Week #7 - Games of Interest

[rodfromcranston]

Because when I've stated the obvious, it's
"So, go root for PC!" or some other similar comments.
Envy? Sure. Why couldn't that be us?
Most of us figured Cooley had a one year head start and we'd close the gap
as time went on.
0-5, and we don't have to wait for the season to play out
to look at that stark number.
A number that should stick in the craw of every Rhody follower.

[RoadyJay]

What he has been able to do at PC has been impressive, no doubt about it.

But it also took Ed Cooley 8 seasons overall to make an NCAA tournament. It took Bob McKillop 9 years at Davidson, Jay Wright 6 years at Hofstra... and I'm sure there are other very good coaches that took 6+ seasons to get to the dance.

[RhowdyRam02]

People on here have mentioned they'd love to go back to Skinner's record as coach. His first time in the NCAA tournament as coach here? His fifth season. And while the facilities are much better he took over a team that had just gone to the Sweet Sixteen.

[Billyboy78]

People on here have mentioned they'd love to go back to Skinner's record as coach. His first time in the NCAA tournament as coach here? His fifth season. And while the facilities are much better he took over a team that had just gone to the Sweet Sixteen.

And had also just graduated both Silk Owens and Tommy Garrick, two of the best to ever wear Keaney Blue.

[BleedBlue87]

Blue Man fair enough, makes sense to me. I think the title of this thread was sort of a misnomer. I don't think much can be said of Baron's coaching ability. As a student during the Baron years I remember sitting in an almost empty arena during some games. It was a literal snoozefess. I think they are two completely different coaches and the comparisons are stupid. What I think people are actually trying to get at is, for a lack of better term, the culture of "good, but not good enough." To me, that seems to be what the concern is.

[RhowdyRam02]

People on here have mentioned they'd love to go back to Skinner's record as coach. His first time in the NCAA tournament as coach here? His fifth season. And while the facilities are much better he took over a team that had just gone to the Sweet Sixteen.

And had also just graduated both Silk Owens and Tommy Garrick, two of the best to ever wear Keaney Blue.

Sure, but do you think it's easier to recruit for a team that was just in the national consciousness due to a trip to the Sweet Sixteen or a team that hadn't been to a tournament in 13 years?

[Billyboy78]

People on here have mentioned they'd love to go back to Skinner's record as coach. His first time in the NCAA tournament as coach here? His fifth season. And while the facilities are much better he took over a team that had just gone to the Sweet Sixteen.

And had also just graduated both Silk Owens and Tommy Garrick, two of the best to ever wear Keaney Blue.

Sure, but do you think it's easier to recruit for a team that was just in the national consciousness due to a trip to the Sweet Sixteen or a team that hadn't been to a tournament in 13 years?

Throw in the RC. and the increased budget and it's a toss up.

[Blue Man]

Blue Man fair enough, makes sense to me. I think the title of this thread was sort of a misnomer. I don't think much can be said of Baron's coaching ability. As a student during the Baron years I remember sitting in an almost empty arena during some games. It was a literal snoozefess. I think they are two completely different coaches and the comparisons are stupid. What I think people are actually trying to get at is, for a lack of better term, the culture of "good, but not good enough." To me, that seems to be what the concern is.

Considering Baron would say things in practice that would be so unitelligible the players would need to look at Skerry or another coach to be told what to do...yes I agree not much can be said of his coaching ability.

Whatever people are trying to get at culture-wise, when you say it as succinctly as "Baron 2.0" (we're not even in that thread that's how undeniable the stench of that thread is) it completely illegitimatizes everything on the board associated with it, and makes all of us look bad as a collective fan base.

No one is happy losing games that are winnable. But declaring a season over midway through, and then declaring your head coach as a lame duck in that same mid-point is flat stupidity...especially when you look at how far the program has come in his time here.

[hrstrat57]

Ha ha I still really don't know what "score the ball" meant....

[ramster]

Blue Man fair enough, makes sense to me. I think the title of this thread was sort of a misnomer. I don't think much can be said of Baron's coaching ability. As a student during the Baron years I remember sitting in an almost empty arena during some games. It was a literal snoozefess. I think they are two completely different coaches and the comparisons are stupid. What I think people are actually trying to get at is, for a lack of better term, the culture of "good, but not good enough." To me, that seems to be what the concern is.

Considering Baron would say things in practice that would be so unitelligible the players would need to look at Skerry or another coach to be told what to do...yes I agree not much can be said of his coaching ability.

Whatever people are trying to get at culture-wise, when you say it as succinctly as "Baron 2.0" we're not even in that thread that's how undeniable the stench of that thread is) it completely illegitimatizes everything on the board associated with it, and makes all of us look bad as a collective fan base.

No one is happy losing games that are winnable. But declaring a season over midway through, and then declaring your head coach as a lame duck in that same mid-point is flat stupidity...especially when you look at how far the program has come in his time here.

Not possible for me to say it any better than that. Nail on the Head.

And the creator of that Baron 2.0 Thread to this day reinforces and justifies the title. Go back to the beginning of the thread and you will see requests to kill it, requests to change the name of it, etc but nope, the originator stands by it. Others supported and continue to support the originator of the thread providing examples of Baron successes compared to Hurley.

This is why that thread will go down in history as the dumbest thread ever on this Board.

[Blue Man]

What he has been able to do at PC has been impressive, no doubt about it.

But it also took Ed Cooley 8 seasons overall to make an NCAA tournament. It took Bob McKillop 9 years at Davidson, Jay Wright 6 years at Hofstra... and I'm sure there are other very good coaches that took 6+ seasons to get to the dance.

I think what a lot of people fail to realize in this comparison...is that PC spends about 7 mil/year on their program. We are about half of that. 3.5 or so. We are ridiculously underfunded compared to our rivals, even in the A10.

If people really care as much as the negative posting would indicate, and that this program's performance affects people's well-being enough to require an outlet of negativity...why not donate to the program? If everyone on this board were to donate $10 a month, that's almost $75,000 a year. That isn't SHIT compared to what other programs have from their most loyal fans, but it's more than nothing.

The book that lists donors just came in the mail in the last week and I gotta say, it's very thin for the size of the alumni base.

[rodfromcranston]

People on here have mentioned they'd love to go back to Skinner's record as coach. His first time in the NCAA tournament as coach here? His fifth season. And while the facilities are much better he took over a team that had just gone to the Sweet Sixteen.

Wow! The circle jerk goes on unabated.
This is pure bullshit. Those guys Skinner inherited from the Sweet 16 team were long gone by the time Skinner got to
the NCAAs. Do the math.
I think people transfer Skinner's great accomplishments at BC, and wish for that guy.
Gee, how about we talk about Ernie Calverley, who got his team to the NCAAs in his second year?
Jack Kraft made it in his 5th year.
Tom Penders in his 2nd year.
Jim Harrick in his first.
THINK BIG! Some here sure as hell don't.
Shit, we've got somebody saying, give Dan 6 or 8 years to get there.
Are you fucking kidding me?

Oh, and the title of THIS thread is "Games of Interest".

[hrstrat57]

VCU Rams got it done win and fill the seats win some more fill the seats lose elite coach reload fill seats generate enthusiasm. Free lessons right in our own league.

Let's do things the right way. Maybe we should start by not broadcasting a junior high production over the A10 network. You saw VCU feed last night ?

The path is clear and we have the hardest part done - Class A venue

Man I wanna get there!

Let's go Rhody!!!!!

[hrstrat57]

Also Penders, Al and Harrick were recruiting kids into a 50 year old building....

Comparable? Are u serious????

Really?

[theblueram]

We could never get a coach like Cooley to coach the rams

[TruePoint]

We are embarrassing ourselves here with the subject matter and content of this discussion, which also happens to be off topic. Everyone needs to get it together.

[theblueram]

Cooley was a coach at URI. We are not embarrassing ourselves.

[TruePoint]

Cooley was a coach at URI. We are not embarrassing ourselves.

That has literally nothing to do with what is embarrassing about the recent conversation in this thread.

[rodfromcranston]

Why?
Will we get demerits?
Secret double probation?
Fact don't jive with reality?
We didn't make "all gone" with lunch?
What?

[theblueram]

The only thing embarrassing right now is a preseason Top 25 team not performing to expectations.

[TruePoint]

Well for starters, the conversation has nothing to do with the subject of the thread, which is the first clue that something has gone awry.

I could take it even further off track and single out several things said here that I think are pretty silly, but if I wanted to do that and get into several simultaneous off-topic debates on things of little importance, I'd have done that initially instead of asking that people get back on topic. So I'll leave it to your imagination what else I take exception to here and ask again that we stick to the subject or continue the conversation in a more appropriate thread.

[rodfromcranston]

OK.
Houston bombed a very undermanned UConn team.
Really crappy game to watch.

[Blue Man]

OK.
Houston bombed a very undermanned UConn team.
Really crappy game to watch.

12 first half points and an abysmal shooting percentage. My coworker is a UConn alum. Rough rough year for him.

On the bright side good W for Houston...even if it's name only.

[rambone 78]

Yeah UConn has lost their top THREE players for the season....let that sink in for a while....

Still, 4 national championships aint't too bad to fall back on........what we would give to have one here..........

[rodfromcranston]

Hell, what would we give to have even a Final Four team?
Not to mention all UConn's NBA players over the years.

[NYGFan_Section208]

The biggest disappointment is that this probably stole a whole page from the Baron 2.0 thread. So, my thoughts on that will continue over there where people can choose not to read them.

Slow week in hoops for sure...hardly any games...no meaningful Giants football...bowl games with 7 people in the stands....yaaawwwnnn.....

[rambone 78]

208, but they DO read them!


That thread will live on in infamy......

[reef]

Never thought I would hear the mention of a circle jerk on this board lol

[RhowdyRam02]

People on here have mentioned they'd love to go back to Skinner's record as coach. His first time in the NCAA tournament as coach here? His fifth season. And while the facilities are much better he took over a team that had just gone to the Sweet Sixteen.

Wow! The circle jerk goes on unabated.
This is pure bullshit. Those guys Skinner inherited from the Sweet 16 team were long gone by the time Skinner got to
the NCAAs. Do the math.
I think people transfer Skinner's great accomplishments at BC, and wish for that guy.
Gee, how about we talk about Ernie Calverley, who got his team to the NCAAs in his second year?
Jack Kraft made it in his 5th year.
Tom Penders in his 2nd year.
Jim Harrick in his first.
THINK BIG! Some here sure as hell don't.
Shit, we've got somebody saying, give Dan 6 or 8 years to get there.
Are you fucking kidding me?

Oh, and the title of THIS thread is "Games of Interest".

As I explained in a post between the one you quoted and your post here, it's much easier to recruit at a university that had just gone to the Sweet Sixteen then one that hasn't been to the tournament in 13 years. Frankly it shouldn't have even needed to have been explained, it's a pretty self explanatory point, but apparently for some of the people on this board something that basic does need to be spelled out in painfully explicit detail. And if you don't agree with that very basic and uncontroversial point then there really isn't anything further to discuss.

By the way, Hurley still has a chance to go to the tournament in his fifth year, just like Skinner and just like Saint Jack Kraft.

[rodfromcranston]

Well, by your standards then, let's look at Baylor.
They were handed the NCAA death sentence.
Scott Drew came in with five scholarship athletes to a
dead program that had been to ONE NCAA since 1950.
A school with no tradition, in a football crazy conference.
Guess what? Scott Drew recruited the SEVENTH ranked recruiting class in the USA!
THREE years later Baylor went to their first of SIX NCAAs,
along with two NITs.
Now cry me a river over anything that's gone on in Kingston,
that remotely compares to Baylor's old coach covering up
a murder, and the NCAA's death penalty.
What Scott Drew did is epic.
He thought BIG. Didn't just talk the talk,
he walked the walk!


Oh, and Jack Kraft took SEVEN teams to the NCAAs
when there were only 32 schools invited.
345-184 in his coaching career.
One of the best coaches ever.