There are only two reliable scorers on this team and one of them had a bad game today. Hard to see how they can win when the offense is represented by McIntrye alone. Beacham gets to play only when McIntyre sits and is second leading scorer! I ask once again, with a lack of offensive production from the entire starting lineup (other than Mcintyre), why doesn't Beacham get more time?????????? I expected Black and Davis to be significant this year but they certainly were not in game 1. Don't see how this team could be voted 2nd in the division. As with last year they have no perimeter offense, and play mediocre defense. What will they do when they play a team which has a post player who can defend McIntyre? Looks like a long season to me. By the way, IMO Beacham is not a post player. She is a power forward.

When you have the top fan base in the MAC and possibly better than some Big 10 bases and Cullop still struggles to coach/recruit D-1 talent, just maybe a future shakeup needs to occur...
The Naama/NIT years are long gone with the program heading in the wrong direction...
First class facility/fans and history... A real shame !!

(11-10-2018 03:44 PM)FMRocket Wrote:  When you have the top fan base in the MAC and possibly better than some Big 10 bases and Cullop still struggles to coach/recruit D-1 talent, just maybe a future shakeup needs to occur...
The Naama/NIT years are long gone with the program heading in the wrong direction...
First class facility/fans and history... A real shame !!

It would take a lot of balls to fire Cullop given how much the community loves her and how she still keeps her teams above .500 year in and year out. I don’t think she is going anywhere but I’m like a lot of you in that I don’t think the program will ever reach BG’s level of success under Curt Miller. I like Cullop a lot and hope things do turn around but by now the program should have had 5-6 trips to the NCAAS, 2-3 Sweet 16 or Elite Appearances and about 4500 fans a night. I guess that was my vision following the WNIT title

Yikes. Not the ideal start to the season after enduring a long season last year. How is this program not trending upwards given all the resources it has over every other single mid-major program?

I guess I am of the mindset that you should always be looking around at potential coaches if you are not winning championships - especially for WBB and football. MBB success is pretty much a thing of the past - but it would draw well again if we were making it into the NCAA once every ten years instead of once in a lifetime....maybe.

If you were born the year Toledo last made it to the NCAA, you could be an adult with kids around HS age now. Players on that team are now grandparents.

To borrow a quote.....sad

(11-10-2018 04:03 PM)Rocket_Fanatic Wrote:  

(11-10-2018 03:44 PM)FMRocket Wrote:  When you have the top fan base in the MAC and possibly better than some Big 10 bases and Cullop still struggles to coach/recruit D-1 talent, just maybe a future shakeup needs to occur...
The Naama/NIT years are long gone with the program heading in the wrong direction...
First class facility/fans and history... A real shame !!

It would take a lot of balls to fire Cullop given how much the community loves her and how she still keeps her teams above .500 year in and year out. I don’t think she is going anywhere but I’m like a lot of you in that I don’t think the program will ever reach BG’s level of success under Curt Miller. I like Cullop a lot and hope things do turn around but by now the program should have had 5-6 trips to the NCAAS, 2-3 Sweet 16 or Elite Appearances and about 4500 fans a night. I guess that was my vision following the WNIT title

Don't hold your breath. Cullop has a contract through 2024-25.

Once again I am amazed how some jump to conclusions so fast. One game into the season and it is time to find a new coach. Those comments usually come from someone who has no coaching experience. If you feel so confident why don't you go to the coach face to face and express you feelings. I have always found her to be very open to suggestions. As the saying goes, she had forgotten more about basketball than most of us has known.

(11-12-2018 11:45 PM)hwut1 Wrote:  Once again I am amazed how some jump to conclusions so fast. One game into the season and it is time to find a new coach. Those comments usually come from someone who has no coaching experience.

I find the criticisms come just as quick from the coaches that think they can do it better, meaning most of them.

Valid points made. For Women's basketball, UT fanbase HAS stood-up. Facilities and resources are competitive. Performance hasn't been up to that. And head coaching contracts are WAY TOO LONG, regardless what a great person Coach is. AD is handing out guest passes before he retires and that goes onto the U Pres. It shouldn't have been permitted. The criticisms will escalate with the early appearance that the rival has righted the ship.

Looking for excuses as to why people "complain" instead of challenging those complaints is weak in any discussion. Make your counter-points.

(11-12-2018 11:45 PM)hwut1 Wrote:  Once again I am amazed how some jump to conclusions so fast. One game into the season and it is time to find a new coach. Those comments usually come from someone who has no coaching experience. If you feel so confident why don't you go to the coach face to face and express you feelings. I have always found her to be very open to suggestions. As the saying goes, she had forgotten more about basketball than most of us has known.

Feel free to be in the “Cullop Can Do No Wrong” camp. The rest of us would rather see MAC titles, NCAA appearances on a consistent basis and maybe an occasional deep run into March Madness.

The fact that so many care about the women’s basketball program should mean something. If you can’t handle people criticizing the program because it hasn’t done much of anything in the last 7 years after winning a national title then perhaps a fan message board isn’t the place for you...

(11-12-2018 11:45 PM)hwut1 Wrote:  Once again I am amazed how some jump to conclusions so fast. One game into the season and it is time to find a new coach. Those comments usually come from someone who has no coaching experience. If you feel so confident why don't you go to the coach face to face and express you feelings. I have always found her to be very open to suggestions. As the saying goes, she had forgotten more about basketball than most of us has known.

Maybe some of my criticism of TC is somewhat unjustified. There is no doubt that she is a wonderful person, and an unparalleled great ambassador of the university, but possibly a change is in order, IF and a big IF, this season is subpar for the program...
Being that she is under contract for the next 5-6 years, there is plenty of time to right the ship by Cullop and her staff. If not, status quo will set in, and the crowds will dwindle to pre - Selgo days...

Coach Cullop
MAC Tourney 2017
NCAA 2017
NIT 2011
MAC West:
09-2nd
10-1st
11-1st
12-1st
13-1st
14-2nd
15-4th
16-3rd
17-3rd
18-4th

(11-13-2018 08:22 AM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  Coach Cullop
MAC Tourney 2017
NCAA 2017
NIT 2011
MAC West:
09-2nd
10-1st
11-1st
12-1st
13-1st
14-2nd
15-4th
16-3rd
17-3rd
18-4th

Obviously a downward trend for the last few years...
Middle of the pack in the MAC west...

It's true, as hwut says, that one game into the season is an odd time to be talking about firing a coach. On the other hand, I understand the discussion and its timing. The off-season is a time to be hopeful and optimistic. I had convinced myself that the string of mediocrity would come to an end this year. That could still happen, but the exhibition game and season opener would suggest otherwise.

Of course, we had the NCAA trip within that four-year stretch of middle-of-the-pack MAC finishes. Unlike some fans, though, I don't judge a season based just on those three MAC tournament games. We finished 6th in the conference that year, beat the 3rd, 7th, and 4th seeds in the MAC tournament, and then got trounced in the NCAA tournament despite a favorable 10 seed. I was in Cleveland for those three wins, and it was exciting and wonderful. Nonetheless, it doesn't change the fact that we likely are now entering our 5th straight year of MAC mediocrity, and we are doing so with a veteran team (3 seniors and 2 juniors starting).

With the level of fan support the Rockets get, we have a right to expect to be at or near the top of the conference almost every year. I don't want Cullop to be fired. I just want her to start winning more games.

(11-13-2018 11:54 AM)Dwight Wrote:  It's true, as hwut says, that one game into the season is an odd time to be talking about firing a coach. On the other hand, I understand the discussion and its timing. The off-season is a time to be hopeful and optimistic. I had convinced myself that the string of mediocrity would come to an end this year. That could still happen, but the exhibition game and season opener would suggest otherwise.

Of course, we had the NCAA trip within that four-year stretch of middle-of-the-pack MAC finishes. Unlike some fans, though, I don't judge a season based just on those three MAC tournament games. We finished 6th in the conference that year, beat the 3rd, 7th, and 4th seeds in the MAC tournament, and then got trounced in the NCAA tournament despite a favorable 10 seed. I was in Cleveland for those three wins, and it was exciting and wonderful. Nonetheless, it doesn't change the fact that we likely are now entering our 5th straight year of MAC mediocrity, and we are doing so with a veteran team (3 seniors and 2 juniors starting).

With the level of fan support the Rockets get, we have a right to expect to be at or near the top of the conference almost every year. I don't want Cullop to be fired. I just want her to start winning more games.

Well said

And I would have liked Dan and Stutz to have
more wins. What is your line in the sand?

I am supportive of coach Cullop as is nearly all of the rocket fan base. But, as has been repeated above, it would seem that the team as regressed in recent seasons. I am puzzled by a portion of the recruiting effort. I understand that is difficult if not impossible to often get it right when evaluating and projecting the growth of young talent particularly when they are playing at varying levels of competition. It would seem to me that the evaluation process should get somewhat easier when looking at kids who are playing JC or at other colleges. And if we look at our most recent transfers, their is an obvious lack of success. (1) I thought Olivia Cunningham was going to be a major addition to the team. She demonstrated on several occasions a capacity to be a bigtime MAC scorer. Then by the second half of her junior year she is at the end of the bench and leaves the program. (2) Mae Tshitenge had a two year JC record to evaluate. I know that she lost her first year to injury but last year (her fourth on a college team) she played in only 3 games and is nowhere to be found so far this year. (3) Carlston-Handberg had a year at another college to use for evaluation. I assumed that given that and a second year practicing with the rockets, she would at least be a good backup to McIntyre. Given she only played 4 minutes in an exhibition game and 1 minute in a blowout loss, I would assume that the coaching staff has determined she is not ready for MAC level competition. There have been previous transfers who made an impact, most recently the U of M guard (Brenae Harris) but that was the 2015-16 season I think .. These are older players with a higher level of competitive experience and it is a major problem when they are not able to add value to the competitive effort.

(11-13-2018 01:02 PM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  And I would have liked Dan and Stutz to have
more wins. What is your line in the sand?

Two years ago the MAC tourney championship team finished 25-9 and 12-6 in the MAC. They lost one important player and were expected to compete for the division last year. Instead with nearly everyone back they were 8-10 in the league and 18-15 overall. For me … I don't know what the line in the sand was but last year's season was not good enough and importantly not as good as they should have been given the previous full year performance. I hold the coaching staff accountable for that underperformance. And my expectation for this year's team is much lower given their obvious weaknesses. I certainly hope I am wrong in that assessment.

(11-13-2018 01:08 PM)temoxley Wrote:  I am supportive of coach Cullop as is nearly all of the rocket fan base. But, as has been repeated above, it would seem that the team as regressed in recent seasons. I am puzzled by a portion of the recruiting effort. I understand that is difficult if not impossible to often get it right when evaluating and projecting the growth of young talent particularly when they are playing at varying levels of competition. It would seem to me that the evaluation process should get somewhat easier when looking at kids who are playing JC or at other colleges. And if we look at our most recent transfers, their is an obvious lack of success. (1) I thought Olivia Cunningham was going to be a major addition to the team. She demonstrated on several occasions a capacity to be a bigtime MAC scorer. Then by the second half of her junior year she is at the end of the bench and leaves the program. (2) Mae Tshitenge had a two year JC record to evaluate. I know that she lost her first year to injury but last year (her fourth on a college team) she played in only 3 games and is nowhere to be found so far this year. (3) Carlston-Handberg had a year at another college to use for evaluation. I assumed that given that and a second year practicing with the rockets, she would at least be a good backup to McIntyre. Given she only played 4 minutes in an exhibition game and 1 minute in a blowout loss, I would assume that the coaching staff has determined she is not ready for MAC level competition. There have been previous transfers who made an impact, most recently the U of M guard (Brenae Harris) but that was the 2015-16 season I think .. These are older players with a higher level of competitive experience and it is a major problem when they are not able to add value to the competitive effort.

Don't understand how a player who averaged 6/4 at a Horizon League school playing about 20 minuted per game can't play 10 giving McIntyre a break. Is she injured? Not sure. She was dressed at the game I saw.

I like Coach Cullop. A lot. As others have said here, she is a wonderful representative of UT and the Toledo community, and as far as being a role model, if I had a daughter who played college basketball I would want her coach to be someone who embodies the values and approach that Coach does. I have no quibble with her Xs & Os as far as game coaching--I don't have the right to question that. What does concern me, and has for awhile now, is that recruiting just isn't keeping up. It just isn't. Better MAC-level players are going to other schools. We have 2 members of the starting 5--McIntyre & Boyd--who on any given day are as good as (if not better than) anybody in the MAC. You can't win championships when much of the rest of the squad is starting every game a step behind many of the opposing players they will face. Some of that can be overcome by the motivation side of the game, and by playing better as a team, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Rockets pull off an in-conference upset or two this season. Having said that, I think it's going to be an uphill climb to finish with a winning record this season. This program really should be in a different place by now, and as a fan its hard waiting to see if "this" is the incoming class or recruits that will turn the corner. If Coach is the one who gets it all figured out, then that's a wonderful "win/win" in my book.

Not only are McIntyre and Boyd the best players, they are the only ones who have shown marked improvement in this group. Santucci looked great for a frosh, apart from her shooting but two years later still can’t shoot and hasn’t shown significant improvement elsewhere. Beacham has been frustrating, appearing to have enormous potential but frequently appearing lost on the court. I never understood St. Fort and Rokkanen may have actually regressed in some areas. Copeland was a big name but foesn’t See the floor, Davis I have hope for. We need a really good couple classes NOW!