College Hoops Around The Country [TN opponents, RPI, others]

#209
#209
BigZiti09 said:
I believe BTO and I both were calling for us to hire him. And if he was good enough for VCU he was good enough for UT.
Click to expand...

And it would have worked out as it appears to be working out anyway BUT

How many people were proclaiming the guy at UTC as the same guy just a year and a half ago?
 
Last edited:
#210
#210
BruinVol said:
And it would have worked out as it appears to be working out anyway BUT

How many people were proclaiming the guy at UTC now as the same guy just a year and a half ago?
Click to expand...

You mean the guy that inherited the roster built by Will Wade?
 
#211
#211
BigZiti09 said:
You mean the guy that inherited the roster built by Will Wade?
Click to expand...

Yep many of us thought he was well on his way. The point is you just don't know and Wade didn't have a long track record. Coaching under BillyD made me think Mccall was probably better. Maybe he ends up being good but last year he was bad and hasn't started off all that well this year at umass
 
#213
#213
I understand why Barnes was the hire though. He brought stability and respectability and we needed that. He was a legitimate basketball coach.
 
#214
#214
BigZiti09 said:
I understand why Barnes was the hire though. He brought stability and respectability and we needed that. He was a legitimate basketball coach.
Click to expand...

Yep. Barnes was the hire after what we had been through. If we were hiring someone after Bruce Pearl, then Wade would have been the hire. Programs just need different things at different times, and I don't think we could have gambled at that time.
 
#215
#215
VolGee4 said:
Yep. Barnes was the hire after what we had been through. If we were hiring someone after Bruce Pearl, then Wade would have been the hire. Programs just need different things at different times, and I don't think we could have gambled at that time.
Click to expand...

I would have.

I think we should be trying to find our Billy Donovan. Part of the reason its hard for me to really rally behind Barnes. I don't think he's gonna be that guy for us.
 
#217
#217
Thunder Good-Oil said:
No back to back Natties? Dammit Barnsey!

:blink:
Click to expand...

Florida was a joke before he got there. They went out and made a good hire and built the program into a winner. Their fans don’t even care about basketball and they play in a dump. They are still benefitting from that hire.

Even if Billy D had not won national titles that is the kind of hire we need to be trying to make. We had it with Pearl until the Erin kraft deal. Need to find our Billy D hire.
 
#218
#218
BigZiti09 said:
Florida was a joke before he got there. They went out and made a good hire and built the program into a winner. Their fans don’t even care about basketball and they play in a dump. They are still benefitting from that hire.

Even if Billy D had not won national titles that is the kind of hire we need to be trying to make. We had it with Pearl until the Erin kraft deal. Need to find our Billy D hire.
Click to expand...

Lon Kruger took Florida to the FF just 3 years before Donovan became coach. You're overplaying your position a bit here. Florida basketball wasn't an investment for the AD before Donovan. He gave them a reason to invest, no doubt. Kruger left because of the lack of investment from the AD, IIRC. Foley was the best thing to ever happen to Florida because he finally discovered that success in two major sports was feasible.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#219
#219
cncchris33 said:
Lon Kruger took Florida to the FF just 3 years before Donovan became coach. You're overplaying your position a bit here. Florida basketball wasn't an investment for the AD before Donovan. He gave them a reason to invest, no doubt. Kruger left because of the lack of investment from the AD, IIRC. Foley was the best thing to ever happen to Florida because he finally discovered that success in two major sports was feasible.
Click to expand...

5 NCAA Tournaments before Billy D.

For reference Tennessee had 9 before Billy D arrived at Florida.

Florida had zero conference tournament championships. Tennessee had 4.

Florida had 1 conference regular season championships. Tennessee had 7.

Bottom line, Florida basketball was pretty crappy before Billy Donovan. Investing in basketball isn't why they have a top tier basketball program. It's because they hired an awesome coach and then they backed a winner. So Foley was instrumental in that. But Billy Donovan being there 20 years is why they are where they are.

Side note: Kruger won 20+ games only once at Florida.
 
#220
#220
BigZiti09 said:
5 NCAA Tournaments before Billy D.

For reference Tennessee had 9 before Billy D arrived at Florida.

Florida had zero conference tournament championships. Tennessee had 4.

Florida had 1 conference regular season championships. Tennessee had 7.

Bottom line, Florida basketball was pretty crappy before Billy Donovan. Investing in basketball isn't why they have a top tier basketball program. It's because they hired an awesome coach and then they backed a winner. So Foley was instrumental in that. But Billy Donovan being there 20 years is why they are where they are.

Side note: Kruger won 20+ games only once at Florida.
Click to expand...

I guess I see that as a distinction without a difference.
 
#221
#221
cncchris33 said:
To me, that's a distinction without a difference.
Click to expand...

Would they have invested if Donovan flopped? He was a 30 year old with 2 years head coaching experience. Had only been an assistant for 4 years. It was a really lucky hire by them.

Mike Hamilton invested in basketball here but he didn't do it til we had the coach. Investing in Buzz would have been pissing away money. Same for Florida. I'm not sure how much they really invested though. They just made sure Donovan was kept happy.
 
#222
#222
It's a lot easier to establish an elite program once it's been to the Final 4. Kruger sat BillyD up very nicely. Now BillyD certainly did well but it isn't easy to duplicate what happened there.


Rick Barnes very possibly could be our Kruger.
 
#223
#223
BruinVol said:
It's a lot easier to establish an elite program once it's been to the Final 4. Kruger sat BillyD up very nicely. Now BillyD certainly did well but it isn't easy to duplicate what happened there.
Click to expand...

Geez oh Pete. Where would Billy Donovan and Bruce Pearl be without Lon Kruger and Buzz Peterson?
 
#225
#225
BigZiti09 said:
Would they have invested if Donovan flopped? He was a 30 year old with 2 years head coaching experience. Had only been an assistant for 4 years. It was a really lucky hire by them.

Mike Hamilton invested in basketball here but he didn't do it til we had the coach. Investing in Buzz would have been pissing away money. Same for Florida. I'm not sure how much they really invested though. They just made sure Donovan was kept happy.
Click to expand...

No, but that's my point. They found something worth investing in. That thing was Donovan. That is why I said your previous comment was indistinguishable. I'm not trying go make the argument with you that Billy Donovan isn't a good coach. I'm just saying that Florida had been to a FF under the former coach just 3 years prior to his arrival. To say that their program was a joke is a mischaracterization, IMO.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top