So, Hankerson and then maybe Thornton. Well, as noted, PG is an ethereal issue that only time and play will answer. I also wasn't dissing German. Great player, much respected and appreciated, but his kind are few and far between. Without him, somebody has to emerge as the court general.

With all the ins and outs, I didn't count scholarships either. And that typing might also be on a job application.

Speculation: MM has one year left on contract. Wonder if STF is giving extensions just to keep the ship upright during the Covid-19 crisis.

(05-01-2020 06:06 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  So, Hankerson and then maybe Thornton. Well, as noted, PG is an ethereal issue that only time and play will answer. I also wasn't dissing German. Great player, much respected and appreciated, but his kind are few and far between. Without him, somebody has to emerge as the court general.

With all the ins and outs, I didn't count scholarships either. And that typing might also be on a job application.

Speculation: MM has one year left on contract. Wonder if STF is giving extensions just to keep the ship upright during the Covid-19 crisis.

Re: an extension for Montgomery.

In my humble opinion, having a head coach on a one year (lame duck) contract is a waste of time. You have to have at least a year cushion or else just fire him (or her). What is the point of having a lame duck coach? What are you looking for to re-hire? Are you still going to allow him to have full authority over recruiting? Would being a lame duck negatively effect his recruiting?

It's a lot of undue pressure to have. If you aren't sure on the last year, then fire him now. Otherwise, extend a year (or two).

Basically, s*** or get off the pot.

And I think with the financials, they don't have much manuverability in firing him but if they do, eating one year isn't the worst thing. Granted, they're on a shoestring budget even before things went sideways. So, you're kind of stuck with Montgomery for the time being.

And, tbh, he isn't the worst guy to have. We had the worst and Monty is a vast improvement.

He's just not ideal at this point in time.

(05-01-2020 06:46 PM)Big Red Wrote:  

(05-01-2020 06:06 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  So, Hankerson and then maybe Thornton. Well, as noted, PG is an ethereal issue that only time and play will answer. I also wasn't dissing German. Great player, much respected and appreciated, but his kind are few and far between. Without him, somebody has to emerge as the court general.

With all the ins and outs, I didn't count scholarships either. And that typing might also be on a job application.

Speculation: MM has one year left on contract. Wonder if STF is giving extensions just to keep the ship upright during the Covid-19 crisis.

Re: an extension for Montgomery.

In my humble opinion, having a head coach on a one year (lame duck) contract is a waste of time. You have to have at least a year cushion or else just fire him (or her). What is the point of having a lame duck coach? What are you looking for to re-hire? Are you still going to allow him to have full authority over recruiting? Would being a lame duck negatively effect his recruiting?

It's a lot of undue pressure to have. If you aren't sure on the last year, then fire him now. Otherwise, extend a year (or two).

Basically, s*** or get off the pot.

And I think with the financials, they don't have much manuverability in firing him but if they do, eating one year isn't the worst thing. Granted, they're on a shoestring budget even before things went sideways. So, you're kind of stuck with Montgomery for the time being.

And, tbh, he isn't the worst guy to have. We had the worst and Monty is a vast improvement.

He's just not ideal at this point in time.

I believe the problem is that they can't afford to fire him now. NIU is in no position to be paying 2 basketball coaches so they have to play it out and if he doesn;t have a winning season next year,then you move on.

(04-30-2020 08:16 AM)Big Red Wrote:  

(04-30-2020 04:53 AM)pono Wrote:  

(04-29-2020 04:40 PM)Big Red Wrote:  NIU recruiting update:

Tavon Jones - Transferring from Odessa College (Odessa, TX) - JUCO Sophomore - 6'3" - SG - 3* from Linden HS (Linden, NJ) - has started his collegiate career at Odessa (Odessa, TX) and as a sophomore he started 5 of 35 games averaging 13.8 minutes and 6.5 ppg shooting 47.8% from the field (30% 3PT) and 63.9% FT. I believe, even though he graduated from HS two years ago, he has only played 1 season at Odessa so he may be an incoming sophomore if he signs. In regards to Odessa College, there's literally nothing special about them. They went 14-16 last season and lost their last 5 games. So, if one were to try to look at his pedestrian numbers and draw some conclusion about him being a first year played being buried behind a loaded roster, it doesn't appear he was. Now, he was a 3* recruit coming out of HS so apparently there was something there. He very well could have been injured his first year, which is why he didn't play. Coming out of high school he had a ton of offers that he passed on for one reason or another (Eastern Kentucky, Massachusetts, Quinnipiac, Niagra, Hofstra, Buffalo, Stoney Brook, Seton Hall, St. Peter's, and Saint Joseph's). As of right now, NIU is the only school to make an offer on him as a transfer. After a little digging, it seems people (message board types) were pretty aware that he couldn't qualify academically and would be going to either a prep school or JUCO. One commenter even stated that he expected to see Jones in a few years in a major or mid-major program in a couple of years with a 3 point shot added to his game. Judging from his stats this past year, that didn't happen and it appears he couldn't shoot the 3 in high school either. Doesn't look like he can shoot free throws either. If I were a guessing man, I'd guess this guy goes to the basket. Eugene German but can't shoot. In my opinion, going off of what I've learned about him in a very short information search, adding Jones for next year would be a waste of a roster spot/scholarship. If you're going to take a shot on a guy with bad grades, at least get one that can score.

Obvioulsy, I am not thrilled with this as I've been stumping pretty hard for Adong Makoui. To me, Jones is redundant on the roster and there was a much bigger need for Makoui. Jones was pretty highly regarded in HS but it appears his shot never materialized at the JUCO level like others hoped it would. If I were to speculate, I'd guess he does most of his scoring near the rim. Which is fine, but I don't see him being successful doing that in the MAC without having an outside shot (and teams won't be afraid to foul a 63% free throw shooter).

So, I've got to find something to be positive about. He's really quick and appears to be a plus ball handler. From the few videos I saw (most of them are from when he was in high school), he sees the floor well and sees open teammates. He's a crafty passer and plays hard on the defensive end of the floor and is creative in how he finishes at the basket.

Maybe the gameplan next season will be to play tight D and have a bunch of guys that can shoot the 3 and extend a defense opening up the middle for a guy like Jones. I don't know....I'm grasping at straws.

Honestly, he's not bad (well, he might be). He has potential but I don't know how much of that has run out over the past two years. I just would have been happier with Makoui on the roster.

dude, you are fake news. odessa is one of the top jucos in the country. the numbers you listed are from jones freshman yr when they were a national elite 8 juco team. they played the top juco schedule in the nation and won 25 games. jones averaged 6.5 ppg in 13 minutes which averages to about 15 ppg as a starter, which he was as a soph when they had a 14-16 down yr but jones averaged 13 ppg and was all conf. he's not special. sort of a physical scoring 1 guard. plays similar to german in his approach but nowhere near the level of quickness. more of a crafty player who can play some of either guard position.

Oh my goodness. You are so much smarter than I am. I should probably relinquish my press credentials as this lavish salary I am paid to scout NIU JUCO transfers is clearly un-warranted.

I bow down to your superiority in knowledge of Odessa Community College. Next time OCC comes up, I will be sure to abstain from any opinions until you have made your definitive statement on the state of the program.

You sir (or madam) are a benefit to this board and to life. Thank you for your duty and your sacrifices.

sorry to hurt your feelings Big Red and inspire such a heavy dose of sarcasm. just having fun cuz you had some much to opine in your original post based on incorrect stats and the certainty to say of odessa (a legendary juco D1 basketball factory) "there's literally nothing special about them". it made me laugh. just a mac fan that follows recruiting closely for all schools, especially toledo. thought the rest of the board might want the accurate info on the recruit you guys just signed. he's alright. plays pretty tough and has come up playing against good comp in high school and at odessa. should be a pesky montgomery type perimeter player with a bit of a scoring knack. it's the mac. you better have options at guard. buffalo, kent, toledo, western, all bringing in some higher level juco and hs guards. niu loses german and jones is a junior with enough competitiveness size and shooting to maybe help a bit.

NIU Recruiting Update:

Okay, I'm now fully "wading" in neck deep water here and the slope is going down. I clearly don't understand this as, from everything I can tell, NIU has zero scholarships left, yet they just made my day and got a commitment from Adong Makoui. Here's the blurb.

Adong Makoui - Transferring from Daytona State College - Sophomore - 6'9" - PF - 2* from The RISE Centre Academy (Brantford, ON, his hometown is Edmonton, AB) - Makoui started his career at Daytona State College where he started 30 of 30 games averaging 6.6 ppg/5.4 rpg while shooting 69.8% from the field and 75% FT. He also blocked 46 shots which is about 1.5 per game.

Makoui has other offers from SIU, Portland State, Murray State, Kent State, and Buffalo.

First, lets point out that Makoui chose NIU over both Kent State and Buffalo, but let's also point out that Makoui chose NIU over SIU and Murray State. That last one is a big deal (well, the conference foes are as well, but Murray State is tall cotton).

Anyway, lets also point out that this give NIU a legitimate big man. Makoui is 6'9" and is built like a s*** brickhouse. He's athletic and can jump. He's basically a more athletic version of Lacy James...athletically.

Makoui has an interesting story. He was born in the Sudan and his family immigrated to the Edmonton area when he was relatively young and he didn't start playing basketball until the 7th grade when he was (his words) "terrible". But, in highschool, he grew about 6 inches in about 4 years and continued to develop his game. He's reportedly very coachable and a hard worker and prides himself on his defense and rebounding.

Anyway, anyone want to fill me in on how NIU got him when they seemingly had no more scholarships? What did I miss? D-I schools get 13 scholarships right?

Under scholarship from last year:
Seniors:
Zaire Mateen
Gairges Daow
Rod Henry-Hayes
Nathan Scott
Chris Johnson
(5)

Juniors:
Darius Beane
(6)

Sophomores:
Tyler Cochrane
Keenan Cole
Justin Lee
(9)

Freshmen:
None

Newcomers:
Tavon Jones (Junior)
Adong Makoui (Junior)
Zool Kueth (Junior)
Chinedu Okanu (Junior)
Kaleb Thornton (Sophomore)
(14)

Am I missing a departure?

Beane already receives 50% off tuition because his dad has been an Illinois university employee for more than 7 years now, so I'm assuming he either has a split scholarship with someone else or has no scholarship at all?

MAC Transfer Update:

Marvin Price - Transferring from Ohio to Salt Lake CC (Salt Lake City, UT) - Freshman - 6’5” - SF - 3* from Patterson HS (Hyattsville, MD) - Played 7 games as a freshman

BigRed, I told you

(05-04-2020 05:07 PM)dogdangit Wrote:  Beane already receives 50% off tuition because his dad has been an Illinois university employee for more than 7 years now, so I'm assuming he either has a split scholarship with someone else or has no scholarship at all?

See, I've speculated for some time that he had some kind of special arragement due to his dad but I've never heard someone confirm it like this.

So, I have to assume that, in Makoui's case, having offers on the table from Murray State and Buffalo and whatnot, Makoui has to be on a full scholarship. Nevertheless, someone else has to be on a partial. I just don't have any clue who it might be. Obviously, Hankerson and Filippone are walk-ons. Everything I've seen shows Beane as a scholarship player, but I suppose he could be a "walk-on" as well...but I don't think he is.

I don't know. I just wish there was a little more information. But...I'm glad they got Makoui committed.

(05-04-2020 03:39 PM)Big Red Wrote:  NIU Recruiting Update:

Okay, I'm now fully "wading" in neck deep water here and the slope is going down. I clearly don't understand this as, from everything I can tell, NIU has zero scholarships left, yet they just made my day and got a commitment from Adong Makoui. Here's the blurb.

Adong Makoui - Transferring from Daytona State College - Sophomore - 6'9" - PF - 2* from The RISE Centre Academy (Brantford, ON, his hometown is Edmonton, AB) - Makoui started his career at Daytona State College where he started 30 of 30 games averaging 6.6 ppg/5.4 rpg while shooting 69.8% from the field and 75% FT. He also blocked 46 shots which is about 1.5 per game.

Makoui has other offers from SIU, Portland State, Murray State, Kent State, and Buffalo.

First, lets point out that Makoui chose NIU over both Kent State and Buffalo, but let's also point out that Makoui chose NIU over SIU and Murray State. That last one is a big deal (well, the conference foes are as well, but Murray State is tall cotton).

Anyway, lets also point out that this give NIU a legitimate big man. Makoui is 6'9" and is built like a s*** brickhouse. He's athletic and can jump. He's basically a more athletic version of Lacy James...athletically.

Makoui has an interesting story. He was born in the Sudan and his family immigrated to the Edmonton area when he was relatively young and he didn't start playing basketball until the 7th grade when he was (his words) "terrible". But, in highschool, he grew about 6 inches in about 4 years and continued to develop his game. He's reportedly very coachable and a hard worker and prides himself on his defense and rebounding.

Anyway, anyone want to fill me in on how NIU got him when they seemingly had no more scholarships? What did I miss? D-I schools get 13 scholarships right?

Under scholarship from last year:
Seniors:
Zaire Mateen
Gairges Daow
Rod Henry-Hayes
Nathan Scott
Chris Johnson
(5)

Juniors:
Darius Beane
(6)

Sophomores:
Tyler Cochrane
Keenan Cole
Justin Lee
(9)

Freshmen:
None

Newcomers:
Tavon Jones (Junior)
Adong Makoui (Junior)
Zool Kueth (Junior)
Chinedu Okanu (Junior)
Kaleb Thornton (Sophomore)
(14)

Am I missing a departure?

Not to throw water on anyones parade ... but, it is my understanding that SIU, Buffalo and Kent State For sure and maybe others) have been scholarship full for awhile ... also, all three already landed a big kid late.

Now, were they tired of waiting on Makoul or did Makoul wait too long on one of them? Who knows. That said, I would think any of the three would be glad to have him.

Basketball doesn’t do partial scholarships

(05-04-2020 05:07 PM)dogdangit Wrote:  Beane already receives 50% off tuition because his dad has been an Illinois university employee for more than 7 years now, so I'm assuming he either has a split scholarship with someone else or has no scholarship at all?

There can't be any split scholarships in FB, MBB, WBB per NCAA rules. So the guess is he's got the 'hometown discount' and probably a Pell Grant to go with it, which in the long run might be better $$$ than a scholarship.

(05-04-2020 06:17 PM)cleveland Wrote:  

(05-04-2020 05:07 PM)dogdangit Wrote:  Beane already receives 50% off tuition because his dad has been an Illinois university employee for more than 7 years now, so I'm assuming he either has a split scholarship with someone else or has no scholarship at all?

There can't be any split scholarships in FB, MBB, WBB per NCAA rules. So the guess is he's got the 'hometown discount' and probably a Pell Grant to go with it, which in the long run might be better $$$ than a scholarship.

Thanks for the info.

And I've speculated the "hometown (not his hometown, but yougettheidea/daddy works for the team" discount on tuition but some others have thrown water on that idea. I will say this, I've never seen Beane ever listed as a walk-on (other than SIU, of course). So, I'm not 100% sold on this even though it all adds up to be....plausible.

(05-01-2020 06:46 PM)Big Red Wrote:  We had the worst and Monty is a vast improvement.
He's just not ideal at this point in time.

FIRE HIM!
1 -- It's long overdue.
2 -- See definition of insanity.
3 -- Anything was an improvement over the previous guy.
4 -- If he's "just not ideal at this point in time" why is he ever ideal?

(05-05-2020 12:50 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(05-01-2020 06:46 PM)Big Red Wrote:  We had the worst and Monty is a vast improvement.
He's just not ideal at this point in time.

FIRE HIM!
1 -- It's long overdue.
2 -- See definition of insanity.
3 -- Anything was an improvement over the previous guy.
4 -- If he's "just not ideal at this point in time" why is he ever ideal?

1. Sure.
2. Who says they're expecting a different outcome other than be competitive in the division?
3. Agreed
4. At one point he was ideal, he's not ideal now because one could say the program needs to take the next step and he's not the guy for it. I can't argue that too much. I thought he did a pretty decent job last year and the team played hard all season (yeah, German helped a ton, but the team played with a ton of heart and won a number of games they probably shouldn't have). He has his positives. He has his negatives. But the money issue is real and he just took a pay cut to help pay for assistants. RIGHT NOW! is probably not the time to put money into hiring a new coach. (also, I probably used the wrong wording when I said he was "not ideal at this time" and, considering everything, he may actually be ideal).

MAC transfer update:

Meikkel Murray - Transferring to Central Michigan from Coffeyville CC (Coffeyville, KS) - JUCO Sophomore - 6'6" - SF - 2* recruit from Lee Academy (Lee, ME) - Born in Amhurst, MA but his college profile at CCC says he's from The Bronx, NY - Started 34 games for CCC averaging 32.1 minutes and 16.7 ppg shooting 50.6% from the field (29.2% 3PT) and 67.9% from the line. Also averaged 7.4 rpg. CCC had a record last season of 26-8 and averaged 80 ppg. Murray was the team's leading scorer. Murray had received other offers from Albany, Portland State, Jacksonville State, CSU Bakersfield, Stony Brook, Lamar, and Georgia Southern.

(05-05-2020 01:03 PM)Big Red Wrote:  

(05-05-2020 12:50 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(05-01-2020 06:46 PM)Big Red Wrote:  We had the worst and Monty is a vast improvement.
He's just not ideal at this point in time.

FIRE HIM!
1 -- It's long overdue.
2 -- See definition of insanity.
3 -- Anything was an improvement over the previous guy.
4 -- If he's "just not ideal at this point in time" why is he ever ideal?

1. Sure.
2. Who says they're expecting a different outcome other than be competitive in the division?
3. Agreed
4. At one point he was ideal, he's not ideal now because one could say the program needs to take the next step and he's not the guy for it. I can't argue that too much. I thought he did a pretty decent job last year and the team played hard all season (yeah, German helped a ton, but the team played with a ton of heart and won a number of games they probably shouldn't have). He has his positives. He has his negatives. But the money issue is real and he just took a pay cut to help pay for assistants. RIGHT NOW! is probably not the time to put money into hiring a new coach. (also, I probably used the wrong wording when I said he was "not ideal at this time" and, considering everything, he may actually be ideal).

Monty deserves another year.

(05-06-2020 10:11 AM)7 Wrote:  Monty deserves another year.

Huskie fans deserve more than than just two above .500 seasons in a nine-year period.

(05-06-2020 11:20 AM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(05-06-2020 10:11 AM)7 Wrote:  Monty deserves another year.

Huskie fans deserve more than than just two above .500 seasons in a nine-year period.

But ten is such a nice round number...............and to be fair---Huskie fans only had two above .500 season in the 15 years before Monty got here. It really is amazing how poor of a program this really is.

(05-06-2020 11:20 AM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(05-06-2020 10:11 AM)7 Wrote:  Monty deserves another year.

Huskie fans deserve more than than just two above .500 seasons in a nine-year period.

And if you took away “W”s vs some of those out of conference patsies....you wouldn’t even have those 2 years of .500.

Montys “deserves” nada.
RP was not a tough act to follow.