(12-08-2019 02:58 PM)tigerlands Wrote:  

(12-08-2019 01:57 PM)John44932 Wrote:  I love Calipari. He did awesome things here and took a better job. He was always going to leave with a top recruiting class. I’ll always be thankful for the years he gave us.

I love Norvell, too. I’m really thankful for what he did here.

Only difference for me, Calipari finished out the season with us. Imagine how much the people here would hate him if he had quit before the NCAA tournament. Norvell chose to leave us in the middle. I’m not happy about it, but I’m not going to hate the guy for it.

Well Cal did kinda did leave before the NCAA games. He checked out of that Missouri game for sure. Just ask Tyreke Evans. My problem with Cal was not him leaving for Kentucky. Its how he did it. He took his entire recruiting class. That's the way it is, I know. Doesn't mean I have to be happy about though.

Left us on probation too.

(12-08-2019 06:24 AM)micman Wrote:  Obviously, we won’t have a full picture until another few weeks, but it will be interesting to me to compare and contrast Mike Norvell’s exit with John Calipari’s in 2009. It will be interesting to contrast the fan’s reaction to Norvell as well.

The Calipari narrative, as told by our favorite local journalists, especially Gary Parrish, is that Memphis fans are irrational (and he regularly calls his listeners stupid) when it comes to our dislike of the winningest coach in Memphis history because he left Memphis for Kentucky. That is, of course, not the reason for our dislike—it is the way in which he left (how he thumbed his nose at us and insulted us as he left).

FSU football, though not 90’s FSU anymore, is still very much like UK basketball. We have no allusions that Memphis’ programs can compete with the history of either FSU football or UK basketball. If we are going to lose a coach, we want to lose them to a program like those.

So now we get to see how Norvell will handle leaving. My guess is that he will leave in a way that indicates he liked being a Memphian and liked being a Memphis Tiger. My guess is that instead of being hated, he will be welcomed and revered, like Gene Bartow. Calipari will never be welcomed. If he ever appears, I will boo him; his success at Memphis overshadowed by the fact that he’s just a jerk.

No comparison already.

I’m not going to assert that Memphis is a program on the same level as KY historically, but in 2009 it was equal or better. When he left, Cal had everything he needed to win an NC here, which he almost did and should have. He was given everything he wanted, even at the expense of other priorities which ultimately may have set us back in the P5 quest. He seemed to imply with his kid’s table/grown-ups table metaphor that he could not win an NC at Memphis without resorting to extraordinary tactics. Perhaps he was thinking about the Rose situation and other recruiting deals we don’t know about. Apart from that possibility, though, his departure was less defensible as a career move and much more a slap in the face to Memphis. And that’s ignoring the WAY he left re: taking recruits, comments, snow cone machines, etc.

The structure of college football and exclusivity of the CFP makes Norvell’s departure easy to defend and far less insulting. As long as we are G5, there is no realistic path to an NC and getting there would require a set of circumstances well beyond what CMN could do on through recruiting and coaching. There were no demands he could make of the administration that would change that quickly, including better scheduling that some have mentioned. Admission to the P5 club is about TV ratings, fan base size, regional economics and lots of other off-the-field stuff. The CFP is all that to the extreme which is why a G5 program won’t be allowed to crash the party. Rectifying that situation is a long-term process that no coach should be expected to put his career on hold to wait for.

(12-08-2019 03:35 PM)CRM114 Wrote:  I’m not going to assert that Memphis is a program on the same level as KY historically, but in 2009 it was equal or better. When he left, Cal had everything he needed to win an NC here, which he almost did and should have. He was given everything he wanted, even at the expense of other priorities which ultimately may have set us back in the P5 quest. He seemed to imply with his kid’s table/grown-ups table metaphor that he could not win an NC at Memphis without resorting to extraordinary tactics. Perhaps he was thinking about the Rose situation and other recruiting deals we don’t know about. Apart from that possibility, though, his departure was less defensible as a career move and much more a slap in the face to Memphis. And that’s ignoring the WAY he left re: taking recruits, comments, snow cone machines, etc.

The structure of college football and exclusivity of the CFP makes Norvell’s departure easy to defend and far less insulting. As long as we are G5, there is no realistic path to an NC and getting there would require a set of circumstances well beyond what CMN could do on through recruiting and coaching. There were no demands he could make of the administration that would change that quickly, including better scheduling that some have mentioned. Admission to the P5 club is about TV ratings, fan base size, regional economics and lots of other off-the-field stuff. The CFP is all that to the extreme which is why a G5 program won’t be allowed to crash the party. Rectifying that situation is a long-term process that no coach should be expected to put his career on hold to wait for.

Except that when your bosses are Rudd and Bowen it is much easier to deal with than nitwit RC and clueless Shirley. We know that money was poured into basketball, but for sure Cal did a lot of it himself; getting laptops and gym equipment, setting up TV giveaways, stuff like that. The Finch was great during its time, but our idiot admin had it built without a regulation sized basketball court within it.

IF Cal talks about how he loved his time at Memphis and the people here then it is a completely different story. When we almost beat Kansas in our first game with Pastner, Cal's comment was that Kansas played really bad.

Thank you very much for all you did here Cal, but go **** yourself.

(12-08-2019 06:39 AM)TIGERCITY Wrote:  As far as Gary Parrish calling some of the fans irrational and stupid - just look through some of these threads.

GP is not someone to look up to.

(12-08-2019 01:59 PM)memphisike Wrote:  I told all u Dudes three weeks ago,
Norvell a fsu. LOCK

Link or stfu

Norvell=first class

Calipari=scumbag

(12-08-2019 06:53 AM)micman Wrote:  

(12-08-2019 06:45 AM)Penny_Luva Wrote:  Big difference is we don't have the media and fans camped out in front of his home with signs and helicopters flying above. Also no free Garibaldi's pizza or Josh Pastner walking around the pool on his cell phone?

For 3 days while Cal recruited our recruits (The ones with signed letters of intent) to go to Kentucky.

The only recruit that signed a NLI for Memphis and went to Kentucky was Darnell Dodson

The difference is Norvell left the program indisputably better than he found it.

(12-08-2019 01:57 PM)John44932 Wrote:  I love Calipari. He did awesome things here and took a better job. He was always going to leave with a top recruiting class. I’ll always be thankful for the years he gave us.

I love Norvell, too. I’m really thankful for what he did here.

Only difference for me, Calipari finished out the season with us. Imagine how much the people here would hate him if he had quit before the NCAA tournament. Norvell chose to leave us in the middle. I’m not happy about it, but I’m not going to hate the guy for it.

Er, if we were in the playoff he would not be leaving before that ends

Because the Cotton Bowl is more unique and prestigious it feels different but it is a little different

(12-09-2019 12:23 AM)kabluey Wrote:  The difference is Norvell left the program indisputably better than he found it.

To do what Fuente did was almost impossible. To improve on what Fuente left was difficult, but doable. The most remarkable thing that Norvell accomplished, is that during his 4 seasons here, only Ohio State and Oklahoma scored more points during that time frame. That is incredible.

There are a lot of great programs that have no definable identity. When you think of Memphis you think of scoring. Over the last few years I went through phases where I watched Oregon, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, just because I knew that there would be a lot of scoring, their games were a lot of fun.

That is our identity now. Fans who don't know a lot about football are going to see our uniforms and watch our games, just because of how much fun our games are.

(12-08-2019 12:12 PM)k2tigers Wrote:  

(12-08-2019 10:54 AM)EarthBoundMisfit Wrote:  I appreciate that he waited to announce he was leaving...but even then it was the worst kept secret.
FSU announced during the 3rd qtr that he'd likely be named HC at noon today.
If an agreement was in Place, that meant he had met with them during the season, and accepted another job.
That part I don't care for.
Also would like to know how this plays into 'fit and family'...as he is just now flying to Tallahassee.

that's on FSU, not Norvell

how else could he have handled it any better?

By meeting with them after the season was over instead of our last bye week. Granted it didnt affect team focus, he still knew he was leaving.

(12-08-2019 02:24 PM)tigerlands Wrote:  

(12-08-2019 01:57 PM)John44932 Wrote:  I love Calipari. He did awesome things here and took a better job. He was always going to leave with a top recruiting class. I’ll always be thankful for the years he gave us.

I love Norvell, too. I’m really thankful for what he did here.

Only difference for me, Calipari finished out the season with us. Imagine how much the people here would hate him if he had quit before the NCAA tournament. Norvell chose to leave us in the middle. I’m not happy about it, but I’m not going to hate the guy for it.

Well Cal did kinda did leave before the NCAA games. He checked out of that Missouri game for sure. Just ask Tyreke Evans. My problem with Cal was not him leaving for Kentucky. Its how he did it. He took his entire recruiting class. That's the way it is, I know. Doesn't mean I have to be happy about though.

Cal met with UK BEFORE the Missou game. Shortly after my wife and I moved back here, I read a online story about when he interviewed and met with Mitch Barnhardt and other UK officials. When I saw that the meeting had taken place before Memphis's S16 game with Mizzou, I angrily chewed them a new one...May haved cussed them out. That story was taken down.

(12-09-2019 12:42 AM)Stammers Wrote:  

(12-09-2019 12:23 AM)kabluey Wrote:  The difference is Norvell left the program indisputably better than he found it.

To do what Fuente did was almost impossible. To improve on what Fuente left was difficult, but doable. The most remarkable thing that Norvell accomplished, is that during his 4 seasons here, only Ohio State and Oklahoma scored more points during that time frame. That is incredible.

There are a lot of great programs that have no definable identity. When you think of Memphis you think of scoring. Over the last few years I went through phases where I watched Oregon, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, just because I knew that there would be a lot of scoring, their games were a lot of fun.

That is our identity now. Fans who don't know a lot about football are going to see our uniforms and watch our games, just because of how much fun our games are.

Also only a few teams have more wins than us during his time here.

(12-08-2019 11:37 PM)Briskbas Wrote:  

(12-08-2019 06:53 AM)micman Wrote:  

(12-08-2019 06:45 AM)Penny_Luva Wrote:  Big difference is we don't have the media and fans camped out in front of his home with signs and helicopters flying above. Also no free Garibaldi's pizza or Josh Pastner walking around the pool on his cell phone?

For 3 days while Cal recruited our recruits (The ones with signed letters of intent) to go to Kentucky.

The only recruit that signed a NLI for Memphis and went to Kentucky was Darnell Dodson

Which is why it was so stupid of Cal for doing what he did. We knew that John Wall (who hadn’t committed anywhere) and Boogie (who hadn’t signed) would go to UK. No one I know had any problem with those 2 guys going. It was the rest of his antics that were so insulting.

Then after all that, Dotson only played 1 year there.

He destroyed any relationship he had here for just one player for just one year.

During his introductory campaign across the state...he b@tched at every stop about how Memphis had "made him sell tickets".
We reformed his image when he was toxic to a lot of jobs...ungrateful s.o.b.