One would suspect that since ETSU considers women's basketball as a tier 1 sport, that they have an expectation to compete for conference championships. Perhaps the OOC schedule was taxing and destroyed their confidence, but what about all the other years? She had a career season with someone else's players, and other than that hasn't been very good.
I took it a step further, I took away her best season and her worst season, then ran the average W/L total. 15.5 wins, 15.5 losses. .500
.500 CANNOT be the expectation for what ETSU called in 2015: "“have the highest level of media exposure and also have significant revenue capability.” They also have “the greatest fan interest and therefore have the greatest opportunity to expose the ETSU brand and engage the largest number of constituents,” (Sander, JC Press 2015). They also said: "With a higher level of commitments come added pressure, so the sports in the upper tiers will be expected to win.

The basketball teams are expected to compete for the Southern Conference championships and participate in a postseason tournament each year. In addition, the men should sell 2,500 season tickets and the women 800. Both are expected to sell out four home games and play at least three teams in the top 50 each season," (Sander, JC Press).
Based on the numbers and the expectations that ol' Dickard set forth before he retired.
Here's the link to the 2015 article just as a refresher.
https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Sports/...iered-plan

(03-08-2019 10:45 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  One would suspect that since ETSU considers women's basketball as a tier 1 sport, that they have an expectation to compete for conference championships. Perhaps the OOC schedule was taxing and destroyed their confidence, but what about all the other years? She had a career season with someone else's players, and other than that hasn't been very good.
I took it a step further, I took away her best season and her worst season, then ran the average W/L total. 15.5 wins, 15.5 losses. .500
.500 CANNOT be the expectation for what ETSU called in 2015: "“have the highest level of media exposure and also have significant revenue capability.” They also have “the greatest fan interest and therefore have the greatest opportunity to expose the ETSU brand and engage the largest number of constituents,” (Sander, JC Press 2015). They also said: "With a higher level of commitments come added pressure, so the sports in the upper tiers will be expected to win.

The basketball teams are expected to compete for the Southern Conference championships and participate in a postseason tournament each year. In addition, the men should sell 2,500 season tickets and the women 800. Both are expected to sell out four home games and play at least three teams in the top 50 each season," (Sander, JC Press).
Based on the numbers and the expectations that ol' Dickard set forth before he retired.
Here's the link to the 2015 article just as a refresher.
https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Sports/...iered-plan

Up to them, or you if you have the money to support a buy out. I think she deserves another year, and I would hate to see them take money away from men's basketball or football, or something else, for a buy out. Let her finish out her contract and see where things lie. I think that's the best use of resources here.

(03-09-2019 07:30 AM)Efan Wrote:  

(03-08-2019 10:45 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  One would suspect that since ETSU considers women's basketball as a tier 1 sport, that they have an expectation to compete for conference championships. Perhaps the OOC schedule was taxing and destroyed their confidence, but what about all the other years? She had a career season with someone else's players, and other than that hasn't been very good.
I took it a step further, I took away her best season and her worst season, then ran the average W/L total. 15.5 wins, 15.5 losses. .500
.500 CANNOT be the expectation for what ETSU called in 2015: "“have the highest level of media exposure and also have significant revenue capability.” They also have “the greatest fan interest and therefore have the greatest opportunity to expose the ETSU brand and engage the largest number of constituents,” (Sander, JC Press 2015). They also said: "With a higher level of commitments come added pressure, so the sports in the upper tiers will be expected to win.

The basketball teams are expected to compete for the Southern Conference championships and participate in a postseason tournament each year. In addition, the men should sell 2,500 season tickets and the women 800. Both are expected to sell out four home games and play at least three teams in the top 50 each season," (Sander, JC Press).
Based on the numbers and the expectations that ol' Dickard set forth before he retired.
Here's the link to the 2015 article just as a refresher.
https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Sports/...iered-plan

Up to them, or you if you have the money to support a buy out. I think she deserves another year, and I would hate to see them take money away from men's basketball or football, or something else, for a buy out. Let her finish out her contract and see where things lie. I think that's the best use of resources here.

Agreed. No need for expensive buy outs.

So after six years with the expectation to compete for and win championships, you want to revert back to penny pinching... Seems legit.

(03-09-2019 10:59 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  So after six years with the expectation to compete for and win championships, you want to revert back to penny pinching... Seems legit.

I'm not really taking a (strong) position here, as I think one can make a case both ways.......but I *am* pointing out that not trying to raise money for a buyout isn't "penny pinching". It's being responsible and standing up to one's word. I mean, we gave her a contract and all. It really bugs me in this day and age to see this trend towards hopping around from one coach to another if things don't work out for some reason. If you fear that, then don't make the contract so long. (Looking at you, dave mullins.) I know -- once again I'm spitting into the wind, but why, just why, can't people and organizations 'man up' and fulfill promises and contracts???

Now if Ezell *wants* to get bought out and move on, and that could be negotiated, then that's a different story. But I doubt seriously that's the case. Hey, ETSU women went 18-10/11-2 just last year. Then Tianna Tarter graduated. I just don't think this being a down year is that surprising. That's why I say at least one more year is warranted.
Not to mention.............women's college basketball is more competitive now than it was 10 years ago when Kemp had her glory years. You may question that, but I think it's just true. More universities "take it seriously" and put more money into it. I can't say that the SoCon is a stronger conference than it was 10 years ago - but I would imagine that overall it is. Hard to look at that empirically, tho. Further, until this season, she had 4 winning seasons in a row, after inheriting a bad team from Kemp and having a losing season her first year here. Meaning............this is her first losing season with *her* players. I know you all know the phrase "makes everyone around [him/her] better". Well..............Tarter was as good an example as one can find. She was *way* more than just her individual stats.

The whole point of all this is that we won't know until next year, at best, whether this year was an aberration, or a trend. IMO.

What we know is that over her career as a division I head basketball coach, she's a sub .500 coach who's never been to the NCAA tournament and the person who followed her at Belmont keeps winning the OVC.
Six years is hardly hopping around, that's a full recruiting cycle with zero conference titles in a bad league.

(03-12-2019 09:23 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  What we know is that over her career as a division I head basketball coach, she's a sub .500 coach who's never been to the NCAA tournament and the person who followed her at Belmont keeps winning the OVC.
Six years is hardly hopping around, that's a full recruiting cycle with zero conference titles in a bad league.

I wasn't saying ETSU was hopping around. I was decrying that trend - instead of living up to one's word as an institution - or as a coach. No, neither Ezell or ETSU has been hopping around. I was generalizing as "It really bugs me in this day and age....." I thought indicated.

I don't know when her contract runs through, but lets not extend it until we see an upward trend. You haven't specifically said to buy her out (I don't think), but that is the implication. I'm saying......let whatever the current contract is stay as is until we can see improvement. If not, then let the contract run out, and be looking elsewhere in the last year of it (or however best to wind it down with the least damage possible). Yes, that's idealistic; but that's what we should aim for.

Again, even tho it may seem like it, I don't have a strong position here. Just seems to me this is her first losing season with her players - just after losing Tarter. Far from optimal, sure; time to can her? Not yet.

Could we do better? Maybe. But we have a contract, remember? Let's not be UT, please.

Ezell signed a 5 year contract extension last year, making $150,000 per year. Seems like a buyout would cost us at least $600,000. She isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

(03-14-2019 08:24 AM)etsubuc Wrote:  Ezell signed a 5 year contract extension last year, making $150,000 per year. Seems like a buyout would cost us at least $600,000. She isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Yep not for about four more years.

(03-14-2019 10:37 AM)bucfan81 Wrote:  

(03-14-2019 08:24 AM)etsubuc Wrote:  Ezell signed a 5 year contract extension last year, making $150,000 per year. Seems like a buyout would cost us at least $600,000. She isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Yep not for about four more years.

I was told, and a FOI would prove it, that Ezell makes 200K and is the highest paid women's coach in the SoCon. In addition to her 150K salary, she gets an additional 50K stipend for additional speaking duties for the Athletic Department......Never won the SoCon title, Never been to the NCAA Tournament, and has a career losing record. Why in the world has her salary increased nearly 70K since she's been at ETSU with these type of results? She was picked to win the SoCon this year and won a total of 10 games.....

I would like to see what attendance has done over the last 5 years. Hopefully Scott Carter is looking at that and academic progress of the players to help make a full evaluation.

It is just difficult for me to determine what the expectations are. It kind of reminds me of the Tony Skole tenure where the teams were not great but were not horrible either. It appears as a great opportunity for ETSU to become one of the dominant teams in the SoCon. It is a relatively weak league and with the right impetus we could become competitive with Mercer and therefore compete for the championship. It seems to me we are missing a chance here.

(03-16-2019 08:24 AM)bucfan81 Wrote:  It is just difficult for me to determine what the expectations are. It kind of reminds me of the Tony Skole tenure where the teams were not great but were not horrible either. It appears as a great opportunity for ETSU to become one of the dominant teams in the SoCon. It is a relatively weak league and with the right impetus we could become competitive with Mercer and therefore compete for the championship. It seems to me we are missing a chance here.

Women's basketball is classified as a tier one sport. The expectations were laid out in an article in 2015 that I posted a link too earlier in the thread. If she's making 200,000 dollars a year for losing in a weak league, then whoever is responsible for that contract extension should be terminated.

Nothing seems to have changed...

I am kind of old fashioned and believe college coaches are hired to win games.
Seems this program is like 22-56 since the contract extension.

2013-2014 9 21
2014-2015 21 12
2015-2016 16 14
2016-2017 16 14
2017-2018 20 13
2018-2019 10 21
2019-2020 9-21
2020-2021 - 3-15

Totals: 104-131

I said it from day one that Brittney Lyle Allen Butch Jones Ezell was a TERRIBLE HIRE from day one. Some of you guys thought my take on it was ice cold and dumb as hell. Guess what gentlemen? I was DEAD ON RIGHT about her and the numbers simply do not refute everything I've said about her since the day that dirty old man hired her.
Congratulations Brittney, you have succeeded in completely running ETSU women's basketball into the ground.

I really like Brittney and think she is an asset to the university, but it has become obvious that she can't coach basketball. If Scott Carter cares about building a winning program, how do we justify keeping Ezell?

(02-28-2021 02:39 PM)etsubuc Wrote:  I really like Brittney and think she is an asset to the university, but it has become obvious that she can't coach basketball. If Scott Carter cares about building a winning program, how do we justify keeping Ezell?

Yes. I think it boils down to the question is it worth buying out the contract?

(03-16-2019 08:06 AM)Efan Wrote:  I would like to see what attendance has done over the last 5 years. Hopefully Scott Carter is looking at that and academic progress of the players to help make a full evaluation.

Last year of data on NCAA website, ETSU Women's Basketball APR was 990 and that number has been trending up.

As a point of reference Men's Basketball at ETSU was 956 and that number has been relatively constant.

The most recent COMPARATIVE data I could find on attendance was from 2017. The conference average was 977 and ETSU averaged 1208. That would have topped the average of 20 conferences and all but the top 12 conferences.

EDIT: Just found this on ETSUBUCS.com:
Since her arrival, Ezell has increased ticket sales revenue by 3,088%. In each of the six seasons since the Buccaneers have returned to the Southern Conference, ETSU has ranked top-three in the SoCon in attendance, placing second during the 2016-17 season with 18,860 total attendees while obtaining a new school record crowd of 6,072.

Just stating facts.
I too would like to see more wins.

There is no doubt that attendance increased significantly under her. Some of this was probably people like myself who were not fans of women's basketball (honestly- the winner is nearly always the team who misses the least layups) but wanted to support the university and Ezell. Part of the attendance was also Ezell's ability to schedule big time opponents at home.