New "Youth" plan has coach Lee encouraged

[DestinCajun]

_ I will accept nothing short of a basketball national championship next year... not even a final 4 is good enough. That's how tough I am. I also think the rest of you are failing to meet my expectations as fans and should be terminated immediately. I just fired myself for not expecting a 30 point margin of victory in that championship game... I am the toughest of us all. _

Lemme guess, you're a DUKE fan.

[BirdofParadise]

_ IMO Coach Lee should be on "final-notice" to make some significant improvements to our basketball program.

Coach Lee has players who are all eligible. He's signed virtually all Louisiana players. His kids go to class. His kids care about an education. His team no longer has APR problems.

He's already made significant improvements to the basketball program.

Now, you talk about W and L and I understand that's where you were coming from.

But let's not bury our heads in the sand about SIGNIFICANT improvements already made.

[Cajunsmike]

_ Coach Lee has players who are all eligible. He's signed virtually all Louisiana players. His kids go to class. His kids care about an education. His team no longer has APR problems.

He's already made significant improvements to the basketball program.

Now, you talk about W and L and I understand that's where you were coming from.

But let's not bury our heads in the sand about SIGNIFICANT improvements already made. _

BOP, all the improvements you list above had to occur before we can expect long term success. Where MiamiCajun and I disagree is that he belives this approach will yield a championship team every four years as a class matures. By redshirting a couple of guys next season, we may be able to have a stable program for the long term. One in which half of your guys are upperclassmen and the remainder are contributing with expectations to be the main guys down the road. We all agree that improvement on the court has to occur next year for Coach Lee to maintain support. How much improvement has to occur is open to debate. Personally, I hope we have a winning season. That would mean 15 and 14 during the regular season with at least one win in the tourney. Winning 18 D1 games in the regular season would mean a 19 and 10 record as we have one D2 team on the schedule. That may be a little optimistic due to all the youth but I don't think it is impossible. Achieving a record like that would mean significant contributions from the guys who sat out last year and that is extremely difficult to project. All in all, I think we would all take a 19 and 10 record at this this time, no questions asked.

[BrockMeaux]

Coach Lee has players who are all eligible. He's signed virtually all Louisiana players. His kids go to class. His kids care about an education. His team no longer has APR problems.

He's already made significant improvements to the basketball program.

Now, you talk about W and L and I understand that's where you were coming from.

But let's not bury our heads in the sand about SIGNIFICANT improvements already made.

Exactly. And I think where people get a little blinded by the lights is when they look back at the glory days of Jesse Evans' tenure when we were in postseason play almost every year on nothing but transfers, whereas things have taken longer to develop with Coach Lee and his strategy of recruiting and developing players. Yes, those were fun times under Coach Evans, but what's lost on most people is that success like that with the program Evans ran would be impossible today. Every year we had at least one or two players academically ineligible, guys left early or just didn't graduate, and after they were done here we just moved on to the next set of transfers. If that were happening today, our basketball program would get the axe because the severity of the APR violations would get us very strict action from the NCAA. I'd love to be able to go back just for fun and estimate the APR every year for the basketball program while Evans was here.

We may not get 19 wins next season, but it will be hard to dispute the quality of the players on this team, both in the class room and on the court. The freshmen and sophomores next year will be supremely talented physically, possibly to the point of being the most athletic team in the Sun Belt. Once these guys all pick up the system and start playing together, the sky will be the limit. We're just missing one or two pieces, and the way Lee's recruited will allow us time to fill those pieces in while still maintaining quality starters for years at positions of strength like PG and SG. I've said from day one when Coach Lee got the job, the best years of this basketball program are ahead. I'm looking forward to enjoying the rewards of that faith in the next couple years.

[Jason]

_ Exactly. And I think where people get a little blinded by the lights is when they look back at the glory days of Jesse Evans' tenure when we were in postseason play almost every year on nothing but transfers, whereas things have taken longer to develop with Coach Lee and his strategy of recruiting and developing players. Yes, those were fun times under Coach Evans, but what's lost on most people is that success like that with the program Evans ran would be impossible today. Every year we had at least one or two players academically ineligible, guys left early or just didn't graduate, and after they were done here we just moved on to the next set of transfers. If that were happening today, our basketball program would get the axe because the severity of the APR violations would get us very strict action from the NCAA. I'd love to be able to go back just for fun and estimate the APR every year for the basketball program while Evans was here.

We may not get 19 wins next season, but it will be hard to dispute the quality of the players on this team, both in the class room and on the court. The freshmen and sophomores next year will be supremely talented physically, possibly to the point of being the most athletic team in the Sun Belt. Once these guys all pick up the system and start playing together, the sky will be the limit. We're just missing one or two pieces, and the way Lee's recruited will allow us time to fill those pieces in while still maintaining quality starters for years at positions of strength like PG and SG. I've said from day one when Coach Lee got the job, the best years of this basketball program are ahead. I'm looking forward to enjoying the rewards of that faith in the next couple years. _

[DaddyCajun]

I am encouraged with the youth movement! I am sure there will be some fallout, but only the cream rise to the top, hopefully they stay at UL. I would like to see a few more really big men and not so many guards.

DaddyCajun

[Cajun Express]

_ Coach Lee has players who are all eligible. He's signed virtually all Louisiana players. His kids go to class. His kids care about an education. His team no longer has APR problems.

He's already made significant improvements to the basketball program.

Now, you talk about W and L and I understand that's where you were coming from.

But let's not bury our heads in the sand about SIGNIFICANT improvements already made. _

Funny that you mention burying heads in the sand, another thought is a building built on sand will not stand. I like the foundation he has laid, and it is time for people to get off his back and instead cover his back. This coach is too good a person not to give him a 100% backing, even if you are a fair weather fan.

There will be a day that he will be evaluated on the entire program, and ultimately winning will be the test that he has to pass. I cannot for the life of me understand people who do not understand that supporting a coach in a tuff stretch is far more important than to the program than supporting a coach when everything is going well. Where is the loyalty or honor in the latter?

[DestinCajun]

There will be a day that he will be evaluated on the entire program, and ultimately winning will be the test that he has to pass. I cannot for the life of me understand people who do not understand that supporting a coach in a tuff stretch is far more important than to the program than supporting a coach when everything is going well. Where is the loyalty or honor in the latter? _

You get a huge AMEN here!

[RaginFan2]

Funny that you mention burying heads in the sand, another thought is a building built on sand will not stand. I like the foundation he has laid, and it is time for people to get off his back and instead cover his back. This coach is too good a person not to give him a 100% backing, even if you are a fair weather fan.

There will be a day that he will be evaluated on the entire program, and ultimately winning will be the test that he has to pass. I cannot for the life of me understand people who do not understand that supporting a coach in a tuff stretch is far more important than to the program than supporting a coach when everything is going well. Where is the loyalty or honor in the latter?

Thanks, Express, for stating what many of us feel. I think many people mistake loyalty and support during a tough stretch with blindly following the lemmings as they run off the cliff. There does come a time when a change may be needed, but not until you give a coach who is approaching the task in the "right" manner sufficient time to prove or disprove his/her ability to build a successful program. How many of the all-time great coaches would never have had time to develop if they had been terminated after 2-3 years. But that is only if there is measurable progress in the positive direction taking place. Just my $.02 worth.

[CajunKahouna]

Contrary to what appears to be popular belief on this board it ain't how you play the game that counts.

You all seem ready and willing to accept another losing season under RL's leadership (or lack thereof). Not this Cajun fan.

Anything short of a winning season (+) and winning one or two in the SBC tournament this year would be unacceptable. But then again what's happened to our program the last two years is unacceptable.