One thing about T&F is that championship meets are scored. As such one can compare point totals from year to year.

This year EMU scored 118 points in the MAC indoor T&F championship.

Events are scored 10 - 8 - 6 -5-4-3-2-1

Here is where the program has come from:

“I couldn’t be more proud of the team,” said head coach Sue Parks. “Friday did not go
perfectly for us, but the girls regrouped and came back fi red up and ready to go on
Saturday. We competed hard and continued to battle throughout the meet and that
is what you need to do to win a championship. It was a tough road
to get to this point and I applaud the coaching staff and athletes for staying positive
“We scored seven points in the MAC Indoor meet four years ago....

Seven points is absolutely ground zero.

E.g. one 6th place and two 7th place finishes in any event would produce SEVEN points.

(I believe there are approximately 20 events +/- I'd have to look it up.)

HOW WOULD YOU BUILD A MEN'S BASKETBALL PROGRAM?

(03-05-2011 08:59 AM)emu steve Wrote:  One thing about T&F is that championship meets are scored. As such one can compare point totals from year to year.

This year EMU scored 118 points in the MAC indoor T&F championship.

Events are scored 10 - 8 - 6 -5-4-3-2-1

Here is where the program has come from:

“I couldn’t be more proud of the team,” said head coach Sue Parks. “Friday did not go
perfectly for us, but the girls regrouped and came back fi red up and ready to go on
Saturday. We competed hard and continued to battle throughout the meet and that
is what you need to do to win a championship. It was a tough road
to get to this point and I applaud the coaching staff and athletes for staying positive
“We scored seven points in the MAC Indoor meet four years ago....

Seven points is absolutely ground zero.

E.g. one 6th place and two 7th place finishes in any event would produce SEVEN points.

(I believe there are approximately 20 events +/- I'd have to look it up.)

I'm not sure if this is a fair title for this post...
EMU's Women's track team has a long standing tradition of winning.
So to say that Coach Parks built a winner is kinda, well...
I think people like Lela Nelson, Patrice Beasely, Chrystal Dooley, Bria Woods, Ronique Dawes and several others would take exception to that.

Yes, Coach Parks has done well. However, there was a lot of "well" that was done before she got here. Which is completely different than a "How does Ron English build a winner" conversation.

This is the women's first championship in 11 years.

(03-05-2011 10:35 AM)emu steve Wrote:  This is the women's first championship in 11 years.

Yes, but they've been competitive and even good most of those 11 years.
Lela Nelson was a National champion in 2005.
Chrystal Dooley went to Nationals in the 400m hurdles every year she was in school.
Patrice Beasley was faster than most of the guys on the football team :-)

(03-05-2011 09:45 AM)Dennis D. Rachwal Wrote:  HOW WOULD YOU BUILD A MEN'S BASKETBALL PROGRAM?

I'll try to draw an analogy using Jim Larranaga at George Mason.

Larranaga had roots in the state of Virginia.

He found a home at George Mason. Jim is around 60 or 60+ and isn't about to move for the hell of it.

Folks know that he'll be there next year even if he does well in the NCAAs this year. That makes recruiting easir.

Sue Parks is true EMU because of her father. She is probably at the point of her career where she might not want to uproot just to find a bigger program to build.

EMU needs to get blind lucky with a coach who can win and wants to stay if he does win.

That is a tough find for a mid-major program..

No I understand what you're saying...

Tangent note:

I just hope if English can produce a winning team here that as soon as he does some BCS program doesn't come with a million dollar offer them.

As a side note, I believe most MWC, C-USA, etc. programs are paying 2x what MAC coaches get.

Too bad Waters left and Ramsey didn't win.

Both have extensive roots in S.E. Michigan.

Better then a 40 year old from elsewhere who never unpacks his bags and using a MAC school as a stepping stone.

That should have read... NOW I understand

I guessed that's what you meant.

I was able to 'read your mind'...

Does that make me smarter then Watson the computer? ;-)

Maybe smarter... But probably not faster, LoL

(03-05-2011 12:38 PM)KPJ Wrote:  Maybe smarter... But probably not faster, LoL

I'll e-mail Gragg and tell him I'm available to help with selecting a new hoops coach.

Can't promise I'll have a list of three names in 4.5 seconds but it won't take days or weeks.

BTW, I logged onto Watson and asked for a top pick for EMU HC.

Watson says it uses natural language and needed the requirements for making the decision. I replied:

Experience in the midwest as an asst coach in the Big Ten or head coach of a mid major D-I conference.

Experience in the NCAA tourney.

Knowledge of Michigan high schools and recruiting them.

Ability to play an exciting brand of basketball with a lot of show which will entertain the fans and make them want to come out and watch the team.

Curious who Watson recommended?

Tommy Ammaker(sp?)??????

No.

Milton Barnes.

I queried Watson and said why?

Watson said, "met your requirements exactly including exciting basketball."

I asked "Exciting?"

Watson said, "I took into account his coaching experience with the Harlem Globetrotters."

I replied, "Watson, you don't have the good sense of my little finger."

Watson got upset and did an abend (abnormal ending in computer speak).

Watson won't let me logon again.

(03-06-2011 09:19 AM)KPJ Wrote:  Tommy Ammaker(sp?)??????

I was thinking Dick Vitalle

Here is what happend. The program was in turmoil starting in January 2006 when the interim AD let Maybouer go for no reason. Rumor was that the assistant at that time had something to do with it so that he could get the position (which ended up being true). That assistant was not brought back when the 2006 indoor and outdoor season was done. Many of that particular assistant coach's recruits up and left because Sue was working them harder than that assistant was and weren't getting babied. Since then, Sue has worked hard to bring the program back to prominance. When Maybouer was there, we were only lower than third twice (1998 and 2003).

Lela, Bria, Dooley, Patrice, and Ronique were all Bingle recruits and Ronique was on the team with me when we won it in 2000.

(03-07-2011 11:23 AM)EMUTRACK1574 Wrote:  Here is what happend. The program was in turmoil starting in January 2006 when the interim AD let Maybouer go for no reason. Rumor was that the assistant at that time had something to do with it so that he could get the position (which ended up being true). That assistant was not brought back when the 2006 indoor and outdoor season was done. Many of that particular assistant coach's recruits up and left because Sue was working them harder than that assistant was and weren't getting babied. Since then, Sue has worked hard to bring the program back to prominance. When Maybouer was there, we were only lower than third twice (1998 and 2003).

Lela, Bria, Dooley, Patrice, and Ronique were all Bingle recruits and Ronique was on the team with me when we won it in 2000.

Thanks, good info.

I think Sue has a very, very deep squad most of whom should be back next year and many beyond next year.