Link: https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college...76714.html

Are USM fans pleased with the hire?

I think most are OK with this hire.

(04-17-2019 07:47 PM)Hilltopper2K Wrote:  Are USM fans pleased with the hire?

The fact there’s only 2 other USM fans who have posted should tell you all you need to know. Probably a 50/50 split in all honesty. Ladner was the favorite of those who wanted the local guy to come home while others wanted the Tech asst as those want to win now and hopefully have him poached in 2-4 years due to being successful.

Not my first pick. But, still excited about it. Can't wait for 2020 basketball season to be here.

Congratulations and good luck. I hope USM, and all of us, are on the rise.

Most of the people who actually buy tickets aren't real pleased. But I'll support.

(04-17-2019 07:53 PM)TTT Wrote:  I think most are OK with this hire.

It sounds like USM reached out to Tim Floyd, Rob Barnes, and Billy Kennedy to gauge interest so I give them props for attempting a 'splash hire' even if it didn't work out. Coach Ladner is a USM guy who's paid his coaching dues. His SELA squads went 55-44 the past 3 seasons, featuring an NIT tournament. Before coaching at SELA he took Jones County JC to a record of 45-13 in two seasons as Head Coach. I could see him finishing his career at USM.

Contract details released?

I think it's a case of most of us kind of expected this, as he's been in discussion before Doc and DT...

I think more people wanted Heiar, but won't complain about Ladner

(04-17-2019 09:41 PM)Noodles Wrote:  Most of the people who actually buy tickets aren't real pleased. But I'll support.

Ladner wasn't my first choice but I actually think that most of the people who are b*tching on EP don't even go to games (or haven't been to any games in 5 years).

I don't know the guy, but I hope it works out. SELA may not be the kind of place where it's easy to win. He did it.

We need some good basketball schools in this half of the conference. Louisiana Tech and UTEP also need to get back to where they were.

(04-17-2019 07:47 PM)Hilltopper2K Wrote:  Are USM fans pleased with the hire?

Outside of Hattiesburg, I know none who are. But our staff catered to a small group of vocal fans who haven't been to a basketball game in a decade.

(04-18-2019 12:56 AM)UofMemphis Wrote:  

(04-17-2019 07:53 PM)TTT Wrote:  I think most are OK with this hire.

It sounds like USM reached out to Tim Floyd, Rob Barnes, and Billy Kennedy to gauge interest so I give them props for attempting a 'splash hire' even if it didn't work out. Coach Ladner is a USM guy who's paid his coaching dues. His SELA squads went 55-44 the past 3 seasons, featuring an NIT tournament. Before coaching at SELA he took Jones County JC to a record of 45-13 in two seasons as Head Coach. I could see him finishing his career at USM.

55-44 if you count the non D1 games. Here's his D1 record the last 3 years:
2018-19: 15-16
2017-18: 19-12 (won regular season, lost NIT 1st round)
2016-17: 14-16

Last 3 years vs D1 teams only: 48-44

On his JuCo career he did lead Jones JC to a national championship his 2nd year so I'll give him props on that. This was the safe hire. As others have stated on social media....let's just hope all the people who were giving their endorsement start supporting the program as many of those haven't been to games (and probably haven't contributed) since the day they left campus. Lastly, if these same people put their money where their mouths are we can expect our attendance to possibly double and start getting 5k a game (SARCASM INTENDED) as I saw countless people during the interview process commenting phrases such as "If Ladner is hired you can count me in on season tickets", "haven't been to a game in years but won't miss many if Ladner is hired", and "I've known Ladner since his high school coaching days and he deserves this. Can't wait to come see him now that he's coaching at USM"

and what will surely be a talking point among USM fans on each side of the fence. USM AD's quote on reasoning for hiring Ladner:

https://twitter.com/taylorcuret/status/1...45157?s=21

"we wanted someone who could recruit this area...we wanted someone who could energize our fanbase and get us back to filling Reed Green Coliseum"

granted there's a lot more but the catch to me in that above phrase is that nowhere does it mention "getting USM to the NCAA tournament"

We'll see. Let's hope he gets some of these Lamar County people to cross 40th for the first time since we played Memphis in 2008. They were pushing Ladner hard.

In his presser, Coach said we are in it to win the National Championship.
All I needed to hear.
If you don't aim for heaven, you'll never reach the stars.

Looks like Ladner has filled at least one of his staff positions with a USM basketball and local coaching mainstay...Kyle Roane

https://lionsports.net/coaches.aspx?rc=864&path=mbball

Roane originally joined the Southeastern program following three seasons as the head boys’ basketball coach at Petal (Miss.) High School. Prior to that he spent one season as the head coach at his alma mater, Forrest County Agricultural High School, leading it to the first round of the south state tournament.

Before returning to Forrest County Agricultural, Roane was at Jacksonville State University, where the Mississippi native teamed up once again with head coach James Green after the pair enjoyed tremendous success in a seven-year stint together at Southern Miss. Roane came to Jacksonville State after serving the previous two seasons as the head coach at Jones County Junior College.

A native of Brooklyn, Miss., and a 1995 graduate of Southern Miss with a degree in coaching and sports administration, Roane got his coaching career started early, when he was named an assistant at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Miss. He would spend the first four years of his career at PRCC, helping the Wildcats to the 1995 Mississippi state title along the way.

In 1996, he joined Green as a member of his first staff at Southern Miss, where he served as an assistant for four seasons before being promoted to the Eagles’ Associate Head Coach in 2000, a position he would hold for three years. While in Hattiesburg, Roane helped guide the Eagles to a pair of 22-win seasons, the first of which came in 1997-98, when they posted a 22-11 record and advanced to the NIT to face Auburn.

Roane’s transition into the associate head coach’s role was a successful one, as the Eagles posted a 22-9 record and won Conference USA’s regular season title in his first season in the new role. Southern Miss went 11-5 in league play, earning their second NIT berth in four seasons, this time taking on Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss.

After his tenure at Southern Miss, Roane took the reins at Forrest County Agricultural High School in his hometown of Brooklyn. He spent two seasons as the Aggies’ head coach, taking them to back-to-back postseason appearances before going back to where his coaching career began at Pearl River CC.

In his second stint with the Wildcats, Roane helped them to the South State Championship and a runner-up finish in Regional XXIII. He then moved on to Jones County Junior College, where he was named the school’s head coach in 2006, the beginning of a two-year stay.

(04-18-2019 10:23 AM)usm99 Wrote:  and what will surely be a talking point among USM fans on each side of the fence. USM AD's quote on reasoning for hiring Ladner:

https://twitter.com/taylorcuret/status/1...45157?s=21

"we wanted someone who could recruit this area...we wanted someone who could energize our fanbase and get us back to filling Reed Green Coliseum"

granted there's a lot more but the catch to me in that above phrase is that nowhere does it mention "getting USM to the NCAA tournament"

That's not a bad quote. Almost exactly what Hamrick said about Dan when he was hired in 2014. You need to do the 1st 2 steps before you worry about getting back to the NCAAs.

I still believe Sadler had you on the right track, it will be up to Ladner now to keep you there.

(04-18-2019 08:42 AM)EagNBran Wrote:  

(04-17-2019 07:47 PM)Hilltopper2K Wrote:  Are USM fans pleased with the hire?

Outside of Hattiesburg, I know none who are. But our staff catered to a small group of vocal fans who haven't been to a basketball game in a decade.

This. The brand new AD was faced with vocal group of Ladner supporters. Most of the more public ones are known to be fair weather, cart-before-the-horse types who usually only give to university athletics or attend events when the school is winning. Threatening not to give or attend is an empty gesture from them, but the new AD apparently wasn’t willing to call the bluff and risk alienating them.

Or perhaps Ladner happened to be the one guy returning phone calls, which is partly what happened with Sadler.

I hope for the best, but the most likely outcome seems to be years more of mediocrity and apathy.