Basketball Delima

[NewsCopy]

Robert Lee's not used to this. Neither is his University of Louisiana basketball team. Neither are Ragin' Cajun basketball fans, who suffered through quite likely the program's worst 48-hour stretch in modern-day history Thursday and Saturday. The homestanding Cajuns were popped by average South Alabama and Troy teams by a combined 33 points, including a 73-50 mauling by the upstart Trojans, and both margins could easily have been worse. The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[diggler]

are horrible div. 1a basketball players. The worst thing to happen in a game is for Ross to make a 3 ptr. he then thinks he's Sydney Grider. Adam is 6-9 and I dont think he can dunk, he's slow, can't make a lay up and wouldnt be starting for Nicholls. I also can't believe that some people on the delphi board wan't Adam to start. That's right Adam James as our starting center boy do we SUCK! Although sometimes he play's alot like James Worthy, that quick spin move on the baseline ADAM IS UNSTOPABLE!HA HA

[Clutch0364]

I agree with you that Adam is not the greatest basketball player in D-1a but at least when he coems into the game I know he is going to give 100% and that is much more than I can say for anyone else on the team. Ross is very athletic and can jump out of the gym. I think Ross was really hurt by the fact that he didn't get redshirted his fresh year.

[BabbForHeisman]

Okay, I've had enough.

Too many people here are looking for a place to point fingers about the state of our basketball team.

It's not Michael Southall's fault.
It's not Coach Lee's fault.
It's not Adam James and Ross Mouton's fault.
It's not the grad assistants' fault.

If you're looking for a place to point, realize this: it's everybody's fault. We are in the middle of what appears to be a down year. Sometimes, things like that happen. Everybody has them. Duke has them. North Carolina has them. Everybody has them. It's okay. The program will be okay. Everybody calm down.

And keep going to the games. Because no one here should be a fair-weather fan.

It's a shame that people have such short memories. Because I remember a few months ago the football team was 1-5. Boy there were some headhunters out there. Rickey Bustle is a bum! Two months later...wait nevermind!

So, please, just stop.

[BabbForHeisman]

are horrible div. 1a basketball players. The worst thing to happen in a game is for Ross to make a 3 ptr. he then thinks he's Sydney Grider. Adam is 6-9 and I dont think he can dunk, he's slow, can't make a lay up and wouldnt be starting for Nicholls. I also can't believe that some people on the delphi board wan't Adam to start. That's right Adam James as our starting center boy do we SUCK! Although sometimes he play's alot like James Worthy, that quick spin move on the baseline ADAM IS UNSTOPABLE!HA HA

Adam James was the second leading scorer on our team Saturday. Doesn't seem like a reason to single him out, does it? But what does that say about the rest of our team?

[CajunRebel]

Coach Lee deserves two more years to turn things around.

[Tripple Threat]

Okay, I've had enough.

Too many people here are looking for a place to point fingers about the state of our basketball team.

It's not Michael Southall's fault.
It's not Coach Lee's fault.
It's not Adam James and Ross Mouton's fault.
It's not the grad assistants' fault.

If you're looking for a place to point, realize this: it's everybody's fault. We are in the middle of what appears to be a down year. Sometimes, things like that happen. Everybody has them. Duke has them. North Carolina has them. Everybody has them. It's okay. The program will be okay. Everybody calm down.

And keep going to the games. Because no one here should be a fair-weather fan.

It's a shame that people have such short memories. Because I remember a few months ago the football team was 1-5. Boy there were some headhunters out there. Rickey Bustle is a bum! Two months later...wait nevermind!

So, please, just stop.

What do you think the reasons are for the teams problems? Do you think there are problems? Calling this year a "down year" is a subtle description, most folks are at least deemed the right to expect a team that will challenge the opponent. We'll see how the Cajuns do against the last two bottom dwellers of the Sun Belt. Even with all the technical problems the team is having, the one thing each individual can be held accountable for is shooting practice (They can do that on their own). I agree with you as I believe most of the others probably would, it's a team problem; players and coaches.

[MiamiCajun32]

Coach Lee deserves two more years to turn things around.

I agree if the team is at least competitive and this year counts as one of the two years to turn it around. However, we are not competitive and completely disorganized now.

However, I am the eternal optimist, and perhaps we should sit back and believe that Lee is gearing up for the tourney when his frustrated team will be able to reverse all the misfortune of this year and get revenge on the sunbelt teams that are smacking them around now.

It would be fun and refreshing to be 10-19, going to NCAAs... It would be an accomplishment and I believe the team has the talent to go on a win streak in sunbelt at any time, including tourney time, as long as the team does not give up completely. It is really all up to Lee to keep them together and believing in his system.

It is easier than it sounds...

As for two more years of 7-20 type seasons (if that were to happen), that would be a major major major mistake and being too patient.

As cajun fans, we can't expect to win sunbelt every year and we can't expect to go to sweet 16 and all of that, but the program's tradition and recent success makes the potential for extreme success there. As a small program, with limited resources ($), all it will take is a few bad seasons to erase all that has been accomplished since last rebuilding was needed after Marty Fletcher left.

As cajun fans, we can expect that if we have talent to at least compete in top half of sunbelt each year and be competitve out of conference, with overall winning record each year. If this does not happen in any year and there is not a total rebuilding situation (unlike now), then as cajun fans we should expect serious consideration for change, even if it would mean the firing of a good man, Lee. I hope all is turned around and we can end these discussions. But just because Lee is a great guy and a good coach for many years as an assistant, does not mean he is entitled to several years of figuring out how to make the Cajuns play competitively.

As an alum and big fan of UF Gator football, I can say that Ron Zook is a great guy and very well respected by all who had the priviledge of meeting him. BUT, he is gone because Gator Nation can't accept 7-5 seasons, just like Cajun Nation should not accept losing seasons in basketball. Either demand excellence or accept failure! Zook is a lot like Lee, a great assistant who is very hard working and motivational, but is learning how to be a head coach. Zook may turn around Illinois, who knows? Lee may be a good coach now already or he may need a few years of experience to be a good D-1 coach. Cajun Nation should not be willing to allow the head ball coach of the ____hip program, men's basketball, to learn on the job IF the latter is the case, no matter how nice and hard working Lee is.

Just my two cents... Sorry for rambling...

[CrazyCajun]

I respect coach lee for everything he is trying to do but it just is not working. We don't run any kind of offense. I take that back, we do run an offense the same one i was taught in eight grade. This motion swing ____ does not work in D-1. Especially when your two big men are so soft going to the hole that they don't even want the ball when they are open. Saturday I saw big mike shake his head no when turner tried to pass him the ball. Yes he was doubled covered but a good player would take the feed and realize the someone must be open if he is doubled covered. Our team does not play like that and that starts with coaching. We have no defensive intensity which is what drove our team last year. We don't have the athletes to play the run and gun like we used to. Lee needsto realize that athletes are not that great and he needs to find a new ay to win ball games. Also, last year was Jesse's talent not coach lee's. We will soon see if coach lee has got what it takes to recruit and coach in this league. He also lost two huge recruits late last year, hopefully this is not a trend of the future. There will be alot to be evaluated at the end of this year.

[Turbine]

Here is the deal:

With the start of this thread I was hoping people would give this team a break and try to find something positive instead of the entire body of negativity.

So what has produced the negative? None other than the win loss record, right?

That and the fact that we couldn't help but look at this team and last years team at the same time. Except that it wasn't fair. we look at the entire body of work with last years team and unjustly look at this team as a whole season of work boldly declaring what this team will or won't do.

Does anyone recall that Lee (last year) was asking for UL students to come try out for the team that was going nowhere?

If anything the difference last year was two players that could care less what fans and coaches said or did. It didn't matter; they did their own thing oblivious to outside negativity, Wade and Greene. This year’s team has a player scared of his every move knowing it’s his last chance, and a bunch of other players who are highly affected in a negative direction by unkind words and deeds. (Robert Lee you should never cuss at your players)

If last years team had received the scrutiny of this years team they certainly would have taken longer to overcome as well. The universal thing is this; after a win negatives are overlooked, positives are exemplified and all is well. The overlooked item in a win and a loss can be defined by a single shot, call, or foul.

When I first posted the comparison, both teams had 14 games under their belts, one was 7-7 and about to move on to a championship season, the other 4-10 and declared by many not worthy. I disagree! I'm not ready to call them a championship team but this team can overcome, but only if we fans and coaches can get out of their heads during game time.

This may not seem close, but 2 shots and a key call or a key presence in just three games -a total of 22 points- and this year’s team could have been 7-7

This may seem closer, 3 shots and a key call -a total of 9 points- and last years team would have been 4-7

Anyone calling this team bad this early is sending the wrong message.

Now after 15 games this year’s team has let the doom and gloomers totally affect their last 3 outings. All these guys need to do is relax at release point on offense and keep up defensive posture the rest of the time. If they can learn to do this, I estimate a good finish and a closer than you think years end comparison with last season.

Here is the deal: Eliminate the negative NEVER accentuate it. A sure way to accomplish this is an easy out of conference schedule. Of course then you hae to worry about some fans saying that is why they are not attending games.

jmo