(03-03-2024 09:59 AM)WestTexas409 Wrote:  Tarleton could win the conference but GCU will still be the #1 seed based on the resume seeding. Got nothing to do with conference record.

Yeah GCU had some impressive wins in OOC. They beat San Francisco, San Diego St., and Liberty

Liberty is not an impressive win, the other 2 yes. They will be the one seed in the Tourney even if Tarleton (knock on wood) wins the regular season title. I will be a big CBU fan this week!

STANDINGS (bold = clinched WAC Vegas berth):
Grand Canyon 16-3, 26-4
Tarleton State 15-3, 22-7
UT Arlington 12-7, 17-13
Seattle U 11-7, 18-11
Utah Valley 9-9, 14-15
Abilene Christian 9-9, 14-15
Stephen F. Austin 8-10, 15-14
California Baptist 8-10, 15-14
Utah Tech 6-12, 10-19
Southern Utah 4-14, 9-20
UTRGV 2-16, 6-23

RESUME SEEDING:
1 Grand Canyon 7.99
2 Tarleton St. 4.55
3 Seattle U 0.69
4 UT Arlington 0.39
5 Stephen F. Austin -1.82
6 Utah Valley -2.02
7 Abilene Christian -2.43
8 California Baptist -3.74
9 Utah Tech -6.08
10 Southern Utah -7.58
11 UT Rio Grande Valley -10.05

NET:
55 Grand Canyon
123 Seattle U
133 Tarleton St.
146 UT Arlington
167 Utah Valley
172 SFA
186 California Baptist
231 Abilene Christian
268 Southern Utah
280 Utah Tech
326 UTRGV

https://x.com/petethamel/status/17652216...7IleA4WEPw

So Coach Gillespie is coming back. I think this is great for Tarleton!!!

This article wants Figger out... While the numbers are UGLY as can be I will be as real as can be... He had no consistency then his best transfer player left after the California trip in November with no official announcement and was removed from the roster makes me want to wonder what is going on... If he stays this will look bad on the AD who decided to hire him.

FIGGER OUT.... MAYBE

Figger may have one of the most challenging jobs in the WAC, outside of the wackiness that occurred this year. Seattle is the only one with clearly an inferior facility, the Valley isn't a hotbed of talent and the history of UTPA/UTRGV is poor. The difference between UTA and UTRGV is the metroplex is teeming with talent and UTA gets a good share coming through and some transfers who are coming back. When we finally built a good facility (turned into one of the best NCAA venues), we thought a corner was going to turn, but some bad moves, including firing the most successful coach in program history, proved too much to overcome and we had sub .500 years for a while until this year.

Elliott is a tremendous player, but injuries wiped the Vaqueros out this year. I don't believe the team I saw in Arlington is that much worse than Utah Tech, SUU or the ACU team in November (posters here are indicating ACU is playing much better, which their record reflects). Injuries happen and it happened in abundance with UTRGV.

That article cites defense as the main problem and that's exactly what you get with sub-starters. Last I heard, the team only has seven scholarship players available. Certainly walk-ons will give up points. Defense is a team game.

I'm not saying Figger deserves to stay or needs to go. I'm saying UTRGV is a challenge and a new coach may not be the answer, especially with what happened this year.

(03-06-2024 07:02 PM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  Figger may have one of the most challenging jobs in the WAC, outside of the wackiness that occurred this year. Seattle is the only one with clearly an inferior facility, the Valley isn't a hotbed of talent and the history of UTPA/UTRGV is poor. The difference between UTA and UTRGV is the metroplex is teeming with talent and UTA gets a good share coming through and some transfers who are coming back. When we finally built a good facility (turned into one of the best NCAA venues), we thought a corner was going to turn, but some bad moves, including firing the most successful coach in program history, proved too much to overcome and we had sub .500 years for a while until this year.

Elliott is a tremendous player, but injuries wiped the Vaqueros out this year. I don't believe the team I saw in Arlington is that much worse than Utah Tech, SUU or the ACU team in November (posters here are indicating ACU is playing much better, which their record reflects). Injuries happen and it happened in abundance with UTRGV.

That article cites defense as the main problem and that's exactly what you get with sub-starters. Last I heard, the team only has seven scholarship players available. Certainly walk-ons will give up points. Defense is a team game.

I'm not saying Figger deserves to stay or needs to go. I'm saying UTRGV is a challenge and a new coach may not be the answer, especially with what happened this year.

To your point, he has used three walk-ons and at this point, there has been nothing to salvage from it.

Not sure of many schools that could get walk-ons to be major contributors in the 11th best conference in DI.

(03-08-2024 02:27 PM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  Not sure of many schools that could get walk-ons to be major contributors in the 11th best conference in DI.

We had some walk-ons in the past that ended up being regular starters. Most notably Lalo Rios, main point guard for several years and #6 on our assist leaders. He never was put on scholarship and even complained about it in interviews.

But yeah, we weren't in a top half conference at the time.

(03-06-2024 12:46 AM)WACfan86 Wrote:  This article wants Figger out... While the numbers are UGLY as can be I will be as real as can be... He had no consistency then his best transfer player left after the California trip in November with no official announcement and was removed from the roster makes me want to wonder what is going on... If he stays this will look bad on the AD who decided to hire him.

FIGGER OUT.... MAYBE

Two theories, both tied in to football:

Theory #1 - He's out: Figger does not fit in with the new branding and huge investments we're making on the stadium and new facilities. Figger failed to even make the conference tournament this year. Figger's record (8-23, 15-17, 6.25) is comparable to Dan Hipsher's last 3 years before he got fired* (9-23, 10-21, 8-23). Our AD has high ambitions, and frankly all the coaches except Lowery (WVB) and Matlock (baseball) ought to be worried.

Theory #2 - He's still on. Chaisse Conque and the prez are going all in on football, all eggs in one basket. Single flagship sport. They don't want to divert resources, whether it's time and money, on trying to get better coaches for sports that are just there to meet NCAA, WAC, and Title IX requirements.

I hope it's Theory #1 but fear it's Theory #2. What do you think?

---------------
*To be fair, Hipsher had other dings like getting evicted from a game and then suspended by the WAC.

(03-10-2024 07:28 PM)edinburger Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 12:46 AM)WACfan86 Wrote:  This article wants Figger out... While the numbers are UGLY as can be I will be as real as can be... He had no consistency then his best transfer player left after the California trip in November with no official announcement and was removed from the roster makes me want to wonder what is going on... If he stays this will look bad on the AD who decided to hire him.

FIGGER OUT.... MAYBE

Two theories, both tied in to football:

Theory #1 - He's out: Figger does not fit in with the new branding and huge investments we're making on the stadium and new facilities. Figger failed to even make the conference tournament this year. Figger's record (8-23, 15-17, 6.25) is comparable to Dan Hipsher's last 3 years before he got fired* (9-23, 10-21, 8-23). Our AD has high ambitions, and frankly all the coaches except Lowery (WVB) and Matlock (baseball) ought to be worried.

Theory #2 - He's still on. Chaisse Conque and the prez are going all in on football, all eggs in one basket. Single flagship sport. They don't want to divert resources, whether it's time and money, on trying to get better coaches for sports that are just there to meet NCAA, WAC, and Title IX requirements.

I hope it's Theory #1 but fear it's Theory #2. What do you think?

---------------
*To be fair, Hipsher had other dings like getting evicted from a game and then suspended by the WAC.

Honestly, this is a good situation to be in. We at UTA were in the #2 situation, but failed at both flagship and Olympic sports. One of the excuses for killing football was to give the other sports more of a chance. Subsequent years' history may partially bear this out, but my sense is that the 1980s people in charge hated all things football and were looking for an excuse to kill it. Bringing it back is still a very tall hill to climb, even with abundant evidence that the students and community want it.

I vote for Theory #1. Good Luck!

(03-10-2024 07:28 PM)edinburger Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 12:46 AM)WACfan86 Wrote:  This article wants Figger out... While the numbers are UGLY as can be I will be as real as can be... He had no consistency then his best transfer player left after the California trip in November with no official announcement and was removed from the roster makes me want to wonder what is going on... If he stays this will look bad on the AD who decided to hire him.

FIGGER OUT.... MAYBE

Two theories, both tied in to football:

Theory #1 - He's out: Figger does not fit in with the new branding and huge investments we're making on the stadium and new facilities. Figger failed to even make the conference tournament this year. Figger's record (8-23, 15-17, 6.25) is comparable to Dan Hipsher's last 3 years before he got fired* (9-23, 10-21, 8-23). Our AD has high ambitions, and frankly all the coaches except Lowery (WVB) and Matlock (baseball) ought to be worried.

Theory #2 - He's still on. Chaisse Conque and the prez are going all in on football, all eggs in one basket. Single flagship sport. They don't want to divert resources, whether it's time and money, on trying to get better coaches for sports that are just there to meet NCAA, WAC, and Title IX requirements.

I hope it's Theory #1 but fear it's Theory #2. What do you think?

---------------
*To be fair, Hipsher had other dings like getting evicted from a game and then suspended by the WAC.

Do you think they will keep him around bc they are hyper focused on getting fb set up?

(03-10-2024 07:28 PM)edinburger Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 12:46 AM)WACfan86 Wrote:  This article wants Figger out... While the numbers are UGLY as can be I will be as real as can be... He had no consistency then his best transfer player left after the California trip in November with no official announcement and was removed from the roster makes me want to wonder what is going on... If he stays this will look bad on the AD who decided to hire him.

FIGGER OUT.... MAYBE

Two theories, both tied in to football:

Theory #1 - He's out: Figger does not fit in with the new branding and huge investments we're making on the stadium and new facilities. Figger failed to even make the conference tournament this year. Figger's record (8-23, 15-17, 6.25) is comparable to Dan Hipsher's last 3 years before he got fired* (9-23, 10-21, 8-23). Our AD has high ambitions, and frankly all the coaches except Lowery (WVB) and Matlock (baseball) ought to be worried.

Theory #2 - He's still on. Chaisse Conque and the prez are going all in on football, all eggs in one basket. Single flagship sport. They don't want to divert resources, whether it's time and money, on trying to get better coaches for sports that are just there to meet NCAA, WAC, and Title IX requirements.

I hope it's Theory #1 but fear it's Theory #2. What do you think?

---------------
*To be fair, Hipsher had other dings like getting evicted from a game and then suspended by the WAC.

To be fair Matlock and Lowery are a bit safer than you think because Lowery has 4 more years on his extension while Matlock keeps winning he will stay. I will concede about not fitting the branding thing he does not fit the billing. But number two would not surprise me at all.

(03-10-2024 07:57 PM)Lopes87 Wrote:  

(03-10-2024 07:28 PM)edinburger Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 12:46 AM)WACfan86 Wrote:  This article wants Figger out... While the numbers are UGLY as can be I will be as real as can be... He had no consistency then his best transfer player left after the California trip in November with no official announcement and was removed from the roster makes me want to wonder what is going on... If he stays this will look bad on the AD who decided to hire him.

FIGGER OUT.... MAYBE

Two theories, both tied in to football:

Theory #1 - He's out: Figger does not fit in with the new branding and huge investments we're making on the stadium and new facilities. Figger failed to even make the conference tournament this year. Figger's record (8-23, 15-17, 6.25) is comparable to Dan Hipsher's last 3 years before he got fired* (9-23, 10-21, 8-23). Our AD has high ambitions, and frankly all the coaches except Lowery (WVB) and Matlock (baseball) ought to be worried.

Theory #2 - He's still on. Chaisse Conque and the prez are going all in on football, all eggs in one basket. Single flagship sport. They don't want to divert resources, whether it's time and money, on trying to get better coaches for sports that are just there to meet NCAA, WAC, and Title IX requirements.

I hope it's Theory #1 but fear it's Theory #2. What do you think?

---------------
*To be fair, Hipsher had other dings like getting evicted from a game and then suspended by the WAC.

Do you think they will keep him around bc they are hyper focused on getting fb set up?

Don't know, of course, but that is what I'm afraid of. If they've decided there are good *basketball* reasons to give him more time to turn it around, that's fine, but if the admin has just decided not to care that would be disappointing.

(03-10-2024 09:16 PM)WACfan86 Wrote:  To be fair Matlock and Lowery are a bit safer than you think because Lowery has 4 more years on his extension while Matlock keeps winning he will stay. I will concede about not fitting the branding thing he does not fit the billing. But number two would not surprise me at all.

Don't get me wrong, Lowery and Matlock are both doing very well and should be in no danger. Main worry on Lowery is that he might get poached.

Women's soccer has won a total of two conference games in the last two seasons under Foster. How long is his contract?

(03-10-2024 07:56 PM)wewererebels Wrote:  Honestly, this is a good situation to be in. We at UTA were in the #2 situation, but failed at both flagship and Olympic sports.

Could happen to us....flop in football and lose what little we've got in the rest.

On cloudy days I sometimes think the only reason the WAC hasn't given us a "hint" like they gave Chicago State is that we're critical to the WAC's plans on football. Not to winning any football, you understand, just to maintaining critical mass.

Chicago State wasn’t a full member, but a contract one. UTRGV is in the WAC as long as they want.

(03-11-2024 01:25 AM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  Chicago State wasn’t a full member, but a contract one. UTRGV is in the WAC as long as they want.

Yeah but I purpose until UTRGV starts winning they have to go back to be known as UT-PanAm Broncs until further notice.

(03-11-2024 12:11 PM)Lopes87 Wrote:  

(03-11-2024 01:25 AM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  Chicago State wasn’t a full member, but a contract one. UTRGV is in the WAC as long as they want.

Yeah but I purpose until UTRGV starts winning they have to go back to be known as UT-PanAm Broncs until further notice.

You have no idea how badly some people want the old name back.

The WAC can not afford to lose RGV. Tarleton is gone the second they get an FBS invite and the 3 privates out west are on the WCC's radar. The WAC will probably lose 2-4 schools in the next year or two.