The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Thankfully, the pod system should be over. We are stuck in frisco for one more year.

(03-25-2020 07:34 PM)BlazinBham Wrote:  Thankfully, the pod system should be over. We are stuck in frisco for one more year.

I still think the minor league baseball model for scheduling could be interesting - a 1st half champ and a 2nd half champ. The 9th game of each half would be corresponding positions vs one another. For example, East #1 vs West #1, East #2 vs West #2, etc. At the conference tourney, the top seeds would be the 2-4 #1 game participants. The remaining would be seeded by conference record. Of course teams (and coaches) could no longer claim the "regular season champion" title which is mainly ceremonial anyway since only the tourney champion goes to the NCAA tourney.

Many may be tired of the "gimmick" scheduling, though, after dealing with pods and may want to return to the norm.

https://twitter.com/WJOX945/status/12428...65058?s=20

Bart Hyche talking about AK on WJOX. Thinks Andy will get 1-2 transfers and 1-2 local kids. FWIW

Who is Bart Hyche?

(03-25-2020 09:09 PM)the_blazerman Wrote:  Who is Bart Hyche?

Played at Winfield HS and then Mississippi State.

Yep. It rings a bell now.

Played a year or so behind Carter Long.

(03-25-2020 07:34 PM)BlazinBham Wrote:  Thankfully, the pod system should be over. We are stuck in frisco for one more year.

I hope the pod system continues. I’d like to see it in play if the conference could ever have a handful of decent teams in one year. The old setup wasn’t any better in my opinion, you just got some random teams filling out the conference schedule.

(03-25-2020 03:17 PM)WesternBlazer Wrote:  

(03-25-2020 01:34 PM)Big Dee Wrote:  

(03-25-2020 11:25 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  

(03-25-2020 11:14 AM)Big Dee Wrote:  

(03-25-2020 10:34 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  He’s the lone Ehsan supporter on here, so he’ll say anything stupid to deride AK

Its funny though, but should i be concerned?

Big Dee, what are your thoughts on the AK hire?

Was for it til i remembered AK coaching record, and hearing he recruits by swag not skill.

Lots of positives though, oversaw OM renovations, former Blazer, wants to be here, decent recruiter, should get donations and former guys back. Has great connections.

I think he indicated he preferred guys with swag because its easier to tone them down than it is to boost/motivate some players every game, not in lieu of skills.

I got that, i was somewhat joking.

Remember his swagger guy Marshall Henderson? That dude i thought at the time might get killed with some of his antics. People seemed like they hated him

Remember our swagger guy Chris Cokley all he did was flex, and some lost their minds

(03-25-2020 07:43 PM)WesternBlazer Wrote:  

(03-25-2020 07:34 PM)BlazinBham Wrote:  Thankfully, the pod system should be over. We are stuck in frisco for one more year.

I still think the minor league baseball model for scheduling could be interesting - a 1st half champ and a 2nd half champ. The 9th game of each half would be corresponding positions vs one another. For example, East #1 vs West #1, East #2 vs West #2, etc. At the conference tourney, the top seeds would be the 2-4 #1 game participants. The remaining would be seeded by conference record. Of course teams (and coaches) could no longer claim the "regular season champion" title which is mainly ceremonial anyway since only the tourney champion goes to the NCAA tourney.

Many may be tired of the "gimmick" scheduling, though, after dealing with pods and may want to return to the norm.

I like it.

(03-25-2020 07:34 PM)BlazinBham Wrote:  Thankfully, the pod system should be over. We are stuck in frisco for one more year.

I think that it is a gimmick of dubious value. The conference as a whole needs to win relevant OOC games to earn their way in.

With Kennedy as coach now our conference RPI should jump up a couple of spots possibly even guaranteeing an at large bid in the process.

One problem with the minor league baseball style scheduling is the regular season champion gets and automatic bid to the NIT, if they don't win their conference tournament and are left out of the real tournament. They would have to figure out something there if there is a 1st half champ and a 2nd half champ, but no overall regular season champ.

(03-26-2020 09:59 AM)bamabhoy Wrote:  One problem with the minor league baseball style scheduling is the regular season champion gets and automatic bid to the NIT, if they don't win their conference tournament and are left out of the real tournament. They would have to figure out something there if there is a 1st half champ and a 2nd half champ, but no overall regular season champ.

I would hope head to head or conference record.

Would like a western division crown for basketball.

(03-26-2020 09:42 AM)the_blazerman Wrote:  With Kennedy as coach now our conference RPI should jump up a couple of spots possibly even guaranteeing an at large bid in the process.

Are you ever going to stop?

(03-26-2020 10:21 AM)blazers9911 Wrote:  

(03-26-2020 09:42 AM)the_blazerman Wrote:  With Kennedy as coach now our conference RPI should jump up a couple of spots possibly even guaranteeing an at large bid in the process.

Are you ever going to stop?

Not as long as people keep responding to him.

It was mentioned a few posts ago that schools in the conference must do better OOC with their scheduling.
It does us no good to have no conference team anywhere close to having a decent RPI by the time the conference season starts.

I have said this continuously however some of you held this against our former coach.
This environment and facts haven't changed with a new coaching hire.

A coaching hire by itself will not create at large bids.

I would be surprised to even see an uptick in our OOC at home schedule.

The best we can look forward to is about a thousand more fans or so showing up for big games (less for the crappy games we play) and hope to create enough excitement to where it bleeds over to the team.

& maybe the team can end up in the top 2 or 3 in the conference by the end of the season (it would have probably happened this year even with Ehsan as coach) and have a decent seeding to try and get the only bid to the tournament by winning the tournament.

And with the added excitement maybe we would be able to have prospective recruits at the game instead of keeping them away from the arena due to the deadness of it.

And maybe then basketball could be another thing that would help propel us to the AAC.

He’s not wrong. I would hope AK connections would help our OOC schedule some but people don’t want to come here an lose. If we want to go be a bit game for someone we need to target power teams that are beatable right now. He gets WVU for a HH and we beat them it will be harder for the next guy to say yes. Once we move to the AAC it will help. ultimately AK will face the same challenges our last four coaches faced. It’s how he handles them will be interesting.

I’m not against the Pod system and I’d say if we were on the bubble we would welcome it provided we sweep those games.

Good to see AK preaching some of what I have been saying about buying in and investing I the program all though he is more tactful than me. He also recognized the challenges of the league and noted that it’s a different time and situation we are in then back in our glory years. Good on him. At least he wasn’t blasted like I was. Lol

(03-26-2020 12:07 PM)the_blazerman Wrote:  It was mentioned a few posts ago that schools in the conference must do better OOC with their scheduling.
It does us no good to have no conference team anywhere close to having a decent RPI by the time the conference season starts.

I have said this continuously however some of you held this against our former coach.
This environment and facts haven't changed with a new coaching hire.

A coaching hire by itself will not create at large bids.

I would be surprised to even see an uptick in our OOC at home schedule.

The best we can look forward to is about a thousand more fans or so showing up for big games (less for the crappy games we play) and hope to create enough excitement to where it bleeds over to the team.

& maybe the team can end up in the top 2 or 3 in the conference by the end of the season (it would have probably happened this year even with Ehsan as coach) and have a decent seeding to try and get the only bid to the tournament by winning the tournament.

And with the added excitement maybe we would be able to have prospective recruits at the game instead of keeping them away from the arena due to the deadness of it.

I guarantee you AK wasn't hired with the intention of us remaining in CUSA long term. His hire is a statement to the AAC decision makers that we're serious about fielding a competitive basketball team again. Clark + Kennedy + Protective Stadium + bball practice facility + UAB's academics should have us in a great position for realignment. That equation is enhanced by Kennedy and weakened with Ehsan.

While we remain in CUSA I'm willing to bet Kennedy gets us consistently better results than Ehsan, but that's not the end game.

(03-26-2020 02:16 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  

(03-26-2020 12:07 PM)the_blazerman Wrote:  It was mentioned a few posts ago that schools in the conference must do better OOC with their scheduling.
It does us no good to have no conference team anywhere close to having a decent RPI by the time the conference season starts.

I have said this continuously however some of you held this against our former coach.
This environment and facts haven't changed with a new coaching hire.

A coaching hire by itself will not create at large bids.

I would be surprised to even see an uptick in our OOC at home schedule.

The best we can look forward to is about a thousand more fans or so showing up for big games (less for the crappy games we play) and hope to create enough excitement to where it bleeds over to the team.

& maybe the team can end up in the top 2 or 3 in the conference by the end of the season (it would have probably happened this year even with Ehsan as coach) and have a decent seeding to try and get the only bid to the tournament by winning the tournament.

And with the added excitement maybe we would be able to have prospective recruits at the game instead of keeping them away from the arena due to the deadness of it.

I guarantee you AK wasn't hired with the intention of us remaining in CUSA long term. His hire is a statement to the AAC decision makers that we're serious about fielding a competitive basketball team again. Clark + Kennedy + Protective Stadium + bball practice facility + UAB's academics should have us in a great position for realignment. That equation is enhanced by Kennedy and weakened with Ehsan.

While we remain in CUSA I'm willing to bet Kennedy gets us consistently better results than Ehsan, but that's not the end game.

I agree, and that is very encouraging if true. That would mean that Ingram and Watts are actively pursuing trying to get us in the AAC, and I hope that's true. However much some of us don't trust either of those guys, we won't get into the AAC without their intentional effort and practical steps to getting us there.