

You hit the nail on the head. This season is a lost cause and a total embarassment, sure. But the real concern is whether the program will be in an unfixable in the short-term state once Lee can finally be shown the door. Arguably the best basketball program in the sunbelt (perhaps Western Kentucky would argue) has been reduced to one of the worst 10 teams in D1, with a coach that apparently can't be let go, due to financial reasons and an idiot that gave him a five year contract (he had no head coaching experience and zero job offers or head coaching marketability, so therefore no leverage in the contract negotiations).

IMHO, the most impressive thing about Cajuns basketball has been consistent winning over a 35 year period in D1. Sure, there has not been the runs to sweet sixteen that some other "mid majors" have accomplished and that has been very frustrating, especially when some teams were capable. But very few D1 teams can claim the high % of winning seasons over the past 35 years that the Cajuns can claim. The winning tradition is now unfortunatley in danger of going down the toilet. It is hard work for one coach to accomplish so much in just a few years. If past UL coaches tried to be this bad they probably could not have pulled it off....

[Kal]

Cajuns have in just two years gone from a mid major powerhouse .

I don't think that the Cajuns were on par with Gonzaga. Also we don't have Orien, Dwayne, or Hamilton anymore. You can't say UL was a midmajor powerhouse in the beginning of one paragraph and then bash the sunbelt conference as a weak conference. You just blew up your own theory. According to your last statement, UL couldn't have been a midmajor powerhouse, because the SBC is the lowest of the low conferences, then the Cajuns couldn't have been too good after all. They must've just been an SBC Powerhouse. There's a big difference.

[MiamiCajun32]

I don't think that the Cajuns were on par with Gonzaga. Also we don't have Orien, Dwayne, or Hamilton anymore. You can't say UL was a midmajor powerhouse in the beginning of one paragraph and then bash the sunbelt conference as a weak conference. You just blew up your own theory. According to your last statement, UL couldn't have been a midmajor powerhouse, because the SBC is the lowest of the low conferences, then the Cajuns couldn't have been too good after all. They must've just been an SBC Powerhouse. There's a big difference.

Excuse me, I thought being considered in top 10 or top 20 of mid major teams in most years qualifies as powerhouse. But if your definition of "powerhouse" means only the best 1 or 2 teams in a particular category, then sure, by no means have the Cajuns been Gonzaga.

I assume you are about 20, based on your arguments. You may not be aware that since the Cajuns have been D1 they have been in much much much more competitive conferences than the sunbelt today. Southland when Cajuns were in it in 70s and 80s was far and away better than Sunbelt today (Lamar, La Tech, McNeese, Cajuns were all very competitive and ranked from time to time). American South was far and away better than today's sunbelt (UNO, Cajuns, La Tech were ranked here and there). Finally, the sunbelt of 10 years ago and even 5 years ago was far and away better than the lowly sunbelt of today (Western Kentucky and Cajuns were both playing at top 25 level from time to time, WKU was ranked a lot, and the Ark teams were better, plus Sunbelt was worthy 2 bid league).

So, yes, in my opinion the Sunbelt has dropped to one of the worst conferences in basketball in D1 in recent years. So, yes, the Cajuns, even in a rebuilding year and with young (but supposedly talented recruits) should be competitive (and no, competitive does not mean losing a lot, sometimes close games and sometimes blow outs, as I mean competitive in sunbelt won loss record, not 2nd to last place).

The bs propoganda is that the program is turning the corner and fixing problems of recent years (when we were in NCAAs) by having this first great high school recruiting class and rebuilding. It is so much bs because you can't yell about how great your plan is, with first step of great hs recruiting class, when you can't even play .500 ball in sunbelt with those young players. Lee is a big talker. Last year he knew his team was sweet sixteen material (this is what he foolishly proclaimed). Last year he also was yelling and screaming about all the talented transfers, especially Cooke. But then he got rid of those guys (either forced them out, or was not enough of a leader to coach them to be more responsible - Evans could do this for at least 50% of the transfers he brought in whereas Lee's result was nearly 0%). Then Lee proclaimed this new style of 4 year recruiting to be the way to fix all the so called problems that were in the program before he took over.

Now the team is one of the worst in D1. But Lee will go on and on about how great of a recruiter he is and how great the future is. Again, he is a talker and some fans have bought his dribble hook line and sinker.....

[Zeebart21]

Look, ya'll get it out of your system....Coach Lee isnt going anywhere.

Z.

[MiamiCajun32]

Look, ya'll get it out of your system....Coach Lee isnt going anywhere.

Z.

we all understand that. Just having difficulty getting the memory of a winning tradition out of our system. As long as Lee is coach of this program, it will be no better than middle of the pack sunbelt and at best .500 overall record, with some very inconsistent results and sometimes getting blown out by lesser teams.

I advise that you get aspirations of a bright next few years of Cajuns basketball out of your system, so you will not be as dissapointed and let down.

If Lee is here to stay because of the ridiculous long-term contract then just expect the losses to mount. My frustration is more with salvaging the long-term future of the program. How does the program keep its long-term winning tradition after the next few years of losing records and embarassing play.

I certainly don't have the answers. But perhaps it is an interesting subject to consider in a fan forum. Let's look ahead to 2 or 3 years from now, when Lee is finally gone, and think of ways to rebound from 4 years of losing and very little fan support. How do we get the pride back in the program, to the level it was after decades of winning tradition (up until the Lee experiment)? How should the program make sure that the next hire is qualified for the job? How can UL attract high level coaching candidates a few years from now, after such a bad run of losing games and fan support (those on this forum and many other Cajuns fans will keep caring, but a lot of long-time supporters will just stop caring I imagine).

We all know that Lee is here to stay for at least 2 more years of losing. Thankfully, Tiras Wade did not come back last year or UL administration would have responded after another NCAA run with another contract extension. Just 2 or 3 more years of losing and inconsistency and excuses and bs propoganda about how things are actually better than before. But it is 2 or 3 years too many....

[Cajun Express]

we all understand that. Just having difficulty getting the memory of a winning tradition out of our system. As long as Lee is coach of this program, it will be no better than middle of the pack sunbelt and at best .500 overall record, with some very inconsistent results and sometimes getting blown out by lesser teams.

I advise that you get aspirations of a bright next few years of Cajuns basketball out of your system, so you will not be as dissapointed and let down.

If Lee is here to stay because of the ridiculous long-term contract then just expect the losses to mount. My frustration is more with salvaging the long-term future of the program. How does the program keep its long-term winning tradition after the next few years of losing records and embarassing play.

I certainly don't have the answers. But perhaps it is an interesting subject to consider in a fan forum. Let's look ahead to 2 or 3 years from now, when Lee is finally gone, and think of ways to rebound from 4 years of losing and very little fan support. How do we get the pride back in the program, to the level it was after decades of winning tradition (up until the Lee experiment)? How should the program make sure that the next hire is qualified for the job? How can UL attract high level coaching candidates a few years from now, after such a bad run of losing games and fan support (those on this forum and many other Cajuns fans will keep caring, but a lot of long-time supporters will just stop caring I imagine).

We all know that Lee is here to stay for at least 2 more years of losing. Thankfully, Tiras Wade did not come back last year or UL administration would have responded after another NCAA run with another contract extension. Just 2 or 3 more years of losing and inconsistency and excuses and bs propoganda about how things are actually better than before. But it is 2 or 3 years too many....

Whatever

[o.c.dan-g]

Why should a team that was the class of the Sun Belt have to rebuild. Hasn't Coach Lee been here since the days of Fletcher. Wasn't he the interume head coach when Jessie left, able to recruit who he wanted with all the say so. It's not like he had to rebuild the program when he became the head coach. He even inherited a team that brought him to the Big Dance. Yet he could not build off that success for recruiting. This year half his recruiting class was ineligible, inexcuseable. Don't tell the team will be much better next year. The people he is counting on will not have played basketball in a year and will have never played at the D1 level. The players coming back that have played this year don't know how to win. Sounds like less than 10 wins again. Time for Dr. A to get it together.

[CajunKahouna]

As far as recruiting the Cajuns only have one more scholarship to give. I think you are in over your head in analysis of the basketball team.

Maybe so. But when are these "quality commitments" final?

[MiamiCajun32]

Maybe so. But when are these "quality commitments" final?

If commitments can get out of the commitment, wouldn't they at least consider? They signed on to play for a Cajuns program that has been consistent winners for decades, even during so called rebuilding seasons. They may not want to play for a 20+ losing team, one of the worst teams in the country, without much attendance at games (understandably).

[BirdofParadise]

If commitments can get out of the commitment, wouldn't they at least consider? They signed on to play for a Cajuns program that has been consistent winners for decades, even during so called rebuilding seasons. They may not want to play for a 20+ losing team, one of the worst teams in the country, without much attendance at games (understandably).

Were you at the game in Boca?

[CajunPar]

Let us not keep using youth as an excuse here. We do have youth, and they are seemingly talented, but our core players this year are NOT young.

Dees-Junior
Mouton-Senior
Hebert-Junior
James-Senior
Milson-Junior
Gray-3rd year Sophmore

Now we have relied, at times, on Milsap, Lago, and Wallace just like we have relied at times on Hart and (I can't belive I'm saying this) Alphonso, just like every other team in D1 some veterans and some newcomers. What I am saying is we are not as young as we say we are. We may not be talented enough in our veterans, and we may have to wait til next year for that talent. But we are not young this year. I am a huge Lee fan, and I agree with BOP that his x's and o's are better than his predecessors, but it does seem that his teams lack his intensity and therefore are not having any fun dealing with his intensity. I say if there is a shortcoming in Lee, that is it, but the players knew what kind of coach Lee was when they signed up to play for him. Now most of these core players were brought in by Evans and Cyprien, so we will see if Lee's recruits live up to this. But remember Lee does not have a uniform on and it is still up to the players to produce. I believe that this group of young players we have waiting this year and the new additions next year are talented enough to continue the Cajun bball tradition. If they cannot, then maybe it is time for Lee to go. But I will reserve judgement till then. Lee's signature teams are to play hard, fundemental, defensive basketball and maybe that is not what these kids want or maybe Lee is having trouble relating that to them, but it does not seem to be happening this year. But I will not blame that on youth!

[Cajunsmike]

IMHO Lee is over his head as a head coach in Div I basketball. This was obvious from the first game after he took over as head coach when he was screaming expletives that could be heard in the stands 15 rows above the UL bench.

Watch what happens to recruiting in the coming months if you still don't believe.

How many times do I have to tell you recruiting is not an issue this year. The recruiting for this year's class was basically done last year and in the fall. Four guys are sitting out to earn eligibility, one was signed in the early period in November, while a transfer from the University of Houston has to sit out. The four sitting out all did well in the fall semester academically.

CajunsMike

[Cajunsmike]

Do we have any more room for any recruits this year? The 4 or 5 red shirts that will be eligible next year + Corey Bloom, transfer from Houston + Chris Gradnigo, one of the top 30 HS forwards in the nation...? I dont believe we have any room for additional players this year...

Anyone know for sure?

Z.

Coach said at the Rebounder's Club meeting today that we don't have any room for additions at this time. However, he still plans to sign an inside player in the spring. That means someone expected to return may not return or someone on scholarship may pay their own way.

[Cajunsmike]

I'm a fair weather basketball fan no doubt about it. I will watch bad football but not bad basketball. For you guys that love the game and have watched this team closely, is this our worst start ever?

The 1994-95 team had a record similar to this at this stage. They finished 7 and 22 and progressed to a winning season the next year. I see a parallel in that situation.