Can't get worse than winless in the conference, unless we really go for the gusto and try for a winless season, period.
Ever to Excel. Jokes aside, the backcourt will have some real talent next year. Frontcourt is still very concerning.Can't get worse than winless in the conference, unless we really go for the gusto and try for a winless season, period.
Yeah, it's not the strength of the team. Chatman is a shooter. Graves has a nice shot (can he get it off against ACC opponents?). Robinson and Turner, and I assume Mezniaks, have all been working really hard on that part of the game. It is an area guys can get better, so we'll seeMuch better team from a physical and athletic standpoint but I don't see a whole lot of shooters on this roster.
Like his predecessor, he is extending the coaches so they are taken care of. Dazzler has $2.3M in the bank every year till 2020 and now Christian has a retirement fund as well. He knows he's gone so he will take care of his guys as he walks out the door. Since BC has a BOT and president who don't really give a $h!t about sports, it won't turn any heads at the Heights. Ever to Excel??? I think not.Bates actually just gave 0-18 Christian a contract extension.
This... This defies words.Bates actually just gave 0-18 Christian a contract extension.
Jimbo is thanking Bates 1.2M times (his salary per year at BC).This... This defies words.
It's just a one-year extension, through the 2020 season. Unless you're ready to fire Christian now (and there's a case to be made for that), this is something you had to do.Bates actually just gave 0-18 Christian a contract extension.
P5 is a football designation. The Big East is as good a basketball conference as any in the country.OK, you all know I have 0 (zero) nada knowledge of college hoops. But I do observe things. One observation is that Villanova won the national title in hoops this year. It is Northeastern catholic college in an upscale suburb of a major sports city. It is member of former P5 conference but the league is still an upper level hoops conference. They have an on campus facility that holds 6500 fans and also has a downtown arena that is the home of local NBA franchise that holds 21,600. it is ranked in top 100 academically. It has about 10,000 students, 6500 or so are undergrads. Since 1985 they have won 2 national titles and 3 final four appearances in tat time. IN addition they have been to 2 Elite 8's and been to the Sweet 16 2 other times. Overall they have been to the dance 20 times in that span including every year since 2005 (except 1-2012).
In all seriousness, how have they been able to maintain that level of consistency over the last 30 years and especially in the last 10-12 years while a place like BC (which has a similar demographic but IS a Member of a P5 conference) has a season or two of hope and is relegated to at best an NIT appearance, and lately record setting bad, losing seasons. They seem to fly in the face of the axiom that to be consistently good and go deep in the tournament you need to be a P5 school. Gonzaga ia a perennial Sweet 16 opponent and that is to be commended but they have reached their ceiling. It appears Villanova has not and is an upper tier program. Any comments??
Jesus, how far down the rabbit hole have we gone? I can totally see this being Bates' thought process, flip flopping back and forth before finally convincing himself this is something that "has to be done." Good God are we fucked.It's just a one-year extension, through the 2020 season. Unless you're ready to fire Christian now (and there's a case to be made for that), this is something you had to do.
While you are obviously not wrong about Boston, this is a total cop out that has been repeated enough times by enough different people that is has become the de facto caption for BC sports, for better and mostly for worse. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy at some point, which is (was?) probably around the point when we start using it as an excuse for sucking. Yes it is too late to become Villanova, but those paths diverged well before Al Skinner.More than perhaps any other big city in the country, Boston is a pro sports town. Even when the Eagles were making regular NCAA Tournament appearances under Al Skinner in the '00s, B.C. basketball wasn't as big here as Nova basketball is in Philly. Not surprisingly, therefore, B.C. isn't in the consideration set for the most talented high-school players, and obviously talent trumps coaching in basketball to a much greater extent than in other sports.
Nova has had great coaching, and more than their share of luck, but it's also structurally a far better situation than B.C., for reasons that are mostly out of the school's control.
With the talent on hand, a terrible 2016-17 team is a given. The only reason to give Christian another year is to see if he can finally attract a decent recruiting class. Without the extension, it's a foregone conclusion that he could not -- the sort of players B.C. recruits (i.e., not high-school All-Americans who only plan to stay a year or two) aren't going to choose a school where the coach's contract is up after their sophomore year. I never thought Christian was a good hire, and I would have been content to see him fired, but assuming the administration wasn't ready to eat his contract after just two years, extending him for one year and giving him a good-faith chance to succeed is better than standing pat. Giving him three years to succeed might also help B.C. in recruiting a successor if they decide a year from now that Christian needs to go, and they won't be worse off financially than if they cut him now.Jesus, how far down the rabbit hole have we gone? I can totally see this being Bates' thought process, flip flopping back and forth before finally convincing himself this is something that "has to be done." Good God are we fucked.
Well, I think that is a bit of an overstatement (It's not as good as the ACC), but on the other hand it is a far better basketball conference than the SECP5 is a football designation. The Big East is as good a basketball conference as any in the country.
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I don't think the team is terrible this year at all, but I guess we will see. They are youngWith the talent on hand, a terrible 2016-17 team is a given. The only reason to give Christian another year is to see if he can finally attract a decent recruiting class. Without the extension, it's a foregone conclusion that he could not -- the sort of players B.C. recruits (i.e., not high-school All-Americans who only plan to stay a year or two) aren't going to choose a school where the coach's contract is up after their sophomore year. I never thought Christian was a good hire, and I would have been content to see him fired, but assuming the administration wasn't ready to eat his contract after just two years, extending him for one year and giving him a good-faith chance to succeed is better than standing pat. Giving him three years to succeed might also help B.C. in recruiting a successor if they decide a year from now that Christian needs to go, and they won't be worse off financially than if they cut him now.
When did this happen? I'm not questioning you, I'm genuinely asking-I must have missed this.This is the Steve Addazio story all over again (Not saying it's your excuse, BM). Keep pointing at the future and then never take responsibility for the present.
The optics on this are crazy. Bates has been told he's free to pursue new jobs. They went 0-26 last year, their ticket sales are nonexistent, they can't raise money, and you reward part of the 0-26. It's crazy.
No it's not. He got a one year extension but we have no idea what the payout is for earlyThis is the Steve Addazio story all over again (Not saying it's your excuse, BM). Keep pointing at the future and then never take responsibility for the present.
The optics on this are crazy. Bates has been told he's free to pursue new jobs. They went 0-26 last year, their ticket sales are nonexistent, they can't raise money, and you reward part of the 0-26. It's crazy.
I am not 100% judging them on W/L record this year, but I expect this team to be a lot better this year, and if they aren't then yeah the HC deserved to be fired. This group they have in place has to be a group that takes BC back to the NCAA tournament. Again I am not expecting it this year, but I think they should strongly challenge for it next year, so we need to see Robinson take the next step. Turner become a good player. Something shown by the young big men, and at least 1 of the 2 PG's show he can be an above average ACC starter.This is the Steve Addazio story all over again (Not saying it's your excuse, BM). Keep pointing at the future and then never take responsibility for the present.
The optics on this are crazy. Bates has been told he's free to pursue new jobs. They went 0-26 last year, their ticket sales are nonexistent, they can't raise money, and you reward part of the 0-26. It's crazy.
This is where I am as well. I think the extension is a nonevent.I am not 100% judging them on W/L record this year, but I expect this team to be a lot better this year, and if they aren't then yeah the HC deserved to be fired. This group they have in place has to be a group that takes BC back to the NCAA tournament. Again I am not expecting it this year, but I think they should strongly challenge for it next year, so we need to see Robinson take the next step. Turner become a good player. Something shown by the young big men, and at least 1 of the 2 PG's show he can be an above average ACC starter.
I don't think anyone is saying we should accept the extension on "In Bates We Trust." Few (if any) Division I athletic programs have declined as much in football and men's basketball over the past decade as B.C. has; neither Bates nor his predecessor (DeFilippo) deserves any benefit of the doubt.I have to agree with the above. Maufman, you move logically from one point to the next, but I can't help but zoom out and look at this situation through a wider lens. This has been the trajectory of the athletic department more or less since 2009; it's hard to make an argument for this being a cooler heads should prevail kind of thing because the cool heads in charge are totally fucked.
To be fair to Leahy (who probably doesn't deserve it given his neglect of BC athletics), the BC presidency will almost certainly be his last significant higher education post, much like Father Monan. Given his age and his 20 year tenure as President, I do not think Leahy views his post as a pass through. Still, he has bungled the management of two once strong athletic programs and that sucks.I think until we get folks in administration positions who are BC people and think of the BC job as the pinnacle rather than a pass through (you have it in hockey but not with the AD or president) the commitment that is needed to make the athletic department competitive again will be missing and there will be just more of the same.
I think you're too optimistic. Last year's team was, if anything, even worse than its record -- only 4 of their 25 losses were by 8 points or less. When you root for a team like that, you cling to reasons for optimism; we remember the close game against UNC, and forget the double-digit losses to Wake Forest and UC-Irvine.I am not 100% judging them on W/L record this year, but I expect this team to be a lot better this year, and if they aren't then yeah the HC deserved to be fired. This group they have in place has to be a group that takes BC back to the NCAA tournament. Again I am not expecting it this year, but I think they should strongly challenge for it next year, so we need to see Robinson take the next step. Turner become a good player. Something shown by the young big men, and at least 1 of the 2 PG's show he can be an above average ACC starter.
I'm no fan of Leahy for reasons apart from athletics, but his first decade on the job wasn't bad for the athletic department. He got a lot of flak for pushing out Jim O'Brien, but I think he was vindicated; he set the right priorities for the school, Al Skinner was a fine coach, and the '00s were a good time for B.C. basketball. The football program bounced back nicely after the gambling scandal of the late '90s. The men's hockey program also became a powerhouse during Fr. Leahy's first decade on the job, but I'm not sure I'd give him any credit for that -- Jerry York was hired a couple years before he arrived.To be fair to Leahy (who probably doesn't deserve it given his neglect of BC athletics), the BC presidency will almost certainly be his last significant higher education post, much like Father Monan. Given his age and his 20 year tenure as President, I do not think Leahy views his post as a pass through. Still, he has bungled the management of two once strong athletic programs and that sucks.
I agree with everything you said but Leahy's stewardship of those programs since the move to the ACC and, more importantly, his oversight of DeFilippo's management, has been decidedly less than stellar and seemingly trending further downward. I live in Brighton, I wish BC would give me a reason to buy the hoops season tickets I used to have when Skinner was there.I'm no fan of Leahy for reasons apart from athletics, but his first decade on the job wasn't bad for the athletic department. He got a lot of flak for pushing out Jim O'Brien, but I think he was vindicated; he set the right priorities for the school, Al Skinner was a fine coach, and the '00s were a good time for B.C. basketball. The football program bounced back nicely after the gambling scandal of the late '90s. The men's hockey program also became a powerhouse during Fr. Leahy's first decade on the job, but I'm not sure I'd give him any credit for that -- Jerry York was hired a couple years before he arrived.
Nobody should serve as the President of a major academic institution for 20 years -- that's probably twice as long as an ideal tenure. I'd still have a problem with Fr. Leahy if he had stepped aside in 2006, but not because of his stewardship of the school's athletic programs.
No one should serve as the CEO of any organization for 20 years. Things get stale, fiefdoms develop and the possibility of change and innovation evaporate. I agree that he should have left after about 10-12 years, not just for athletics but for the university as a whole.Nobody should serve as the President of a major academic institution for 20 years -- that's probably twice as long as an ideal tenure. I'd still have a problem with Fr. Leahy if he had stepped aside in 2006, but not because of his stewardship of the school's athletic programs.
NC St brought in 5 star center Omer Yurtseven and 4 star guard Markell Johnson and Dennis Smith, a former top ten prospect coming off an ACL injury. They aren't going to win the ACC or anything, but I think NCSt. has significantly more talent than BC.I think you're too optimistic. Last year's team was, if anything, even worse than its record -- only 4 of their 25 losses were by 8 points or less. When you root for a team like that, you cling to reasons for optimism; we remember the close game against UNC, and forget the double-digit losses to Wake Forest and UC-Irvine.
They won't go 7-25 again, but I'll be surprised if they're any better than second-worst in the ACC (and the only reason they're not a prohibitive favorite to finish last is because NCST will be awful without Barber).
A hurricane just hit Maryland's eastern shore...Take THAT Maryland-Eastern Shore. 20 game losing streak over! Woo!