Cajuns lose replacement for Lee and SBC basketball gets better

[DestinCajun]

"The two year probation for the Cajuns could spell disaster for the program."

You never know, State bought a player for what (?) $6000 and survived a much greater penalty for doing so. I feel like we'll survive this penalty without a major disaster.

[Cajunsmike]

Interesting theory, Jeaux. However, coaches are scared off more by schools firing or dismissing previous coaches despite consistent success. It's why many people rejected Alabama (Rodriguez, Petrino) before Saban settled there. Canning a coach after years of futility doesn't freak out many coaches. Not retaining Evans (seven years, five in the postseason) probably still hurts the Cajuns repuation more than if they were to fire Lee years from now.

The two year probation for the Cajuns could spell disaster for the program. Losing one scholarship is huge and having to give back all the money earned from two postseason appearances hurts an athletic department that doesn't have a lot of money. The removal of the NCAA tournament appearances hurts but not in the same way. It never seemed like the Cajuns promoted those teams involvement in the tournament anyway. There were never signs around town, in the Cajundome, on the website, or on the big screen during games promoting those two teams. If anything, it just lowers Coach Lee and Evans' winning percentages. That's about it.

The two year probation ensures Coach Lee will finish his contract, if he has two years left. Firing Lee before the end, given the sanctions, would be a mistake. There's no money to pay his buyout and what coach would want to come to a school on probation?

It's just weird to think of the Cajuns basketball program as a floundering program. Just two years ago, they could've beaten Louisville if Brian Hamilton had gotten the ball more than eight times. The cards seem stacked against Lee and the Cajuns. They'll rebound, ojala.

Since most of the information about Lee and the basketball program is disturbingly depressing, here's something positive. On the admission website for Louisiana/Lafayette, they have a few students featured. Each student profile features ways they're involved on campus, things they enjoy about Louisiana/Lafayette and why they became a Cajun.

Overall, it's pretty good and could be improved by doing a few things:
1. Make it in video.
2. Feature more LA students from outside Lafayette (it isn't just for people from Lafayette)
3. Feature a few international and out of state students who had no previous connection to Louisiana or Lafayette.
4. Feature it on the main page. It's hard to find if you're not looking specifically for it. It's a good idea; promote it.

http://admissions.louisiana.edu/basi...lioindex.shtml

The financial penalty is only 20 grand. The lost scholarship hit does not have to be taken at all this year. The good news about this is that it is over and other schools can't negatively recruit against us with this.

Another point about the view that we should have stayed out of postseason play in the upcoming seasons in order to keep the titles when Greene played. It is not only the current players that it would be unfair to. It would be unfair to the local fans who have season tickets. In college basketball, you have a chance until you are eliminated from your tournament. You keep supporting your team if there is a chance for improvement. Not having that chance would really be difficult on fans who go to games. Recruiting is not as high a priority as in some years right now, but it would make it almost impossible for us to sign the post player we are after. Next time someone proposes that idea, they need to think the thing all the way through.