David Cox officially let go by URI (formerly, "Fire Cox")

[Mongo]

SG EDIT: Keeping this mostly in one thread for historical purposes... Page 49 is where the first unofficial report from Rothstein that he's gone is. Page 51 is where the official university confirmation is.

I have stayed quiet while I’ve watched David Cox slowly unravel everything that Dan Hurley built here. His passive personality has created a lack of swagger and edge on a team that has the talent to be special. It is painful to watch him literally make wordless facial expressions with literally no fire on the sidelines. He’s created a team culture that plays with ZERO fire and edge. He has brought so much talent to Kingston and has them playing like zombies. Gone are the days of a coach that will fire up players and who created a atmosphere where even the fans would cheer with a edge and fire. It Is so sad to watch this program die on the vine under the emotionless David Cox. I always appreciated what Dan Hurley created here and really rooted for Cox to continue that fire, but he has literally created the opposite environment. It is time to move on and find another coach that can create fire and excitement again, it is really time to move on, what a shame.

[Sweep The Leg]

There's a diifference between looking stoic and catatonic.

[Mongo]

There's a diifference between looking stoic and catatonic.

I totally agree. I’m blown away at his passive approach. I’m sick over it. So disappointing!!!

[rambone 78]

Cox is clueless when things start to unravel on the court.

This has happened now too many times to count.

Change the culture my ass.

We have zero chance of going anywhere with this coach. Why some can't see this boggles the mind.

4 years of this is enough. See ya.

And I don't agree that there is that much talent here.

Sure there is some, but the same stupid mistakes keep happening, and the coach is powerless to stop it.

That's coaching, for all to see.

[Billyboy78]

I don't know about his fire, I've seen him get emotional on the sidelines. I just don't think he's a good coach. Great guy. Bad coach.

[PlayMikeMotenMore]

I have stayed quiet while I’ve watched David Cox slowly unravel everything that Dan Hurley built here. His passive personality has created a lack of swagger and edge on a team that has the talent to be special. It is painful to watch him literally make wordless facial expressions with literally no fire on the sidelines. He’s created a team culture that plays with ZERO fire and edge. He has brought so much talent to Kingston and has them playing like zombies. Gone are the days of a coach that will fire up players and who created a atmosphere where even the fans would cheer with a edge and fire. It Is so sad to watch this program die on the vine under the emotionless David Cox. I always appreciated what Dan Hurley created here and really rooted for Cox to continue that fire, but he has literally created the opposite environment. It is time to move on and find another coach that can create fire and excitement again, it is really time to move on, what a shame.

Folks can make the case that they're fed up with Cox, his usage of timeouts, team prep, in-game coaching, player development, etc. That's all fair game.

But please spare me the "wordless facial expressions"..."no fire on the sidelines..."emotionless David Cox" argument. That's just plain utter nonsense and is not rational thinking. That has no bearing on whether somebody is a good coach or not. (Tom Landry, Bill Belichick, Tom Penders, Al Skinner, John Wooden, Tony Bennett, and on and on...) I mean seriously. You want Jared Grasso or Tony Bennett? Jay Wright or Josh Pastner? John Belein or Shaka Smart?

You want to clamor for a new coach? Fine. But don't tout a cheerleader or a rah-rah guy because you want to be entertained by staring at the bench. That's absurd.

[KeaneyBluBallz]

I wouldn’t hire cox to coach a HS team.

I don’t think basketball is quite his ‘thing’

[rambone 78]

David Cox is a good ASSISTANT coach.

Being a head coach is not his 'thing'.

[Mongo]

I have stayed quiet while I’ve watched David Cox slowly unravel everything that Dan Hurley built here. His passive personality has created a lack of swagger and edge on a team that has the talent to be special. It is painful to watch him literally make wordless facial expressions with literally no fire on the sidelines. He’s created a team culture that plays with ZERO fire and edge. He has brought so much talent to Kingston and has them playing like zombies. Gone are the days of a coach that will fire up players and who created a atmosphere where even the fans would cheer with a edge and fire. It Is so sad to watch this program die on the vine under the emotionless David Cox. I always appreciated what Dan Hurley created here and really rooted for Cox to continue that fire, but he has literally created the opposite environment. It is time to move on and find another coach that can create fire and excitement again, it is really time to move on, what a shame.

Folks can make the case that they're fed up with Cox, his usage of timeouts, team prep, in-game coaching, player development, etc. That's all fair game.

But please spare me the "wordless facial expressions"..."no fire on the sidelines..."emotionless David Cox" argument. That's just plain utter nonsense and is not rational thinking. That has no bearing on whether somebody is a good coach or not. (Tom Landry, Bill Belichick, Tom Penders, Al Skinner, John Wooden, Tony Bennett, and on and on...) I mean seriously. You want Jared Grasso or Tony Bennett? Jay Wright or Josh Pastner? John Belein or Shaka Smart?

You want to clamor for a new coach? Fine. But don't tout a cheerleader or a rah-rah guy because you want to be entertained by staring at the bench. That's absurd.

You are missing the point here, his lack of fire carries over to his teams and dictates how his teams play. He is not a Head Coach, he is not good at building a program. You can’t compare him to quiet coaching legends, he is a great recruiter and assistant, some people are not meant to run a program.

[NYGFan_Section208]

I have stayed quiet while I’ve watched David Cox slowly unravel everything that's Dan Hurley built here. His passive personality has created a lack of swagger and edge on a team that has the talent to be special. It is painful to watch him literally make wordless facial expressions with literally no fire on the sidelines. He’s created a team culture that plays with ZERO fire and edge. He has brought so much talent to Kingston and has them playing like zombies. Gone are the days of a coach that will fire up players and who created a atmosphere where even the fans would cheer with a edge and fire. It Is so sad to watch this program die on the vine under the emotionless David Cox. I always appreciated what Dan Hurley created here and really rooted for Cox to continue that fire, but he has literally created the opposite environment. It is time to move on and find another coach that can create fire and excitement again, it is really time to move on, what a shame.

Folks can make the case that they're fed up with Cox, his usage of timeouts, team prep, in-game coaching, player development, etc. That's all fair game.

But please spare me the "wordless facial expressions"..."no fire on the sidelines..."emotionless David Cox" argument. That's just plain utter nonsense and is not rational thinking. That has no bearing on whether somebody is a good coach or not. (Tom Landry, Bill Belichick, Tom Penders, Al Skinner, John Wooden, Tony Bennett, and on and on...) I mean seriously. You want Jared Grasso or Tony Bennett? Jay Wright or Josh Pastner? John Belein or Shaka Smart?

You want to clamor for a new coach? Fine. But don't tout a cheerleader or a rah-rah guy because you want to be entertained by staring at the bench. That's absurd.

Um, (cough cough) right now, I'll take Pastner and Smart over those other two guys...

[KeaneyBluBallz]

David Cox is a good ASSISTANT coach.

Being a head coach is not his 'thing'.

Meh.

You can have him.

[Sweep The Leg]

Here are some of the glaring weaknesses in his coaching in my opinion.

1) His team doesn't seem to take advantage of favorable match-ups. Against FGCU, the bigs were shooting 80%, yet we took the most 3 pointers we have all season. It should have been hammered into the guards to keep pounding the ball inside until they stop it.

2) He doesn't seem to hold his players accountable. It was well documented with Fatts when he ignored plays and went into business for himself. And it seems to be the same with sloppy play this season. Pull guys out, sit them for a minute or two, get on them and then send them back in with that fresh in their mind.

3) In game coaching is bad... No adjustments, bad set plays on offense and defense, substituting players who are playing really well, clock management (not going for 2 for 1 ones) and the backwards use of timeouts...

[PlayMikeMotenMore]

I have stayed quiet while I’ve watched David Cox slowly unravel everything that Dan Hurley built here. His passive personality has created a lack of swagger and edge on a team that has the talent to be special. It is painful to watch him literally make wordless facial expressions with literally no fire on the sidelines. He’s created a team culture that plays with ZERO fire and edge. He has brought so much talent to Kingston and has them playing like zombies. Gone are the days of a coach that will fire up players and who created a atmosphere where even the fans would cheer with a edge and fire. It Is so sad to watch this program die on the vine under the emotionless David Cox. I always appreciated what Dan Hurley created here and really rooted for Cox to continue that fire, but he has literally created the opposite environment. It is time to move on and find another coach that can create fire and excitement again, it is really time to move on, what a shame.

Folks can make the case that they're fed up with Cox, his usage of timeouts, team prep, in-game coaching, player development, etc. That's all fair game.

But please spare me the "wordless facial expressions"..."no fire on the sidelines..."emotionless David Cox" argument. That's just plain utter nonsense and is not rational thinking. That has no bearing on whether somebody is a good coach or not. (Tom Landry, Bill Belichick, Tom Penders, Al Skinner, John Wooden, Tony Bennett, and on and on...) I mean seriously. You want Jared Grasso or Tony Bennett? Jay Wright or Josh Pastner? John Belein or Shaka Smart?

You want to clamor for a new coach? Fine. But don't tout a cheerleader or a rah-rah guy because you want to be entertained by staring at the bench. That's absurd.

You are missing the point here, his lack of fire carries over to his teams and dictates how his teams play. He is not a Head Coach, he is not good at building a program. You can’t compare him to quiet coaching legends, he is a great recruiter and assistant, some people are not meant to run a program.

No, you are missing the point. You can't prove causation between a coach's supposed "lack of fire" and the team. How do you explain Tony Bennett, Tom Penders, and Al Skinner who had/have their teams play hard and tough. Did those teams lack fire?

Forget your nonsense about the coach's fire. Find a coach that can coach, teach, develop, and win. Trust me, you won't care what his coaching personality and demeanor is like.

[PlayMikeMotenMore]

I have stayed quiet while I’ve watched David Cox slowly unravel everything that's Dan Hurley built here. His passive personality has created a lack of swagger and edge on a team that has the talent to be special. It is painful to watch him literally make wordless facial expressions with literally no fire on the sidelines. He’s created a team culture that plays with ZERO fire and edge. He has brought so much talent to Kingston and has them playing like zombies. Gone are the days of a coach that will fire up players and who created a atmosphere where even the fans would cheer with a edge and fire. It Is so sad to watch this program die on the vine under the emotionless David Cox. I always appreciated what Dan Hurley created here and really rooted for Cox to continue that fire, but he has literally created the opposite environment. It is time to move on and find another coach that can create fire and excitement again, it is really time to move on, what a shame.

Folks can make the case that they're fed up with Cox, his usage of timeouts, team prep, in-game coaching, player development, etc. That's all fair game.

But please spare me the "wordless facial expressions"..."no fire on the sidelines..."emotionless David Cox" argument. That's just plain utter nonsense and is not rational thinking. That has no bearing on whether somebody is a good coach or not. (Tom Landry, Bill Belichick, Tom Penders, Al Skinner, John Wooden, Tony Bennett, and on and on...) I mean seriously. You want Jared Grasso or Tony Bennett? Jay Wright or Josh Pastner? John Belein or Shaka Smart?

You want to clamor for a new coach? Fine. But don't tout a cheerleader or a rah-rah guy because you want to be entertained by staring at the bench. That's absurd.

Um, (cough cough) right now, I'll take Pastner and Smart over those other two guys...

You'll take Pastner over Jay Wright? And Shaka Smart over Belein? Have at it.

[KeaneyBluBallz]

What’s Bobby knight doing these days?

[Mongo]

Folks can make the case that they're fed up with Cox, his usage of timeouts, team prep, in-game coaching, player development, etc. That's all fair game.

But please spare me the "wordless facial expressions"..."no fire on the sidelines..."emotionless David Cox" argument. That's just plain utter nonsense and is not rational thinking. That has no bearing on whether somebody is a good coach or not. (Tom Landry, Bill Belichick, Tom Penders, Al Skinner, John Wooden, Tony Bennett, and on and on...) I mean seriously. You want Jared Grasso or Tony Bennett? Jay Wright or Josh Pastner? John Belein or Shaka Smart?

You want to clamor for a new coach? Fine. But don't tout a cheerleader or a rah-rah guy because you want to be entertained by staring at the bench. That's absurd.

You are missing the point here, his lack of fire carries over to his teams and dictates how his teams play. He is not a Head Coach, he is not good at building a program. You can’t compare him to quiet coaching legends, he is a great recruiter and assistant, some people are not meant to run a program.

No, you are missing the point. You can't prove causation between a coach's supposed "lack of fire" and the team. How do you explain Tony Bennett, Tom Penders, and Al Skinner who had/have their teams play hard and tough. Did those teams lack fire?

Forget your nonsense about the coach's fire. Find a coach that can coach, teach, develop, and win. Trust me, you won't care what his coaching personality and demeanor is like.

Nooooo you are missing the point as usual. He’s a trash head coach, end of story. Mike Moten was a garbage center too.

[steveystuds06]

I gave Cox a clean slate this season. I convinced myself that it wasn't him, and this was the year he was going to figure it out. A lot of my friends told me I was nuts and nothing would change. I told them we looked good in the scrimmage! We looked good against weak teams like BU, Bryant, and BC! Then I saw the same old Cox against Tulsa. Well, maybe that was just a bad game, right? NOPE... We lose to a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE FGCU team after dominating them early on.

Cox will thrive as a top assistant again...I wish him nothing but the best but we will be nothing more than an up and down team if he's our head coach. This freaking sucks!!

[Sweep The Leg]

What’s Bobby knight doing these days?

Shit, I'd take Alexa coaching our team over Cox.

[RIFan]

I’m now a passenger on the Cox needs to go bus.

[Sweep The Leg]

I’m now a passenger on the Cox needs to go bus.

We're going to need a bigger bus.

[rambone 78]

We are doomed if Cox stays.

Simple as that.

That's it.

Really.

[STC]

Okay, so we're all ready to fire Cox, who we hiring?

I know just the man for the job...

[steveystuds06]

Okay, so we're all ready to fire Cox, who we hiring?

I know just the man for the job...


Archie.jpeg

YES!!! If he's looking for a head coaching job we need to do whatever it takes to land him.

[STC]

I'm worried that Anthony Grant is going to flop with Dayton this year and they might try to bring Archie back.

Dayton already has losses to UMass Lowell, Lipscomb and Austin Peay. Here's hoping Grant does enough to save his job...

[RIFan]

I am of the belief he is a top flight #2 but not an alpha. He has reached his Peter Principle.

[steveystuds06]

You are missing the point here, his lack of fire carries over to his teams and dictates how his teams play. He is not a Head Coach, he is not good at building a program. You can’t compare him to quiet coaching legends, he is a great recruiter and assistant, some people are not meant to run a program.

No, you are missing the point. You can't prove causation between a coach's supposed "lack of fire" and the team. How do you explain Tony Bennett, Tom Penders, and Al Skinner who had/have their teams play hard and tough. Did those teams lack fire?

Forget your nonsense about the coach's fire. Find a coach that can coach, teach, develop, and win. Trust me, you won't care what his coaching personality and demeanor is like.

Nooooo you are missing the point as usual. He’s a trash head coach, end of story. Mike Moten was a garbage center too.

Ya Mongo, you can't prove causation between a coach's supposed "lack of fire" and the team!! Just kidding. Your post makes plenty of sense. It may be his lack of fire on the sidelines, scouting, awful timeouts, rotations, or a mix of everything. The bottom line is we are in year 4 after a 10th place finish and lost to a team with a 5'6 starting point guard, and his backup is 40 pounds overweight.

I feel bad for our frontcourt. They have been great this season..

[TruePoint]

Unless there is a miracle between now and March, I think it’s becoming clear that if the school still has any basketball ambition then a coaching change has to be on the table.

[RhodyFanNotAlum]

I thought Cox should have been fired after Year 3, and I'll almost certainly think he should be let go when Year 4 is said and done. But we're six games into this season right now, and three games ago a lot of us at least saw some signs of promise for the season. This was our third game in four days, all on the road. FGCU was playing at home, coming off an easy DII win on Sunday and four days of rest before that. Cox is not a good in-game coach, we can all see that. Even still, I can't bring myself to spend the entire season repeating the same arguments for why he should be canned every time we lose a bad one.

[URI2006_Andy]

The strategy needs to change. Doesn’t matter who the coach is. Needs to be more analytics based.

The goal on offense should be to get a good 3-point shot. (There’s a reason every NBA team has realized this)

The goal on defense should be to make someone take a tough 2.

And, playing 2 centers at the same time is the complete opposite strategy. The fact that all the centers are playing well and we’re still losing says it all. The strategy needs to change.

If you run the numbers over the last 2 seasons, the team +\- is better when Martin is at the 4 and only 1 big is on the court.

Our centers are so athletic and such good passers (and can probably shoot 3s in the right offense) that you could still run an offense designed around 3s and offensive rebounds through the 1 big who is in. You would still have the 1 rim protector in. And, the centers would be fresh because you could rotate the 3 of them filling 1 spot.

[Joe95]

Get to ESPN2 this game between Arkansas and Cincinnati has been amazing, feels like an elite 8 game. This is what it is like to watch two great coached teams, I forgot what it was like after watching these rams the past 4 years.

[reef]

Here are some of the glaring weaknesses in his coaching in my opinion.

1) His team doesn't seem to take advantage of favorable match-ups. Against FGCU, the bigs were shooting 80%, yet we took the most 3 pointers we have all season. It should have been hammered into the guards to keep pounding the ball inside until they stop it.

2) He doesn't seem to hold his players accountable. It was well documented with Fatts when he ignored plays and went into business for himself. And it seems to be the same with sloppy play this season. Pull guys out, sit them for a minute or two, get on them and then send them back in with that fresh in their mind.

3) In game coaching is bad... No adjustments, bad set plays on offense and defense, substituting players who are playing really well, clock management (not going for 2 for 1 ones) and the backwards use of timeouts...

Agree with this , I definitely can see a change made at end of year barring an unlikely run in March Madness !! We can do better !!

[Rhody72]

As many posters above, I have been trying ti figure out what is going wrong with this team. One of several reasons that I have been a big Cox supporters is because I see him as a player's coach unlike most coaches today. The players don't live under a rock, they know his tenure as URI's coach is tenuous. How could the players undermine such a coach in his situation with their lackluster play as we have seen against Tulsa and FGCU? As previously posted, I really like all top 10 players on the roster.

I sense that the recruitment of EA was a breach of trust with the players. EA immediately became our best guard and that has effected the play and role of Ish, Shepp, Carey and Malik. Add into this the quality minutes being given to Thomas, and these key four players are no longer giving their best effort. Basketball is a future career for these players not a side sport they played in college. This is in no way a criticism of EA, but it is of Cox who failed to understand what recruiting EA would mean to his players. That is my take.

[section(105)]

I gave Cox a clean slate this season. I convinced myself that it wasn't him, and this was the year he was going to figure it out. A lot of my friends told me I was nuts and nothing would change. I told them we looked good in the scrimmage! We looked good against weak teams like BU, Bryant, and BC! Then I saw the same old Cox against Tulsa. Well, maybe that was just a bad game, right? NOPE... We lose to a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE FGCU team after dominating them early on.

Cox will thrive as a top assistant again...I wish him nothing but the best but we will be nothing more than an up and down team if he's our head coach. This freaking sucks!!

……..sadly, this is where I am after this loss……..still trying to grab onto the few shreds of positivity that I can muster up……..but thinking this season was going to be his time to get it together it going is fading fast…….

[NC_Ram]

Complaining on this BB will do nothing to promote change. Unless we speak with our wallets, we will be stuck with Flo sports, Cox, internet problems at the RC and all the other mickey mouse crap that's representative of a program that's going nowhere.

[section(105)]

Okay, so we're all ready to fire Cox, who we hiring?

I know just the man for the job...


Archie.jpeg

……..can someone fix his tie to a Keaney blue color……?…….

[BlackDogRants]

Speaking of coaches - Allow me to stir the pot of "what could have been" ... Iona is 5-0

Lets see what Ricky can pull off against #10 Alabama tomorrow night

[bigappleram]

As many posters above, I have been trying ti figure out what is going wrong with this team. One of several reasons that I have been a big Cox supporters is because I see him as a player's coach unlike most coaches today. The players don't live under a rock, they know his tenure as URI's coach is tenuous. How could the players undermine such a coach in his situation with their lackluster play as we have seen against Tulsa and FGCU? As previously posted, I really like all top 10 players on the roster.

I sense that the recruitment of EA was a breach of trust with the players. EA immediately became our best guard and that has effected the play and role of Ish, Shepp, Carey and Malik. Add into this the quality minutes being given to Thomas, and these key four players are no longer giving their best effort. Basketball is a future career for these players not a side sport they played in college. This is in no way a criticism of EA, but it is of Cox who failed to understand what recruiting EA would mean to his players. That is my take.

Add another one to your Hall of Fame of preposterous takes.
So bringing in a kid who seemingly does everything right and has tangible leadership qualities on a team that seems to lack that….is somehow the negative factor causing us to lose to bad teams ? Try again.

[KeaneyBluBallz]

Complaining on this BB will do nothing to promote change. Unless we speak with our wallets, we will be stuck with Flo sports, Cox, internet problems at the RC and all the other mickey mouse crap that's representative of a program that's going nowhere.

lets keep pumping $$$ into that godawful football program though.

[KeaneyBluBallz]

Here are some of the glaring weaknesses in his coaching in my opinion.

1) His team doesn't seem to take advantage of favorable match-ups. Against FGCU, the bigs were shooting 80%, yet we took the most 3 pointers we have all season. It should have been hammered into the guards to keep pounding the ball inside until they stop it.

2) He doesn't seem to hold his players accountable. It was well documented with Fatts when he ignored plays and went into business for himself. And it seems to be the same with sloppy play this season. Pull guys out, sit them for a minute or two, get on them and then send them back in with that fresh in their mind.

3) In game coaching is bad... No adjustments, bad set plays on offense and defense, substituting players who are playing really well, clock management (not going for 2 for 1 ones) and the backwards use of timeouts...

Agree with this , I definitely can see a change made at end of year barring an unlikely run in March Madness !! We can do better !!

why wait?? rip the band aid off. prolonging the inevitable can do more harm than good.

someone pack the dudes bag and drive him to the airport.

[steviep123]

As much as I would have loved Pitino (as much for the mental gymnastics PC fans would do to either root for Rhody or against Pitino as his success here) that was never going to happen. Dooley was dead set against it should so it was a nonstarter.

[section(105)]

…….I think it has been said that most ADs have a list of names in their pocket in case a coaching change is warranted……..I wonder who might be on Thor’s list……….?

[steveystuds06]

As many posters above, I have been trying ti figure out what is going wrong with this team. One of several reasons that I have been a big Cox supporters is because I see him as a player's coach unlike most coaches today. The players don't live under a rock, they know his tenure as URI's coach is tenuous. How could the players undermine such a coach in his situation with their lackluster play as we have seen against Tulsa and FGCU? As previously posted, I really like all top 10 players on the roster.

I sense that the recruitment of EA was a breach of trust with the players. EA immediately became our best guard and that has effected the play and role of Ish, Shepp, Carey and Malik. Add into this the quality minutes being given to Thomas, and these key four players are no longer giving their best effort. Basketball is a future career for these players not a side sport they played in college. This is in no way a criticism of EA, but it is of Cox who failed to understand what recruiting EA would mean to his players. That is my take.

Hahaha this is one of your best ones ever.

[KeaneyBluBallz]

…….I think it has been said that most ADs have a list of names in their pocket in case a coaching change is warranted……..I wonder who might be on Thor’s list……….?

Bozeman on an interim tag.

now you have 8/9 months to figure it out.

[Section104]

Archie Miller 2022!

[KeaneyBluBallz]

…….I think it has been said that most ADs have a list of names in their pocket in case a coaching change is warranted……..I wonder who might be on Thor’s list……….?

Bozeman on an interim tag.

now you have 8/9 months to figure it out.

and to that end, how much gas does Thorr have left in tank??

[steveystuds06]

Archie Miller 2022!

This would be a game changer

[Matt Keebler]

He's in over his head and has been since day 1. He's a good recruiter and 1st chair assistant but not a good HC.

[rambone 78]

Thorr took a flyer on Cox due to Hurley's recommendation.....plus URI saved money on his contract......

Well that flyer was a dodo bird....now time to hire an ex-Flyer [Archie].....

See what I did there?

A little levity to brighten up the day he he

[Rhodymob05]

Lets get a poll goin. God this is sad.

[section(105)]

…….good one Bone…….but I do not think a Pulitzer is in your future…….hey besides watching the bird thaw today this topic sadly something to kick around……..