Well, I predicted Albany to be one of my two wins and that did not work out. Our best chances are Brown and Central CT - but I don't like how they upset Towson.ATPTourFan wrote:So... predictions?
I've got Rhody in this one. Rhody beat CCSU last time we played them and the Rams gotta get 2 wins somewhere to fulfill my prediction.ATPTourFan wrote:So... predictions?
rambone 78 wrote:I hope Fleming gets a short leash.
If there isn't dramatic improvement next season it's time to say sayonara to this program.
Lack of talent is one thing, but looking unprepared to play is not acceptable.
Is this guy going to be held accountable and when?
Was Hurley given a short leash when he took over?rambone 78 wrote:I hope Fleming gets a short leash.
If there isn't dramatic improvement next season it's time to say sayonara to this program.
Lack of talent is one thing, but looking unprepared to play is not acceptable.
Is this guy going to be held accountable and when?
TruePoint, I'm not in favor of murdering football, and I agree that football in the fall is a great part of URI tradition but your characterization of college hockey as a "niche" regional sport is ridiculous. The popularity of college hockey may be "regional" to the northeast and midwest, but it's hardly "niche".TruePoint wrote:I agree that the program has been handled atrociously, but our energy should be spent rallying support to fix it, not undermining it by talking about shuttering it and playing a niche regional sport like hockey.
Maybe for you, and in the nation as a whole, but for more New Englanders, college hockey is college. URI is in the minority of DI universities in the region with no varsity hockey team and an even smaller minority among FCS schools without one (the only others are Central Connecticut and Bryant).TruePoint wrote:College football is college.
Fantastic points.BFC wrote:URI basketball plays at the Division I level, and not Division I with an asterisk, actual Division I, and they've had success at that level. Competed against and beaten national powers, been on national TV, received national recognition. It hasn't happened frequently enough for anybody but it continues to be an attainable goal at the current funding level (or close to it). Football could have the best season its ever had and none of those things will happen, they are not comparable.
We can complain about Fleming because his resume isn't nearly as great as it's made out to be. I wrote this when he was hired: "His defenses did very well at UCF. This year they were 3rd in Points Allowed in the American. In 2012 they were 1st in PA in CUSA and 29th nationally. Sounds great, right? Well in 2011, the year before he was on the UCF staff they were also 1st in PA. How much of their defense the last two years was based on what Fleming was doing and how much was him continuing the system George O'Leary already had in place?gorhody22 wrote:I just don't see how anyone can complain about Fleming at this point. This is a guy who was the DC for UCF, a team that held South Carolina to 28 pts and also beat baylor in a bcs bowl. That's right Baylor! A team who is known for being one of the most prolific offenses in the country. I don't remember if Fleming actually coached that game against baylor since he took the job here in December, but they were very likely still using his schemes. The guy hasn't even had the chance to bring in a recruiting class of his own yet and in football, especially at this level, freshmen are rarely impact players so Fleming would need at least three years to have this football team remotely look like the way he would want it to look.
With the state of our program and facilities, we hit the lottery with this hire. If you don't think after the season Fleming had at UCF, and his proven track record, he could have gotten a head coaching job at a low level BCS school, you're nuts. We need to at the very least give him the chance to bring some talent in before we start discussing major coaching issues. What is left of this current team are Trainers recruits, and despite the fact they might play hard and give the extra effort, Trainer clearly didn't leave much. This team has won six games in the past three seasons. Losing is all they know. The most difficult thing to change when trying to turn around a program is the culture. Falling behind by double digits is something our team is used to happening every week. Learning how to win is a process that takes much longer than 8-9 months, especially if you don't have players who committed to you coming out of high school, and lack the necessary talent.
As far as I see it, the only thing concerning about Fleming is he's never been anywhere long enough to have to bring in his own recruits, so clearly that will be something he has to prove he can do, especially at URI. But especially for this season and next season too, Fleming deserves a leash as long as they come.
Hockey might be a niche sport, but it's a niche sport in the Northeast, where we happen to be located. FCS football is a niche sport, but it's a division 2 niche sport in the South and West, where we happen to not be located.TruePoint wrote:I agree that the program has been handled atrociously, but our energy should be spent rallying support to fix it, not undermining it by talking about shuttering it and playing a niche regional sport like hockey. There is no point of having a university without football. College football is college.
^this guy gets itOBRAM wrote:I spend my life inside in a cube farm working, I don't want to spend more time inside a hockey rink on a Friday or Saturday night breathing Zamboni fumes. Play the hockey games outside and I will go.
