What about our basketball program? We have gone thru a long drought, an endless stream of losing records, promised turnarounds from promising coaches (I still remember the hope associated with Judson).
Is there light at the end of the tunnel? Pleeease, someone enlighten me......give me hope, something to hold onto.

I'm not trying to be Danny Downer here, but this program has sucked for too long.

If our hoops program could ever get back to double digit wins, like even 10, it would be huge progress. The bar is pretty low right now.

Lets hope they feel inspired from the football team and step up their game in the MAC.

Still mind-blowing to me how bad we are at hoops. It's a tired talking point but it's inexcusable when we're this close to Chicago.

NIU basketball is at the start of the tunnel. We currently have the third youngest team in the country. We are still in the growing pains stage. We are in year two of a four year turnaround. Patience is our best friend!

With DePaul moving to the C7, I am really hoping we can start moving on some of their recruits. They have been down for a while now but still seem to get a lot of good local talent. Hopefully as our program improves we can start to get a couple of those guys to look our way. There is way too much talent in Chicago that we should be be in on and are not right now because our program all but died.

I still think we're better than last year.

We are 8.5 dogs going into the MAC opener

No reason at all that the basketball program cannot eventually be competitive in MAC play. So much depends on the head coach and I am still hopeful that in Montgomery we have a guy that can get us there. It won't happen overnight and for now we have to be satisfied and happy if we can see incremental improvement.

If you've been regularly watching, I think you're feeling a bit more hopeful this year. The wins may not be there, but I think there's been some promising signs.

Even when Patton won some games, it was almost always only when he had a clear talent advantage or someone had an insane night from the field that could never be counted on again.

Very gradual improvement.. But at this point, any improvement is a plus. I believe in Montgomery. Just might take a while.

(01-08-2013 10:59 PM)niu2222 Wrote:  NIU basketball is at the start of the tunnel. We currently have the third youngest team in the country. We are still in the growing pains stage. We are in year two of a four year turnaround. Patience is our best friend!

(01-09-2013 07:59 AM)bikechuck Wrote:  No reason at all that the basketball program cannot eventually be competitive in MAC play. So much depends on the head coach and I am still hopeful that in Montgomery we have a guy that can get us there. It won't happen overnight and for now we have to be satisfied and happy if we can see incremental improvement.

(01-09-2013 08:51 AM)HuskieFan84 Wrote:  If you've been regularly watching, I think you're feeling a bit more hopeful this year. The wins may not be there, but I think there's been some promising signs.

This has been repeated, ad nauseum, in some version, for now almost 20 years.

I KNEW I shouldn't have clicked on this thread!

When we don't have 7 freshmen every year.

(01-09-2013 11:07 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  

(01-08-2013 10:59 PM)niu2222 Wrote:  NIU basketball is at the start of the tunnel. We currently have the third youngest team in the country. We are still in the growing pains stage. We are in year two of a four year turnaround. Patience is our best friend!

(01-09-2013 07:59 AM)bikechuck Wrote:  No reason at all that the basketball program cannot eventually be competitive in MAC play. So much depends on the head coach and I am still hopeful that in Montgomery we have a guy that can get us there. It won't happen overnight and for now we have to be satisfied and happy if we can see incremental improvement.

(01-09-2013 08:51 AM)HuskieFan84 Wrote:  If you've been regularly watching, I think you're feeling a bit more hopeful this year. The wins may not be there, but I think there's been some promising signs.

This has been repeated, ad nauseum, in some version, for now almost 20 years.

Not in the years we fire a coach. Those years are almost all tales of soul murdering despair.

Too much Internet, too much Espn to take even 2 and one star recruits out of state when you can't even post 10 wins a season. Loyola,UIC,DePaul have the same issue. Kids end up at NIU as a last result.Need to build some relationship with CPHS and a few good suburban conf. Right now, tough sell.

Speaking of basketball, Im watching this Illini/MN game, is it just me or does Tubby Smith look like he has turned into Jerry Kill.

That stache is the worst. By cracky.

Well, after starting this thread, I think I have my answer:
ENJOY NIU Football.....it ain't going to get any better on the hard court in my life time. Please remember, I'm 66. You young whipper snappers still have a chance.

I think you can write the Gophers in ink for the Final Four, good lord they are scary. The Big 10 is ridiculous good this year.