Timberwolves fired Thibs today after a win by 22. Maybe we'll get the best of both worlds and Mooney will beat VCU by 30 and get fired. Fingers crossed
Higher probability of Mooney getting contract extension than leaving early.
- Thread starter UR80sfan
- Start date
Yes, welcome to the club. I know you don't like the FMM tactics but you seem to be on board now with our stated mission. We all want the same. A return to prominence of our MBB program.
We definitely want the same thing. We have different ways of going about it but what matters is that we want the same end result.
Last season when I supported Mooney I tried to be clear on giving him one season because I believed this season we would be much improved. Then losing Khwan and Buck changed things but I figured it did no good to fire him that far into the offseason because nobody would be able to take his spot that we would have around long term. I always wanted to give him his fair chance and as one of those who believed in him the longest I think he has had that chance and failed.
You both and 23 were the ones I butted heads with the most but I'm glad you've embraced me coming over to your side of thinking. Thank you for having me
Welcome aboard Ply. I was expecting last year to be a good year, with Buck and Sherod coming off stellar freshman seasons. When we came out so slow and all the excuse mongering went on, I had enough. I had been down on Mooney previous to this, but was willing to keep riding it out. Always wait until next year. It's just not working. We could end up winning half our A10 games this year and win one or two in the A10 tournament, and I still will have no confidence.
I still think the points above still apply. I am now ambivalent on what happens to him. He has had a terrible record the past 2 years, but buying out Mooney's contract is very expensive and the money has to come from somewhere.
1.The university can not take more from the endowment. There is a fixed formula on what the payout is each year which is not flexible.
2. If it comes from the university operating budget some other area of the university would have to be cut back, which is not easy to do.
3. It could come from donations, but I can't see anyone writing a big check for that, including people on this forum.
As a result, the bar for Mooney to get fired is very high. I do think all those constantly complaining about buying out his contact should be prepared to give big dollars to achieve their goal. There is nothing worse than people "who are always trying to spend other peoples money"
I would expect if something happens it would be fairly quickly after the tournament. Regardless if he stays or goes, I hope the focus going froward on this board is more about basketball and the players than Mooney.
5. We have had 3 straight very good recruiting classes with a lot of very young high quality players on the team. The team has the potential to have very good seasons the next 2 years and be in the hunt to make the NCAAs both of those years. This is perfect timing for Mooney, because it is when the university needs to make a decision relative to extending the contract.[/QUOTE]
Three straight good recruiting classes.... what measure is that, by two 12 win seasons? You have to measure recruits by success wins and losses.
Define 'in the hunt'
The university needs to make a decision on extension now or the latest next year....normally don't they want the coach to claim he has four more years?
Three straight good recruiting classes.... what measure is that, by two 12 win seasons? You have to measure recruits by success wins and losses.
Define 'in the hunt'
The university needs to make a decision on extension now or the latest next year....normally don't they want the coach to claim he has four more years?
If you're debating who's the better coach.... how many power 6 job offers has Mooney gotten in the last 5 years?
it's as if we only know we have a good coach if we're constantly begging him to stay vs moving up to the next level.
Last edited:
Sorry, for me if he stays the Mooney talk will continue with the basketball talk. His arrogant style to the reality of the situation has completely turned me off to the idea Mooney continues as coach. His underachieving record is proof he deserves to go. Make it happen UR higher-ups.
The Power 6 schools always swipe left.
Plus since they are counting school groups, they can simply make every game a school night. The 6000 they counted for that mid day elementary screamfest is whats in our future.
Our students are so lame it’s nice to have some screaming students every now and then.
The RTD mentioned in an article that U of R has never broken a coach's contract in the history of the school. They emphasized NEVER. They also published the article on the letter of support signed by 80 or 90 people. I do not think the timing of the comment or the article is random. I think the decision has been made to keep Mooney. I also, spoke to a "high level insider" who said that expectations for next season are high, although probably not as high as some of the people on this board. They indicated that they believed Mooney was safe until at least the end of next season.
Pretty sure 80 people signing their names to a letter that says "Mooney is a nice guy, please ignore his 14-year coaching record" won't really sway Hardt's decision.
And how many times had William and Mary bought out a coach until last week?
And how many times had William and Mary bought out a coach until last week?
Did your insider tell you what those expectations are? I think what most folks on here are expecting (different than wanting btw) is for us to compete for A10 Championships, per John Hardt. If the expectation inside is less than that, they aren’t being genuine about what we are aiming for.
Last edited:
I don't think a decision relative to Mooney is made only by Hardt. Multiple people are involved. The person I spoke to was giving their opinion and not speaking for the department. I do not think making the NCAA is a requirement for him keeping his job at the end of next season. They were not specific, but I am guessing if he finishes in the top 4 of the A10 next year he will be back the following year. If we finishes in the bottom 4, that would be a problem. In between, who knows.
Are the “higher” expectations something like competing more and losing the games by a smaller margin?
Man, if the bar is set at "If you finish in the bottom 4 a second consecutive year, we have a problem." - I don't even know what to say.
I guess I'll be joining keefusb in Ashland for basketball games next year.
I guess I'll be joining keefusb in Ashland for basketball games next year.
I'm pretty close to going all-in on W&M. Their AD cares about winning and isn't afraid to ruffle a few "feathers" (pun intended) in pursuit of that. If we keep Mooney, I may buy some green and gold attire and bone up on my Tribe knowledge. Nathan Knight's senior year could be something special.
My daughter is deciding where she will be attending school next year. My new team will be one of the following, Tulane, Georgia, Florida, Baylor, Va Tech or William & Mary. I will let you know. Lol.
Thanks SpiderAlways, she loved it too when we visited UGA and was excited to get in to their business school. It’s very hard for out of state kids to get in.
I agree, there will be sign-offs by others, but I think there’s a difference between responsible versus accountable. Hardt is accountable for setting the expectations and ensuring they are met. Coaches are responsible for actually meeting them.
My feeling is anything less than a Top4 finish and at least semifinal run is not meeting expectations, as set by the AD. This is set in a vacuum, indifferent to whatever external factors might derail it (injuries, defections, ineligibility, etc.).
I don’t know why we need a third (or 9th) straight year to try to meet this expectation.v
If he is still there next year. They already have one good starter ready to transfer. Any AD can come to a school and just start firing people. That does not prove anyting. Time will tell.
Might not be a lot of people there with you. Their fans are pretty shocked and upset about the decision. For a couple years, they have been talkin about 2020 and looking forward to Pierce and Knight's senior year, thinking it could be special. Now Pierce is most likely gone, and who knows about Knight.
I was impressed to read Pierce will graduate in 3 years (no redshirt). He is getting a lot of interest from power programs, including top teams like Gonzaga and Michigan.
He has said that he'll meet with the new coach, and W&M is still an option. Pierce could come back. He might want to stay in Williamsburg to take over the family BBQ business.
Knight isn't going to sit out a year to play a year somewhere else. They'll be good next year with a new coach. Roll Tribe!
[QUOTE="UR80sfan, post: 272910, member: 3587"I also, spoke to a "high level insider" who said that expectations for next season are high, although probably not as high as some of the people on this board. They indicated that they believed Mooney was safe until at least the end of next season.[/QUOTE]
Jeez - So the expectations on this board are higher than an AD, money man, and BOT? How low is the expectation to pushing ahead year to year for that group of "decision makers"? How low are their standards? I'm thinking pretty low to rationalize their choice. I guess this is where we are with our basketball program & how minimal the expectations are.
Jeez - So the expectations on this board are higher than an AD, money man, and BOT? How low is the expectation to pushing ahead year to year for that group of "decision makers"? How low are their standards? I'm thinking pretty low to rationalize their choice. I guess this is where we are with our basketball program & how minimal the expectations are.
I think fan expectations are almost universally higher than an institutions, often unrealistically so. Look at UCLA as an example which is extreme but I think still indicative.
My feeling is that the expectation better be what Hardt is selling. That’s all I ask, tell me what your real goals are so I can decide if I’m going to spend on it or otherwise donate to it. Right now, we are not behaving like the stated expectations are in fact real.
Agree with your final paragraph. We'll never know what the goals of the admin are and how he operates. We'll only know his decision. Everything else is hidden & in between.
Not so sure if fan expectation exceeds institution at UR. Most of us want better; not expecting unachievable nor unrealistic. At this stage to take this program even only one step beyond where we are now doesn't fit what I'd hope fans and the admin would consider acceptable. Not expecting UR to be a Duke, etc. However we need to make some sort of significant improvement.
Last edited:
Expectations tend to be higher than current state as they are usually aspirational. Right now our expectation is really quite low so just making the tournament is an achievement.
That certainly requires vast improvement from where we are.
