Blu:
Docestes1:
Let’s be clear…
Being dissatisfied with a coach’s performance does not necessarily mean you think he should be fired.
I am most definitely dissatisfied with his performance, but agree that we are not bad enough to warrant him losing his job. He needs to work at being a better coach. I think that the fight which is in him makes him too stubborn to adapt. Perhaps some of this is the Nolan influence, perhaps some from his own experiences as an African-American. The fight is great, but the stubbornness to adapt is his weakness, IMHO.
What in the world are you talking about… First off, the guy has been to an elite 8 within the last 10 years, he’s won 26 games and 27 games within the last 4 years at Arkansas (2 of the better years in Arkansas history) and he’s played in the SEC finals 2 of the past 4 years. Do you know how much you have to “adapt” to win multiple games against different teams on back-back days? You don’t just get lucky and beat teams despite what you read on here. He runs SEVERAL different defenses at teams every single game, mixes up lineups, and constantly putting pressure on the other teams defense by having multiple guys that can score. You may want to actually listen to a post game press conference from another coach one day to learn something instead of just spouting nonsense, because none of them have ever said anything about how his teams don’t adapt, but they sure have mentioned how hard his teams are to prepare for.
Also, your comment about him being African-American somehow makes him too stubborn to adapt, is offensive and just a plain ignorant statement. I’ve never heard CMA EVER say anything about his past as a black man. He’s been very clear about staying away from politics and racial issues, and just keeps it about basketball and not focusing on himself. Only time I’ve ever heard him ever mention something racial related is when they asked him about the kneeling when the girls basketball team did it, and he just said he understands what the girls are trying to bring attention to and respects that, but he and his players will stand, and he left it at that, and didn’t go into any more details. How you came up with he’s some stubborn African American man struggling to adapt because of his past is beyond me, all black people aren’t out here just sitting around struggling to deal with their past… you need to stop watching so much TV. Judging people and making stereotypical assumptions about them without knowing anything about them is a weakness, IMHO.
I think he is stubborn.
But I am going to back off from further confrontation. I should have never mentioned anything regarding race. I had a hard time expressing what I was trying to convey, and it really came out differently from where I was thinking.
blu
February 14, 2019, 7:24pm
#22
Docestes1:
Blu:
Docestes1:
Let’s be clear…
Being dissatisfied with a coach’s performance does not necessarily mean you think he should be fired.
I am most definitely dissatisfied with his performance, but agree that we are not bad enough to warrant him losing his job. He needs to work at being a better coach. I think that the fight which is in him makes him too stubborn to adapt. Perhaps some of this is the Nolan influence, perhaps some from his own experiences as an African-American. The fight is great, but the stubbornness to adapt is his weakness, IMHO.
What in the world are you talking about… First off, the guy has been to an elite 8 within the last 10 years, he’s won 26 games and 27 games within the last 4 years at Arkansas (2 of the better years in Arkansas history) and he’s played in the SEC finals 2 of the past 4 years. Do you know how much you have to “adapt” to win multiple games against different teams on back-back days? You don’t just get lucky and beat teams despite what you read on here. He runs SEVERAL different defenses at teams every single game, mixes up lineups, and constantly putting pressure on the other teams defense by having multiple guys that can score. You may want to actually listen to a post game press conference from another coach one day to learn something instead of just spouting nonsense, because none of them have ever said anything about how his teams don’t adapt, but they sure have mentioned how hard his teams are to prepare for.
Also, your comment about him being African-American somehow makes him too stubborn to adapt, is offensive and just a plain ignorant statement. I’ve never heard CMA EVER say anything about his past as a black man. He’s been very clear about staying away from politics and racial issues, and just keeps it about basketball and not focusing on himself. Only time I’ve ever heard him ever mention something racial related is when they asked him about the kneeling when the girls basketball team did it, and he just said he understands what the girls are trying to bring attention to and respects that, but he and his players will stand, and he left it at that, and didn’t go into any more details. How you came up with he’s some stubborn African American man struggling to adapt because of his past is beyond me, all black people aren’t out here just sitting around struggling to deal with their past… you need to stop watching so much TV. Judging people and making stereotypical assumptions about them without knowing anything about them is a weakness, IMHO.
I think he is stubborn.
But I am going to back off from further confrontation. I should have never mentioned anything regarding race. I had a hard time expressing what I was trying to convey, and it really came out differently from where I was thinking.
I gotcha, you explained it well this time. And while I don’t all the way agree about him not making adjustments, you make a good point when you say he wants things done his way, he does, but so do a lot of coaches, but I fully understand the point you’re trying to make now, thanks for clearing it up. It’s easy to take stuff out of context sometimes typing it, I probably jumped on you a little too fast there, that’s my mistake.
Blu:
WizardofhOgZ:
Nice post, Blue.
I have felt for some time that next year is the crucial season for Mike. I believe he needs to find a way to get that team into the NCAA Tournament, or he may be in some difficulty.
Notwithstanding anything said in your post, that will have been 9 years and I believe there is a reasonable expectation that this program should make the NCAAT 3 out of 4 years, and be in the Sweet Sixteen a couple of times a decade. We used to exceed those marks on a regular basis, so we know it can be done.
Agree 100% Wizard. I believe it was Bakedhog, I was talking to in PM about this subject a little while ago. I like CMA as the coach here and want him to succeeded (as most can tell) but if he doesn’t make the tournament this year, and next year say they just barely make the tournament and get eliminated in the first game or don’t make it at all. I think it’s time for a change. I wouldn’t be mad at all for that, it would be completely fair and honestly would be time, because now he would be showing a consistent trend of treading downwards.
Only thing I would say would change those expectations, is what he does with the 2020 class. Let’s say they have Moses Moody, Chris Moore, Bryce Thompson, and Jaylin Williams committed. I think it’s an exception for one more year to see how he does with that talent alongside a senior/junior laden team. If that team isn’t sweet 16 or better, I don’t care who’s coming in 2021, you gotta cut ties then.
With all that said, I don’t ever count a winner out, CMA knows how to win, done it his entire career. I wouldn’t bank on him all of a sudden not being able to get things figured out and show a trend of losing. I fully expect him to get us to where we want to be, and I haven’t given up on this season yet, and I’m still very excited about the future, we have some very nice young talent that I think is going to make Hog Nation proud before it’s all said and done.
Best post on this topic and one I can get behind. WPS
“Sweet 16 or better by 2021, you have to cut ties…”
Geez, we’re not spoiled are we? Sweet 16 is very, very, VERY hard to do. Less than 5% of the teams in the country make the Sweet 16 every year. It’s hard enough to make the NCAAT; less than 20% get there and of those, more than half are at-large. I agree that NCAAT is a reasonable (meaning reasonably tough) target and we should expect to be there most of the time. CMA has been borderline on that, but I also recognize what a mess he had to clean up from the Heath/Pelphrey era. After that, it’s a coin flip. The refs (UNC two years ago?), the draw, one guy has the hot hand, or doesn’t…
If Mike moves on, I would expect HY to go after the guy he hired at Houston, Kelvin Sampson, who is doing a decent job down there at 23-1 or whatever. Sampson had his NCAA issues, largely related to phone calls to recruits, but he has not been linked to player-buying or academic fraud.
Donovan is in the NBA; he ain’t coming back to college. And Pitino is damaged goods. There’s a reason he’s coaching in Greece now; nobody in the US will touch him.
SwineFusion:
“Sweet 16 or better by 2021, you have to cut ties…”
Geez, we’re not spoiled are we? Sweet 16 is very, very, VERY hard to do. Less than 5% of the teams in the country make the Sweet 16 every year. It’s hard enough to make the NCAAT; less than 20% get there and of those, more than half are at-large. I agree that NCAAT is a reasonable (meaning reasonably tough) target and we should expect to be there most of the time. CMA has been borderline on that, but I also recognize what a mess he had to clean up from the Heath/Pelphrey era. After that, it’s a coin flip. The refs (UNC two years ago?), the draw, one guy has the hot hand, or doesn’t…
If Mike moves on, I would expect HY to go after the guy he hired at Houston, Kelvin Sampson, who is doing a decent job down there at 23-1 or whatever. Sampson had his NCAA issues, largely related to phone calls to recruits, but he has not been linked to player-buying or academic fraud.
Donovan is in the NBA; he ain’t coming back to college. And Pitino is damaged goods. There’s a reason he’s coaching in Greece now; nobody in the US will touch him.
Swine, Hunter Yurachek did not hire Kelvin Sampson. He inherited him. Mack Rhoades was the Houston AD that hired Sampson
Wasn’t 100% sure about that, and didn’t wanna take the time to research. But HY certainly knows Sampson very well regardless.
Yes he does. Sampson got there for the 2014 season and Yurachek started the in April 2015.
What I mean about the NCAA is that, although there are 68 spots, 31 of them are not available to us because they go to champions of other leagues. So we have to win the SECT, or get one of the 36 at-large spots. Which means there is less than an 11% probability that we get one of the spots available to us (37 out of 353). Same probability applies to every other team, since there are no independents any more, although the chances of a mid-major snagging one of those at-large spots are a lot less than ours as an SEC member because of strength of schedule. We’re doing better than 1 in 9 NCAA bids, and did under Heath and Pel as well (6 out of 16 since Nolan got fired).
If you narrow it down to the Power 6 conferences (including the Big East which has won two of the last three titles), there are 75 teams in those six leagues. Six automatic bids obviously, which leaves 69 teams fighting for at-large. Last year 37 Power 6 teams got in, so 31 at-large out of those 69 Power 6 teams. That makes it more of a 50/50 proposition, or 45/55. We got one last year. This year, stay tuned, but the last six days gave us a huge mountain to climb.
SwineFusion:
Hawgjawbend:
I’ve thought about this some, and I think there may be a building viewpoint that firing Mike, if nothing else, at least would be a signal to the fans that Hunter Yurachek is not going to tolerate losing and poor performances out of his athletic teams. Or, that his sort of hands off, “let me first see what’s going on here before I act” management style to date is coming to a screeching halt. At this point, given the horrific past few seasons in football – especially last year – I feel like many if not most Hog fans psychologically need that type of signal and assurance. They are sick and tired of the losing.
Yurachek can’t fire Chad Morris because he participated in the hiring of Chad and, besides, Chad is only in year 2 and has had a promising recruiting class. With Mike, there’s enough in my mind to justify firing him. Others disagree. It’s at least debatable. This season has been bad, but I tend to look at bigger picture – the mere 3 NCAATs and the lack of Sweet 16 appearances.
What I don’t know and can’t fully appreciate is the politics of firing Mike. Would it resurrect issues that arose in the context of Nolan’s firing? They did fire Heath, also an African American, but Mike has direct ties to Nolan. Would Nolan get PO’d and go after the university again, and would Yurachek want that to happen? 25 years after the title? And perhaps close in time to putting Nolan’s name on the BWA court? And, of course, what do the big boys want to do with Mike? I’m sure that’s an overarching influence.
Mr. Yurachek has his work cut out for him.
Nolan’s legal ship has sailed. He got his day in court. And I don’t see Mike filing a lawsuit if he is fired.
But I also don’t see Mike getting fired, as fervently as you and the Hogville mob want it. And if the mob needs the AD to pander to you by firing a coach just to appease you… We’re 14-10. It only takes winning three of the last 8 (counting SECT first round) to guarantee a winning season. They’re not going to fire a coach with a winning record AND the youngest roster in Division I. No matter how much you try to convince yourself otherwise.
First, I don’t read the drivel on Hogville. Your drivel is about all I can handle. Second, you can attack me all you want, but I distinctly recall you rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic by incessantly defending Bielema. You try mightily to be the mature, “voice of reason” on this board. But in reality you are mostly just condescending, arrogant, and know very little. We’ll see what happens to Mike. But I sure won’t look to your posts for any guidance.