(05-08-2020 11:45 AM)ETSUAlumni Wrote:  

(05-07-2020 10:46 PM)brock20 Wrote:  Yeah Bartow only left us with Isaac Banks, AJ Merriweather, Peter Jurkin (who brought Hanner, not forbes), Lester Wilson and Desonta Bradford (the only player to win socon player of the year under Forbes). A real turd sandwich.

I'm going to take up for Coach Bartow. I realize he was not the best with fans or the best with X's and O's, but he brought in some great players and left the program in good shape player wise (one of those turned out to be SoCon player of the year). Mike Smith, Dillion Sneed, Adam Sollazo, AJ Merriweather, Jalen Riley, Desonta Bradford, Kevin Tiggs....those are just a few that come to mind.

Almost nobody on this board doubted he was a very good recruiter - until the last couple of seasons, maybe, and even then he got some good ones like Bradford.
BUT.......that said, when Forbes came on board, you'll have to admit he brought us 'access' to "whole 'nuther level' of talent via his methodologies. Bringing in good players in not even half the battle. The vast majority of us here have bemoaned for a over a decade his lack of player development. And his incredibly bad (not too strong a characterization) bench-coaching ability. He disrespected players, too, in addition to fans. We don't need to re-hash all that. It's long been done and gone. Let me just close by saying "Gardner-Webb". That should suffice.

(05-08-2020 12:47 PM)posterformerlyknownasthedoctor Wrote:  

(05-08-2020 11:45 AM)ETSUAlumni Wrote:  

(05-07-2020 10:46 PM)brock20 Wrote:  Yeah Bartow only left us with Isaac Banks, AJ Merriweather, Peter Jurkin (who brought Hanner, not forbes), Lester Wilson and Desonta Bradford (the only player to win socon player of the year under Forbes). A real turd sandwich.

I'm going to take up for Coach Bartow. I realize he was not the best with fans or the best with X's and O's, but he brought in some great players and left the program in good shape player wise (one of those turned out to be SoCon player of the year). Mike Smith, Dillion Sneed, Adam Sollazo, AJ Merriweather, Jalen Riley, Desonta Bradford, Kevin Tiggs....those are just a few that come to mind.

Almost nobody on this board doubted he was a very good recruiter - until the last couple of seasons, maybe, and even then he got some good ones like Bradford.
BUT.......that said, when Forbes came on board, you'll have to admit he brought us 'access' to "whole 'nuther level' of talent via his methodologies. Bringing in good players in not even half the battle. The vast majority of us here have bemoaned for a over a decade his lack of player development. And his incredibly bad (not too strong a characterization) bench-coaching ability. He disrespected players, too, in addition to fans. We don't need to re-hash all that. It's long been done and gone. Let me just close by saying "Gardner-Webb". That should suffice.

Not saying he was as good as Coach Forbes, but not the monster some make him out to be. If you remember the program that Leforce left Dechellis....now that was a trainwreck.

(05-08-2020 02:03 PM)ETSUAlumni Wrote:  Not saying he was as good as Coach Forbes, but not the monster some make him out to be. If you remember the program that Leforce left Dechellis....now that was a trainwreck.

No, he was no monster. But he did have some "demons", that I think he was trying to deal with when the end came.

As to his (LeForce's) record, well, only maybe the last year would be called a "train wreck". But......that point is valid. But we don't know how much of that was his fault. He had a bunch of prima donnas, as we know. Was that his "fault"? I honestly don't know. Of course a coach is supposed to mold and shape a team, but that crowd was beyond that kind of help since they so liked reading their press clippings and such. Patterson's knee situation was a *giant* issue. And Corrie Johnson.............well..............we don't really know what happened with Corrie Johnson, do we?

I'm not gonna go out some limb to defend the record of LeForce. But he was a decent human being; a really great, earnest guy who may have been in over his head. Or...........circumstances may have overwhelmed him having a proper chance. Really hard to know. But hey.......he was something like 108-70, including two regular and two tournament titles. Was our coach when we had that banner-worthy (LOL) #10 ranking, and then was coach the next year for the AZ victory. Yes, he inherited those players -- but he also recruited them. So a mixed record.

bartow was a totally different thing. Inherited a great team, but sloooowly ground it down, and was so eat up with coach-speak that it became disgusting. Almost became a wind-up doll with his pet phrases depending on the (softball) questions. We all know that drill. It's not at all so much what bartow had in the fold when he left, it's what he did (and more importantly, *didn't* do) with his players, and *how* he did it that turned people away from him.

Getting lost in all this is the fact we were a top 30 team last year, poised to make a run in the dance, and another in 20-21. Why would a player leave a team with that resume? I have my suspicions, but they're only that, suspicions. With that said, it appears winning and doing what's best for the team, has become merely a distorted cliche. No longer is it prudent to expect love or loyality from a player or coach, it's merely a business, and it'll break your heart every time. Schools, along with their fans are being used, just as players are, and I'm okay with that. Just stop pretending, on both ends.

(05-08-2020 03:10 PM)squeak Wrote:  Getting lost in all this is the fact we were a top 30 team last year, poised to make a run in the dance, and another in 20-21. Why would a player leave a team with that resume? I have my suspicions, but they're only that, suspicions. With that said, it appears winning and doing what's best for the team, has become merely a distorted cliche. No longer is it prudent to expect love or loyality from a player or coach, it's merely a business, and it'll break your heart every time. Schools, along with their fans are being used, just as players are, and I'm okay with that. Just stop pretending, on both ends.

Exactly — all the pretentiousness is deplorable. Stop the bull $@#*! As a business, the university HIRES these people to hopefully bring positive publicity to the school. They are hired public relations agents for the school and they envision paying commissions to their hired agents going forward — including the players. The players, unfortunately, too often end up holding the proverbial bag which gets back to the student-athlete thing. What happened to appreciating a DEBT FREE degree — especially if one is NOT going to play pro ball? What happened to coaches who placed a higher premium on seeing that their players finished their degrees within their FREE eligibility time periods?

(05-08-2020 11:45 AM)ETSUAlumni Wrote:  

(05-07-2020 10:46 PM)brock20 Wrote:  Yeah Bartow only left us with Isaac Banks, AJ Merriweather, Peter Jurkin (who brought Hanner, not forbes), Lester Wilson and Desonta Bradford (the only player to win socon player of the year under Forbes). A real turd sandwich.

I'm going to take up for Coach Bartow. I realize he was not the best with fans or the best with X's and O's, but he brought in some great players and left the program in good shape player wise (one of those turned out to be SoCon player of the year). Mike Smith, Dillion Sneed, Adam Sollazo, AJ Merriweather, Jalen Riley, Desonta Bradford, Kevin Tiggs....those are just a few that come to mind.

I think it’s fair to point out that Forbes inherited an acceptable roster, but I believe Bartow would have misused and under achieved with that roster. Jurkin would not have played, and strongly doubt HMP would have signed with Bartow. My point when I raised Bartow’s last year was that I expect Shay to coach the games and manage roster better than Bartow. I think year 1 will require some patience and soft expectations, but top 4 in conference should be the goal. Advancing to at least the semifinals of conference tournament should be the goal, as well as a post-season. The stretch goal would be a shot at the championship(s) and NIT/NCAA tournament.

(05-08-2020 04:47 PM)shampoo Wrote:  

(05-08-2020 11:45 AM)ETSUAlumni Wrote:  

(05-07-2020 10:46 PM)brock20 Wrote:  Yeah Bartow only left us with Isaac Banks, AJ Merriweather, Peter Jurkin (who brought Hanner, not forbes), Lester Wilson and Desonta Bradford (the only player to win socon player of the year under Forbes). A real turd sandwich.

I'm going to take up for Coach Bartow. I realize he was not the best with fans or the best with X's and O's, but he brought in some great players and left the program in good shape player wise (one of those turned out to be SoCon player of the year). Mike Smith, Dillion Sneed, Adam Sollazo, AJ Merriweather, Jalen Riley, Desonta Bradford, Kevin Tiggs....those are just a few that come to mind.

I think it’s fair to point out that Forbes inherited an acceptable roster, but I believe Bartow would have misused and under achieved with that roster. Jurkin would not have played, and strongly doubt HMP would have signed with Bartow. My point when I raised Bartow’s last year was that I expect Shay to coach the games and manage roster better than Bartow. I think year 1 will require some patience and soft expectations, but top 4 in conference should be the goal. Advancing to at least the semifinals of conference tournament should be the goal, as well as a post-season. The stretch goal would be a shot at the championship(s) and NIT/NCAA tournament.

Also near the end Bartow could not get players taller than 6 4 or there abouts.

(05-08-2020 05:21 PM)bucfan81 Wrote:  

(05-08-2020 04:47 PM)shampoo Wrote:  

(05-08-2020 11:45 AM)ETSUAlumni Wrote:  

(05-07-2020 10:46 PM)brock20 Wrote:  Yeah Bartow only left us with Isaac Banks, AJ Merriweather, Peter Jurkin (who brought Hanner, not forbes), Lester Wilson and Desonta Bradford (the only player to win socon player of the year under Forbes). A real turd sandwich.

I'm going to take up for Coach Bartow. I realize he was not the best with fans or the best with X's and O's, but he brought in some great players and left the program in good shape player wise (one of those turned out to be SoCon player of the year). Mike Smith, Dillion Sneed, Adam Sollazo, AJ Merriweather, Jalen Riley, Desonta Bradford, Kevin Tiggs....those are just a few that come to mind.

I think it’s fair to point out that Forbes inherited an acceptable roster, but I believe Bartow would have misused and under achieved with that roster. Jurkin would not have played, and strongly doubt HMP would have signed with Bartow. My point when I raised Bartow’s last year was that I expect Shay to coach the games and manage roster better than Bartow. I think year 1 will require some patience and soft expectations, but top 4 in conference should be the goal. Advancing to at least the semifinals of conference tournament should be the goal, as well as a post-season. The stretch goal would be a shot at the championship(s) and NIT/NCAA tournament.

Also near the end Bartow could not get players taller than 6 4 or there abouts.

Those last couple years were poorly constructed rosters. We had a couple talented players (Reshawn Rembert, Jalen Riley, Lester Wilson before he fell off), but no depth.

(05-08-2020 05:24 PM)etsuandpurdue3 Wrote:  Those last couple years were poorly constructed rosters. We had a couple talented players (Reshawn Rembert, Jalen Riley, Lester Wilson before he fell off), but no depth.

Wilson had to be the most misused player in ETSU history, a freak athlete, he turned into Bartow's wiping boy, if he made 1 mistake or even something Bartow perceived as a mistake he got the hook. Also didn't help Bartow kept putting him at the 5.

(05-08-2020 05:31 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  

(05-08-2020 05:24 PM)etsuandpurdue3 Wrote:  Those last couple years were poorly constructed rosters. We had a couple talented players (Reshawn Rembert, Jalen Riley, Lester Wilson before he fell off), but no depth.

Wilson had to be the most misused player in ETSU history, a freak athlete, he turned into Bartow's wiping boy, if he made 1 mistake or even something Bartow perceived as a mistake he got the hook. Also didn't help Bartow kept putting him at the 5.

Yes. He was an athlete similar to Bo and during that last year he was actually made to play the 5 position. He was a very athletic 6 3 player but no way should have been down low. Wow. Bad memories.

Jeff Goodman reporting some possible destinations for Hodges and a small glimmer of hope.

https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/...6791351304

(05-10-2020 06:39 AM)BigIslandBuc Wrote:  Jeff Goodman reporting some possible destinations for Hodges and a small glimmer of hope.

https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/...6791351304

Bo can be the leader and star of another championship run right here at home. It'd be a shame for the fans who have cheered and watched him grow to miss out on that big senior year.

Come on back home, Bo!. You can do more right here, and probably have more fun, than you could anywhere else. Here's hoping...

at the end of the day, I don't understand why transfer and sit a year to play 1? Bo is not going to raise his stock to the NBA level.
He can finish his degree and start his overseas career a year early from right here at ETSU.

I am sure he is watching the NCAA transfer rule situation and upcoming vote.

I dont think we really know why he did this. From what I can tell he is a great person and team mate. Those other schools he is considering are beatable bu us....just hope he makes a good decision

(05-10-2020 06:42 PM)jwilson25 Wrote:  I dont think we really know why he did this. From what I can tell he is a great person and team mate. Those other schools he is considering are beatable bu us....just hope he makes a good decision

It certainly could be a reason that has nothing to do with basketball. In all honesty,, it’s probablY not anyone else’s business. My hope for all these players is that they finish their degrees even if some get to play a few years of pro ball afterwards.

(05-10-2020 06:42 PM)jwilson25 Wrote:  I dont think we really know why he did this. From what I can tell he is a great person and team mate. Those other schools he is considering are beatable bu us....just hope he makes a good decision

Agreed. I think it's akin to putting your name into the pro draft, just to see where you might get picked; just to see what others think you're 'worth' on the open market. It may be that he just wanted that piece of information. Or, as I theorized earlier, he may just want to be closer to home. Or.......he might really want to stay with Forbes. Unless and until he makes comments about it, we're not going to know.

(05-10-2020 06:39 AM)BigIslandBuc Wrote:  Jeff Goodman reporting some possible destinations for Hodges and a small glimmer of hope.

https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/...6791351304

The scariest name on that list is Vandy. Bo could attend school in his hometown for free for two years, play his final year of college basketball in front of family and friends, and in the end walk away with a degree from Vandy.

(05-11-2020 07:22 AM)Flippmb Wrote:  

(05-10-2020 06:39 AM)BigIslandBuc Wrote:  Jeff Goodman reporting some possible destinations for Hodges and a small glimmer of hope.

https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/...6791351304

The scariest name on that list is Vandy. Bo could attend school in his hometown for free for two years, play his final year of college basketball in front of family and friends, and in the end walk away with a degree from Vandy.

Have no idea what type of student he is, but a degree from Vandy would be nice. However, on the basketball side, he would only get to play a year (whether it's this year or the next) and will never come close to a SEC championship or an appearance in the NCAA tourney.

(05-11-2020 09:07 AM)etsuBucsFan1988 Wrote:  

(05-11-2020 07:22 AM)Flippmb Wrote:  

(05-10-2020 06:39 AM)BigIslandBuc Wrote:  Jeff Goodman reporting some possible destinations for Hodges and a small glimmer of hope.

https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/...6791351304

The scariest name on that list is Vandy. Bo could attend school in his hometown for free for two years, play his final year of college basketball in front of family and friends, and in the end walk away with a degree from Vandy.

Have no idea what type of student he is, but a degree from Vandy would be nice. However, on the basketball side, he would only get to play a year (whether it's this year or the next) and will never come close to a SEC championship or an appearance in the NCAA tourney.

Why would you go to ETSU for three years and put all that time in to get this prestigious degree and then end up getting your degree at a place like Vandy?