Game #25: @ Dayton - Wed Feb 23, 7pm WHIO/SNY

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 10 years ago

Can I say that it sucks we cant inbound the ball? Or is that part of the game, maybe not being able to inbound the ball twice in the second half is no big deal. We got a lay up off an inbounds Jan 17, 2013, so I shouldn't say anything.

Everything is no big deal. Simply signing a pg late will fix everything.

Especially when every guy had a TO. Well of course except Butler. Im not a Butler guy, but i'm certainly not against him. Not against any of them, hope they all flourish, and reserve hope for every guy on the roster. Still they are who they are.

Sweep The Leg · Unread post by **Sweep The Leg** » 10 years ago

TruePoint wrote:What is the point of criticizing X at this point? He's got 7 or 8 games left in a Rams uniform. I'm not saying some of the criticism isn't warranted, it just isn't productive. X came into this program at one of its lowest points and has been an enormous credit to the program on and off the court for two years, at times the only bright spot on the team. I'd rather just appreciate him for that than dump on him because he isn't the best clutch player of all time.

So, we are now not going to provide assessments of players because they are seniors headed in the final stretch of their college career? That's ridiculous. X is a member of this team and when the team struggles, I assess all areas of development even if it includes him. Not one player on this team should be immune to constructive criticism. However, people on this board have their favorites and in their eyes do no wrong and that's frustrating. And people also have their targets as well which is equally as wrong.

People were dumping on Malone, Brooks and Nik last year at this time. Nobody gave them a pass because they had 7-8 games left. Nor they should. None of these players were even close as talented and productive as X, but our assessment of players should be as equally fair until their last game in a Rhody uniform.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 10 years ago

Hurley said after the game that the turning point was at the end of the first half when:
1. Munford shot too early (an air ball)
2. Munford didn't cover his man on defense and Dayton got a 3.
I like X. He plays hard. he's had some great games. I'm glad he's on the team. But he's a senior and I expect more than what he has shown this year at the end of shot clock/half/game. I blame Hurley for continuing to go to him in those situations.
And I stand by my statement that he's not one of the top 15 players in the conference.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

So, he had a bad game. So, he's not Ray Allen.
BFD!
We're URI, not an elite program.
I hope no recruits read this board and see how we trash one
of our captains and a major contributor to whatever limited
success we've had in his two years here.

Sweep The Leg · Unread post by **Sweep The Leg** » 10 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:So, he had a bad game. So, he's not Ray Allen.
BFD!
We're URI, not an elite program.
I hope no recruits read this board and see how we trash one
of our captains and a major contributor to whatever limited
success we've had in his two years here.

Or trash other 'now former' players like Jordan Hare or Mike Powell?

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Operative word is "FORMER" players.
This one is our captain and best player over two years.
BIG difference!

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Iggy is right. Are we now accepting mediocrity?

Not acceptable. At all.

We had better be at least an elite A10 program fairly soon. If not, what's the point of all of this? Good grief.

Sweep The Leg · Unread post by **Sweep The Leg** » 10 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Operative word is "FORMER" players.
This one is our captain and best player over two years.
BIG difference!

They were bashed heavily while on the team as well. Nobody should immune to constructive criticism. Even if it is your 'superstar'.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Oh, give me a friggin break!
Some of these, incluuding Iggy, accepted over a decade of
Jim Baron's mediocrity!
He was one of CFL's biggest defenders, which is why we clashed so much
on the old Projo board.
So, suddenly, we're some elite program, and not one who's rebuilding,
for YEAR TWO, on the rubble Jim Baron left us.
GET REAL!

Sweep, constructive criticism, yes, but this bullshit that X is a liability,
is ludicrous.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

It's also obvious that we still have too many players with low BB IQ.

Hurley won't admit it, but I'm sure he knows it.

Yes, I like X, he's been an overall good player for us, up until now, our best player, but that doesn't excuse the mental lapses at key times late in first or second halves.

And I'm not buying the fatigue excuse. Everyone who plays major minutes get tired at the end of games. Look at Cotton. He must be tired, yet all he does is win games for them when it counts.

Finding guys with BB smarts is hard. Maybe that's why Dan is having a hard time recruiting. He wants guys that have more than just athletic ability.

Sweep The Leg · Unread post by **Sweep The Leg** » 10 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Oh, give me a friggin break!
Some of these, incluuding Iggy, accepted over a decade of
Jim Baron's mediocrity!
He was one of CFL's biggest defenders, which is why we clashed so much
on the old Projo board.
So, suddenly, we're some elite program, and not one who's rebuilding,
for YEAR TWO, on the rubble Jim Baron left us.
GET REAL!

Sweep, constructive criticism, yes, but this bullshit that X is a liability,
is ludicrous.

Right, in an earlier post I stated that players are unfairly targeted as well. There needs to be a healthy balance. There seems too much personal love or hatred toward certain players by certain posters for an objective assessment of their play.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

So, you want Dan to come out and say,
"Oh, yeah! I have some really low basketball IQ players, who have no
clue what they're doing!"????
If people don't get that he's cobbled together this Frankenstein
roster out of need, rather than choice, they haven't
been paying attention.
That's why I got so excited about Garrett. He had those intangibles that
can't be coached. When to shoot, when to drive, when to pass. The whole package.
There are plenty of kids with great physical talent. What seperates
the great ones is their instincts for the game.
Larry Bird wasn't the best physical specimen, but his amazing knack for
doing the right things made him one of the all time greats.
I'm sure Dan would love to have a team full of basketball Einsteins,
but it's not the case.

section(105) · Unread post by **section(105)** » 10 years ago

Can coaches(teachers ....)coach up and raise low BB IQ?.....like end of 1/2 both ends?....just asking....

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Rod, of course not. He doesn't have to say anything like that. But he knows their weaknesses.

And I agree with you about Garrett. He seems like the instinctive PG we really need. Who can also shoot.

We haven't had that since Tyson.

Get that type of player, and we are Dancing in '15-'16. For sure.

Seems like now, we either wait until then to get one, or somehow bring in a transfer or juco that fits the bill.

But who?

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Time will tell.
I do know they're not sitting still, and
everyone was on the road, recruiting, earlier in
the week.
Dan said he's excited about bringing in some new talent,
so we'll have to wait and see who they are.
Lots of irons in the fire.

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 10 years ago

The frustrating part of all this is that the "Frankenstein roster" is not that bad, I believe the drama of injuries and the early season departures did damage to this team and accounts for a few losses.

Thats not the case now, its frustrating because they are right there and good enough to beat many teams they play, but they turn the ball over and wilt in the moments that win games. Those moments aren't always at the end of the game, but they are at the end of halves and other times.

I think X is great personally, just think he comes up short in the leadership department and over the course of a game he contributes to the attrition that beats us. I don't think he has to. I believe he can do better.

The spark of my personal frustration was with Fordham's guards basically taking the game over and winning it. Obviously they had some serious offensive rebounding, but essentially they put 4 guys across the baseline and let their guards go 1 on 1. It worked, they beat us. Frustrating. X should be better than that. His backcourt should be better than a Fordham's or a Dayton's. He's good.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Rod, sounds like he's confident of landing a couple.

We'll just have to wait and see.

Want. to. be. optimistic.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

SPG, the more I think about that game, the more it seems like Fordham just played as well as they could play. They made shots, key shots. They don't do that hardly ever. Frazier had a career game.

Sort of like us against Dayton, up until last night anyway.

We should handle them here, by daylight.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

That Fordham game was an abomination.
We couldn't stop anyone, when it mattered.
We also got killed on the boards.
Second chance scoring and points in the paint favor the other team
in almost every game.
When Gil is in foul trouble, he plays passively, and that hurts out
interior defense and offense.
It's so different when he's playing free and loose. He's aggressive
and a big contributor.
We need another inside player, along with Earl Watson for next year.
Lots of possibilities for the wing scorer, but I'm not
seeing much on the vital PG search, so far.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 10 years ago

I actually give DH credit. Looks like he has turned the keys to the end game over to EC. He's better at just about everything and is really coming on. We'll never know if he could have handled it earlier in the season (he is just a frosh) but I'm glad he is getting the experience now. Maybe DH has been reading the board....No more 22 footers with a hand in the face. An elite player is now attacking the rim. And finishing. And, when he has hit feet set, can knock down a jumper. Bodes well for the future.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Alas, a good PG is a hard man to find.

The most coveted position in basketball. The toughest get, recruiting wise.

Not many really good ones out there. If Dan finds one, great. Being a PG himself, can't hurt, in that he knows what is needed.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 10 years ago

The problem with recruiting PG is guys don't want to come in an play behind someone so, if you have two or three, it's tough to sell that kid. Imagine Tyler Ennis committed to staying at Cuse for four years (I know he's probably gone). It would be very tough to get an elite PG to commit behind him. You can have 2,3 rotational players at almost every other position. All of a sudden, a transfer and a player evaluation mistake, and you are up the creek.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

We don't have that problem.

Imo Minnis projects as a serviceable backup, nothing more.

If we get someone like Garrett, he's going to take over by midseason at the latest most likely.

If he's anywhere near as good as advertised, that is.

If we don't get a PG, but we do get a wing scorer or SG, then EC is most likely going to be our PG next year.

Might not be his best position, but I think he'll get better at not turning the ball over as much.

Would be the best alternative.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 10 years ago

rambone 78 wrote:We don't have that problem.

Imo Minnis projects as a serviceable backup, nothing more.

If we get someone like Garrett, he's going to take over by midseason at the latest most likely.

If he's anywhere near as good as advertised, that is.

If we don't get a PG, but we do get a wing scorer or SG, then EC is most likely going to be our PG next year.

Might not be his best position, but I think he'll get better at not turning the ball over as much.

Would be the best alternative.

We certainly don't have that problem now. But, DH was saying Minnis has NBA potential and he had three more years left. Powell was still on the team. TJ was going to get minutes. Seems so clear now but 12 months ago (or even longer when you start to recruit these kids) I don't think PG was a priority. And, that lands us in this spot. If Minnis was as advertised (or even close to it), we could easily pass on PG in this cycle.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

Whoa, GBG. DH said Biggie had NBA potential? I listen/read to virtually everything coming from his mouth (including some off-record conversations face to face along the way), and I don't ever remember NBA and Biggie being anywhere close to each other.

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 10 years ago

Yeah I definitely don't think that was Hurley that said that. I do remember that comment being posted on here at one time, but I think it was attributed to somebody else.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

That quote was from Pappy Owens, who since he's in Philly,
saw a lot of him in high school.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

If that's true, then I would start to question Dan's sanity.

I don't remember him ever saying that either.

Pumping a kid up is one thing, but that sends the wrong message to the fan base.

Rod, Pappy said that? Yikes.

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 10 years ago

Maybe you guys are right. Thought that has been passed along here. My point is it is tough to get a PG when there is a three year player who the coach is high on. Plus, a few other bodies.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

No doubt, Dan was high on Biggie.
Supposedly all he lacked was a shot, which he
was said to be working on.
He showed flashes, but his game seemed to deteriorate,
before he was injured.
He surely wasn't the "lock down" defender, we were lead to believe he was.

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 10 years ago

I still have some hope for him. Maybe I'm crazy, maybe it's wishful thinking, but I still feel like we never saw the best of him. Maybe just glimpses here and there. Who knows if he'll be able to come back next year and put it all together and be the consistent PG we need, but I am still hopeful there is something there.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Some guys just don't pan out.

A lock down defender in our practices last year, he might have been. Against real opponents, another story.

Still doesn't handle the ball all that well.

I didn't see it in the open practice either.

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 10 years ago

I'm confused by this sudden acceptance of mediocrity.

If you simply look at the prediction contest NO ONE predicted a season this poor. This team will need a minor miracle for ANYONE to claim the win.

If we weren't OK with a shit season 4 months ago, why would we just sit here and go back to the "oh we're URI we don't deserve a good basketball program." F that. I'm not asking for us to be elite. I'm not asking for us to be a tournament team every single year.

Is 2 times in 5 years, once with a win or a couple too much to ask? Independent of the staff or players that can change - we have the infrastructure, a deep and nationally visible conference, and URI is frequently a hot bed for hot chicks. Those are really all you need to get a kid to go to play for you.

I thought we had kicked this "I'm ok with this loss because x, y, z."

Dan came in here and said that we weren't going to be ok with losing. We weren't going to accept mediocrity.

Why aren't more people pissed off about that - and don't give me the effort argument. When we're all told we'll be competing for a championship, effort or not, you cannot sit there an honestly tell me you thought we'd be even close to this inept as a basketball team. I know you can't because a huge majority of us predicted an above .500 season, most above 20 wins.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 10 years ago

I think you have to calibrate your expectations based on the latest and most accurate information you have. If someone told me in October that we would have lost to Dayton on the road by 7, I'd have been mildly disappointed but not shocked. If you had told me we would be 11-14, I probably wouldn't have believed you, honestly. Unless you explained to me that Hare and Powell would have left the team, Biggie wouldn't play almost the entire year, TJ was the starting PG and we only really play 6 guys meaningful minutes - then it would have made some sense.

Nobody wants to be 11-14, but the reality is that when you are in year two of a TOTAL rebuild, you can't get bent out of shape over a little bit of tire spinning. It is to be expected, especially when you add in additional hurdles like injuries and defections.

I'm not one of these "patience is it's own reward" type of guys. I want to win, win big, and do it yesterday. But I do think taking the long view is appropriate at times. This team really is what their record says they are. What is the use in being mad about it? I don't get made at my dog for not being able to make me breakfast. I don't get mad at my car for not being able to fly when I'm stuck in traffic. Some shit just is the way it is and won't get better just because you have a conniption fit about it.

Not accepting losing is a mindset, mostly relevant for players and coaches but on some level I guess it is important for the fan base too. Being realistic isn't the same as accepting losing. You can show that you will not accept losing by being committed to improving, correcting mistakes and having an executable plan to succeed. You don't have to act like an infant when you lose games you really aren't good enough to win in order to show that you will "not accept losing."

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

If kids were looking for "hot chicks" they'd all be in
Florida or Southern California, not Rhode Island.
Nobody is accepting mediocrity. We're accepting the hand we're
unexpectedly dealt this season.
We all want the same thing. A winning program that we can take pride in.
Can't make chicken salad out of chicken shit.
If you think Dan is accepting losing, you're very wrong.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 10 years ago

Yeah, the only guys on this roster that Hurley has mentioned in the same sentence as NBA are Martin and Matthews.

Reports on Minnis before he got here sounded very much like Kenny Ortiz, the one transfer Hurley brought in at Wagner who is now a senior. Good defense, toughness, leadership- limited offensively at first, but he has developed a pretty diverse offensive game. I think the new foul rules (which now seem way less profile) rattled Biggie initially, along with struggling with time off. It's a shame this year is pretty much a bust for him and his buddy Mike.

And to the point of whether EC could have handled more earlier, maybe but I like the way Hurley has brought him along. There are always things to criticize about any coach, Hurley included, but I don't think he gets enough credit for helping his players deal with the mental part, probably because of the way he presents himself coaching during games. That's what most people see, but it's not at all how he interacts with his guys. He's had too much personal experience with that stuff to be a win at all costs jerk coach. It's not a knock against EC or anybody, but players' mindsets can be fragile things. Having some patience at the start can yield better results.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Yeah, losing all these close games must be driving him crazy.

Chicken shit, Rod? We're not THAT bad. But I get your point.

Dan's no different than us. He wants to win yesterday.

His biggest job right now, isn't on the court. It's in the living rooms of high school and junior college kids.

He's got to prove he can win there. The on court stuff, he gets it. It will show, once the talent's here.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 10 years ago

The team that I predicted 18 wins for never existed, so excuse me if I'm not engaged in wailing and gnashing of teeth over the current record. It's year 2. Everything needs to get better, and, my opinion, I don't see why it won't.

sf2010 · Unread post by **sf2010** » 10 years ago

I didn't see any of the game unfortunately, but have to be pleased with the way Matthews and Martin showed up (as has been said). Unfortunately turnovers are too much to overcome, specifically if they were of the unforced variety. Not having a solid ball-handler has been a big issue all season long, as our worst-in-the-A10 turnover percentage (21%) would attest to. 40th worst in America.

Good points by TP and ace. Not accepting mediocrity, but there's little sense in going into a blind fury when there's nothing to be done about unexpected setbacks. Do the best you can with what you have, and always push to make what you have better.

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 10 years ago

TruePoint wrote: I'm not one of these "patience is it's own reward" type of guys. I want to win, win big, and do it yesterday. But I do think taking the long view is appropriate at times. This team really is what their record says they are. What is the use in being mad about it? I don't get made at my dog for not being able to make me breakfast. I don't get mad at my car for not being able to fly when I'm stuck in traffic. Some shit just is the way it is and won't get better just because you have a conniption fit about it.

I didn't expect my dog to ever cook me breakfast, he lacks to opposable thumbs to handle pans, the cognitive ability to make a recipe, and the lack of reasoning to understand why he wouldn't just eat the food right there. I didn't expect my car to be able to fly, because a bought a car, not a fucking plane.

WE WERE ALL TOLD AND BOUGHT INTO THE "WIN NOW, COMPETE FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP NOW BULLSHIT." some of us upped our donations to unnecessarily high levels, upped our season tickets and the price of our seats, based on the expectation that sending this team to Italy, and all these upgrades to the facilities would yield what we had paid for - good basketball.

If I were told - hey, we have some guys, but they're not THE guys. We have a lot of growing to do. I'd be happy to just win more games than last year. We are building in the direction of a team that will be dangerous in 2 or 3 years - I'd be fine. I'd be ok with an 11-14 record. Even if only 4 of those wins came against the top 200 of teams. Call me crazy for thinking URI should ALWAYS be somewhere between 100-200, and be able to go more than 4-14 against the teams that are even half way relevant in the NCAA.

I wasn't. I was told that the team we had now (without jordan hare or mike powell) was beating the shit out of last year's team by 40. That we were going to turn this around this year. I was told the guys we have were STUDS. I heard words like "smooth," "dominant," "strong," "beast," "quick," to describe the transfers waiting in the wings. Can you look at any of the 4 guys that sat out last year and give one of those words?

So my human reaction, upon realizing I've been duped, more or less robbed, misled, and lied to - is to be pissed.

It is pathetic and telling of our fan-base in general that we just roll over and accept this as "the way things are supposed to be." This is why the Ryan Center is a church until they're throwing out t-shirts. This is why we are a laughing stock and other fan bases come down and make fun of us. This is why commentators laugh at us.

So a coaching regime change hasn't dissuaded us of the notion that we just aren't meant to be a good basketball team. If that's the case - what's the point of URI having athletics at all? If we're going to suck and not care that we suck and just sit here thinking that "well all these things happened so maybe next year we'll be good, and if we aren't I'm sure there's a good reason."

If the fans are OK with falling FAR short of expectations, why should the players feel any different?

BPR2010 · Unread post by **BPR2010** » 10 years ago

Mentioned it before, but having family that went to school in East Lansing, I was forced into Green and White at a young age. If you haven't followed them this year, they have lost 3 of their 5 starters for extended time this season. 2 are All-Americans and possible draft picks (Payne and Appling) and one is a possible NBA prospect next season (Dawson). It's a combined 50 points out of their lineup. It's your senior PG and Center, and your quintissential athlete/glue guy. Take a look at what they've done without those players. Take a look at Tom Izzo's comments. He makes no excuses. He has guys playing 20+ minutes that wouldn't average more than 5 a game. The talent on their bench isn't near the talent in our starting lineup, yet they go into Iowa and beat the #11 team in the country and take Wisconsin in Madison to the buzzer. Point is, Izzo and those players make no excuses. The fans still expect to win. They take what they're given and move on. They STILL expect to win with benchwarmers logging major minutes. Just trying to disprove the excuses people continuously bring up (dismissals, injuries, etc.).

I have a bit of anger simply because I've committed to donating, buying season tickets, and contributing to the university with talk of a good product being on the court. Wouldn't you just be a little upset if you bought a product or service and it didn't live up to your expectations? I know everyone has their own motivations in going to these games (family time, networking, etc.), but also understand the people that have an investment in this as well. I'm not as emotional as BlueMan, that's for sure. I will say I'm slightly upset with what has gone down this season based on the lines we were fed all of last year and during the offseason, that's all.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Ace, the players we have here will improve. No doubt about it.

It's not enough, without more talent at the right positions however.

Like I just posted, I have very little doubt about Hurley as coach.

It's Hurley the recruiter that I need convincing about. EC and Hassan were a good start.

Now comes the payoff. Can he do it?

Gonebarongone · Unread post by **Gonebarongone** » 10 years ago

The issue is that we are losing the kitchen table battles as much as it is losing actual games. As Yogi Berra said, "it's getting late early' now in the 2014 recruiting season. The one guy we have coming in will help but, if we have a position of strength, it's sort of what he brings to the table. No center, no swing guy who can shoot, and definitely no PG. This is an 11 win team that had one of the weakest non conf-SOS. Not sure how we get anywhere near the NCAAs next year without a few additions. And now we are looking at '15'-'16? I don't doubt that DH hates losing but most coaches are like him. I'm sure there is some coach in the WAC or WVC or wherever that hates losing but is 9-15 right now.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Rambone, it's just a saying, like
"You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear".
It simply means you can't change somethings.
They are what they are.

Ace, as always, 100% on the mark!

BPR, you're talking about Tom Izzo and a BCS program.
It's apples and oranges.
A better comp would be Indiana, and how long did it take
Tom Crean to get them beck to respectability.
6-25, 10-21, 12-20, and 27-9 and 29-7.
A formerly elite NCAA championship program.
I want everyone to look at those numbers, who are blubbering about
what Hurley is doing, and ABSORB THEM!
Nothing happens overnight, even with a great program like Indiana.
LEARN SOMETHING!

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 10 years ago

You wanted him to come in and paint a doom and gloom picture, is that what the program needed at that point? I don't think we are an inept team, an inept team doesnt beat LSU on the road or take Top 40 teams like SLU, PC and UMass to the wire. Am I happy with just keeping it close, NO, but your assessment of things is overblown. Our team has holes, some caused by unexpected circumstances (front court depth - losing Hare & Aaman). And 1 caused by potentially over estimating someone's ability - Biggie. The latter is a bigger concern moving forward because I am in the camp that you cannot have a great team without a great PG. IMO the jury is still out on JR and Iffy, because I have seen flashes of things that can make them valuable pieces over the next 2-3 years, if they can develop. We also have 2 legitimate studs to build around for the next 3 years and I am confident DH will do so. We are not even at the end of Year 2, some of us I guess have more patience.

BPR2010 · Unread post by **BPR2010** » 10 years ago

Rod, wasn't comparing the program and coach as a whole. I'm not insane, THAT would be apples and oranges. I'm taking the one aspect of this season, with all the changes and setbacks, and comparing them to the fan/coach reaction from East Lansing. Big difference. Just talking about fan's perceptions. I don't make excuses for dismissals and injuries. Many people on this board do, and indirectly put a big piece of the blame pie on them. Just saying they don't make excuses, their perceptions don't change, and they still expect to do as well if they had the starters. That's all.

Now, in terms of rebuilding a program, your Crean comparison is spot on. Couldn't agree more. However, if you go back to season previews for Indiana, there was no expectation of them sniffing a tournament until that 3rd year. Kelvin Sampson left them with more violations and less scholarships than you could count. Always respected Crean, being an MSU assistant right alongside Izzo under Heathcote. What he's done there is special. Going through it again this year, although minor in comparison to his first year. Overall though, great comparison.

Here is my problem. We were told we'd be competing near the top of the A-10 (top half at least). We're currently tied for last. I don't think Crean promised anything like that in his first 2 years. My problem is with what we were fed, and what has happened. You can at least see where I'm coming from in this aspect, right?

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 10 years ago

Blue Man wrote: I didn't expect my dog to ever cook me breakfast, he lacks to opposable thumbs to handle pans, the cognitive ability to make a recipe, and the lack of reasoning to understand why he wouldn't just eat the food right there. I didn't expect my car to be able to fly, because a bought a car, not a fucking plane.

WE WERE ALL TOLD AND BOUGHT INTO THE "WIN NOW, COMPETE FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP NOW BULLSHIT." some of us upped our donations to unnecessarily high levels, upped our season tickets and the price of our seats, based on the expectation that sending this team to Italy, and all these upgrades to the facilities would yield what we had paid for - good basketball.

If I were told - hey, we have some guys, but they're not THE guys. We have a lot of growing to do. I'd be happy to just win more games than last year. We are building in the direction of a team that will be dangerous in 2 or 3 years - I'd be fine. I'd be ok with an 11-14 record. Even if only 4 of those wins came against the top 200 of teams. Call me crazy for thinking URI should ALWAYS be somewhere between 100-200, and be able to go more than 4-14 against the teams that are even half way relevant in the NCAA.

I wasn't. I was told that the team we had now (without jordan hare or mike powell) was beating the shit out of last year's team by 40. That we were going to turn this around this year. I was told the guys we have were STUDS. I heard words like "smooth," "dominant," "strong," "beast," "quick," to describe the transfers waiting in the wings. Can you look at any of the 4 guys that sat out last year and give one of those words?

So my human reaction, upon realizing I've been duped, more or less robbed, misled, and lied to - is to be pissed.

It is pathetic and telling of our fan-base in general that we just roll over and accept this as "the way things are supposed to be." This is why the Ryan Center is a church until they're throwing out t-shirts. This is why we are a laughing stock and other fan bases come down and make fun of us. This is why commentators laugh at us.

So a coaching regime change hasn't dissuaded us of the notion that we just aren't meant to be a good basketball team. If that's the case - what's the point of URI having athletics at all? If we're going to suck and not care that we suck and just sit here thinking that "well all these things happened so maybe next year we'll be good, and if we aren't I'm sure there's a good reason."

If the fans are OK with falling FAR short of expectations, why should the players feel any different?

Your ability to complete overreact to everything is really impressive. A bunch of people post rational though out ideas about where they stand as fans and specifically mention not being ok with losing and falling short of expectations and you follow it up with another post about how everybody is ok with losing. So strange...

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 10 years ago

Improvement isn't doom and gloom. I wanted an accurate picture. .certainly didn't want to get broadsided and see this shit show. I wanted us to be a better team than we were last year...and we clearly are not.

in the scenario of us blowing out last year's team by 40...aaman and hare didn't play on this team. We didnt even have our clear 2 best players yet.

As I said...I'd be fine having patience if that's what I was told.

Adam, it certainly is a skill of mine, I'll admit. That being said...fans of other teams would be LIVID like myself had the same thing happened to them.

When everyone is just ok with all of this, it shows to the outside world that this is uri basketball. We arent big-time and don't expect to be. So when projo doesnt give a shit about us, and we get no national media attention, and we never get the recruits who want to play in programs with all of that coverage and the winning mentality...it comes from the fans.

If we're ok with sucking, don't be mad when the outside world expects it as well.

sf2010 · Unread post by **sf2010** » 10 years ago

Blue Man wrote:I wanted us to be a better team than we were last year...and we clearly are not.

You're not the first to say this, but I still cannot understand how anyone could possibly think that is a true statement. Our expectations were different. Last year, we expected to suck, and we did. This year, we expected to not suck, and we're bad. But we're further along than we were last year, just not as far ahead as we'd like to be.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

BPR, as Tom Penders said,
"Experience is everything in coaching".
Crean had been around a Big East program at
Marquette, with success.
He didn't have to worry about attendance, or
building a tired fan base at Indiana. Their followers were
very aware of the problems Crean faced, coming in.
Dan has never been in this situation at this level.
I think he felt the need to goose the expctations for reasons of
fan interest, student interest and probably, his own feelings.
If he'd been around the college scene for more than his prior two
seasons, I think his approach would have been different.