Marlin Set To Return ( Retaining Players Paramount )

[zeppelincajun]

I just found it strange that both threads regarding basketball coaching change were started by two different people that have been members of the forum for over ten years and between the two of them have 45 post total. It makes me suspicious that's all.

Gotcha. Personally I’m more suspicious when they joined yesterday. Like when we hired MD for football and all of a sudden it’s Joe Blow who joined December 2021 talking about how “we” are about to be back in the dark ages.

[Crawfish]

I never call for a coach to be fired because I do not know everything going on with the program. Having said that, let me say this: Obviously attendance at the Cajun Dome was really poor this year. Before I moved out of Lafayette (I am back now), I was a basketball season ticket holder for many years. I was there throughout the Jesse era. I also attended conference tournament games and made the NCAA games. I remember the controversy that always surrounded the program back then because of some player issues. When I talked to people about basketball, I always said the same thing about the program. "When I go to the Cajun Dome for a game, I expect the Cajuns will win." Through all of the BS going on back then, this statement was pretty much spot on. People are not showing up for games because the opposite is true, they expect to lose. What you do in the conference tournament does not help home game attendance if you lose a lot of the home games, people want to watch the team win at home.

That needs to be fixed.

[Bandwagon King]

Yea, that's fair. I specified the fact that I wasn't a MBB season ticket holder to convey that my opinion wasn't a strong one.

I'm like you. I don't have a strong opinion on men's basketball either. I did when Jessie was coaching & I was a season ticket holder. Then folks got mad at Jessie because he understood the lay of the land. They wanted to have a bunch of choir boys & make the final four every other year.

Since Marline has been here this team has made what one NCAA tournament? The league which used to be a two, or three team bid league with an 8-12 seed first place team, has now gone to being a one bid league with a 15th to 16th seed tournament champion only participant. In those 12 years Marlin has managed how many tournament appearances?

Listening to Jay on the radio this morning it sounds as though there are a lot of people prepared to back up Marlin in his righteous quest for annual mediocrity. Of course to back this thought process up Jay went the old blame the fans, blame the fans, blame the fans deck & pulled those cards out. It appears it is the fault of all of us that this team has managed to avoid any hint of greatness, or success during Marlin's time here. But we, or you who are still holding up the fort better be careful what you wish for. Because by golly, we'll be starting ALL OVER again & it could be worse than better.

To that my thought would be, who cares? It ain't a product worth seeing now if the tickets were free & I only had to cross the street to watch. But then again, that's just a fair weathered fan who used to be there every night the doors opened opining.

[Turbine]

I just found it strange that both threads regarding basketball coaching change were started by two different people that have been members of the forum for over ten years and between the two of them have 45 post total. It makes me suspicious that's all.

Basketball just hasn't given them much to post about over the last 10 years.

I haven't gone back and looked at their favorite topic, but that's just a possibility.

[CajunJeaux]

So we can’t take care of one our most important programs because the soccer coach left? We went from paying Billy $2 million to $700k to MD and got a buyout and the assistant pool didn’t change. We already pay top dollar in the Sun Belt for basketball. Next excuse please.

I never said only soccer & fball - I said it could be a plethora of things that you and I aren't aware of.

Not saying that is the case, but you and I and everyone else on this board has no idea. What if Maggard has already been in contact with coaching agents and knows what the going contract value will need to be for an upgrade and we can't afford it?

Bottom line: I think Maggard deserves the respect that his (possible) decision to keep Marlin is certainly calculated - not a "middle finger" to his fan base.

[Bandwagon King]

I never said only soccer & fball - I said it could be a plethora of things that you and I aren't aware of.

Not saying that is the case, but you and I and everyone else on this board has no idea. What if Maggard has already been in contact with coaching agents and knows what the going contract value will need to be for an upgrade and we can't afford it?

Bottom line: I think Maggard deserves the respect that his (possible) decision to keep Marlin is certainly calculated - not a "middle finger" to his fan base.

Will the school be able to afford it next year with a thousand people a game? Why are college ADs in particular so unable to admit they, or their school made a mistake even if they weren't the ones who made the original mistake. And it will be a middle finger to this fan base if Marlin stays. The only reason I'm hearing to keep Marlin is fear of failure that the school could do worse. I thought Dr. Maggard hung the moon. Surely he should be able to find one bright YOUNG mind to bring the program back into at least some of the limelight it used to inhabit on an annual basis for decades.

[Grantvb]

Guys. I'm gonna chime in and bow out gracefully: "In Maggard, WE TRUST." As for the MBB team, they gave it what they had left in the tank. #8 seed into the Conference Finals. I am proud of MY basketball team.

[ZoomZoom]

If Marlin is back next year WBB might draw a bigger crowd

That ain't happening unless the game is linked with "Education Day" or a high school event like Brad did.

And yes, I use to attend the women's game regularly until 2 years ago.

[Scott Malkinson]

That ain't happening unless the game is linked with "Education Day" or a high school event like Brad did.

And yes, I use to attend the women's game regularly until 2 years ago.

MBB had some 500 people in attendance towards the end... you dont think it will get worse ?

[ZoomZoom]

MBB had some 500 people in attendance towards the end... you dont think it will get worse ?

Got to call BS. I sat there and counted one night in January, was over 1k the night I did that (I stopped after 1k). Didn't bother in February, Mardi Gras skews the numbers.

Besides, only way you get close to 500 for WBB if you go count everyone on the property. Also if anyone gave a ____ about WBB, we'd be talking about 1 NCAA in 51 years (2007).

[ULvictory]

I never call for a coach to be fired because I do not know everything going on with the program. Having said that, let me say this: Obviously attendance at the Cajun Dome was really poor this year. Before I moved out of Lafayette (I am back now), I was a basketball season ticket holder for many years. I was there throughout the Jesse era. I also attended conference tournament games and made the NCAA games. I remember the controversy that always surrounded the program back then because of some player issues. When I talked to people about basketball, I always said the same thing about the program. "When I go to the Cajun Dome for a game, I expect the Cajuns will win." Through all of the BS going on back then, this statement was pretty much spot on. People are not showing up for games because the opposite is true, they expect to lose. What you do in the conference tournament does not help home game attendance if you lose a lot of the home games, people want to watch the team win at home.

That needs to be fixed.

You can't lose games at home that you're expected to win (ex. Jackson State). Also, you have to place a good enough product on the court that people would be willing to pay for. Back in the Jesse Days, not only did we win almost all of our home games, but you could expect Brad Boyd to hit an infinite amount of 3's or Dwayne Mitchell fly out of the air for a SC top ten dunk. It was entertaining. It also doesn't help scheduling a home game against Banana Muffin Technical Institute as a non-conference opponent while other SBC members attract Southern Illinois, Air Force, Nevada, and Auburn to theirs. See Baseball and Softball: even when they don't play well, the atmospheres are second to none plus we attract respectable P5's to come a few times a year. It's all about the product.

[zeppelincajun]

I never said only soccer & fball - I said it could be a plethora of things that you and I aren't aware of.

Not saying that is the case, but you and I and everyone else on this board has no idea. What if Maggard has already been in contact with coaching agents and knows what the going contract value will need to be for an upgrade and we can't afford it?

Bottom line: I think Maggard deserves the respect that his (possible) decision to keep Marlin is certainly calculated - not a "middle finger" to his fan base.

It would be a middle finger to the basketball fans in the fact that it’s a clear admission he is not concerned with the basketball program. The product isn’t up to the standards that Maggard himself has set for his athletic programs. If we are going to simply throw our hands up and say we can’t afford to upgrade, what purpose do the few of us hanging on serve?

To your point of an upgrade possibly being too expensive, we finished 8th in a league of coaches already primarily making less than Marlin.