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- Thread starter POMSpidur
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cue the "other boards are worse" crowd!
I felt the same way years ago. the anti-Mooney sentiment had to hurt recruiting. I even told a story of a recruit we offered and wanted who didn't seriously consider us because "it seems our head coach is on thin ice" following the billboard stuff.
but we've recruited very well despite the billboard and this board, so while the negative stuff can be damaging in some cases we clearly overcome it in others.
I felt the same way years ago. the anti-Mooney sentiment had to hurt recruiting. I even told a story of a recruit we offered and wanted who didn't seriously consider us because "it seems our head coach is on thin ice" following the billboard stuff.
but we've recruited very well despite the billboard and this board, so while the negative stuff can be damaging in some cases we clearly overcome it in others.
Good question. I think recruits check out everything these days. Most message boards will have some negative posters on it, but the problem with ours is we still have a negative board when we are winning. And, while recruits might understand that coaches get a lot of crap on message boards, they can't be excited when they see players getting criticized. But, overall, I think we have shown we can still recruit quality guys despite how ridiculously negative our board gets, so I would say our message board would not be too key of a factor in recruiting. It doesn't help, but we can overcome it.
I am sorry you and I are on the outs with each other, but during our A10 and NCAA run, I did not hear negative comments unless it was someone trying to kill a jinx comment. I have not been a huge Mooney fan for a while, but I commended him for changing the defense up and making adjustments at half time. He was making timely substitutions and good time out calls. CM was in his prime during the A10 and NCAA. Now it looks like he has stepped up his "A" game with signees and hope this translates into another banner season. Maybe these players signed with us due to fact we had a strong finish and saw a lot of us on TV and most of all they liked the system we use. I don't think a supposed negative board had any affect on their decision.
I think the biggest draw for recruits are first the coaches and secondly, the existing players for UR they are interacting with on their visit and afterwards, and of course what academics are offered. The board and it's thoughts are a very low percentage of their thought process for joining the Spiders.
I think the biggest draw for recruits are first the coaches and secondly, the existing players for UR they are interacting with on their visit and afterwards, and of course what academics are offered. The board and it's thoughts are a very low percentage of their thought process for joining the Spiders.
Anonymous (partially) message boards in general do not bring out the best in human behavior. Although I do remember a time say 17 years ago when things were a little more collegial. I miss some of the original people who were posting back then.....
That being said here are a few recommendations...
1. never engage in slander in any fashion on a message board.
2. If you feel yourself getting angry...take a walk before posting.
3. Think about what your post would read like if they read it at your funeral...would it convey the way you would want to be remembered...
As I told my kids when they were growing up, the Internet is written in ink, not pencil. We can bring civility back one post at a time....
That being said here are a few recommendations...
1. never engage in slander in any fashion on a message board.
2. If you feel yourself getting angry...take a walk before posting.
3. Think about what your post would read like if they read it at your funeral...would it convey the way you would want to be remembered...
As I told my kids when they were growing up, the Internet is written in ink, not pencil. We can bring civility back one post at a time....
Hopefully they see a passionate fan base who wants to win and win big time. And if I was coming to a place to play and saw its most ardent fans happy and content with not being in the NCAA tournament for over 4000 days, making excuses for not getting there, I would question the passion and commitment of said fan base and the institution to winning and giving me an opportunity to play in the tournament that every D-1 athlete aspires to play in.
Things that recruits never say:
I loved the coach, school, and program, but was disappointed that the message board was also positive about the program, so I decided to sign elsewhere.
I was disappointed with the coach and program's performance over the last several years, so when I saw the message board was also unhappy, I knew that was the place for me. They were especially right that their head coach should have been fired. I feel connected to the posters in their frustration, so now I'm excited to go play for their head coach.
No, it has never occurred to me. The board was "negative" because we missed the NCAAs for a decade straight. Presumably most recruits want to play in an NCAA tournament. Now that we have made it again and won a game, most of us are pretty happy but also interested in seeing whether we take the ball and run with it or fall back into purgatory for another decade. So far so good.
Also things recruits never say, I loved the coach, school, and program but then I saw the negative message boards posts upset that they haven't been to the NCAA in 10 years, so I decided to sign elsewhere.
I wonder if not going to the NCAA's for 10 consecutive years had more to with recruits going elsewhere or the message board. I'm sure it was the message board.
Oh, I agree with you. People should be free to post negative comments about the program/coaches/etc. on here.
But your earlier suggestion that this is what a recruit would like to see is pure fantasy land. Post negative content all you like, but don't pretend it is going to impress a recruit. You don't need such a justification to post negative content in the first place.
Yep, this is a BS argument. sman doesn't like it but yes, most boards are worse and really not as interesting. AND, yes schools that go to the NCAA regularly are just as negative. I'm sure Dook board was killing almighty K for Hubert schooling his ass on the way out the door. But I digress. I am with the passionate board is a positive crowd.
Lol or parents don’t wanna read negative things about their children from “fans.” If you so call yourself
Less about the kids and more about the parents. I’m sure SDad was frustrated with most of the negativity b/c you guys don’t know much about basketball and he can’t set the record straight and say that b/c “we’re all spiders fans.” But parents would never advocate for a program where the so called fans spend their free time finding ways to try and get ride of the coach and talk poorly about their children. But I’m not a parent so I wouldn’t know
Thank you for your feedback. I don’t think it’s remotely true, nor can any program say that their fans don’t ever criticize their players. There’s definitely a difference between unnecessary personal attacks and making a point about a player not doing something well (eg Wilson is bad at shooting or Burton plays soft defense… both were true last year)
[deleting — unnecessarily harsh
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well your question has been asked since the invention of sports message boards. naively u probably think u r first to raise it. Most parents r realistic to understand a coach who was given a lot of leash here, highest paid employee, given a lot of resources to win, yet had a long ncaa drought & underperformance in other metrics, will face criticism. I bet they do it themselves often w coaches of teams they like, of political leaders, or other leadership positions that comes w additional scrutiny. I can only imagine there was a lot of frustration last year with Moon coaching amongst many parents too. SDad was upset here on the board with how things were being run...exhibit A. Point is they're not any different tho there r always exceptions.
I have cringed at some comments towards players, should be a different standard there, but overall I think the Richmond fanbase treats them well. I do put stock into the kids and disagree its more about the parents. Not too many parents stay invested after 4-5 years anyway imo.
the Kentucky board after we beat them was the biggest morass of hatred, hostility and anger and in no uncertain terms or language. This place is a bastion of civility comparatively. The billboard got noticed, but so did FireMartelli.com or whatever the St. Joe's website was half a decade ago. Smaller schools that press people like get notice because of the unusual / infrequent nature of such things. Any coach that is on thin ice - it's not a secret and it for sure being used against them in recruiting battles by other coaches. The message board is mostly just reflective of public opinion.
I agree about cringing on any comments about the players not related to performance.
I agree about cringing on any comments about the players not related to performance.
no idea how thin the ice was in reality. while it had been a while since dancing, we'd had some good years. it's possible it wasn't thin at all and that Hardt wasn't willing or maybe not able to write that check.
but the billboard for sure (and maybe the negative message board) gave the appearance of thin ice. and the appearance of thin ice led to at least one family writing us off. that or the family determined on their own that Mooney was on thin ice. I don't know.
just saying it certainly didn't help.
but the billboard for sure (and maybe the negative message board) gave the appearance of thin ice. and the appearance of thin ice led to at least one family writing us off. that or the family determined on their own that Mooney was on thin ice. I don't know.
just saying it certainly didn't help.
sure, it doesn't help but I'm sure it's not like whoever that kid was thought everything else was perfect and only trusted postings of a bunch of fans or that was his only insight into the fact that things were not going perfectly. if a message board is in chaos, there are surely other things they are researching/considering that are way more important than the thoughts of a random swath of posters who are mostly killing time.
I went to a UR reception when Moon was first hired and at the event asked him about a recruit. When he asked how I knew who the recruit was I told him about the message board and he laughed and said he better stay away from it. I think in 2022 that is sane advice for anyone directly involved with any program. (also, scary to think that the kids born the year Moon was hired are now next year's freshmen. fml I'm old.)
I went to a UR reception when Moon was first hired and at the event asked him about a recruit. When he asked how I knew who the recruit was I told him about the message board and he laughed and said he better stay away from it. I think in 2022 that is sane advice for anyone directly involved with any program. (also, scary to think that the kids born the year Moon was hired are now next year's freshmen. fml I'm old.)
Weak sauce. Read any board, lots more negative than ours. But somehow they get recruits.
Yes, constant negative comments hurt the program in multiple ways. Recruits, players and their families often read the board. If a recruit is narrowing down their final decision from a list of 5 to 10 schools, small things can make the difference. I don’t have any inside information, but Grant’s brother choosing not to come to U of R had to be influenced, at least slightly, by the negative comments and actions of the board. It also, hurts the players confidence and potentially their performance through increase stress and reduced quality of sleep.
Negative comments on social media are difficult to take. Just look at how people on this board go ballistic when someone criticizes them. People tend to be much more evil when their identity is hidden. Some people on this board believe their negative comments help motivate to improve performance. Is that the same strategy they use to motivate their kids? “OK, Billy you really suck and are an embarrassment to the family. Play better next game if you want other family members to like you.”
I am not saying that people should not post negative comments if they post what they would be comfortable share if people knew their identity.
The excuse negative posters always use is other school’s boards are more negative. I don’t know if it is true, but that is not a good excuse.
Negative comments on social media are difficult to take. Just look at how people on this board go ballistic when someone criticizes them. People tend to be much more evil when their identity is hidden. Some people on this board believe their negative comments help motivate to improve performance. Is that the same strategy they use to motivate their kids? “OK, Billy you really suck and are an embarrassment to the family. Play better next game if you want other family members to like you.”
I am not saying that people should not post negative comments if they post what they would be comfortable share if people knew their identity.
The excuse negative posters always use is other school’s boards are more negative. I don’t know if it is true, but that is not a good excuse.
straw man
/ˌstrô ˈman/
noun
- an intentionally misrepresented proposition that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent's real argument.
What a bunch of pansies. And I'm not talking about the players.
Really? It "had to be?" Based upon nothing? Come on man.
Keep seeing these comments about how negative the board is. Certainly true when we went through a 10 year NCAA drought while paying top dollar for the privilege...and deservedly so.
Don't see it now to any significant degree after our miraculous season end run so why keep harping on it? Pretty simple....when you underperform, you are subject to criticism. When you meet expectations, you are praised.
Don't see it now to any significant degree after our miraculous season end run so why keep harping on it? Pretty simple....when you underperform, you are subject to criticism. When you meet expectations, you are praised.
You make an assertion in your first paragraph then admit that you have no inside info to support your assertion on Bryce Golden. Curious - Do you have any direct knowledge or info / facts you can share on any other players that actually backs up your opinion. If not, then your post is an opinion and nothing more. You are entitled to your opinion as are others.
Seriously. What a ridiculous take once again by UR80s.
LOL. You just copied and highlighted something that you do on here all the time. Just about everything you post on here is "based upon nothing". And plenty of your opinions are a lot worse than someone saying "had to be, at least slightly", and of course, you left out the "at least slightly" part when copying and pasting because including that wouldn't have made the comment so dramatic.
Unlike so many on here, he specifically said I don't have any inside information before posting what he did. So, clearly this is his opinion. And, because he is one of the more positive posters, like me, who people often disagree with on here, they choose to attack him for his opinion. Instead of just disagreeing with it, and maybe saying I don't think that influenced Bryce Golden at all, they have to turn around and attack him. It's pathetic.
Come on VT, I know you’re aware of the history and can’t view this one post in isolation.
UR80s constantly attacks people on this board, suggesting some moral authority that he knows more about the program and players.
It’s all in good fun though. It’s an internet message board so can’t be offended by UR80s or the criticism by some of the coach and players. We mostly post on here to discuss what we like and don’t like about the game or direction of the program, so it’s weird that people are upset by some of the critiques.
"Had to be, at least slightly" is like saying "definitely probably." It either "had to be" or it didn't. You can't lessen it. And I wasn't attacking anyone, as much as you are trying to make it seem that way. I simply called out an illogical statement.
My earlier statement about it being "fair to assume" MoJo was heavily involved with recruiting was not a definitive statement but it was logical given that he was an assistant coach and recruiting literally was a key part of his job. I didn't say "MoJo absolutely had to be the reason we got these recruits, though I have no knowledge of that whatsoever."
But I assume you know for sure that he had nothing to do with any of the recent recruits, in which case you're welcome to present your definitive evidence and I will gladly retract my statement.
I don't have any information on Bryce not coming here ( in my opinion, like lots of younger brothers, he didn't want to follow his big brother, and wanted to go somewhere different), but if anyone remembers Sean and Mike Glennon, Mike did not go to Va Tech because of the way his older brother Sean was treated by VT fans. So, it is possible for a bunch of negative fans out there to influence a kid's decision.
Of course saying at least slightly matters. He said "had to be influenced, at least slightly'. So, 5% influenced? Saying it like he did is not close to saying "definitely probably". Of course you can lessen it, which is exactly what he did by saying "at least slightly", and you should not have only copied part of the comment because it was very misleading of you to do so.
I suspect most recruits could be influenced by fan reaction to the program recruiting them.
I also suspect that the vast majority of programs have fans that react to perceived failures of the coach or players.
We aren’t unique in this regard except we went a decade between ncaa trips which may have lent our fans to be a little more reactive than those having more frequent ncaa visits. Blaming the fans seems a bit backwards given that consideration.
I also suspect that the vast majority of programs have fans that react to perceived failures of the coach or players.
We aren’t unique in this regard except we went a decade between ncaa trips which may have lent our fans to be a little more reactive than those having more frequent ncaa visits. Blaming the fans seems a bit backwards given that consideration.
Something that may surprise you; people don't disagree with you or 80's because you are positive. You repeat that often, but it isn't backed up by fact as you so like to say. If you go back and re-read your battles on this forum, you will likely see that your positivity isn't what caused the discussion to go south.
You aren't the only poster on this board that is knowledgeable about college basketball. You and 80's are entitled to your opinion, but others are as well. Disagreement with YOU, or me, doesn't make the disagreeing person correct or incorrect.
The old saying - there is more than one way to skin a cat. Wise leaders understand that their way isn't usually the only way to success.
I am aware of the history, and UR80 consistently gets attacked for his opinion. I don't think it's a case of him constantly attacking people, but often a case of him responding to attacks on him. Let's keep it real here. Like me, he is disliked by many on here, but, also like me, a lot of what he says would not be that controversial and would not get hateful replies if someone else said it.
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