(12-13-2014 11:49 PM)Flying Corn Wrote:  

(12-13-2014 10:32 PM)The Frisky Biscuit Wrote:  

(12-13-2014 10:21 PM)huskie1stdown Wrote:  When does MM start to feel that heat? This is year 4 and he has no offensive game plan yet.
Time to start tightening the leash a little.

Nowhere near enough people care about basketball for him to feel heat or get fired.

Well that didn't used to be the case...but sadly, it's where we're at with this program.

Quote:They've gotten better. They're missing their best player due to bad luck. I don't think there's a reason to ditch Monty yet. He's juuuuuuuust starting to NIU to not awful. It's going to take a little more time for "good" to come.

I get the frustration, I'm annoyed too. But I don't think it's realistic for him to get fired and I don't think he deserves it....yet.

Three years is the magic # when it comes to a coach turning a program around, but I think your earlier point is a stark illustration of the ebb into which NIU hoops has descended.

This is a Novak-type rebuild, and its probably going to take at least 5, 6, maybe even 7 years to get back to competing for division titles, let alone MAC titles....

Yeah, it sucks to wait. It really does. But the alternative is worse. I don't think NIU is an attractive enough job to get a better candidate than Monty. He has made progress, of course we want more and sooner. But if he were launched, I think you're back to Patton days.

I'm trying to find solace. Like...we miss a lot of layups....but at least we're getting layups? We're not just watching them run back and forth around the 3 point arc handing the ball off back and forth like a few years ago?

It's frustrating that they still aren't scoring, but there is progress to see. It's just not terribly satisfying progress yet.

I preached patience on Hare so I suppose I should do that here. I'd like to see NIU exploit their bigs more but maybe those guys just aren't that good. Sometimes height is just height.

(12-14-2014 12:02 AM)NIU75 Wrote:  With NIU losing to EIU, our rpi drops to 253 out of 351. And this is MM's fourth year.

http://www.rpiforecast.com/live-rpi.html

I got too sad and stopped counting but there were still 3 Illinois schools minimum below NIU on that list.

This state is the Bikini Atoll of college basketball.

The Huskies are learning a valuable lesson: You will not win basketball games if you can't put the ball through the hoop. I just wonder how many more of those lessons they will need before they solve their problems - if they even can. It sure is depressing watching missed shot after missed shot, year after year.

Highsmith was supposed to be the finisher, the guy who would put the ball in the hoop. Without him, there just aren't any answers that I can see.

I'm interested to hear from those of you who are/were coaches: you're given a team full of kids who simply don't have the skill to score the basketball, but who play hard, rebound etc..

What can Monty do to with this group to generate more points? Or is it simply a matter of we just have to become like EMU and slow everything down to a crawl, and force our opponents into an ugly, mudding rugby scrum every night where the first team to 40 wins?

If it weren't so sad, it would almost be funny, how we will continually get less than 1,000 fans at our games while Athletics gets much more restrictive as to who gets into the Sixth Man Grille and what you get in there. It's a joke.

If Monty can not be well above 500 this year, he needs to go. 4 years down the road there is no excuse to lose to a below average EIU team .

(12-14-2014 12:40 AM)The Frisky Biscuit Wrote:  

(12-14-2014 12:02 AM)NIU75 Wrote:  With NIU losing to EIU, our rpi drops to 253 out of 351. And this is MM's fourth year.

http://www.rpiforecast.com/live-rpi.html

I got too sad and stopped counting but there were still 3 Illinois schools minimum below NIU on that list.

This state is the Bikini Atoll of college basketball.

It is a sad day for NIU basketball when we need to compare our program to Chicago State, UIC and SIUE.

(12-14-2014 11:09 AM)NIU75 Wrote:  

(12-14-2014 12:40 AM)The Frisky Biscuit Wrote:  

(12-14-2014 12:02 AM)NIU75 Wrote:  With NIU losing to EIU, our rpi drops to 253 out of 351. And this is MM's fourth year.

http://www.rpiforecast.com/live-rpi.html

I got too sad and stopped counting but there were still 3 Illinois schools minimum below NIU on that list.

This state is the Bikini Atoll of college basketball.

It is a sad day for NIU basketball when we need to compare our program to Chicago State, UIC and SIUE.

It is...but realistically when was the last time we were much better? 1995? We had the couple of decent years under Judson, but otherwise it's been a twenty year train wreck.
Those of us who remember when NIU was a hoops school probably don't like to admit it, but this program is going to be perceived as a coaching graveyard if Monty fails. The momentum working against successful basketball is truly comparable to what Novak encountered with football in the 90s.

I expect the team to be 6-5 heading into MAC play. I feel there is a small chance at 7-4, the Dartmouth game is a toss up. But, like Frisky Bisquit said until they win a road game you can't count on any road success.

I like Monty as a person, but after 4 years I expect more. C'mon, losing to EIU? What if we miraculously get into the AAC or Big 12. We would get destroyed. For me there is no excuse for not being as good as, say, Ill. St., Bradley, Northwestern, etc. The MAC sucks as a bball league, but EMU beat Michigan and there have been other notable wins against big time programs. NIU will lose a lot in the MAC unless changes are made. Unfortunately, without Highsmith, I see no one who can consistently score. D is great but we need someone to go to in pinch.

(12-14-2014 01:20 PM)bigredmachine Wrote:  I like Monty as a person, but after 4 years I expect more. C'mon, losing to EIU? What if we miraculously get into the AAC or Big 12. We would get destroyed. For me there is no excuse for not being as good as, say, Ill. St., Bradley, Northwestern, etc. The MAC sucks as a bball league, but EMU beat Michigan and there have been other notable wins against big time programs. NIU will lose a lot in the MAC unless changes are made. Unfortunately, without Highsmith, I see no one who can consistently score. D is great but we need someone to go to in pinch.

I will say that EIU is better than they have been in the past, but still that is one NIU should have won last night. Not as optimistic about Dartmouth as you are dekalb, I think that's a greater than 75% chance loss.

Seem to remember being ripped as "negative" and being in the minority when I questioned the wisdom of Montgomery's contract extension because there were those who believed he was on the verge of being hired away as a result of last season's surge.
It's still too early to assume things can't turn around or some MAC foes will have injuries or tough luck to change expectations. However, I firmly believe this is an example of why schools and coaches need to start viewing contracts differently. IF -- and only if -- someone totally exceeds expectations should there be any thought even given to an extension before the last year of the deal. The buyout aspects have become the most important element because any coach having major success is always going to get a better offer and it's impossible to keep that person. On the other hand, if things do not improve to that significant degree, the school's hands are tied financially. Both scenarios work in favor of the coach. It's also amazing to read some folks now equate a potential move to the Big 12 or AAC as a guarantee of continued basketball misery, yet no one seems to care about the same happening to NIU's other sports programs. Outside of football, Huskie success in the MAC is extremely rare.

(12-14-2014 01:51 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  yet no one seems to care about the same happening to NIU's other sports programs. Outside of football, Huskie success in the MAC is extremely rare.

I do...we'd be absolutely destroyed in baseball and softball....

Can someone explain why we are so bad in the other sports besides football? Bad coaches being hired at a cheap rate? Poor facilities? Lack of funds? Low priorities for non revenue programs? Low recruiting budget? We had 3 different ADs in the last 10 years with no improvement. Is the AD priority the success of football, since that will get them the next job? Take away football does JC get his dream job?

NIU's next opponent,Miss Valley St plays at Northwestern today at 5 on BG10 network.

(12-14-2014 02:21 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  Can someone explain why we are so bad in the other sports besides football? Bad coaches being hired at a cheap rate? Poor facilities? Lack of funds? Low priorities for non revenue programs? Low recruiting budget? We had 3 different ADs in the last 10 years with no improvement. Is the AD priority the success of football, since that will get them the next job? Take away football does JC get his dream job?

Have you seen the facilities? NIU clearly puts just about every dime into football...which is probably the smart gamble, because it's the one that has a chance of making money.

I know the facilities are all supposed to get better (outside the Convo, that's relatively new but at least they got a new court recently).

(12-14-2014 04:49 PM)The Frisky Biscuit Wrote:  

(12-14-2014 02:21 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  Can someone explain why we are so bad in the other sports besides football? Bad coaches being hired at a cheap rate? Poor facilities? Lack of funds? Low priorities for non revenue programs? Low recruiting budget? We had 3 different ADs in the last 10 years with no improvement. Is the AD priority the success of football, since that will get them the next job? Take away football does JC get his dream job?

Have you seen the facilities? NIU clearly puts just about every dime into football...which is probably the smart gamble, because it's the one that has a chance of making money.

I know the facilities are all supposed to get better (outside the Convo, that's relatively new but at least they got a new court recently).

Football does not make money. It loses more than you can imagine. The public perception is football is a cash cow. How much our we going to lose going to a bowl game this year?

(12-14-2014 05:02 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  

(12-14-2014 04:49 PM)The Frisky Biscuit Wrote:  

(12-14-2014 02:21 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  Can someone explain why we are so bad in the other sports besides football? Bad coaches being hired at a cheap rate? Poor facilities? Lack of funds? Low priorities for non revenue programs? Low recruiting budget? We had 3 different ADs in the last 10 years with no improvement. Is the AD priority the success of football, since that will get them the next job? Take away football does JC get his dream job?

Have you seen the facilities? NIU clearly puts just about every dime into football...which is probably the smart gamble, because it's the one that has a chance of making money.

I know the facilities are all supposed to get better (outside the Convo, that's relatively new but at least they got a new court recently).

Football does not make money. It loses more than you can imagine. The public perception is football is a cash cow. How much our we going to lose going to a bowl game this year?

I didn't say it does make money, I said it has a chance to. It's not easy to quantify it financially. I think applications were way up after the Orange Bowl.

It's too bad NIU isn't good at basketball, that could make them some money. Big empty facility just waiting for the moneys to come in.

The bowl system is compete scam, no doubt. I hate it.

Face it...we are not very good....we should never ever lose to an EIU...Illinois State would kill us and they are not the best team in the state

(12-14-2014 05:05 PM)The Frisky Biscuit Wrote:  

(12-14-2014 05:02 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  

(12-14-2014 04:49 PM)The Frisky Biscuit Wrote:  

(12-14-2014 02:21 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  Can someone explain why we are so bad in the other sports besides football? Bad coaches being hired at a cheap rate? Poor facilities? Lack of funds? Low priorities for non revenue programs? Low recruiting budget? We had 3 different ADs in the last 10 years with no improvement. Is the AD priority the success of football, since that will get them the next job? Take away football does JC get his dream job?

Have you seen the facilities? NIU clearly puts just about every dime into football...which is probably the smart gamble, because it's the one that has a chance of making money.

I know the facilities are all supposed to get better (outside the Convo, that's relatively new but at least they got a new court recently).

Football does not make money. It loses more than you can imagine. The public perception is football is a cash cow. How much our we going to lose going to a bowl game this year?

I didn't say it does make money, I said it has a chance to. It's not easy to quantify it financially. I think applications were way up after the Orange Bowl.

It's too bad NIU isn't good at basketball, that could make them some money. Big empty facility just waiting for the moneys to come in.

The bowl system is compete scam, no doubt. I hate it.

I dont think applications were up, we are trending down on enrollment the last 5 years.