David Cox

[Rhodymob05]

Yea I guess he’s not going with an 8 man rotation. Almost forced to play everyone.

[BlackDogRants]

It has been a long time since I have started a new thread, but I feel that we need to discuss the future of David Cox as our basketball coach NOW. I truly believe that David Cox will become a great college basketball coach and now is the time to secure him as URI's coach when a more lucrative contract from URI would interest him and stabilize program leadership. Don't wait until David is a hot commodity and other schools outbid us for his services. Also, I believe that now is the time that a mutually beneficial contract can be reached that will keep him as URI's coach when he becomes successful, something that has plagued URI for decades. David possesses the characteristics of great basketball coaches. He is smart, a leader, a role model with terrific interpersonal skills, a proven recruiter and a person that I project will develop players and build a strong program. The players he has recruited are high quality individuals. Now is the time for us to get behind David and push the administration to support URI basketball.

Is this satirical? Did Cox family member write this?

The man's halftime speech to his team last night - when they were up by 13 - was to remind them about how they blew a 20 point lead last time at Duquesne. Talk about all time inspiration!

Here is my response to your post... I honestly cannot wait for his firing so we can get an ACTUAL coach to ACTUALLY do all those wonderful things you listed.

[rambone 78]

Cox plays guys a certain number of minutes per game, and that's it, no matter how well they are playing, with few exceptions.

Fatts gets his minutes no matter what.

Leggett, on the other hand, gets 10-15 minutes a game no matter how he plays, no matter the situation.

Situational game awareness is not one of Cox's strong points.

[Rhody72]

...
Situational game awareness is not one of Cox's strong points.

Cox is playing the long game with this roster. Cox has a deep bench that he believes can help the team next year. My criticism of Cox is his loyalty to Fatts. I suspect this stems from when DH left and Cox had to convince Fatts to stay. Cox feels he has to honor this commitment. I think Fatts has abused Cox's loyalty.

[ATPTourFan]

[Running Ram]

eli said it best, its the long stretches of casual play that is really killing us and yes it is a coaching issue. I remain hopeful that because DC is a smart guy he figures this mess out. I also remain confident that he will be successful as a college HC when all is said and done. Referring to Cox and his acumen as a HC, I think it takes time to put all the components together that are necessary for a head coach to be successful here, at this level, at this particular institution, etc.

I'm considering this whole season to be a pleasure win or lose, watching URI bball is one of the things that keeps me hopeful. Having said that, I had to go out at half time last night, so I watched the second half on replay assuming we would be coasting to a victory and I, of course, was sickened by what I witnessed, literally went to sleep aggravated with a pit in my stomach. Can't have that. Gotta figure something out, cos watching that 2nd half wasn't pleasurable.

[eli#10]

Here is part of the problem with this team and staff: last year we hd a great leader in Jeff Dowtin who helped the team play with intensity and kept his teammates focused. This year it seems that we do not have a leader on the team and it is reflected on this up and down year. The staff like last year also does not have a strong enough voice / leader to keep this team focused.

[PeteRI]

Our season is rigged!!!

[rambone 78]

Cox is a laid back guy....and during games he sits back and watches way too often when things are in the process of falling apart.

I don't think he has the respect of his players for the most part, and that's a bad situation.

Fatts certainly doesn't listen to him.

[Jersey77]

Cox is a laid back guy....and during games he sits back and watches way too often when things are in the process of falling apart.

I don't think he has the respect of his players for the most part, and that's a bad situation.

Fatts certainly doesn't listen to him.

Not my take on him, usually I see him pacing the sidelines or in a crouched defensive position on the floor and being very animated.

Actually, I think the players have a lot of respect for him, any reports from the outside on him say how much the players look up to him.

[Running Ram]

Yeah, I don't see him as laid back, don't know what the finer coaching issues are, I could blindly speculate, but I won't. I guess I could see him as coming off as laid back in some interviews etc. but not really during games.

[SmartyBarrett]

Yeah, I don't see him as laid back, don't know what the finer coaching issues are, I could blindly speculate, but I won't. I guess I could see him as coming off as laid back in some interviews etc. but not really during games.

Dan Hurley comes off laid back in interviews, too. That... uh, that doesn't align with his coaching style.

[RhodyKyle]

More than anything else, I just want an explanation on his TO philosophy. He has to have something that convinces him his approach is right since he seems hell-bent on not adjusting. Like in football, coaches have the data based on down, distance, score and time left that tells them when to punt/kick the FG/go for it on 4th down. Does Cox have some sort of data that shows teams increase their net efficiency by derailing their own momentum?

[theblueram]

More than anything else, I just want an explanation on his TO philosophy. He has to have something that convinces him his approach is right since he seems hell-bent on not adjusting. Like in football, coaches have the data based on down, distance, score and time left that tells them when to punt/kick the FG/go for it on 4th down. Does Cox have some sort of data that shows teams increase their net efficiency by derailing their own momentum?

It's truly bizarre, but I can't wait to see another one on Sunday!!!!

[rambone 78]

Well as the saying goes.....the definition of absurdity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result...or something like that.

And we thought Baron was stubborn.

[Jersey77]

Consistency, Consistency is what frustrates me the most about this team. It is extremely upsetting that this team can't put together a complete game, only on a few occasions. We see this intensity at times and then it just seems to drop off. We have all watched the talent on this team and know what we are capable of but can't maintain it. That tells me there is currently leadership problems on the court and on the bench. Hopefully Cox and his staff will become more effective and successful in this role, along with some players who need to step up and take charge.

I understand this is not a normal year and is especially difficult for us with basically a new team. Maybe it does take more time than we think and as fans we expect results sooner than later, which is not necessarily wrong because we are passionate about our team.

I usually don't get too upset about losing to better teams and bigger programs as long as our guys show up and play hard. It's these bad losses and games we should win that really drive me crazy. I do try and be more patient with this team, not always easy, and hoping that we are able to put it together soon.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Good thing fans are not allowed at the games this year because if fans were allowed no one would be going. I guess it is a wash.......
In addition to the coaching issue this team is way too casual for long stretches. Sorry that would be another coaching issue.

Wild card...this team mighta/coulda/woulda crushed with fans there...
On the other hand...if we were not in the no fans allowed circumstances we're under now...would we have these same players?

[Rhody_NYCT]

People are making too big of a deal over a few bad loses. Yes, this season, so far, is a disappointment. Believe me, it's depresses me when we lose games we should win. But the overreactions by some of us are ridiculous. Fire the coach! Ish is going to transfer! The sky is falling! Please. We have a good roster, we have talent, and we have a future. Maybe, this is not our year. But that doesn't mean we can't come back and compete for the A10 next year. We need to make the best of this season and hopefully make some kind of a run. If not, a lot of young players are going to get minutes and get a lot better. On a different note, can we stop talking about Martin and Toppin? Who gives a crap? If you are such big fans then join the Kentucky and Uconn forums. If they were on the team this year (without the transfers we have been fortunate enough to get), we would not be any better than we are now. And no way they left because of Cox. There's a lot more to it. They are the two most talked about players that did next to nothing here. Get over them already. I love the guys that we have now. They need time to develop and form chemistry. Let me be clear, I am not a happy fan right now. Yesterday's loss was really bad. But we have to face the fact that maybe this is not our year. It's not the end of the world. Go Rhody!

[bigappleram]

More than anything else, I just want an explanation on his TO philosophy. He has to have something that convinces him his approach is right since he seems hell-bent on not adjusting. Like in football, coaches have the data based on down, distance, score and time left that tells them when to punt/kick the FG/go for it on 4th down. Does Cox have some sort of data that shows teams increase their net efficiency by derailing their own momentum?

It's truly bizarre, but I can't wait to see another one on Sunday!!!!

It’s not as bizarre as some here make it. If you watched the game last night the announcer even said “Rhody takes the Jamie Dixon timeout”. DC was the dob for Dixon at Pitt for 1 year. And you see it elsewhere if you are looking.
Dan did it from time to time. The questionable part is that DC does it robotically, it seems, every game. Versus reading the game bc sometimes it may not be necessary or wise to burn one there.

The strategy generally is you call a TO after a bucket when you want to reinforce an upcoming defensive possession or install a new wrinkle defensively (zone, press, trap, how to defend a new wrinkle the opponent is doing in 2H, etc). Just bc he does it after a score doesn’t mean he stops momentum either bc it’s not like we run off 6 or 8 points and he calls a TO to stop it. It’s usually around the 10 minute mark of 2H after a made hoop in isolation. It’s the robotic aspect to question and also I haven’t watched film to see if that next defensive possession shows any tangible result or it’s not just some knee jerk reaction.

[RhowdyRam02]

More than anything else, I just want an explanation on his TO philosophy. He has to have something that convinces him his approach is right since he seems hell-bent on not adjusting. Like in football, coaches have the data based on down, distance, score and time left that tells them when to punt/kick the FG/go for it on 4th down. Does Cox have some sort of data that shows teams increase their net efficiency by derailing their own momentum?

It's truly bizarre, but I can't wait to see another one on Sunday!!!!

It’s not as bizarre as some here make it. If you watched the game last night the announcer even said “Rhody takes the Jamie Dixon timeout”. DC was the dob for Dixon at Pitt for 1 year. And you see it elsewhere if you are looking.
Dan did it from time to time. The questionable part is that DC does it robotically, it seems, every game. Versus reading the game bc sometimes it may not be necessary or wise to burn one there.

The strategy generally is you call a TO after a bucket when you want to reinforce an upcoming defensive possession or install a new wrinkle defensively (zone, press, trap, how to defend a new wrinkle the opponent is doing in 2H, etc). Just bc he does it after a score doesn’t mean he stops momentum either bc it’s not like we run off 6 or 8 points and he calls a TO to stop it. It’s usually around the 10 minute mark of 2H after a made hoop in isolation. It’s the robotic aspect to question and also I haven’t watched film to see if that next defensive possession shows any tangible result or it’s not just some knee jerk reaction.

It's not around the 10 minute mark, it's normally around the first media timeout of the second half. That's what makes it problematic. Anything you say in the locker room at halftime should stick for more than four minutes

[reef]

I remember DH used to do it from time to time but Cox does it every game .

[RhodyKyle]

More than anything else, I just want an explanation on his TO philosophy. He has to have something that convinces him his approach is right since he seems hell-bent on not adjusting. Like in football, coaches have the data based on down, distance, score and time left that tells them when to punt/kick the FG/go for it on 4th down. Does Cox have some sort of data that shows teams increase their net efficiency by derailing their own momentum?

It's truly bizarre, but I can't wait to see another one on Sunday!!!!

It’s not as bizarre as some here make it. If you watched the game last night the announcer even said “Rhody takes the Jamie Dixon timeout”. DC was the dob for Dixon at Pitt for 1 year. And you see it elsewhere if you are looking.
Dan did it from time to time. The questionable part is that DC does it robotically, it seems, every game. Versus reading the game bc sometimes it may not be necessary or wise to burn one there.

The strategy generally is you call a TO after a bucket when you want to reinforce an upcoming defensive possession or install a new wrinkle defensively (zone, press, trap, how to defend a new wrinkle the opponent is doing in 2H, etc). Just bc he does it after a score doesn’t mean he stops momentum either bc it’s not like we run off 6 or 8 points and he calls a TO to stop it. It’s usually around the 10 minute mark of 2H after a made hoop in isolation. It’s the robotic aspect to question and also I haven’t watched film to see if that next defensive possession shows any tangible result or it’s not just some knee jerk reaction.

Thanks, BAR. This is a reasoned explanation for why. I may still disagree with the approach but this at least makes sense. Good post.

[Obadiah]

I'm not one to automatically harp on the coach with every URI loss, but Cox makes some puzzling moves. - why do the Rams come out for so many game looking listless and what does he say at halftime as prelude to the 2H meltdown vs. Duquesne??

I have a friend who is big booster of Iona basketball and he recently shared with me some of the little things that Ric Pitino does that ingratiates himself with their boosters. I am including two of his weekly letters to them. Please note that the Iona program has been severely affected by the Covid pandemic and the Gaels last played on Dec. 23 and won't play until Jan. 30 - a layoff of over a month, so the weekly letters have been curtailed of late.



Dear Tim,

Well, it was a good weekend. Rider is a very difficult team to defend, and they have an explosive one-on-one game. It was two different nights. Friday, the defense won it for us, and Saturday it was hot shooting. We need Dylan van Eyck on the floor to have a chance to win. Isaiah Ross has, as my good friend Bill Raftery says, "Onions!" He made big shots when we were down. Berrick JeanLouis did a great job on Rider's talented point guard. He is a solid, dependable player and will improve significantly.

Our bench with injuries is nonexistent. I'm used to playing ten players, and at the current time, we are only using six. Fatigue is hurting us at the foul line, and we have to improve our bench. Osborn Shema is making a slow recovery. Dwayne Koroma needs to get tougher and improve offensively. Ryan Myers is a freshman who will improve. Omar Rowe struggles defensively, and Johan Crafoord has to improve his quickness. Recruiting on Zoom is not realistic, but we certainly got lucky with Nelly and Osborn. Next year, we will have three big bodies with the addition of Trey James, a center from the state of Kentucky. Dylan could return for another year if he's committed to strength training. Asante and Isaiah will move on, and we will focus on bringing in a great scoring transfer. Coppin State is next on Wednesday. Like Morgan State, they have terrific talent. They played tough against Duke but got blown out by a talented Virginia Tech team.

The effort and attitude of our guys are tremendous. Academically, they had a stellar semester. Our renovations are moving slowly, but we are making headway. Our future schedule is shaping up nicely. We need to improve in many areas, but that is expected with fifteen new players.

Stay safe, and I'll be in touch next week.

Go Gaels,

Rick Pitino


Dear Tim

First and foremost, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas. I hope 2021 is healthy, happy, and full of wonderful experiences for you. We are all thankful during this time of the year. Although this pandemic has made life difficult, I'm extremely excited to be coaching at Iona. Now, on to basketball.

Coppin State came in 1-6 but played Duke, Virginia Tech, and Georgetown. They played Duke to a 10-point loss. I've been coaching a long time, and their style of defense is very unique; I haven't seen that in forty-plus years. They do not allow you to run your offensive sets, so it's pivotal that you have great ball movement and work the ball inside to out. That was our biggest mistake in the first half: we played too much East and West. In the second half, we attacked and got much better results. I was asked last night about Tahlik Chavez playing more minutes. Quite simply, his minutes diminished when Asante Gist returned from his injury. Also, and definitely crucial, our minutes are designed by defense: Are you physically capable of guarding your man? Tahlik could not match up with Rider's backcourt. However, I was pleased with his performance last night. Nelly had a great second half and has a wonderful future. Isaiah was his usual self, making shots and learning the other phases of basketball. Asante is a good closer because he gets to the line and makes his free throws. I expect Colton and Osborn to return for games around February 1.

Towson is up next, then a tough Niagara team. We will practice during the holidays and try to stay in our bubble. Be safe, and thanks for your support.

Go Gaels,

Rick Pitino

[rambone 78]

I'd like to see Cox try and explain and defend some of the moves he makes.

[Jersey77]

It's truly bizarre, but I can't wait to see another one on Sunday!!!!

It’s not as bizarre as some here make it. If you watched the game last night the announcer even said “Rhody takes the Jamie Dixon timeout”. DC was the dob for Dixon at Pitt for 1 year. And you see it elsewhere if you are looking.
Dan did it from time to time. The questionable part is that DC does it robotically, it seems, every game. Versus reading the game bc sometimes it may not be necessary or wise to burn one there.

The strategy generally is you call a TO after a bucket when you want to reinforce an upcoming defensive possession or install a new wrinkle defensively (zone, press, trap, how to defend a new wrinkle the opponent is doing in 2H, etc). Just bc he does it after a score doesn’t mean he stops momentum either bc it’s not like we run off 6 or 8 points and he calls a TO to stop it. It’s usually around the 10 minute mark of 2H after a made hoop in isolation. It’s the robotic aspect to question and also I haven’t watched film to see if that next defensive possession shows any tangible result or it’s not just some knee jerk reaction.

Thanks, BAR. This is a reasoned explanation for why. I may still disagree with the approach but this at least makes sense. Good post.

My biggest question with his use of TO is not so much that as waiting to call a TO when the other team goes on a run. He may try and let his team play out of it , but too many times we dig ourselves in a deep a hole. I would like him to settle his guys down and slow the momentum of the other team before it gets out of hand.

[SmartyBarrett]

I'm with you, Jersey. I don't really have an issue with the timeouts he takes but more of an issue with the timeouts he *doesn't* take, if that makes sense. Look at this game flow. It was fully sandwiched in between two TV timeouts but still... can't believe there wasn't one called to try and settle things down in this stretch. It went from a 10 point lead to tied with no timeout called.

9:40 Tavian Dunn-Martin made Three Point Jumper. Assisted by Andre Harris. 60 - 53
9:22 Foul on Toby Okani. 60 - 53
9:22 D.J. Johnson made Free Throw. 61 - 53
9:22 D.J. Johnson made Free Throw. 62 - 53
8:53 Marcus Weathers made Dunk. Assisted by Andre Harris. 62 - 55
8:53 Foul on Antwan Walker. 62 - 55
8:53 Marcus Weathers made Free Throw. 62 - 56
8:34 Foul on Ryan Murphy. 62 - 56
8:32 Jalen Carey Turnover. 62 - 56
8:32 Marcus Weathers Steal. 62 - 56
8:27 Marcus Weathers made Dunk. 62 - 58
8:13 Foul on Antwan Walker. 62 - 58
8:13 Antwan Walker Turnover. 62 - 58
7:44 Chad Baker made Three Point Jumper. Assisted by Tavian Dunn-Martin. 62 - 61
7:30 Fatts Russell missed Three Point Jumper. 62 - 61
7:27 Malik Martin Offensive Rebound. 62 - 61
7:25 Malik Martin made Layup. 64 - 61
6:59 Tavian Dunn-Martin made Three Point Jumper. Assisted by Marcus Weathers. 64 - 64
6:43 Foul on Andre Harris. 64 - 64

[URIFIJI]

The Pitino Letters are GREAT. Whether he is writing them or not - the fact that the supporters of the team get some basketball clue into what is happening on the court from the coaches eyes is just plain awesome. Would love to hear more from Cox - on WHY? Why doesn't Ish get more minutes? What determines who starts? What style of offense are we trying to play? What didn't work when you came back our against Duquesne in the 2nd half?

Give us some insight. It would build more interest and support for what you are trying to build. Hats off to Iona basketball program for getting these emails out - they are free branding for Iona Hoops BTW - no cost

[Obadiah]

One further aspect on Pitino's presence at Iona - he just raised $1 million for the program and not from boosters, but from his basketball friends, e.g. Dick Vitale.

[rhodylaw]

I'm with you, Jersey. I don't really have an issue with the timeouts he takes but more of an issue with the timeouts he *doesn't* take, if that makes sense. Look at this game flow. It was fully sandwiched in between two TV timeouts but still... can't believe there wasn't one called to try and settle things down in this stretch. It went from a 10 point lead to tied with no timeout called.

9:40 Tavian Dunn-Martin made Three Point Jumper. Assisted by Andre Harris. 60 - 53
9:22 Foul on Toby Okani. 60 - 53
9:22 D.J. Johnson made Free Throw. 61 - 53
9:22 D.J. Johnson made Free Throw. 62 - 53
8:53 Marcus Weathers made Dunk. Assisted by Andre Harris. 62 - 55
8:53 Foul on Antwan Walker. 62 - 55
8:53 Marcus Weathers made Free Throw. 62 - 56
8:34 Foul on Ryan Murphy. 62 - 56
8:32 Jalen Carey Turnover. 62 - 56
8:32 Marcus Weathers Steal. 62 - 56
8:27 Marcus Weathers made Dunk. 62 - 58
8:13 Foul on Antwan Walker. 62 - 58
8:13 Antwan Walker Turnover. 62 - 58
7:44 Chad Baker made Three Point Jumper. Assisted by Tavian Dunn-Martin. 62 - 61
7:30 Fatts Russell missed Three Point Jumper. 62 - 61
7:27 Malik Martin Offensive Rebound. 62 - 61
7:25 Malik Martin made Layup. 64 - 61
6:59 Tavian Dunn-Martin made Three Point Jumper. Assisted by Marcus Weathers. 64 - 64
6:43 Foul on Andre Harris. 64 - 64

I definitely agree Smarty with that assessment, but isn’t that the sort of growing pains you expect with a third year head coach? His style is to let the players play through it, but he needs to balance that with an occasional slap in the face (metaphorically) to get them back in the game. The opposite is true with a hard ass coach, they need to soften their approach sometimes or risk losing the players.

The timeout to set up D makes sense to me with this squad, I actually think when we start to make a run we risk losing focus and chucking up heat check 3s so that pause makes sense. He will need to learn to use the TO to stop the run and it has to be done much earlier in the run.

[SmartyBarrett]

Hurley definitely leaned towards the "let them play through it" style as well so I'm not necessarily surprised Cox is taking that approach. But this example (and a few others) have been pretty glaring.

[steviep123]

eli said it best, its the long stretches of casual play that is really killing us and yes it is a coaching issue. I remain hopeful that because DC is a smart guy he figures this mess out. I also remain confident that he will be successful as a college HC when all is said and done. Referring to Cox and his acumen as a HC, I think it takes time to put all the components together that are necessary for a head coach to be successful here, at this level, at this particular institution, etc.

I'm considering this whole season to be a pleasure win or lose, watching URI bball is one of the things that keeps me hopeful. Having said that, I had to go out at half time last night, so I watched the second half on replay assuming we would be coasting to a victory and I, of course, was sickened by what I witnessed, literally went to sleep aggravated with a pit in my stomach. Can't have that. Gotta figure something out, cos watching that 2nd half wasn't pleasurable.

So you're telling me it's your fault for going out at halftime?

[steveystuds06]

I'm too lazy to go back and find these answers but have we come close to beating any top 25 teams since Cox took over? What's the best win for Cox in his first 3 years? I guess beating VCU in the A10 tournament, but clearly, they are a perfect matchup for our team. When we went on our winning streak last year, did we beat any tournament teams? I know we lost to teams like Richmond and St. Louis and obviously got murdered by Dayton.

[bigappleram]

I'm too lazy to go back and find these answers but have we come close to beating any top 25 teams since Cox took over? What's the best win for Cox in his first 3 years? I guess beating VCU in the A10 tournament, but clearly, they are a perfect matchup for our team. When we went on our winning streak last year, did we beat any tournament teams? I know we lost to teams like Richmond and St. Louis and obviously got murdered by Dayton.

Based on Lunardi’s latest bracketology we have beaten 2 tourney bound teams thus far - Seton Hall and Bonnies.

[rjsuperfly66]

I'm too lazy to go back and find these answers but have we come close to beating any top 25 teams since Cox took over? What's the best win for Cox in his first 3 years? I guess beating VCU in the A10 tournament, but clearly, they are a perfect matchup for our team. When we went on our winning streak last year, did we beat any tournament teams? I know we lost to teams like Richmond and St. Louis and obviously got murdered by Dayton.

Cox's best wins include:
2019 at Dayton - 72-70 OT -- Dayton finished that season a 5 seed in the NIT
2019 A10T VCU - 75-70 -- VCU finished that season an 8 seed in the NCAA
2020 at VCU - 65-56 -- VCU finished that season a likely NIT team with a KenPom of 73
2021 at VCU - 83-68 -- VCU has a KenPom of 69 and is a likely NIT team

Those are Cox's 4 "A" wins via KenPom during his 3 years. His record in those games is 4-9. The losses were at VCU (2019), at Maryland, neutral LSU, at West Virginia, at Dayton (2020), at Davidson (2020), home Dayton (2020), at Wisconsin, at Richmond (2021).

In "B" games he is 12-13. The wins were:

2018 neutral West Virginia -- 83-70 -- WVU played in an alternative postseason tournament that season
2018 home VCU - 71-65 -- VCU finished that season an 8 seed in the NCAA
2019 home Alabama - 93-79 -- Alabama was likely an NIT team with a KenPom of 60
2019 neutral North Texas - 60-47 - North Texas KenPom 77 would have competed for CUSA autobid
2019 home Providence 75-61 -- PC KenPom 40 would have been approx an 8-9 seed in the NCAA
2020 at Davidson -- 69-58 -- Davidson KenPom 70 would have been a likely NIT team
2020 at St. Bonaventure -- 81-75 -- STB KenPom 123 unlikely postseason team
2020 home VCU -- 87-75 -- VCU KenPom 73 likely NIT team
2020 neutral South Florida -- 84-68 -- USF KenPom 99 unlikely postseason team
2020 neutral San Francisco -- 84-71 -- USF KenPom 73 will compete for NIT
2020 home Seton Hall -- 76-63 -- Seton Hall KenPom 39 current Bracket Matrix 10 seed
2020 home St. Bonaventure -- 63-57 -- STB KenPom 55 current First Four Out on Bracket Matrix

[bigappleram]

How does he determine A vs B games...i think Seton Hall this year is his best win over what is likely a tourney team. They are much better team than any of those VCU wins.

[rjsuperfly66]

A and B are essentially the equivalent of Quad 1 and Quad 2 - Adjust for where you play so it weights road games more than home games.

Here is his blog when he originally added it to his page:

https://kenpom.com/blog/tiers-of-joy/

“Home-court advantage is important in college basketball – even though it may be at an all-time low – but too often it gets ignored. I suspect we have the RPI to blame for this. The RPI doesn’t include venue in its strength of schedule calculation, and more profoundly, encourages users to look at a team’s record against say, the top 50 teams, without considering where those games were played. (Before I go any further, I have to say I don’t mind the RPI in general. It’s not a bad formula considering its origins and the history behind it is kind of endearing.)

In the spirit of home-court advantage awareness I’ve gone ahead and added additional information to the schedule page. In a fair world, when people talk about top 50 wins they should be accounting for where the game is played. And so I’ve added a notation for whether a game was Tier A or Tier B to each game on a team’s schedule. A game in Tier A represents a top 50 opponent adjusting for the location of the game, and Tier B is the same concept for a top 100 opponent. This is similar to what already exists on the player pages.

It turns out those adjustments are important. Beating the 90th-ranked team on the road is about as difficult as beating the 50th-best team on a neutral floor, which is roughly as difficult as beating the 20th-best team on one’s home floor. (The exact relationship can vary by season.) So it’s poor form to ignore this when some teams in college never go on the road in non-conference and others rarely get to play a non-conference game at home.“

[Obadiah]

The Pitino Letters are GREAT. Whether he is writing them or not - the fact that the supporters of the team get some basketball clue into what is happening on the court from the coaches eyes is just plain awesome. Would love to hear more from Cox - on WHY? Why doesn't Ish get more minutes? What determines who starts? What style of offense are we trying to play? What didn't work when you came back our against Duquesne in the 2nd half?

Give us some insight. It would build more interest and support for what you are trying to build. Hats off to Iona basketball program for getting these emails out - they are free branding for Iona Hoops BTW - no cost

Yes, I agree. Jim Baron gave us "coachspeak" to the maximum. Hurley was a bit better, but not that direct, understandable given he was raised by a very traditional coach-father. David Cox is more articulate than either, but lacks transparency, is somewhat robotic, and tends to pushback and get defensive when asked penetrating questions. What was refreshing about the Pitino letters is how pointed he is in talking about the basketball program, the players, and how fixed he is on the notion of continuous improvement and the future. Nice to see the way he communicates with the biggest boosters of the Iona program. We should be so lucky.

[steveystuds06]

I'm too lazy to go back and find these answers but have we come close to beating any top 25 teams since Cox took over? What's the best win for Cox in his first 3 years? I guess beating VCU in the A10 tournament, but clearly, they are a perfect matchup for our team. When we went on our winning streak last year, did we beat any tournament teams? I know we lost to teams like Richmond and St. Louis and obviously got murdered by Dayton.

Cox's best wins include:
2019 at Dayton - 72-70 OT -- Dayton finished that season a 5 seed in the NIT
2019 A10T VCU - 75-70 -- VCU finished that season an 8 seed in the NCAA
2020 at VCU - 65-56 -- VCU finished that season a likely NIT team with a KenPom of 73
2021 at VCU - 83-68 -- VCU has a KenPom of 69 and is a likely NIT team

Those are Cox's 4 "A" wins via KenPom during his 3 years. His record in those games is 4-9. The losses were at VCU (2019), at Maryland, neutral LSU, at West Virginia, at Dayton (2020), at Davidson (2020), home Dayton (2020), at Wisconsin, at Richmond (2021).

In "B" games he is 12-13. The wins were:

2018 neutral West Virginia -- 83-70 -- WVU played in an alternative postseason tournament that season
2018 home VCU - 71-65 -- VCU finished that season an 8 seed in the NCAA
2019 home Alabama - 93-79 -- Alabama was likely an NIT team with a KenPom of 60
2019 neutral North Texas - 60-47 - North Texas KenPom 77 would have competed for CUSA autobid
2019 home Providence 75-61 -- PC KenPom 40 would have been approx an 8-9 seed in the NCAA
2020 at Davidson -- 69-58 -- Davidson KenPom 70 would have been a likely NIT team
2020 at St. Bonaventure -- 81-75 -- STB KenPom 123 unlikely postseason team
2020 home VCU -- 87-75 -- VCU KenPom 73 likely NIT team
2020 neutral South Florida -- 84-68 -- USF KenPom 99 unlikely postseason team
2020 neutral San Francisco -- 84-71 -- USF KenPom 73 will compete for NIT
2020 home Seton Hall -- 76-63 -- Seton Hall KenPom 39 current Bracket Matrix 10 seed
2020 home St. Bonaventure -- 63-57 -- STB KenPom 55 current First Four Out on Bracket Matrix

Thanks for doing that. Great Breakdown

[Rhode_Island_Red]

The Pitino Letters are GREAT. Whether he is writing them or not - the fact that the supporters of the team get some basketball clue into what is happening on the court from the coaches eyes is just plain awesome. Would love to hear more from Cox - on WHY? Why doesn't Ish get more minutes? What determines who starts? What style of offense are we trying to play? What didn't work when you came back our against Duquesne in the 2nd half?

Give us some insight. It would build more interest and support for what you are trying to build. Hats off to Iona basketball program for getting these emails out - they are free branding for Iona Hoops BTW - no cost

Yes, I agree. Jim Baron gave us "coachspeak" to the maximum. Hurley was a bit better, but not that direct, understandable given he was raised by a very traditional coach-father. David Cox is more articulate than either, but lacks transparency, is somewhat robotic, and tends to pushback and get defensive when asked penetrating questions. What was refreshing about the Pitino letters is how pointed he is in talking about the basketball program, the players, and how fixed he is on the notion of continuous improvement and the future. Nice to see the way he communicates with the biggest boosters of the Iona program. We should be so lucky.

The only future Little Ricky cares about is getting a job with a Cartel school, which will happen just before Iona gets whacked hard by the NCAA.

[Rhody72]

...
Nice to see the way he communicates with the biggest boosters of the Iona program. We should be so lucky.

I never realized that URI's "biggest boosters" posted here or were complaining anywhere.

DC has always had great potential as a head coach. I opposed hiring him because I hoped for a more seasoned coach. But as we are living through his maturation he is approaching the seasoned coach I wanted to replace DH. Once he gets some job security, communications with boosters and fans in general will be the least of his problems.

[rambone 78]

He might become a "seasoned" coach....but he's certainly not becoming a "good" coach at this point.

Job security is dependent on performance. Well most of time anyway lol.

[theblueram]

Has anyone asked Cox what he needs to succeed at URI? I would love to hear his answer.

[Jersey77]

Has anyone asked Cox what he needs to succeed at URI? I would love to hear his answer.

More wins

[section(105)]

......my guess is, the character guy that he is, he would say everything here is in place to successful.......at U R I.......no?

[Rhody15]

...
Nice to see the way he communicates with the biggest boosters of the Iona program. We should be so lucky.

I never realized that URI's "biggest boosters" posted here or were complaining anywhere.

DC has always had great potential as a head coach. I opposed hiring him because I hoped for a more seasoned coach. But as we are living through his maturation he is approaching the seasoned coach I wanted to replace DH. Once he gets some job security, communications with boosters and fans in general will be the least of his problems.

So by seasoned you mean a bit underwhelming? Is all your criteria a coach with years under his belt opposed to a coach with success?

Your posts on Cox get worse and worse by the day.

[RhodyFanNotAlum]

...
Nice to see the way he communicates with the biggest boosters of the Iona program. We should be so lucky.

I never realized that URI's "biggest boosters" posted here or were complaining anywhere.

DC has always had great potential as a head coach. I opposed hiring him because I hoped for a more seasoned coach. But as we are living through his maturation he is approaching the seasoned coach I wanted to replace DH. Once he gets some job security, communications with boosters and fans in general will be the least of his problems.

So by seasoned you mean a bit underwhelming? Is all your criteria a coach with years under his belt opposed to a coach with success?

Your posts on Cox get worse and worse by the day.

I was opposed for the same reason as 72 (hoping for someone more seasoned) but I was willing to give him a chance and pulling for his success. He seems like a nice guy, how could anyone not root for him to succeed?

But I really do not feel like we are "living through his maturation." I can't identify anything he does better now than he did during his first season. Time in the job does not automatically equal maturity.

[rambone 78]

The question is, how long does Thorr and co. wait for a breakthrough?

Another year? Two? Three?

Or are they are happy with mediocrity again?

After next season, there will no longer be enough excuses to justify poor performance.

[Rhody15]

I want Cox to go 40-0 every season he’s coach.

Just because you’re criticism of someone, doesn’t mean you don’t them them to be successful.

Just like with Harris, I’d love nothing him than for him to turn into Nate Watson, Charles Bassey, etc.

[gorhody89]

I think expectations were unrealistic this year...majority of team hadn’t played with each other before and they had a shortened pre-season...it takes time for players to get comfortable playing with each other. Combine that with Fatts struggling and I’m not sure what else to expect...

However in regards to Cox I am concerned with being 0-5 in games decided by 5 points or less. Doesn’t even include the ASU game that was tied with 2 mins left

[Falcon]

Criticize and speculate about the coach all that you want until the cows come home but with all of the vicissitudes of this season our NET as of this morning was 70 !! This number coming from the experts that matter tells me that despite all the doom and gloom on this forum we are STILL a player in the 2020-2021 season . Go Fatts ! Go Rhody !! Go DC !!!