The more I think about this topic, the more resigned I become to the possibility that Forbes was ETSU’s last big hoorah in the dying age of the mid-major basketball program. When you watch what’s happening to the SoCon, the needle is setting back to a lower standard for success…ASun type success, I fear. Hanging your hat on making the NCAA tournament for a chance to toss your coin into that tiny bottle at the carnival while all the lights and noise distract you from the fact it’s a blind hope.

Then again, these are thoughts one has during a terrible 3-season stretch

(02-07-2023 10:22 AM)shampoo Wrote:  The more I think about this topic, the more resigned I become to the possibility that Forbes was ETSU’s last big hoorah in the dying age of the mid-major basketball program. When you watch what’s happening to the SoCon, the needle is setting back to a lower standard for success…ASun type success, I fear. Hanging your hat on making the NCAA tournament for a chance to toss your coin into that tiny bottle at the carnival while all the lights and noise distract you from the fact it’s a blind hope.

Then again, these are thoughts one has during a terrible 3-season stretch

Let us hope not. There are many mid-majors in the same boat with us. I tend to think we are another Forbes type of hire to getting back on top in the SoCon and into the NCAA tournament. With Doc Sander in charge we have a chance.

Let's be real- ETSU's pinnacle each year is to win the conference tournament and make the NCAA tournament and try to get a seed that makes an upset possible. We were in that position in 2003-4 with Bartow and had a chance to win those games, we were in that position in 2017 when we played Florida (but played poorly in the game), and we were certainly going to be in that position in 2020 when the tournament was cancelled. That was the goal before Forbes, with Forbes, and after Forbes, and I think most of our fans understand that.

Unfortunately most fans don't realize how much the playing field has changed the last 2 years. It's nothing like when Forbes came to town and it's not going back to those times. It's a new era and ETSU didn't prepare for the new era.

(02-07-2023 10:43 PM)Buc76 Wrote:  Unfortunately most fans don't realize how much the playing field has changed the last 2 years. It's nothing like when Forbes came to town and it's not going back to those times. It's a new era and ETSU didn't prepare for the new era.

Except teams like UNCG and Samford do not understand that.

(02-07-2023 11:10 PM)bucfan81 Wrote:  

(02-07-2023 10:43 PM)Buc76 Wrote:  Unfortunately most fans don't realize how much the playing field has changed the last 2 years. It's nothing like when Forbes came to town and it's not going back to those times. It's a new era and ETSU didn't prepare for the new era.

Except teams like UNCG and Samford do not understand that.

Do they have fans ? Didn’t appear to have that many on TV. We are stinking it up and appear to have more.For conference contenders there didn’t seem to be.

(02-07-2023 11:21 PM)JWBUC Wrote:  

(02-07-2023 11:10 PM)bucfan81 Wrote:  

(02-07-2023 10:43 PM)Buc76 Wrote:  Unfortunately most fans don't realize how much the playing field has changed the last 2 years. It's nothing like when Forbes came to town and it's not going back to those times. It's a new era and ETSU didn't prepare for the new era.

Except teams like UNCG and Samford do not understand that.

Do they have fans ? Didn’t appear to have that many on TV. We are stinking it up and appear to have more.For conference contenders there didn’t seem to be.

But they have coaches.

You forgot to add 3, 4 and 5 yr starters and a veteran when you say they have coaches. ETSU has 2 players with one year of actually playing D1 ball.

I realize some of the posters on this board totally ignore experience and injuries but that's normal for message board coaches.

(02-08-2023 07:32 PM)Buc76 Wrote:  You forgot to add 3, 4 and 5 yr starters and a veteran when you say they have coaches. ETSU has 2 players with one year of actually playing D1 ball.

I realize some of the posters on this board totally ignore experience and injuries but that's normal for message board coaches.

In today's game with the transfer portal, that's not an excuse. Oliver inherited a decent roster last season, and ran it to the ground. Plus his recruiting from the high school ranks is abysmal!

I know some posters don't won't to hear, read or learn how the portal works. The idea that you just pick whatever player you want and sign him, nothing could be further from the facts.

Some poster the other day, I'll paraphrase, said 'ETSU should have no trouble getting a QB out of the Portal, there's plenty to choose from. I don't know what portal he looked at, but there were 6 QBs avaible. Not one was rated above 2* and no one was a dual threat. Yes there were several 4 star QBs but they aren't coming to ETSU. ETSU offered 11 QBs in rhe portal during signing period. No one signed. Now it's a waiting game till after spring practice. Hopefully someone will be disgruntled, hit the portal and ETSU can sign a QB they believe can improve our QB room.