Terrific article by Myron Medcalf on the value of an NCAA tourney run, with evidence from FAU, Butler, VCU, Mason and others.
ESPN Article
ESPN Article
Terrific Article - Value of NCAA Tourney Run
- Thread starter kneepadmckinney
- Start date
Yes, it's easy to dismiss the talk. But they walk it. and Talk it. And breathe it. And expect it. Stark contrast to our program.
I have never been a huge Hurley guy (any of them). LIving in Connecticut I see plenty now. I never thought Danny was that great a game coach at URI - he out recruited the hell out of the rest of the A10, but had trouble winning a lot of big games.
But, watching him in action over the years - I have grown a bit of an affection. He talks it, and walks it, and backs it up. He is a force and inspires and builds the culture every single day, every interview, etc. He can be annoying, but if he is your coach you know you are not going to settle for mediocrity.
Same thing just watching Dutcher interview at Mountain West media day. Was asked about defense and said every guy they recruit is explicitly explained how it will be emphasized and they will need to be able to play it well to get playing time - so it is not a surprise when they get to practice.
I know, I know, these are big schools and woe is me lil UR, but you need the coach to build and enforce that culture. Our culture - I don't know. Hope to be proven wrong, but let's see it.
I have never been a huge Hurley guy (any of them). LIving in Connecticut I see plenty now. I never thought Danny was that great a game coach at URI - he out recruited the hell out of the rest of the A10, but had trouble winning a lot of big games.
But, watching him in action over the years - I have grown a bit of an affection. He talks it, and walks it, and backs it up. He is a force and inspires and builds the culture every single day, every interview, etc. He can be annoying, but if he is your coach you know you are not going to settle for mediocrity.
Same thing just watching Dutcher interview at Mountain West media day. Was asked about defense and said every guy they recruit is explicitly explained how it will be emphasized and they will need to be able to play it well to get playing time - so it is not a surprise when they get to practice.
I know, I know, these are big schools and woe is me lil UR, but you need the coach to build and enforce that culture. Our culture - I don't know. Hope to be proven wrong, but let's see it.
yeah, I didn't like hearing Hunt talk about how a difference between Wagner and UR was how much defense was emphasized at Wagner. I cringed a little.
Yes, some little comments coming out in pre season that are not giving me the warm and fuzzies.
Wagner was #13 in scoring defense and #339 in scoring offense (#338 in FG% and eFG%, so it wasn't just a slow pace) last year. Virtually any other program is going to not be as extreme as that. Except maybe Richmond in Mooney's first couple of years.
You can hate VCU as much as you want (I do). But you really have to respect the culture. VCU markets the hell out of themselves and expects NCAA bids every year. That is the expectation from the President, to the AD, to the coach, to the fanbase. They speak it out loud and every opportunity they have to speak it.
What is our organizational expectation at UR. According to our immediate past board president and basketball donor/kingmaker we need to adjust (lower) our expectations. According to our AD, well who knows what his expectation is because he doesn't let us know until he defines it as the end of the season in his post mortem. Our coach has never stated expectations during his tenure unless it some amorphous term, ala "to compete".
We are never going to win s*it on a consistent basis until we have a similar culture to VCU's. We might have good seasons from time to time but our program is never going to be a top tier MBB until you see that alignment and you see us speaking like VCU speaks out loud all of the time. And to me, this is not a Mooney problem, he is a symptom. If we had that culture, Mooney would have been gone a decade ago. Not going to the NCAA's in 4 straight years would have been a fire able offense, no one would have questioned it, it would have just happened because he was not meeting program expectations.
I apologize for saying that this as an alum, but this is just effing pathetic. It embarrasses me that this is what we are athletically. We could be so much more, if anyone in our leadership cared enough to try.
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I wonder how Hunt would look guarding Wagner's best offensive player from 2017-2018?
More to the point of the article, it's that the school writ large, including the academics, realize and embrace the value of a highly successful men's basketball team and how much it can raise the prestige of the entire school. The estimation of advertising value is just one easily quantifiable metric, but so too is the rise in applications, and then the increase in selectivity, which can justify higher tuition, and then higher salaries for professors, and better prestige for programs, which increases post-grad employment opportunities, and so on.
I'm not always convinced UofR is fully aligned on that strategy, and I love this article for that reason.
I'm not always convinced UofR is fully aligned on that strategy, and I love this article for that reason.
Always? Fully? (Knee, appreciate your politeness there).
Based on what everyone can see within the UR community and without, I'd say the school is neither aligned nor aspires to such a strategy.
The athletic goals of our school and the goals of most on this board, the Spider's most die hard and faithful fans, scarcely could be more out of sync hence the negativism on the Board.
I don’t think Dick Tarrant’s goal for a season was just to compete. I truly believe Mooney
wants to win, he just keeps things low key because he knows the reality of what he has.
wants to win, he just keeps things low key because he knows the reality of what he has.
Well u guys don’t want to hear what Burton said the biggest difference btw Nova and Richmond is.
It’s how hard they practice at Nova.
Did also say he loves UR.
Gkiller that is shocking. Other teams practice harder, and other teams emphasize defense more.
It does seem like our defense got better since moon finally scrapped the match up zone, that was oh so hard to figure out, unless you coached the opponent.
It does seem like our defense got better since moon finally scrapped the match up zone, that was oh so hard to figure out, unless you coached the opponent.
I would say he is comfortable with where he is and knows exactly what he needs to do to be “good enough”.
Jim Collins: “Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great.”
This captures the way I feel as well. Well stated and unfortunately right on point.
Eye opening to hear out loud at first but then it kinda makes sense. Comfortability is important here. Granted I think we have some good parts of our culture too. But Mooney changed. We all saw it. I’d love to see a cup the mouth mother F bomb but thats likely gone for good. When u get rewarded like he has I can understand it I guess. I’d love to see a Brian Dutcher practice!
Yep. I remember going to a game at Fordham ( Gonzo/KA backcourt), we played like crap 1st half. I was walking to bathroom, which apparently was near our locker room. The team went by me and then coaches - keeping their distance from a very very pissed off looking Mooney. I was going to say something like "good luck 2nd half coach" but he looked like he may have slugged me. That was my Mooney. We came out and played inspired basketball in the 2nd half.
Now I don't think you can be a Bobby Knight (RIP) anymore, but I do think you can enforce a different standard. Like a JB running shooting drills and demanding precision.
Now I don't think you can be a Bobby Knight (RIP) anymore, but I do think you can enforce a different standard. Like a JB running shooting drills and demanding precision.
Good news! Mooney is going to be less intense and a bit softer this year, which seems impossible…
richmond.com
Health scare changed approach of UR's Chris Mooney 'to a certain degree'
"All in all, I think when something like that happens, you certainly take an account.”
No more players getting stiffed for the Mooney handshake when they come off the court?
Bringing back the "cover the mouth" to whisper sweet nothings to them?
Bringing back the "cover the mouth" to whisper sweet nothings to them?
Instead of "we competed," this year's motto will be "we tried hard."
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