Basketball Staff ?

[ManAboutTown]

That makes a little more sense.. but I have to say i've been a season ticket holder for 7 years now and the last two home games were two of the most fun I have been to. The home winning streak was nice.. but there was something about those last two games there were fun.

Felt the same.

[VObserver]

If you consider UL to be a 'Second 100' program [as our RPI during Marlin's tenure would seem to indicate], Marlin coached Cajun Teams are 35-49 against our peers in the 101-200 RPI range. We are 9-33 against top 100 teams. It is only against the dregs of Division 1 basketball that Marlin's teams have excelled [70-20 against 201-351 RPI].

I suspect that most programs are pretty similar both above and below their peer groups, but better programs are much more successful against their peers. I am not satisfied with 42% winning against our peers, and I would like to see a somewhat higher than 21% win rate against the top 100. I don't believe we will get that on any kind of consistent basis with Marlin.

[moorecajun]

If you consider UL to be a 'Second 100' program [as our RPI during Marlin's tenure would seem to indicate], Marlin coached Cajun Teams are 35-49 against our peers in the 101-200 RPI range. We are 9-33 against top 100 teams. It is only against the dregs of Division 1 basketball that Marlin's teams have excelled [70-20 against 201-351 RPI].

I suspect that most programs are pretty similar both above and below their peer groups, but better programs are much more successful against their peers. I am not satisfied with 42% winning against our peers, and I would like to see a somewhat higher than 21% win rate against the top 100. I don't believe we will get that on any kind of consistent basis with Marlin.

If you wouldn't mind, and you have the data, can you break that info down a little farther by showing home game records versus away game records in the three tiers.

[VObserver]

If you wouldn't mind, and you have the data, can you break that info down a little farther by showing home game records versus away game records in the three tiers.

Sure, but it will take a while. Sometime tomorrow I should have it.

[ragin2112cajun]

They absolutely deserve to be back, that being said next year is key to their fate. I personally believe expectations for next year will be higher than ever, even when Long announced he was staying for his senior year. Washington, Stove, and Bartley as Seniors, the 3 P5 transfers, and the most high profile recruit straight from high school during Marlin's tenure.




Along with the win loss record, I want to see how the staff handles this years freshman class as they will all see a decrease in playing time. Miller might welcome it with his knee issues, and if Brown is willing to redshirt that would be best. How Evans and Davis will fit in next year remain to be seen. Each of those guys needs to stick around as they could all develop into key players by the time they are seniors. If the attrition bug bites again that would be another cause for concern with this staff.

Good post:

Miller has to get his butt in the APC & get his weight under control & get fit. He has shown a nice skill set BUT he has to build some muscle.

[ULGrad@HOU]

Should the UL Men's Basketball Staff be Retained ?

Yes

No

I would say no, even though we all know they will be. We are a middle of the road Sun Belt team, and plenty of history has shown to not expect much more than that with this staff. Just because there is hype surrounding transfers for next year, doesn't really mean anything at this point. A thousand things can happen to derail the next season also. Tired of hype.

[duggie85]

Considering he pretty much had to start over by cleaning house in year 2 (or whatever year it was), I think he deserves some what of a break from the "he's been here 8 years" chants.

For me? Strong NCAA showing next year or bust.

[Louisiana84]

He will finish somewhere between third and 8th. He will have a winning D1 record. The team's RPI will be between 90 and 150. We will lose 60% of our games against equal or better talent.

And most of the people on here will want to renew his contract.

I would love to be proven wrong, because Marlin is a genuinely good guy who brings in character kids who play hard and represent us with class. But we have a large sample size already of what Marlin is capable of doing.

Marlin is the Ricky Bustle of UL basketball.

I am afraid we might replace him with the Mark Hudspeth of basketball coaches. We have a large sample size for doing just that.

[Fais do-do]

I am afraid we might replace him with the Mark Hudspeth of basketball coaches. We have a large sample size for doing just that.

New AD might not think so........

[Cajunsmike]

I would say no, even though we all know they will be. We are a middle of the road Sun Belt team, and plenty of history has shown to not expect much more than that with this staff. Just because there is hype surrounding transfers for next year, doesn't really mean anything at this point. A thousand things can happen to derail the next season also. Tired of hype.

I appreciate and respect everyone's opinion. Good points made by all in sharing both pro and con views. I appreciate the respectful way those views were presented. It is true that it is unknown how the transfers will perform and other things could impact the situation negatively. By the same token, positive things could occur. Another strong player could be brought in during spring recruiting for example. It is interesting that over 85% of respondents to date believe he should be retained. That tells me his overall support may be over 90% as people I speak to outside of RP are not even aware this is a debate. That is a pretty strong endorsement. Now, a poor performance this afternoon would probably drop that support below 50%.

Note Coach Marlin had a birthday on Sunday and assistant coach Neil Hardin had one yesterday. Their team gave them an early birthday present on Saturday night with the best effort we have seen in a home game in a few years Despite what any of us think about the job they are doing, I am sure we all wish they enjoyed their birthdays. After all, they only come around once a year.