Love it or hate it, the CBI seems to have been great for the two teams that got to the championship. Oregon State, a year after going 0-18 in the Pac 10 won a postseason championship. After going 0-18, I'm sure their players, fans, and coaches are thrilled to win a championship of any kind. UTEP ended the season by drawing 12,000 fans to the last two CBI games. The CBI got them up to 23 wins, and they probably made a nice bit of change from the tourney. At $15 a ticket they made $120,000 more than they paid to host ($60,000) for each of their last two home games. Would we have gone very far in the CBI- probably not. But we could have competed and maybe won a game. I still think we could have more than competed in the CIT- I know we were limited offensively without Stevee, but most of the teams in that tournament were still no better than we were. I guess if the predictions by some on this board are accurate, what we have to look forward to next year is no postseason (again) and then a coaching change (I still will have to see that to believe it).
(04-05-2009 12:11 PM)mjs Wrote: [ -> ]Love it or hate it, the CBI seems to have been great for the two teams that got to the championship. Oregon State, a year after going 0-18 in the Pac 10 won a postseason championship. After going 0-18, I'm sure their players, fans, and coaches are thrilled to win a championship of any kind. UTEP ended the season by drawing 12,000 fans to the last two CBI games. The CBI got them up to 23 wins, and they probably made a nice bit of change from the tourney. At $15 a ticket they made $120,000 more than they paid to host ($60,000) for each of their last two home games. Would we have gone very far in the CBI- probably not. But we could have competed and maybe won a game. I still think we could have more than competed in the CIT- I know we were limited offensively without Stevee, but most of the teams in that tournament were still no better than we were. I guess if the predictions by some on this board are accurate, what we have to look forward to next year is no postseason (again) and then a coaching change (I still will have to see that to believe it).
I can tell you without reservation that participating in the CBI was benefical to the University of Richmond Spiders. I am still at a complete loss as to why Little Rock did not participate in the CIT as a road team at the very least. It's not like we get to participate in post season tournaments on a regular basis. Stanford, Bradley, Richmond, UTEP, etc. do participate in post season much, much more often than Little Rock, and they didn't mind participating in the CBI or CIT. What makes us so special to be so picky?
(04-05-2009 12:50 PM)PTJR Wrote: [ -> ]. What makes us so special to be so picky?
We ain't. Just putting pressure on the coach.
(04-05-2009 02:03 PM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote: [ -> ] (04-05-2009 12:50 PM)PTJR Wrote: [ -> ]. What makes us so special to be so picky?
We ain't. Just putting pressure on the coach.
Do you honestly think that's what it was? I am coming around to that way of thinking- but who was hurt the most by not going- 1. our outstanding seniors who gave their all to the program 2. us long suffering fans. Also while it probably won't be a major factor in recruiting, I still don't know how you answer the question "Why are you the only team in the country with 23 wins not to go to postseason?" Don't think it won't be used against us by other similar midmajor programs who did go to postseason be it the NCAA, NIT, CBI, or CIT.
Also if you believe that theory (which, again, I am starting to), you are basically saying Steve is a lame duck coach (since the odds of making the NCAA or NIT are much smaller than this season) and next year is a "throw away" season.
I don't want to believe it, but it doesn't make sense otherwise. Unless we just didn't have the money. Possible.
(04-05-2009 03:43 PM)mjs Wrote: [ -> ]Also if you believe that theory (which, again, I am starting to), you are basically saying Steve is a lame duck coach (since the odds of making the NCAA or NIT are much smaller than this season) and next year is a "throw away" season.
If he's not, he certainly should be a lame duck coach. I know some of you Shields guys don't want to hear this(sounds like some of the pro-con discussions in Dickey Nutt's later years)but his best two teams basically tanked in the tournaments, heavily loaded with seniors, and we've got another "rebuilding" year coming up.
We're certainly not likely to be as good as we were this past season. What does that add up to, a less than stellar season. Could finish at the middle or lower in the West. I don't know when some of you are going to face the facts, Steve has done as much here as he'll ever be able to do.
We are a mediocre program under him, and there's no two ways about it.
I like Steve, I really do, he's a hell of a nice guy. I just don't think he's got what it's going to take to raise this program up another couple of notches that it's going to take to win the tournament.
You can't win it with "grinder ball." You've got to be able to shoot the ball. He either doesn't like that type of ball, or he doesn't know how to coach it, or how to recruit shooters.
You can't win this league with good athletes learning to play hard defense. You've got to start recruiting basketball players.
(04-05-2009 04:41 PM)LRTrojan Wrote: [ -> ] (04-05-2009 03:43 PM)mjs Wrote: [ -> ]Also if you believe that theory (which, again, I am starting to), you are basically saying Steve is a lame duck coach (since the odds of making the NCAA or NIT are much smaller than this season) and next year is a "throw away" season.
If he's not, he certainly should be a lame duck coach. I know some of you Shields guys don't want to hear this(sounds like some of the pro-con discussions in Dickey Nutt's later years)but his best two teams basically tanked in the tournaments, heavily loaded with seniors, and we've got another "rebuilding" year coming up.
We're certainly not likely to be as good as we were this past season. What does that add up to, a less than stellar season. Could finish at the middle or lower in the West. I don't know when some of you are going to face the facts, Steve has done as much here as he'll ever be able to do. We are a mediocre program under him, and there's no two ways about it.
I like Steve, I really do, he's a hell of a nice guy. I just don't think he's got what it's going to take to raise this program up another couple of notches that it's going to take to win the tournament. You can't win it with "grinder ball." You've got to be able to shoot the ball. He either doesn't like that type of ball, or he doesn't know how to coach it, or how to recruit shooters. You can't win this league with good athletes learning to play hard defense. You've got to start recruiting basketball players.
LRT, that's a good post, hard to improve that. Re: Post Season. It seems to me a decision was made quickly at season's end that other than NCAA or NIT there would be no post season considered. That's my gut feeling, no facts known to back it up. One of those things we probably will never know.
(04-05-2009 05:17 PM)DollarBill Wrote: [ -> ] (04-05-2009 04:41 PM)LRTrojan Wrote: [ -> ] (04-05-2009 03:43 PM)mjs Wrote: [ -> ]Also if you believe that theory (which, again, I am starting to), you are basically saying Steve is a lame duck coach (since the odds of making the NCAA or NIT are much smaller than this season) and next year is a "throw away" season.
If he's not, he certainly should be a lame duck coach. I know some of you Shields guys don't want to hear this(sounds like some of the pro-con discussions in Dickey Nutt's later years)but his best two teams basically tanked in the tournaments, heavily loaded with seniors, and we've got another "rebuilding" year coming up.
We're certainly not likely to be as good as we were this past season. What does that add up to, a less than stellar season. Could finish at the middle or lower in the West. I don't know when some of you are going to face the facts, Steve has done as much here as he'll ever be able to do. We are a mediocre program under him, and there's no two ways about it.
I like Steve, I really do, he's a hell of a nice guy. I just don't think he's got what it's going to take to raise this program up another couple of notches that it's going to take to win the tournament. You can't win it with "grinder ball." You've got to be able to shoot the ball. He either doesn't like that type of ball, or he doesn't know how to coach it, or how to recruit shooters. You can't win this league with good athletes learning to play hard defense. You've got to start recruiting basketball players.
LRT, that's a good post, hard to improve that. Re: Post Season. It seems to me a decision was made quickly at season's end that other than NCAA or NIT there would be no post season considered. That's my gut feeling, no facts known to back it up. One of those things we probably will never know.
No doubt you are correct about that. The question to me is still "why". Financial considerations might be a rational explanation, but we are probably more solid financially than some of the low to midmajors that went to the CIT. Putting the "pressure" on Steve is the other explanation, I just don't think it's a very rational one. Who was hurt the most was our seniors, along with our other players. If Chris wants to get rid of Steve, if we have a bad or mediocre season next year, he can do it regardless- that is his right. I thought it was crazy, and terribly unfair, when UAF get rid of Stan Heath after 2 straight NCAA bids and his best team full of senior returning. But AD's are paid to make the tough decisions, which can only be judged after the fact.
(04-05-2009 05:17 PM)DollarBill Wrote: [ -> ]LRT, that's a good post, hard to improve that. Re: Post Season. It seems to me a decision was made quickly at season's end that other than NCAA or NIT there would be no post season considered. That's my gut feeling, no facts known to back it up. One of those things we probably will never know.
If I were Chris Peterson, I would have been so disgusted with that last game, that I would not be willing to spend one thin dime just so we could play another game and likely LOSE. I feel he must have felt it was time to pull the plug on the season.
(04-05-2009 10:23 PM)Robert C Wrote: [ -> ] (04-05-2009 05:17 PM)DollarBill Wrote: [ -> ]LRT, that's a good post, hard to improve that. Re: Post Season. It seems to me a decision was made quickly at season's end that other than NCAA or NIT there would be no post season considered. That's my gut feeling, no facts known to back it up. One of those things we probably will never know.
If I were Chris Peterson, I would have been so disgusted with that last game, that I would not be willing to spend one thin dime just so we could play another game and likely LOSE. I feel he must have felt it was time to pull the plug on the season.
Well, that's another possible explanation. We certainly weren't "peaking" during the tournament. Squeezing by Denver and then losing to a mediocre USA team. While I had previously assumed that Chris was totally behind Steve with regard to getting rid of Stevee, it's also very possible he was extremely pissed about the whole episode which clearly killed our chances at postseason (which appeared damn good halfway throught he Western game.).