Atlantic 10 recruiting update

[97spiderfan]

Is this simply a PR move or does Joey Brackets bring real value to the equation?

The vast majority of teams don't need to employ an outside scheduling consultant to put together their OOC. So, either it is strictly a PR move OR our current scheduling consultant (Malcolm Jenkins) doesn't know or isn't capable of doing one of his main job responsibilities.

 

[VT4700]

When was the last time we beat an at-large team in a scheduled OOC game?
I know we beat Cal 4 seasons ago, but that was in a consolation game of an invitational tournament. IOW, we didn't schedule them.

We beat Northern Iowa that year and they got an 11 seed after winning their tournament. So, they might have been an at large with a loss.

 

[spiderman]

for the record, I don't see the need to get Lunardi's advice either but I doubt it costs much and I can't see how it hurts. it's not that big a deal.

 

[VT4700]

for the record, I don't see the need to get Lunardi's advice either but I doubt it costs much and I can't see how it hurts. it's not that big a deal.

I agree not a big deal, but it is awfully strange. I mean, why? Why use him? Is no one else capable of looking at kenpom's final rankings, and then looking at teams 50 through 125 or whatever, and then seeing which of those teams might be pretty good this year, and try to schedule them? It just doesn't seem that hard to figure out what would be a good schedule to play with winnable games on there against good teams.

 

[VT4700]

I guess one way it might help a little is if you use him, and then some of these teams do worse than expected and you get a bad SOS as a result, maybe you could then say you at least tried to have a good schedule because you used him? Yep, reaching here. But, I can't see any other reason to use him.

 

[spiderman]

what's the downside?

 

[VT4700]

what's the downside?

Maybe exactly what some of us are talking about. Possibly gets your school ridiculed for having to use someone like him to make your schedule.

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

We beat Northern Iowa that year and they got an 11 seed after winning their tournament. So, they might have been an at large with a loss.

Thanks. However, they were T4 in the MVC, and the MVC regular season champion (Wichita St) was the league's only at-large, and they were one of the last four in. None of the other teams in the MVC played in the postseason. So I doubt UNI would have received a bid.

That UNI team is infamous for the largest collapse in tournament history. I still remember that game. They were 35 seconds away from the Sweet 16 with a 12 point lead.

 

[VT4700]

Thanks. However, they were T4 in the MVC, and the MVC regular season champion (Wichita St) was the league's only at-large, and they were one of the last four in. None of the other teams in the MVC played in the postseason. So I doubt UNI would have received a bid.

That UNI team is infamous for the largest collapse in tournament history. I still remember that game. They were 35 seconds away from the Sweet 16 with a 12 point lead.

Big-time collapse. They beat Texas, and then choked away that A&M game in the round of 32. So, at-large or not, they were a good team that we beat. But, that being said, I can agree that it is pretty bad when we have to go back four seasons to find a couple of above-average out of conference wins.

 

[97spiderfan]

I believe they beat Texas on a half court shot at the buzzer that year as well.

 

[ur2K]

Maybe you pay Lunardi, hoping he'll talk about your team on TV and in his bracket watch articles.

 

[spiderman]

Maybe exactly what some of us are talking about. Possibly gets your school ridiculed for having to use someone like him to make your schedule.

the only ones ridiculing ourselves will be ourselves. nobody else cares.

 

[Captain Anderson]

the only ones ridiculing ourselves will be ourselves. nobody else cares.

Apathy. We’re there now I’m afraid.

 

[SpiderDaMan]

I still don't understand the "value" of hiring Lunardi as a scheduling consultant unless he has personal connections within some of these power 5 schools that can help us get home and home or neutral court games. We have plenty of successful, intelligent people on this board alone that can identify that our schedule the last few years has been super soft and that we have no chance at an at large bid with those schedules. So we go and hire Lunardi, who is employed by a conference rival, to help us figure that out? Is this simply a PR move or does Joey Brackets bring real value to the equation?

Anyone who needs a scheduling consultant has no business running or coaching a basketball program. You guys are really paying this guy? I guess there's plenty of money in the coffers, but the solution has been staring all in the face for a lot of long years now and it ain't paying a sports blogger/braketologist. There is a disease on the bench much like a case of Pollio and it needs to be excised with maximum prejudice.

 

[wr70beh]

this thread is one of the biggest waste of time I have spent in some time

I don't know. There's some pretty good pretzel logic going on. That's entertaining to some people.

 

[SpiderDaMan]

Maybe you pay Lunardi, hoping he'll talk about your team on TV and in his bracket watch articles.

Gotta get close to the watch to get mentioned...

 

[GKiller]

Davidson spring recruiting...

 

[wr70beh]

what's the downside?

Other than he's on St. Joe's payroll? Is he consulting for anyone else?

 

[spider23]

The Lunardi thing is just another scam by Hardt and company, to provide another year of cover for Mooney.

 

[spiderman]

smh. we're getting some advice on scheduling. may or may not help. I doubt it will. but there's no conspiracy or embarrassment. it's not a big deal.
and 23, Hardt doesn't need a scam to keep CM this year. like it or not he makes the call on coaches and he made it.

 

[Not-A-Homer]

smh. we're getting some advice on scheduling. may or may not help. I doubt it will. but there's no conspiracy or embarrassment. it's not a big deal.
and 23, Hardt doesn't need a scam to keep CM this year. like it or not he makes the call on coaches and he made it.

Though I have no way of knowing for a fact, I suspect that Hardt didn't make the call on keeping Mooney.

There are only three legitimate possibilities in play:
1) Hardt was told by a higher power(s) that Mooney was staying (which would mean that Hardt has no authority)
2) Hardt thinks that Mooney is the man for the job despite the evidence (which would mean that Hardt is incompetent)
3) Combination of both 1 & 2

I don't know which it is for sure, but .... none of the three options are appealing.

Either way, the Lunardi thing is a smokescreen. As discussed by others, anybody with half a basketball brain can make an attractive schedule.

 

[spiderman]

money has to play a factor for an AD firing a coach. it's not just wins and losses.
as for the schedule ... it's easy on paper but you can't make teams play you. and you need home games. even if Lunardi can help identify good games, doubt he can help at all with actually getting games.

 

[MrTbone]

Though I have no way of knowing for a fact, I suspect that Hardt didn't make the call on keeping Mooney.

There are only three legitimate possibilities in play:
1) Hardt was told by a higher power(s) that Mooney was staying (which would mean that Hardt has no authority)
2) Hardt thinks that Mooney is the man for the job despite the evidence (which would mean that Hardt is incompetent)
3) Combination of both 1 & 2

I don't know which it is for sure, but .... none of the three options are appealing.

Either way, the Lunardi thing is a smokescreen. As discussed by others, anybody with half a basketball brain can make an attractive schedule.

I suspect it's more nuanced than just these options. I think buyout money and UR's history as a place that doesn't buy out contracts are not insignificant as spiderman has noted. I don't subscribe to the theory that the funds have to come from donors, but I also don't think that UR casually strokes a series of six figure checks.

If I'm Hardt, do I care that much about how I am perceived? My guess is this is his last stop and he doesn't worry too much about his next gig and what the wins and losses look like. What I suspect he cares about is keeping this gig, and doing that means running a clean set of programs and not undermining the development dollars that come in via donorship, big or small. So it's probably easier/smarter to not rock the boat too much in spite of many day to day fans wanting that to happen.

 

[Eight Legger]

I’m still hopeful that we make some bank playing buy games at P6 schools this year and use some of that money to hire our new coach next year. We're already committed to paying Mooney either way over the next three years, so we don't need to find any more money for that -- it's already in the budget. We just need enough to pay the new guy.

We could play five buy games like that and make at least $1M. Keep half and invest the other half, and you've got a great jumpstart to paying the first year of the new guy's deal. Play a few more games like this next year and we're good to go.

 

[urfan1]

I don't think hoops buy games pay close to what some of you seem to believe. The last figures I heard were $75K and down

 

[Eight Legger]

Syracuse pays $100k+ sometimes. I suspect the big boys do as well. So maybe we don't have quite as much opportunity to bank cash as I thought but the idea is still the same.

 

[MrTbone]

I’m not sure we are even a good buy game. I think buyers would want either a projected good NET prospect or a verifiable cupcake. I don’t think we fit either description and if I was scheduling I wouldn’t want to schedule us and certainly wouldn’t pay for the pleasure of doing so.

 

[wr70beh]

Buy in games keep some programs solvent, especially in the 20 and below ranked conference range. Some people think we're too good for buy in games, but we need to get over that, especially with Mooney at the helm.

 

[Eight Legger]

I’m not sure we are even a good buy game. I think buyers would want either a projected good NET prospect or a verifiable cupcake. I don’t think we fit either description and if I was scheduling I wouldn’t want to schedule us and certainly wouldn’t pay for the pleasure of doing so.

We won 25 of our last 65 games, so I'd say we are a cupcake for most legit powers.

 

[KE Spider]

We won 25 of our last 65 games, so I'd say we are a cupcake for most legit powers.

Offense has great potential next season. When on (offsetting the poor D), they can take down a highly rated opponent.

 

[Eight Legger]

I hope so, but even when we were "good" with TJ and SDJ, we couldn't beat anyone on the road. We even lost at Oral Roberts. No legit team will fear us on their home court. We've shown no ability to play defense for three years.

 

[MrTbone]

We won 25 of our last 65 games, so I'd say we are a cupcake for most legit powers.

Yes I’m aware. I just think we don’t necessarily project as an easy win in spite of recent history.

 

[coach fezz]

I think we need to hire out of bounds coach

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

If Lunardi can convince one school to buy us for a game, we could at least recoup his consulting fee.

 

[64Spider]

I think we need to hire out of bounds coach

That would be TJ !

 

[wr70beh]

If Lunardi can convince one school to buy us for a game, we could at least recoup his consulting fee.

But a cardboard cutout could convince a P5 school other than Wake to schedule us.

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

I can't think of the last buy game we had where we weren't the buyers. Florida?

I can't imagine BC or Wake are paying.

 

[urmite]

I can't think of the last buy game we had where we weren't the buyers. Florida?

I can't imagine BC or Wake are paying.

I believe E C Robins, SR is still paying Wake...

 

[spider23]

URI just landed Obi Toppin's brother, beating out St John's, Oklahoma State and Va Tech. Pretty impressive.

 

[97spiderfan]

URI just landed Obi Toppin's brother, beating out St John's, Oklahoma State and Va Tech. Pretty impressive.

But A-10 schools can't land BCS recruited players. Except, yet another example of them doing just that.