Should Coach Lee Be Fired?

[CajunCanaille]

What if we fire Lee and then keep Labado on as the head coach on a 1 year contract for his current salary? I'm sure he would take it w/ the oportunity to become head coach in the near future. This way we end up saving money and kind of please people w/ a coaching change. I was hoping to fire Lee midseason b/c I wanted to see what Labado could do as interim. I think this would somewhat please the fans who simply want Lee out. You never know.....he could be a diamond in the rough!!!

Thoughts?

[CajunCanaille]

_ I'll take your list and paste it into mine. Any high school coach hire is a bad move. If the private funding is there to help buy him out, then we can spend some money on a decent coach. _

I would agree with you on this one. I do not want a HS or AAU coach. I want someone who is either lower level head coach w/ a strong winning record or a top asst. currently at a good program.

[Clutch0364]

_ What if we fire Lee and then keep Labado on as the head coach on a 1 year contract for his current salary? I'm sure he would take it w/ the oportunity to become head coach in the near future. This way we end up saving money and kind of please people w/ a coaching change. I was hoping to fire Lee midseason b/c I wanted to see what Labado could do as interim. I think this would somewhat please the fans who simply want Lee out. You never know.....he could be a diamond in the rough!!!

Thoughts? _

That might work for some people but I want the whole staff gone...they are all part of the problem.

[CajunCanaille]

_ That might work for some people but I want the whole staff gone...they are all part of the problem. _

The only thing is that we hear things about Lee in particular. Of course these are rumors that may or may not hold water. But I have heard that Lee doesn't really give the assts. the opportunity to do much at practice. Like I said before...I wish we would have fired Lee midseason and given Labado his shot then. At least if we do fire Lee and keep Labado on a a 1 year fix, we only have one year of a low dollar commitment. To me it's equivalent to an MLB team signing an injury prone player. Low dollar / possible high upside. A possible low risk / high reward situation.

[zephyr]

_ What if we fire Lee and then keep Labado on as the head coach on a 1 year contract for his current salary? I'm sure he would take it w/ the oportunity to become head coach in the near future. This way we end up saving money and kind of please people w/ a coaching change. I was hoping to fire Lee midseason b/c I wanted to see what Labado could do as interim. I think this would somewhat please the fans who simply want Lee out. You never know.....he could be a diamond in the rough!!!

Thoughts? _

At this time, I don't think that is the move either. You are promoting a man who has shown nothing in the D-1 ranks as to whether he can coach or not and you aren't improving anything. I'm not saying Lebato would not be a good candidate in a couple of years but this program can do better.

[rhineaux]

What if we fire Lee and then keep Labado on as the head coach on a 1 year contract for his current salary? I'm sure he would take it w/ the oportunity to become head coach in the near future. This way we end up saving money and kind of please people w/ a coaching change. I was hoping to fire Lee midseason b/c I wanted to see what Labado could do as interim. I think this would somewhat please the fans who simply want Lee out. You never know.....he could be a diamond in the rough!!!

Thoughts?

_ I would agree with you on this one. I do not want a HS or AAU coach. I want someone who is either lower level head coach w/ a strong winning record or a top asst. currently at a good program. _

I didn't think it was possible for someone to contradict themselves in consecutive posts.


I think that some of the more recent posts in this thread have implied a lack of confidence in the Administration, give enough reason to make a change, performace on the court notwithstanding. Something should be done to build confidence in the fans, and let them know, along with former fans and potential fans, that things have changed. They need to do something to establish a winning attitude around here.

[CajunCanaille]

_ At this time, I don't think that is the move either. You are promoting a man who has shown nothing in the D-1 ranks as to whether he can coach or not and you aren't improving anything. I'm not saying Lebato would not be a good candidate in a couple of years but this program can do better. _

But there is a possibility that we can't due to financial restraints. Like someone mentioned earlier, I'm just scared that we satisfy everyone and fire Lee, then turn around and hire some local HS guy or some other bad coach. Both in my opinion are worse or equal hires to Lebato.

[RaginFan]

_ At this time, I don't think that is the move either. You are promoting a man who has shown nothing in the D-1 ranks as to whether he can coach or not and you aren't improving anything. I'm not saying Lebato would not be a good candidate in a couple of years but this program can do better. _

I agree, I don't want to hope on the future success of Cajuns BBall, rather I want the university to plan for it.

[Clutch0364]

_ Decision may be made today with the public being informed tomorrow. _

Have you heard anything Cajunsmike...the tease yesterday got my hopes up lol

[HoustonCajun]

_ But there is a possibility that we can't due to financial restraints. Like someone mentioned earlier, I'm just scared that we satisfy everyone and fire Lee, then turn around and hire some local HS guy or some other bad coach. Both in my opinion are worse or equal hires to Lebato. _

Didn't LA Tech fire their football coach and bring in a new guy, made him the AD as well as Head Football Coach, paid him something like $500,000, AND pay off the fired coach? Surely if a school like LA Tech in the backwoods of N. Louisiana with a small fan base and way too many expenses to stay in the WAC could do it, the so-called sleeping giant of ours can find a way to pay off Lee and Rogers AND hire good replacement coaches. They weren't supposed to be competitive and surely couldn't survive in the WAC with the added expenses. As I recall, this new coach took LA Tech to a bowl game in his first year. Why are we minimally not competitive with them? The statement UL makes in firing Lee (and Rogers) or keeping them for another year will say everything we need to know about this university's committment to excellence in athletics. And, it will be the rallying point or dropping off point for most people in further support of UL.

[Clutch0364]

_ Didn't LA Tech fire their football coach and bring in a new guy, made him the AD as well as Head Football Coach, paid him something like $500,000, AND pay off the fired coach? Surely if a school like LA Tech in the backwoods of N. Louisiana with a small fan base and way too many expenses to stay in the WAC could do it, the so-called sleeping giant of ours can find a way to pay off Lee and Rogers AND hire good replacement coaches. They weren't supposed to be competitive and surely couldn't survive in the WAC with the added expenses. As I recall, this new coach took LA Tech to a bowl game in his first year. Why are we minimally not competitive with them? The statement UL makes in firing Lee (and Rogers) or keeping them for another year will say everything we need to know about this university's committment to excellence in athletics. And, it will be the rallying point or dropping off point for most people in further support of UL. _

It was Dooley's 2nd year as head coach at La Tech and he became the AD in his 2nd year.

[Cajunsmike]

_ Have you heard anything Cajunsmike...the tease yesterday got my hopes up lol _

I have not heard anything. I did not intend to tease anyone yesterday. That was only my prediction as to what would happen-I had no inside knowledge.. I am as clueless as the rest of you as to where this decision stands at this moment.