So, which is it?

[ULvictory]

First off, there are a lot of teams that make the NCAA that you forget about. Look at all the notoriety that those appearances over the past 16-17 years have brought us. Again, you guys are looking at this from an all or none standpoint. I'm not saying that the NCAA is not a goal and should not be expected. I'm just saying that a focus on winning is going to bring those NCAA and NIT appearances.

A program that comes to mind that we don't compete with for kids but is built the right way is Harvard. Tommy Ammaker has been there 12 years. He has 6 regular season titles and 4 NCAA appearances and is now the standard in the Ivy league. He is able to recruit based on a winning tradition AND their ability to get to the big dance.

I’m sure this coaching staff has aimed at that since since they first arrived in 2010-2011. The problem is that we haven’t seen that type of consistency. The issue that I have is that everyone is harping on last season’s run to where now, all of a sudden, we are just magically going to win more conference championships when that is not the case. So when the coaching staff brings up the fact that “we are the standard,” or “we won 27 games last year,” hey great. Awesome! But let’s continue that moving forward. Let’s stop blaming one player getting injured as justification for losing to inferior teams. Let’s start earning the money that they’re getting paid. Demands rise with pay raises. So if we get our _____ kicked in this weekend to either Georgia school, I don’t want to hear excuses of players getting hurt or more bull_____ sunshine pumping.

You want more consistency. I’m good with that. This coaching staff will hopefully deliver. They should by the pay raises that they got.

[zephyr]

I’m sure this coaching staff has aimed at that since since they first arrived in 2010-2011. The problem is that we haven’t seen that type of consistency. The issue that I have is that everyone is harping on last season’s run to where now, all of a sudden, we are just magically going to win more conference championships when that is not the case. So when the coaching staff brings up the fact that “we are the standard,” or “we won 27 games last year,” hey great. Awesome! But let’s continue that moving forward. Let’s stop blaming one player getting injured as justification for losing to inferior teams. Let’s start earning the money that they’re getting paid. Demands rise with pay raises. So if we get our _____ kicked in this weekend to either Georgia school, I don’t want to hear excuses of players getting hurt or more bull_____ sunshine pumping.

You want more consistency. I’m good with that. This coaching staff will hopefully deliver. They should by the pay raises that they got.

I agree with all of this. We are not the standard for anything. We had a tremendous season that came up short of our goals but there is a measured level of success from it. I talk about consistency and last year being the type of year we expect and possibly see yearly. NCAA tournaments will come from that.

[Turbine]

Prime example

I actually thought of that in my somewhat kind reply.

I have been wrong more often than I care to admit.

[TammanyCajun]

First off, there are a lot of teams that make the NCAA that you forget about. Look at all the notoriety that those appearances over the past 16-17 years have brought us. Again, you guys are looking at this from an all or none standpoint. I'm not saying that the NCAA is not a goal and should not be expected. I'm just saying that a focus on winning is going to bring those NCAA and NIT appearances.

A program that comes to mind that we don't compete with for kids but is built the right way is Harvard. Tommy Ammaker has been there 12 years. He has 6 regular season titles and 4 NCAA appearances and is now the standard in the Ivy league. He is able to recruit based on a winning tradition AND their ability to get to the big dance.

I am ok with NIT appearances, so long as that is coupled with some tournament appearances sprinkled in there. Unfortunately, we have one of each in NINE years. Given the money we pony up to Marlin, I just don't think that is good enough. It makes it much more difficult to forgive when he makes ridiculous statements about what we have done over the last five years and the prestige of our "gym." Come on, own up to the fact that you got your tail whipped. The fact that we just extended him and bumped his salary is frustrating because we went one and done in the NIT before that after having one of the best seasons in school history, and losing to Whining Will made it worse but that is not my main gripe.

[TammanyCajun]

I agree with all of this. We are not the standard for anything. We had a tremendous season that came up short of our goals but there is a measured level of success from it. I talk about consistency and last year being the type of year we expect and possibly see yearly. NCAA tournaments will come from that.

Ok, I am with you there. I don't know if it is reasonable to expect to win 27 games a year every single year, especially if they start beefing up their OOC schedule. I just want to be consistently competitive in conference (one or two seeds) and be a formidable threat in the conference tournament. Both of those seem to elude us with Bob at the helm.

[TammanyCajun]

Ok, I am with you there. I don't know if it is reasonable to expect to win 27 games a year every single year, especially if they start beefing up their OOC schedule. I just want to be consistently competitive in conference (one or two seeds) and be a formidable threat in the conference tournament. Both of those seem to elude us with Bob at the helm.

Oh, and I can't express how much I despise losing to Ron Hunter. So if Marlin beats him twice, he will get out of my doghouse.

[VObserver]

Oh, and I can't express how much I despise losing to Ron Hunter. So if Marlin beats him twice, he will get out of my doghouse.

Word of advice: Tell Bob to leave the furniture in the doghouse; his chances of moving out are virtually non-existent.

[TammanyCajun]

Word of advice: Tell Bob to leave the furniture in the doghouse; his chances of moving out are virtually non-existent.

Ha, I will let him out the backyard until he manages to screw up again.

[Hatch]

I am with you. Pepper an NIT appearance here and there with an NCAA tournament appearance here and there, then perhaps a couple of rebuilding years is acceptable. The CBI or any other "pay to play" tournament is not an acceptable outcome.

So in those “rebuilding years” which you say are exceptable with championships here and there what is wrong with a CIT appearance? The only way to get to the NIT is just like last year, win the conference but fall in the tournament. If we put together a team good enough to win the conference I would hope they could take care of business and win the tournament too. That can’t happen every year, and I would hope to get this program to the point where even in a “rebuilding” year they could still put a team on the floor that could finish in the upper third of the conference and have at least in the high teens total wins. A team like that playing in one of the “C” tournaments is fine with me. There also should be enough support for this program where a team like that could play in a “pay to play” and not lose money.

I think most here who were around back in the Evans era would agree that the 02 and 03 teams were very good. Both years they ended up a little short of their goals and played in the NIT. In today’s landscape those teams wouldn’t be in the NIT, if they wanted to continue their season after the tournament loss it would be a “C” tournament.

[cajun_lannister]

So in those "rebuilding years" which you say are exceptable with championships here and there what is wrong with a CIT appearance? The only way to get to the NIT is just like last year, win the conference but fall in the tournament. If we put together a team good enough to win the conference I would hope they could take care of business and win the tournament too. That can't happen every year, and I would hope to get this program to the point where even in a "rebuilding" year they could still put a team on the floor that could finish in the upper third of the conference and have at least in the high teens total wins. A team like that playing in one of the "C" tournaments is fine with me. There also should be enough support for this program where a team like that could play in a "pay to play" and not lose money.

I think most here who were around back in the Evans era would agree that the 02 and 03 teams were very good. Both years they ended up a little short of their goals and played in the NIT. In today's landscape those teams wouldn't be in the NIT, if they wanted to continue their season after the tournament loss it would be a "C" tournament.

C tournaments are a waste of money that rewards mediocrity if you want to play in a tournament win the conference that's the mindset that needs to be installed in the program.