(02-05-2021 10:32 AM)Dukester Wrote:  

(02-05-2021 08:28 AM)Purplehazed Wrote:  Now that we are the Gonzaga of the east andd have a $140m arena, can we schedule better and bring a decent team to our own school?

I think his comment was a bit tongue in cheek, but we are certainly finally heading in the right direction. I'm feeling we are well on our way to having a program that can, at least, consistently contend in the CAA - like most of our other sports.

Mark, as head coach, has yet to get a team to the NIT or NCAA, so breaking each ceiling will be special.

I'm really enjoy watching this team and coach progress. Seems like a class guy as well.

It'll be something to watch for as the CAA Tourney unfolds. Has pretty much won & lost according to seed.
Coach B had four 20 win seasons at GSU:
2nd seed in '15-lost by 2 in finals (to #1 seed)
3rd seed in '18-lost by 6 in semis (to #2 seed)
3rd seed in '19-lost by 9 in semis (to #2 seed)
5th seed in '20- won by 19 in quarters over #4 seed. Rest of Tournament cancelled.

(02-05-2021 01:03 PM)olddawg Wrote:  

(02-05-2021 10:32 AM)Dukester Wrote:  

(02-05-2021 08:28 AM)Purplehazed Wrote:  Now that we are the Gonzaga of the east andd have a $140m arena, can we schedule better and bring a decent team to our own school?

I think his comment was a bit tongue in cheek, but we are certainly finally heading in the right direction. I'm feeling we are well on our way to having a program that can, at least, consistently contend in the CAA - like most of our other sports.

Mark, as head coach, has yet to get a team to the NIT or NCAA, so breaking each ceiling will be special.

I'm really enjoy watching this team and coach progress. Seems like a class guy as well.

It'll be something to watch for as the CAA Tourney unfolds. Has pretty much won & lost according to seed.
Coach B had four 20 win seasons at GSU:
2nd seed in '15-lost by 2 in finals (to #1 seed)
3rd seed in '18-lost by 6 in semis (to #2 seed)
3rd seed in '19-lost by 9 in semis (to #2 seed)
5th seed in '20- won by 19 in quarters over #4 seed. Rest of Tournament cancelled.

Certainly seemed to be on a roll last year.

Is it possible Covid gave us the opportunity to hire Mark? If he wins 2 more games he may have found better options.

If he wins at JMU, he could be gone in two years. P5s are quick to pick off young up and coming coaches these days. I hope Mark is patient and waits for the right offer instead of jumping right away.

(02-05-2021 01:24 PM)JMUNation Wrote:  If he wins at JMU, he could be gone in two years. P5s are quick to pick off young up and coming coaches these days. I hope Mark is patient and waits for the right offer instead of jumping right away.

He's far away from achieving a 2 and done resume at JMU. So far, so good - but he's yet to coach a team to even the NIT at this point. Long way to go before that even hits my radar.

(02-05-2021 01:24 PM)JMUNation Wrote:  If he wins at JMU, he could be gone in two years. P5s are quick to pick off young up and coming coaches these days. I hope Mark is patient and waits for the right offer instead of jumping right away.

This talk gets me excited and I’m a full believer in Byington but I can’t shake the feeling I will have my heart ripped out by JMU basketball. Probably because I’m young enough to have never experienced the Lefty years.

We have played half a season and we already think HCMB 2.0 will be poached. Let's get a full season on the resume first.

(02-05-2021 02:54 PM)AssyrianDuke Wrote:  We have played half a season and we already think HCMB 2.0 will be poached. Let's get a full season on the resume first.

we have won 7 division 1 games. You'd think we've been winning tourneys for consecutive years

That's how low our bar is

(02-05-2021 09:45 PM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  

(02-05-2021 02:54 PM)AssyrianDuke Wrote:  We have played half a season and we already think HCMB 2.0 will be poached. Let's get a full season on the resume first.

we have won 7 division 1 games. You'd think we've been winning tourneys for consecutive years

That's how low our bar is

Exactly! The 5-1 conference record has been earned with solid defense and team offense. That is why I am bullish on this team. The Dukes are currently hard to game plan for.

In the past, the wins were ugly ones. We never saw a clean game. We needed a player to have a career night to make it happen. I never looked forward to games until this season.

Well if the remaining schedule stays in place.


If we can win at least one game versus UD and HU we pretty much have #2 seed in CAA tourny.

Northeastern appears to be locked into the top seed. They've already played and beaten the top teams in the CAA. All they have left in the lower half of the CAA.

Mark's Sagarin last year at Georgia Southern = #121
Georgia Southern (post Mark) this year = #234

Coaching matters......

#2 seed would be incredible!

(02-09-2021 02:08 PM)Dukester Wrote:  Mark's Sagarin last year at Georgia Southern = #121
Georgia Southern (post Mark) this year = #234

Coaching matters......

They also had six seniors on that team, but two starters were Sophomores and another a redshirt Junior. But the point remains, in basketball you can have a coach that helps exceed expectations beyond administration support.

(02-06-2021 09:49 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  

(02-05-2021 09:45 PM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  

(02-05-2021 02:54 PM)AssyrianDuke Wrote:  We have played half a season and we already think HCMB 2.0 will be poached. Let's get a full season on the resume first.

we have won 7 division 1 games. You'd think we've been winning tourneys for consecutive years

That's how low our bar is

Exactly! The 5-1 conference record has been earned with solid defense and team offense. That is why I am bullish on this team. The Dukes are currently hard to game plan for.

In the past, the wins were ugly ones. We never saw a clean game. We needed a player to have a career night to make it happen. I never looked forward to games until this season.

Now 6-1. It's been awhile since we've been able to 'steal' a win against a conference team. We went into tonight a clear favorite AT Elon. I don't care if they are terrible...that was us last year. LAST YEAR. This year all of a sudden we're #2 in the conference with a 6-1 record and winning 5 straight, with our only loss being the result of a split at the #1 team's gym...and favored in pretty much all of our remaining games.

Oh my

(02-09-2021 04:05 PM)AssyrianDuke Wrote:  

(02-09-2021 02:08 PM)Dukester Wrote:  Mark's Sagarin last year at Georgia Southern = #121
Georgia Southern (post Mark) this year = #234

Coaching matters......

They also had six seniors on that team, but two starters were Sophomores and another a redshirt Junior. But the point remains, in basketball you can have a coach that helps exceed expectations beyond administration support.

Most of the players on this team Mark brought in. I'm confident Georgia Southern would of been much better this if Mark was still there.

(01-31-2021 06:20 PM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  In before disaster strikes, now that dukester has made this thread.

I came here just to say seeing the title of the thread and the OP I thought for sure it would be "Coach B has died"

(02-10-2021 10:00 AM)DirtyDukes Wrote:  

(01-31-2021 06:20 PM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  In before disaster strikes, now that dukester has made this thread.

I came here just to say seeing the title of the thread and the OP I thought for sure it would be "Coach B has died"

You thought I would label a RIP thread with "it's official"? Come on....

"Should have paid the coach more" "We should pay a million dollars!?!?!#@#!"

I don't remember the handful of posters who were beating that drum.

I like how we finally have a team that doesn't make a lot of mistakes, turnovers, etc. game after game and that adjusts to the oponent to pull out wins.