*Warning – this is a LONG post, and frankly some of you aren’t going to like it)

I am truly amazed and saddened by the repeated rhetoric of many posters on this board. Instead of intelligent and occasional spirited debate, we have digressed into name-calling, spiteful posts, and in some cases, bullying posters whose opinion we disagree with. This is especially true when talking about our head hoops coach.

Let’s get a few things out of the way:

- NONE of us are happy with the current direction of the program
- NONE of us are satisfied with the roster management
- NONE of us accept the lack of Conference & Tourney success
- NONE of us see the constant churn of recruits and find it acceptable
- NONE of us find player development apparent
- NONE of us understand the inconsistent substitution patterns
- NONE of us agree with the rhetoric “everyone is good”

But here’s what some of us forget:

- RC said he had a “list in his back pocket”…but every name on that list turned him down
- The program Josh took over was ultimately stripped of our Final Four tourney run
- We were under the cloud of NCAA investigation and possible sanctions
- While I love our guys, we had players caught slapping girlfriends at the nightclub, driving Escalades, need I go on? (I did like the Pierre slap of the UAB fan though….that was good, but I digress…)
- It was RC who – in an act of desperation – offered an assistant coach (who wasn’t the #1 assistant, BTW) with NO Head Coaching experience, and put him in charge of a Major D-1 program with these expectations

Just to put that last bullet in perspective; of all the “name” teams currently looking for a head coach (Texas, Alabama, YouTee, etc.) which one of them are campaigning for a lead assistant? NONE OF THEM. And again, Josh wasn’t even the lead assistant under Cal.

When he was hired, he was a breath of fresh air; the honest “gosh-darn” kid who drank milk instead of wine or beer, who didn’t cuss his kids out, who believed in discipline. He was hired based on the promise of what he *could* be, not based on the track record of what he had accomplished.

Josh has lost some good assistants who had valuable experience and – most importantly – his trust. And now, it appears (I’m not in practices or I’m not an “insider”) that Josh doesn’t trust his current assistants in various aspects. Remember when he gave kudo’s to his staff for the defensive game plan we had against the Derrick Favors squad? In what should have been a blow-out, we hung in there until the final minutes.

The “PROSECUTORS” among you continue to not only berate Josh, but anyone who is mildly supportive of him or the program. You continue to hold his salary against him when you ain’t paying a dime of it, whereas decision-makers within the university structure felt the need for continuity. I DO understand wanting to get Value for the cost, but to continue to hold an Anvil above his head?

Either way, you are NOT helping anything by your on-going rants and continued sniping, turning EVERY dang post about ANYTHING into a referendum about Josh.

Newsflash: WE GET IT, WE KNOW YOUR OPINIONS. You have become the antithesis of TC; whose spamming of “promises and good news” have been replaced with your spamming of “Josh must go, he’s no good, etc. etc. etc.”

HERE’S WHERE WE ARE NOW:

- Josh needs to move one of his assistants (I prefer to move Kirby over Aki, but that’s IMO), and FINALLY get an assistant whose strength isn’t recruiting, but X’s and O’s. AND LISTEN TO HIM/HER. Frankly, I’m not against a female assistant, but if he were to hire one now it would appear to be a gimmick.
- Josh needs to change the persona and “everyone is good.” If we lose a game that we shouldn't, say that. Say what he's going to change. It's okay to be complimentary, but currently it sounds like an excuse when we lose. Continue to hold his players accountable, but not every little thing needs to result in public humiliation.
- He needs to decide an identity for this team, and stick to it. Run-N-Gun, Press, Fast-Pace, Grit-N-Grind, whatever. Just pick one and STICK to it.
- He should continue being the great human being that he is; call on the sick, raise money for those in need, and be an ambassador for the program.

I usually agree with GP, but I do disagree with him on this: This Situation Is Salvageable. With the returning players on board, the influx of talent, and the four bullets listed above, Memphis can absolutely make a strong S16-run.

Of course, SOME of you still won’t be happy, but that’s another story altogether.

Those who bothered to read the whole post, thanks! I appreciate you giving me this opportunity to say this.

GREAT post.

Dang, son! Well spoke. And yes, I read all of it.

Memphis will not make a Sweet 16 run under Pastner.

I firmly believe that we can and will get a really good hire in about a year.. We were in a dreadful situation when Pastner was hired, the majority problem being our potential NCAA sanctions. We won't have that next time. With the right money, we have the other resources to get a good coach. I do say thanks to Josh for keeping it relevant somewhat. IMO his small experimental window should have been about 4 years. Other than that, I cant totally fault the hire, given the circumstances. I just think he's been here 2 years too long, 3 when you count next year.. I do think its probable Josh develops into head coach material, but he will need to be approximately 10 years older.

Yes, the name calling is silly, ie.. clown, bozo, etc...

Other than that, good post.

Nicely done. Read the entire post.

I think part of what's sparking the continued discussion is the total, dead silence coming from the athletic department. They haven't confirmed or denied ANYTHING about the bb program other than the two additional end of year transfers (King, Powell).

No, end of year press conference to put a wrap on the season. Nothing.

At best this is amateur hour; at worst there's a storm brewing and they aren't giving us any info.....

(03-30-2015 10:57 AM)bluebacker Wrote:  Nicely done. Read the entire post.

I think part of what's sparking the continued discussion is the total, dead silence coming from the athletic department. They haven't confirmed or denied ANYTHING about the bb program other than the two additional end of year transfers (King, Powell).

No, end of year press conference to put a wrap on the season. Nothing.

At best this is amateur hour; at worst there's a storm brewing and they aren't giving us any info.....

I think you make a good point. But while I'm not sure it's a storm that's brewing, I have to believe that something is coming. The world has changed, I can feel it in the water, I can feel it in the earth, I can smell it in the air.

Excellent post and my thoughts exactly, especially:

you are NOT helping anything by your on-going rants and continued sniping, turning EVERY dang post about ANYTHING into a referendum about Josh.

At some point you've got to stop blaming Bush...

Excellent post Merrick (I also read the entire thing), and the only thing I would add is anyone who is driving the temperature up on either side of the divide in re: Pastner should realize they are 100% entitled to their position, but not to belittle fellow posters who simply hold a different one.

You disagree with someone? Good, that is part of function of a message board. Say so, respectfully, and state your points. Some fun discussions happen when people amicably disagree. Keeps things interesting. Little comes from personal invective.

I co-sign the entirety of Merrick's post. Well said.

(03-30-2015 10:42 AM)Merrick Wrote:  *Warning – this is a LONG post, and frankly some of you aren’t going to like it)

I am truly amazed and saddened by the repeated rhetoric of many posters on this board. Instead of intelligent and occasional spirited debate, we have digressed into name-calling, spiteful posts, and in some cases, bullying posters whose opinion we disagree with. This is especially true when talking about our head hoops coach.

Let’s get a few things out of the way:

- NONE of us are happy with the current direction of the program
- NONE of us are satisfied with the roster management
- NONE of us accept the lack of Conference & Tourney success
- NONE of us see the constant churn of recruits and find it acceptable
- NONE of us find player development apparent
- NONE of us understand the inconsistent substitution patterns
- NONE of us agree with the rhetoric “everyone is good”

But here’s what some of us forget:

- RC said he had a “list in his back pocket”…but every name on that list turned him down
- The program Josh took over was ultimately stripped of our Final Four tourney run
- We were under the cloud of NCAA investigation and possible sanctions
- While I love our guys, we had players caught slapping girlfriends at the nightclub, driving Escalades, need I go on? (I did like the Pierre slap of the UAB fan though….that was good, but I digress…)
- It was RC who – in an act of desperation – offered an assistant coach (who wasn’t the #1 assistant, BTW) with NO Head Coaching experience, and put him in charge of a Major D-1 program with these expectations

Just to put that last bullet in perspective; of all the “name” teams currently looking for a head coach (Texas, Alabama, YouTee, etc.) which one of them are campaigning for a lead assistant? NONE OF THEM. And again, Josh wasn’t even the lead assistant under Cal.

When he was hired, he was a breath of fresh air; the honest “gosh-darn” kid who drank milk instead of wine or beer, who didn’t cuss his kids out, who believed in discipline. He was hired based on the promise of what he *could* be, not based on the track record of what he had accomplished.

Josh has lost some good assistants who had valuable experience and – most importantly – his trust. And now, it appears (I’m not in practices or I’m not an “insider”) that Josh doesn’t trust his current assistants in various aspects. Remember when he gave kudo’s to his staff for the defensive game plan we had against the Derrick Favors squad? In what should have been a blow-out, we hung in there until the final minutes.

The “PROSECUTORS” among you continue to not only berate Josh, but anyone who is mildly supportive of him or the program. You continue to hold his salary against him when you ain’t paying a dime of it, whereas decision-makers within the university structure felt the need for continuity. I DO understand wanting to get Value for the cost, but to continue to hold an Anvil above his head?

Either way, you are NOT helping anything by your on-going rants and continued sniping, turning EVERY dang post about ANYTHING into a referendum about Josh.

Newsflash: WE GET IT, WE KNOW YOUR OPINIONS. You have become the antithesis of TC; whose spamming of “promises and good news” have been replaced with your spamming of “Josh must go, he’s no good, etc. etc. etc.”

HERE’S WHERE WE ARE NOW:

- Josh needs to move one of his assistants (I prefer to move Kirby over Aki, but that’s IMO), and FINALLY get an assistant whose strength isn’t recruiting, but X’s and O’s. AND LISTEN TO HIM/HER. Frankly, I’m not against a female assistant, but if he were to hire one now it would appear to be a gimmick.
- Josh needs to change the persona and “everyone is good.” If we lose a game that we shouldn't, say that. Say what he's going to change. It's okay to be complimentary, but currently it sounds like an excuse when we lose. Continue to hold his players accountable, but not every little thing needs to result in public humiliation.
- He needs to decide an identity for this team, and stick to it. Run-N-Gun, Press, Fast-Pace, Grit-N-Grind, whatever. Just pick one and STICK to it.
- He should continue being the great human being that he is; call on the sick, raise money for those in need, and be an ambassador for the program.

I usually agree with GP, but I do disagree with him on this: This Situation Is Salvageable. With the returning players on board, the influx of talent, and the four bullets listed above, Memphis can absolutely make a strong S16-run.

Of course, SOME of you still won’t be happy, but that’s another story altogether.

Those who bothered to read the whole post, thanks! I appreciate you giving me this opportunity to say this.

Good read. I would quibble that the salary is not being held against him as much as it is being used as the ultimate real world barometer of whether or not he is living up the expectations. Who is paying it is not relevant. What is relevant is that it is an objective prism by which you evaluate the merits of his track record. Making the tourney 4 out of five years, winning percentage, blow out losses, record vs the top 50, are all data, the salary amount puts the data in context, and I think that is not something one should dismiss so quickly just because other people are footing the bill. Support for the University is a precious resource and if it is being spent in one place that is money that can not be spent in another place and we have many needs. But again, good read, thank you for sharing your perspective.

Thanks for your perspective, I personally think it is ridiculous to blame RC Johnson for the 2015 state of Memphis Tigers Basketball. I wonder if Syracuse is just going to give up now. They're under a pretty heavy cloud now....

Good post. I just feel we have a difference of opinion. I totally agree with GP in that this is not a salvageable situation. Season ticket holder since the 80s and I know many others like myself who would prefer a change. So lets say we reach the S16 next year. Should we give him another 6 yrs to get back? At some point you've seen enough to know how the story will end.

(03-30-2015 11:00 AM)TigerBill Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 10:57 AM)bluebacker Wrote:  Nicely done. Read the entire post.

I think part of what's sparking the continued discussion is the total, dead silence coming from the athletic department. They haven't confirmed or denied ANYTHING about the bb program other than the two additional end of year transfers (King, Powell).

No, end of year press conference to put a wrap on the season. Nothing.

At best this is amateur hour; at worst there's a storm brewing and they aren't giving us any info.....

I think you make a good point. But while I'm not sure it's a storm that's brewing, I have to believe that something is coming. The world has changed, I can feel it in the water, I can feel it in the earth, I can smell it in the air.

+3 from me for that

(03-30-2015 11:16 AM)Tigerbluesky Wrote:  Good post. I just feel we have a difference of opinion. I totally agree with GP in that this is not a salvageable situation. Season ticket holder since the 80s and I know many others like myself who would prefer a change. So lets say we reach the S16 next year. Should we give him another 6 yrs to get back? At some point you've seen enough to know how the story will end.

I think the decision NOW shouldn't be for next year. It should be for next year and 2017. By keeping Pastner you are betting that he will make the Sweet 16 this year.

We will lose Shaq, Burrell, Kedren, Hawkins and probably Nichols, and it doesn't look like we have enough reinforcements recruiting wise to replace them. We will have a tough time making the tournament in 2017.

I think you guys got spoiled by Calapari. Your boy now was never going to live up to those expectations.

(03-30-2015 11:26 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  I think you guys got spoiled by Calapari. Your boy now was never going to live up to those expectations.

Hopefully he winds up at Arizona State, which is a much lower pressure gig and he would probably flourish.

(03-30-2015 11:20 AM)Stammers Wrote:  

(03-30-2015 11:16 AM)Tigerbluesky Wrote:  Good post. I just feel we have a difference of opinion. I totally agree with GP in that this is not a salvageable situation. Season ticket holder since the 80s and I know many others like myself who would prefer a change. So lets say we reach the S16 next year. Should we give him another 6 yrs to get back? At some point you've seen enough to know how the story will end.

I think the decision NOW shouldn't be for next year. It should be for next year and 2017. By keeping Pastner you are betting that he will make the Sweet 16 this year.

We will lose Shaq, Burrell, Kedren, Hawkins and probably Nichols, and it doesn't look like we have enough reinforcements recruiting wise to replace them. We will have a tough time making the tournament in 2017.

One thing Pastner COULD do is pull a recruiting class rabbit out of his hat. The only problem is that the players will either be very young or new to the program such that, even if the talent is there in 2017, you're right it will be tough sledding even getting to the NCAA tournament.......

I agree with most, if not all, of the points. Boils down to no better options available originally considering the circumstances, Pastner got millions and he helped us out in the meantime. But there is no substitute for experience, so it's time to move on for everyone. It's probably a moot point anyway because we won't make the S16 next year for the same reasons we didn't last season, and, as Stammers pointed out, we will be in a tight spot for 2017. The die is cast IMHO for Pastner - he misses the S16 next year and is gone, or he makes it and leaves of his own accord on a high note.

Excellent post.
As the season wound down, I noticed Josh somewhat toned down the "everyones good, coach is a dear friend, outer space, and other similar Joshisms."

However, I kinda miss the "Memphis has the best fanbase in america" mantra. Maybe he has given up on the fans due to the recent criticisms?

(03-30-2015 11:26 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  I think you guys got spoiled by Calapari. Your boy now was never going to live up to those expectations.

People keep saying this and it keeps not being true. Seriously. Final Fours would be nice and everything, but people are really looking for Sweet 16s.