Now that the season is over it’s time that we move on from Bob Marlin. Marlin has been the HC for 11 years, of those 11 years we have made the Sun Belt Championship game one time and Sun Belt outright champion one time. Over 11 years we have had 2 successful seasons. One resulting in an NIT berth and one March Madness berth. Each time losing in the first round.
Now, that’s pretty damning in itself, but here is the kicker, Marlin has proclaimed the Cajuns to be the class of the Sun Belt. Best facilities in the Belt, highest paid coach in the Belt, top recruiting classes in the Belt. We are everyone’s biggest game and get their best shot. Criticized Billy Napier’s accomplishments as being marginal because the Belts West division is weak. Made just about every excuse in the book for sub par performance.
Some prognosticators will come to defend him, calling out Marlin haters. The truth is Men’s Basketball is the only program at this university which strives for mediocrity. Marlin schedules to meet contract incentives. Which is why he can go 17-9 and still have a 185+ NET ranking. He has only had 2 seasons where the Cajuns have finished in the top 100 RPI/NET rankings and never above the Top 75.
Basketball attendance is absolutely putrid. I don’t want to hear that basketball in the south is dead. That’s simply an excuse for ____ poor attendance. Max capacity for the Cajun Done under COVID rules is 3300 for the lower bowl and double that for opening the entire upper level. Yet we averaged roughly 400 people a game. That is apathy from a fan base at best. If you want to talk about ROI, at the rate of current average attendance it would take around 115 home games to pay for 1 year of Marlins salary.
2 good seasons doesn’t warrant a fricken decade long tenure. We are bleeding money from basketball. In this economic environment we just can’t afford to not make a move. Not to mention, Marlin has underperformed in 82% of his tenure.
Flat out pathetic.