(03-06-2021 04:54 PM)epasnoopy Wrote: (03-06-2021 01:44 PM)Big Red Wrote: (03-06-2021 12:42 PM)epasnoopy Wrote: Our problem is keeping players in the program. NIU needs to be led by junior and senior players. Constantly turning over players and having your best players transfer will just lead to more mediocrity and losing seasons.
This has not been the problem. Who are the best players that are transferring out?
Jake Anderson who left NIU for Iowa State.
Abdel Nader who transferred and is now in the NBA. Marin Maric went to DePaul. Marshawn Wilson and Laytwan Porter leaving after their sophomore years.
We have trouble keeping our best players in the program. We need to keep players in the program and have them finish their careers at NIU.
Some stretches here, for sure.
Jake Anderson? Look man...when new coaches are hired, guys leave the program. It happens. Montgomery had just been hired and Iowa State poached Anderson from a team that had just gone 10-20 and only had one year of eligibility remaining who "led" the Huskies to 26 wins in 3 seasons.
Marin Maric? Maric graduated. He played 4 seasons at NIU and graduated and chose to go to DePaul for grad school. I will never fault a player for doing that.
Wilson and Porter? Please. Those two were in constant trouble, left the school and never played college basketball after that. The problem was bringing both of them into the program in the first place. Them leaving was a blessing.
So, this notion that Montgomery couldn't keep his good players in the program is a dude he didn't recruit who was on a team that won 26 games in 3 seasons, a guy who had already graduated from NIU and two guys who never even stepped on a college basketball court after they left.
Nice list.
Btw, the problem was never these guys leaving. The problem was having so many guys on the team leave who no one cared that they left in the first place.