Does Rick Barnes need to do a better job recruiting?

[VolsSportsFan]

So, just to be clear, the roster has improved, just not the way you'd do it, or not to your liking, or not with the flashy ranking you'd prefer. :huh:

Good grief...how does the roster improve and he not be credited with doing a better job recruiting?

If you truly believe your second paragraph, then it completely invalidates your first one.

There really is no middle ground on this issue; you either are willing to give him adequate time to reconstruct the program, or you expected immediate results. Please provide me with a 3rd option that you see and I obviously don't.

He'll give a third option, which will be

 

[Lefteye]

Come on now, that's pretty weak. This team collapsed down the stretch. Everyone is fighting injury, fatigue, illness, something. I can't let the flu excuse us for losing 6 of 7.

Surprised he didn't blame the lying scumbag Bruce Pearl, for last year teams collapse. Lol

 

[BigZiti09]

So, just to be clear, the roster has improved, just not the way you'd do it, or not to your liking, or not with the flashy ranking you'd prefer. :huh:

Good grief...how does the roster improve and he not be credited with doing a better job recruiting?

If you truly believe your second paragraph, then it completely invalidates your first one.

There really is no middle ground on this issue; you either are willing to give him adequate time to reconstruct the program, or you expected immediate results. Please provide me with a 3rd option that you see and I obviously don't.

Easy....

Roster was in shambles when he got here.

Roster still isn't very good but is better.

He still needs to do a better job in recruiting.

Missing way too many targets. Way too many targets are off the board when we filled up our class in the spring. Also, you guys can downplay the comments made by Oliver about having earned the right to not have to go out and recruit all you want but I haven't forgotten those. Heard Dan Wolken tell a story a while back about seeing Barnes at the golf course while the Peach Jam was going on and the rest of the coaches were in the gym. I'm just not convinced the guy is giving max effort and his recruiting results do nothing to convince me otherwise.

I don't sit around pining for 5* players. I think our path to success is having multiple guys who are consensus top 100 players. That doesn't mean I wouldn't like a 5* and it doesn't mean that I think guys ranked outside that can't be good.

Swinging and missing on our top targets isn't executing a plan as some of you guys would like to believe.

 

[vols 30]

We lost a role player and a player that half this board was hoping would transfer the year before.

We gained more size inside, two athletic and skilled 4* SFs, gained an experienced PG, Fulkerson returns, and we picked up a guy who led the nation in scoring two years ago.

I just see no way we aren't better than last year when we finished 9th. I expect a top 6 finish in conference and to be in the tournament discussion on March 11th.[/QUOTE

just being in the discussion won't cut it for those on the fence about RB.

 

[cncchris33]

Easy....

Roster was in shambles when he got here.

Roster still isn't very good but is better.

He still needs to do a better job in recruiting.

Missing way too many targets. Way too many targets are off the board when we filled up our class in the spring. Also, you guys can downplay the comments made by Oliver about having earned the right to not have to go out and recruit all you want but I haven't forgotten those. Heard Dan Wolken tell a story a while back about seeing Barnes at the golf course while the Peach Jam was going on and the rest of the coaches were in the gym. I'm just not convinced the guy is giving max effort and his recruiting results do nothing to convince me otherwise.

I don't sit around pining for 5* players. I think our path to success is having multiple guys who are consensus top 100 players. That doesn't mean I wouldn't like a 5* and it doesn't mean that I think guys ranked outside that can't be good.

Swinging and missing on our top targets isn't executing a plan as some of you guys would like to believe.

That still isn't a 3rd option. It's just further illustration of how you don't like the ways he's built our roster, in spite of what he may or may not do with it this year.

But I'll play along. Your concerns are all valid if you believe that every other coach is landing their first options across the board while papaw is out smacking around the old white ball and taking afternoon naps.

I tend to believe that our staff identifies a pool of 25 or so players, and that as long as we are landing players from that pool, then he is landing players he thinks he can with. Sure, he may have preferences within that pool of players, but I don't think he'd sign a guy who he didn't think could cut it. He may have to dip into the lower half of that pool pretty often, but so are 99% of the rest of coaches. Only a small handful (2 or 3) are landing whomever they please.

We see this pool of players getting deeper each year, and if on court results improve, you have to believe the quality of talent will follow.

 

[BigZiti09]

That still isn't a 3rd option. It's just further illustration of how you don't like the ways he's built our roster, in spite of what he may or may not do with it this year.

But I'll play along. Your concerns are all valid if you believe that every other coach is landing their first options across the board while papaw is out smacking around the old white ball and taking afternoon naps.

I tend to believe that our staff identifies a pool of 25 or so players, and that as long as we are landing players from that pool, then he is landing players he thinks he can with. Sure, he may have preferences within that pool of players, but I don't think he'd sign a guy who he didn't think could cut it. He may have to dip into the lower half of that pool pretty often, but so are 99% of the rest of coaches. Only a small handful (2 or 3) are landing whomever they please.

We see this pool of players getting deeper each year, and if on court results improve, you have to believe the quality of talent will follow.

You are bending over backwards to make excuses for this guy.

Nobody is foolish enough to think the rest of the coaches are cherry picking and we are the only ones not getting top choice. Nobody said that.

Seriously. This is why you view my stance as so outlandish. You are interpreting an extreme version of what I'm saying.

I don't think he's added enough players of the caliber I think he's capable of landing here. I have my doubts as to whether or not he tries hard enough at recruiting.

 

[cncchris33]

just being in the discussion won't cut it for those on the fence about RB.

Well of course it won't, but then again, I question just how "on the fence" you really are. It seems like your mind is made up already since you've predicted doom and gloom for this season already. Which makes it a little surprising that you wouldn't find "just being in the discussion" an overachievement.

You didn't like the hire, still don't, and have never been open to him winning you over. So instead of feigning some pseudo-tolerance of him, just fully embrace the idea that you won't be satisfied until he's replaced with the next coach you can b!tch an moan about.

 

[cncchris33]

You are bending over backwards to make excuses for this guy.

Nobody is foolish enough to think the rest of the coaches are cherry picking and we are the only ones not getting top choice. Nobody said that.

Seriously. This is why you view my stance as so outlandish. You are interpreting an extreme version of what I'm saying.

I don't think he's added enough players of the caliber I think he's capable of landing here. I have my doubts as to whether or not he tries hard enough at recruiting.

I'm not saying that's your belief, and I'm not saying anyone has said that. I'm just pointing out that he isn't doing anything outside of what the vast majority of other coaches are doing. You just aren't happy with his overall pool of targets, so because he can't cherry-pick from the top of that pool, you aren't going to be happy with him chooosing from the bottom half. You practically admit that much in the second bolded statement above.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Well of course it won't, but then again, I question just how "on the fence" you really are. It seems like your mind is made up already since you've predicted doom and gloom for this season already. Which makes it a little surprising that you wouldn't find "just being in the discussion" an overachievement.

You didn't like the hire, still don't, and have never been open to him winning you over. So instead of feigning some pseudo-tolerance of him, just fully embrace the idea that you won't be satisfied until he's replaced with the next coach you can b!tch an moan about.

Wait for it...he'll point to one post he made that at best wasn't completely negative as proof you're wrong.

 

[The Dog]

We lost a role player and a player that half this board was hoping would transfer the year before.

We gained more size inside, two athletic and skilled 4* SFs, gained an experienced PG, Fulkerson returns, and we picked up a guy who led the nation in scoring two years ago.

I just see no way we aren't better than last year when we finished 9th. I expect a top 6 finish in conference and to be in the tournament discussion on March 11th.

I agree with everything u just posted

 

[BigZiti09]

I'm not saying that's your belief, and I'm not saying anyone has said that. I'm just pointing out that he isn't doing anything outside of what the vast majority of other coaches are doing. You just aren't happy with his overall pool of targets, so because he can't cherry-pick from the top of that pool, you aren't going to be happy with him chooosing from the bottom half. You practically admit that much in the second bolded statement above.

Dude I don't know what else to say to you. He's not doing as good as I think he can do. If you believe he is, that's fine.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Lame excuse. Is that why they collapsed? I seriously doubt RB would even use that one

No you didn't hear Barnes using it as an excuse. He doesn't do that... he's not Butch. That's exactly what was going on however.

 

[Thunder Good-Oil]

Is that what happened because this is the first I have heard of it ?

Admiral's mother said that the flu was running through the entire lineup. In one game specifically, Bowden started and tried to go but immediately had to come out of the game. The flu was in addition to the usual fatigue and bumps & bruises.

Again, Barnes did not make any excuses. That's not his M.O.

 

[vols 30]

Well of course it won't, but then again, I question just how "on the fence" you really are. It seems like your mind is made up already since you've predicted doom and gloom for this season already. Which makes it a little surprising that you wouldn't find "just being in the discussion" an overachievement.

You didn't like the hire, still don't, and have never been open to him winning you over. So instead of feigning some pseudo-tolerance of him, just fully embrace the idea that you won't be satisfied until he's replaced with the next coach you can b!tch an moan about.

He gets to the tourney next year, I'll gladly admit I was wrong.

Look at our last 3 hires. And you ask why I'm negative. I never was negative about Bruce - because he won.

 

[cncchris33]

He gets to the tourney next year, I'll gladly admit I was wrong.

Look at our last 3 hires. And you ask why I'm negative. I never was negative about Bruce - because he won.

I get that frustration, but you've pissed on this hire from day one. You haven't given him, one time, the benefit of doubt. I'm frustrated too with the last 6 years, but Barnes has created, and executed so far, what I consider a solid plan to bring us back to relevance. I guess I just don't understand why you want to concede defeat before the games are ever played. This season can't possibly be any fun for you if you're already defeated in July.