The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Rob Ehsan was not ready for the job. I think that is pretty obvious. Can he become a serviceable head coach? Probably. Does UAB only strive to have a serviceable head coach? I don't think so.

I am pretty sure we will see some staff turnover in this offseason. Frankly, I think Rob E's job depends on it.

(02-09-2018 01:08 PM)blazerball25 Wrote:  Rob Ehsan was not ready for the job. I think that is pretty obvious. Can he become a serviceable head coach? Probably. Does UAB only strive to have a serviceable head coach? I don't think so.

I am pretty sure we will see some staff turnover in this offseason. Frankly, I think Rob E's job depends on it.

I really so.

I’m not sure what people expected when we hired Ehsan. We’ve gotten exactly what I’d expect from a new coach... growing pains.

As far is the initial post, i too immediately said hold on a second when u read about Cokley. He has improved every year and went from a very good player to an outstanding player. How many of us thought he would be in the running for cusa player of the year before the season started?

Chris Cokely has improved the last two years. Fair correction from my first post. Another fair point is we’ve struggled to find a closer since Robert Brown graduated.

Points on the other side. Eshan inherited a better roster than any of his predecessors. Our SOS hasn’t been good at all in two years. While Eshan is a good recruiter only one player he got here as head coach is really contributing. Nobody has challenged that we’ve not won a single game as an underdog in two years. It’s a fair point that Eshan may just need a key assistant addition.

Bringing up our recent NCAA drought is one thing, but as a mid major I’m surprised that there was no mention of our NIT success. That needs to be included.

So why are some mad that we are having this discussion? If we can’t look at these things on a message board then where can we talk about it?

I’m fully behind Rob Eshan and hopeful they flip the script down the stretch. But he’s not met the expectations that he acknowledged were there when he took the job with this roster.

Very fair STC.

Let's have a civil discussion please. I don't think that is too much to ask.

(02-09-2018 01:59 PM)stc Wrote:  Chris Cokely has improved the last two years. Fair correction from my first post. Another fair point is we’ve struggled to find a closer since Robert Brown graduated.

Points on the other side. Eshan inherited a better roster than any of his predecessors. Our SOS hasn’t been good at all in two years. While Eshan is a good recruiter only one player he got here as head coach is really contributing. Nobody has challenged that we’ve not won a single game as an underdog in two years. It’s a fair point that Eshan may just need a key assistant addition.

Bringing up our recent NCAA drought is one thing, but as a mid major I’m surprised that there was no mention of our NIT success. That needs to be included.

So why are some mad that we are having this discussion? If we can’t look at these things on a message board then where can we talk about it?

I’m fully behind Rob Eshan and hopeful they flip the script down the stretch. But he’s not met the expectations that he acknowledged were there when he took the job with this roster.

I agree with all of this. STC


I think this current team is only one Juco bigman from having a phenomenal year. Maybe HCRE put too much emphasis on signing Rod Brown and got left holding the bag in the end ?

Changes I would make off-season.

* Ramp up the off season conditioning program. (See Mike Anderson era conditioning)
* Call James Green or someone like him to add to the bench and clean up the defense. Green's teams will punch you in the mouth. Could always throw Marsh a lifeline and get him out of A&M.
* Play one true money game a year and schedule no one under a consistent 250 ever again. (Sometimes tourneys force you to play one like this season) One DII is ok instead of a sub 300 team. Never more than one.
* Stop looking at only regional teams for H&Hs. Pull a Gene Bartow and lets get some home and homes out west. WCC, Horizon, WAC, etc.

We won't even get into marketing or lack there of.

If I had my druthers I would play fastest 40s style up tempo balls to the wall. We can recruit Burger King All Americans to play that style all day long and wear people out but I don't think he would do that. This roster is suited for that style IMHO and the next game I coach won't be my first.

I could say more but about to travel........ ;-)

I have been reading posts on BlazerTalk about our basketball teams for years. One theme of dissatisfaction usually involves statements about how talented the team is but how poorly the results are. Our principal ACE player we bragged about signing is William Lee, but over the years a common theme has been disappointment in his play. If I had $10 for every time knowledgeable fans complained that he disappeared during a game, I would not have to worry that retired teachers have not gotten a raise since 2007.

Maybe we just don't have the TEAM some think we have. Lee is just one example / ingredient of that possibility.

(02-09-2018 12:08 PM)BlazerPhil Wrote:  

(02-09-2018 11:50 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  We have had a good and experienced roster, and played probably the worst two schedules in UAB history. He's barely above .500 against D1 teams with a bottom dweller SOS. What world do you live in? How can you rationalize this as okay/good results? How can you have been a uab basketball fan since the 80s and be okay with what you see now? Bizarre.

Why are you still here ? Reading comprehension hasn't been a strong suit for you has it ?

We are 5 games over .500 . That is way better than most teams playing.

Our conference mates have equal talent to us. You can like it or not, or go ahead and deny it like I know you will. Because we all know "The Answer" knows all, therefore everyone else is wrong, even when "The Answer" is presented with facts.

I've seen some pretty crappy schedules over the years. Rob Eshan is not alone. It is however the first UAB season I can remember since the Murry Bartow years that we went into the season with less than 3 servicable or healthy big men.

You really think all 14 teams have equal talent?

We were picked 2nd in the conference by the coaches. We are tied for 7th.
That is massive under performance.

Coke has improved a great deal. Hardly ever gets in foul trouble.
Lee has regressed.
Norton has regressed.
Darling is a role player who is starting.

A stronger schedule would have better prepared the team. It appears he scheduled not to prepare the team but to pad his win/loss record.

MTSU & WKU scheduled stronger and their conference record reflects it.

My suggestion: NEVER schedule D2 teams except for a preseason exhibition game or two.

Never schedule any team expected to be below 200. Because invariably, some will fall there.

We have problems and pretending they don't exist does not fix them.

I am not going to spend the next 2.25 years calling for his head because he will not be replaced before 4 years so its in everyone's best interest that he improves.

But, looking forward, I see 2 more years very much like the last 1.75. I hope I'm wrong.

okay they hired Rob to keep the players in tact know that's its pretty much over, can we get Murry Bartow back or Jason Kidd or the equivelance cause this thing just ain't working. How old is Mike Deane maybe he can coach here. quite peod.

(02-09-2018 02:32 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  Changes I would make off-season.

* Ramp up the off season conditioning program. (See Mike Anderson era conditioning)
* Call James Green or someone like him to add to the bench and clean up the defense. Green's teams will punch you in the mouth. Could always throw Marsh a lifeline and get him out of A&M.
* Play one true money game a year and schedule no one under a consistent 250 ever again. (Sometimes tourneys force you to play one like this season) One DII is ok instead of a sub 300 team. Never more than one.
* Stop looking at only regional teams for H&Hs. Pull a Gene Bartow and lets get some home and homes out west. WCC, Horizon, WAC, etc.

We won't even get into marketing or lack there of.

If I had my druthers I would play fastest 40s style up tempo balls to the wall. We can recruit Burger King All Americans to play that style all day long and wear people out but I don't think he would do that. This roster is suited for that style IMHO and the next game I coach won't be my first.

I could say more but about to travel........ ;-)

Changes, I would make in the off season get a new coach and new players.

(02-09-2018 04:34 PM)BirminghamJoseph2770 Wrote:  

(02-09-2018 02:32 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  Changes I would make off-season.

* Ramp up the off season conditioning program. (See Mike Anderson era conditioning)
* Call James Green or someone like him to add to the bench and clean up the defense. Green's teams will punch you in the mouth. Could always throw Marsh a lifeline and get him out of A&M.
* Play one true money game a year and schedule no one under a consistent 250 ever again. (Sometimes tourneys force you to play one like this season) One DII is ok instead of a sub 300 team. Never more than one.
* Stop looking at only regional teams for H&Hs. Pull a Gene Bartow and lets get some home and homes out west. WCC, Horizon, WAC, etc.

We won't even get into marketing or lack there of.

If I had my druthers I would play fastest 40s style up tempo balls to the wall. We can recruit Burger King All Americans to play that style all day long and wear people out but I don't think he would do that. This roster is suited for that style IMHO and the next game I coach won't be my first.

I could say more but about to travel........ ;-)

Changes, I would make in the off season get a new coach and new players.

A program can fire its coaches at any time, hire new coaches between seasons, but it can't fire and replace its players so readily. If they don't choose to leave on their own, you generally have them for the duration of their time (unless they get into legal troubles).

(02-09-2018 02:32 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  * Stop looking at only regional teams for H&Hs.

Spend a Thursday & Saturday up here in DC:

Maryland 61 RPI
Towson 111
Georgetown 149
George Washington 198
Mount St. Mary's 211
George Mason 215

Once you must switch from bus to airplane, the distance to a game is of negligible significance. Games should be considered in the near northwest, midwest and northeast. If you want to be considered a national name program, a national schedule can help.

First, I would not consider myself as having a high basketball IQ...never coached, never played, and outside of a handful of high school games, I've never been to any basketball games other than UAB. So my opinion is exactly that...my opinion. I'm a fan and that's about all I have to offer.

What I do know is that when we signed the class with William Lee, we were on top of the world. It looked good. Then, as freshmen, they shocked the world and took care of a #3 seed in the tournament after getting hot and winning the conference tournament. Looking back, we talk about how they were just a mediocre team that got hot for a couple of weeks, and that's fine, but we can only say that now with 3 years to measure. At the time, we were confident in our future.

We all thought that we were about to enter into the new golden era of UAB Basketball. We were all super excited, and were more concerned that Lee wouldn't reach Ogg's blocks record because he'd only play for us three years. I may only be speaking for myself, but it never crossed my mind then that we might be disappointed in his senior season. Of course, we didn't know that we would have a senior who has had a surgery every year since getting to college.

There are a lot of reasons why we aren't where we thought we'd be, but regardless of those, I still think it's fair for the fans to be frustrated...this season is nothing like we thought it would be a few seasons ago. Our expectations have taken a nose dive over the last 3-4 years. We're looking around and realizing that overall we are really not any better than we were when this group of seniors were freshmen.

Yes, we are still winning games. Yes, we are still over .500. Yes, there are still some bright spots. But, to be fair, most thought we'd be trying to get that single digit tournament seeding this year. At least that's where I am. Not saying we should fire Rob...I was one who wanted us to hire him, I'm still in his corner, and I still think he's going to make a great head coach. But, I think we also have to realize that Mike Davis was our last head coach with at least 2 years head coaching experience.

That said, the more I think about it, and the less likely it seems that any successful coach will stay here any length of time, the less patient I think we should be with our coaching staffs. I mean, there's a part of me who thinks we're living in a fool's paradise to act like it's all okay and give a coach a long leash to figure things out only to be left staring at the tail lights as soon as he does.

And now that I'm done rambling on...I'll just say, it's tough being a fan of a mid-major sometimes...the steps forward are never quite big enough and the steps back are always magnified because of how tough it is to climb that ladder.

So with all that said who's the next coach. Is Mike Deane available.

(02-09-2018 06:27 PM)BirminghamJoseph2770 Wrote:  So with all that said who's the next coach. Is Mike Deane available.

Rob Ehsan

Rob Ehsan is our coach, and he will be next year, and most likely the next two years. More than that, fans running their mouth about getting rid of him on social media will do nothing to change how long he coaches and can do significant damage to our team's morale and our recruiting. Quit it.

I think that there will be staff changes, either because Rob sees the need or because it is forced on him after the way the last couple of seasons have wound up. We need an older, hard nosed defensive coach on the bench, someone who puts the fear of god and the coaches into the team, someone who demands respect and gets it.

I know a bunch of y'all are going to howl, but anyone who knows me knows that I'm about as far from a bammer as a UAB fan can get... but the Houston Rockets cut T. R. Dunn loose in 2016, and so far as I know he's not coaching anywhere. He's exactly the sort of hire I'm talking about. I doubt that it would be him for any number of reasons, but he's the sort of defensive/bench coach we desperately need to hire. I think that he could also teach Coach Ehsan a lot of fine points. He's got a ton of experience to tap into.

I'll hang up and listen.

The team is not playing good Basketball, I know that is simple and understated. I hope the team isn't fighting each other as much as Blazertalkers are
Every ones opinion matters, to say different is very insulting to the speaker. Disagreement is okay, that doesn't mean the speaker is wrong only you believe differently.
Show respect to others...
Now, to the subject, the team have 2 really good players in Cokely and HaHa...1 player with the potential to be really good in Bryant.
We need 2 big physical guards and a dominate big man.
We are lacking a real floor General, Norton is a good player but I saw bad guard play by Norton, Bryant and Darling.
They were beaten all night. They couldn't get over screens to challenge the 3 point shooters.
UAB lack of Guard play was exposed early in the season, and when we play teams with dominate 1 or 2 guards, our lack of good guard play is a problem.
We turn the ball over at a high rate...we are having trouble feeding the post.
Eshan appears unable to motivate the team to play defense.
If you saw or heard the team play the final 10 minutes, you know the teams problem boiled down to effort, 50/50 balls, staying in front of your man, help defense, block out, offensive rebounding.
The team still have games to play, we have song to each other, we have shared our thoughts on Eshan coaching ability.
I am one of those fans, that never get to high or to low. This is a game, a game , a game and not life or death...lets share our opinion that's why we come here..I enjoy everyones opinion...keep sharing, keep supporting the team.
Go Blazers,rebounder2u


Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Fair post by stc, IMO what's missing is that veteran head coach acting as a bench coach to mentor Ehsan on being a head coach while keeping the team on an even keel during a game. With this maybe we start to eek out those underdog games while winning the ones we should.