Both the A-States men's team and women's basketball team are playing a little better late and the women's team picked up its third straight win and fourth in its last five games with one to go- although their programs #1 hater is making sure everyone knows it is against "bad teams", on their #1 Hate site.

While the women's coach is not at risk at all, it is still an open question about the men's coach.

In a article by AStateNation publisher Jeff Reed, HC Mike Balado said : “I don’t think about it (my future),’’ (HC Mike) Balado said on his weekly media zoom call. “If I start putting emphasis on myself then I am not doing my job of putting emphasis on what we need to do to win for these guys. So I haven't thought about it and I'm not going to think about it. I am just going to go in to work like I do every day and prepare our team to win games.”

Balado said he and athletics director Jeff Purinton met before the season and will be again when the season concludes.

https://247sports.com/college/arkansas-s...204830293/

Like their football team, both their men's and women's basketball teams are young overall and are expected to be much better next year, so staying the course might be the best move by their AD.

Balado - who has some nice young talent on his team, only has one year left on his contract, and a couple of Portal additions could easily turn it around for him next year.

Not firing Balado will of course result in an all out attack on all things A-State by their # 1 Hater, on their #1 Hate site, but that will be the case regardless, and their AD knows that.

Both A-States the men's and women's teams continued their improved play.

Normally good news but it really upsets their "fans" on their #1 Hate site, and even on the Conference forum.

Nothing official but their programs #1 hater- who for all intents and purposes controls that #1 site, feels confident enough that unless he wins the tournament Balado will be replaced , to began speculation about his replacement.

Really does not matter , he will be all over their new HC, first for not keeping any of Balado's talented youngsters if they leave, and then when the season starts.

Red Wolves Raw: Balado, Davis, Ford after 2/28 SBCT win

https://www.kait8.com/video/2023/03/01/r...ournament/

Just watching the video, I don't get the impression a decision has been made about Balado's future.

That feeling is reinforced by the fact that their programs # 1 hater reminded readers on their #1 hate site, that they have had their hopes for a firing thwarted in the past by an incompetent AD and/or Administration, who should also be fired.

IMO opinion, unless there are big donors demanding he be replaced, keeping Balado- even if it required a one year extension, might be the smart move by their AD.

Their women's team continued their improved play last night and it helped temper their programs haters on their #1 hate site. A few fans were even emboldened enough to say they were happy their team won, which is pretty brave thing to say on a site dominated by their programs hardest of hard core haters, and normally results in a coordinated attack.

While they face an uphill climb, if healthy I fully expect their men's team to continue their improved play. Not sure what will happen if they were to win, but don't expect their program haters will take it well, or let it pass.

While I have noticed that a few non-A-State posters on the Conference forum here have made some less than hateful comments about Balado's performance, the A-State fans here seem unified in their hate. Do not expect any outburst of enthusiasm if they were to win to go unpunished, especially on their #1 Hate site.

Still say if they had they not lost Norchad Omier and Desi Stills to the Portal they would probably have been a force in the SBC this year, and even this team is probably just a player or two away from being a very competitive SBC team. Their haters know this, but so does their AD and he knows he cannot appease their programs haters-they hate all things A-State , so why try.

As I expected their men's team continued their improved play, and as expected they are laying the hate on Balado on their #1 Hate site.

As far as Balado's future it seems to be an unknown but here are a couple of tweets for those gifted at reading between the lines.

AStateNation
@AStateNation·
2h
On his future at Arkansas State Mike Balado said it will be “business as usual” going forward the next few weeks. The Red Wolves did not meet any of the criteria in his contract and his buyout is reduced to $185k for the final year in 2 weeks.

https://twitter.com/AStateNation/status/...yx_aMtAAAA

Tweet
See new Tweets
Conversation
AStateNation Retweeted
Jeff Purinton
@JeffPurinton
Not the outcome we wanted today, but proud of the way this
@AStateMB competed and fought down the stretch. #WolvesUp

https://twitter.com/JeffPurinton/status/...fngaQtAAAA

Again their AD is new to A-State but he knows that nothing he does will make their haters on that hate site happy, but I don't get the feeling he is under pressure by the major donors to make a change........ at this point.

The good news is Arkstfan in back in the mix on their#1 hate site.

Although I get the feeling he is not in Balado's corner, and is a little past his prime -has not called posters SOB's in a while, he still has a way of interacting with their posters that keeps things somewhat between the ditches.

He does not mind engaging or suffering "haters" or "rose colored classes" types as long as they can give a "why" for their position, and does it in such a way that they know when they have gone to far -does the same thing on this site from time to time, so hope he can stick around there.

While it is being noted that Balado did not meet any of the criteria in his new contract extension –win the Sun Belt Conference, win 10 games in Sun Belt play or earn a bid to the NCAA or NIT postseason events, it is my understanding that the extension was agreed to before Norchad Omier and Desi Stills hit the Portal and after saying they were going to return.

Had both returned there is a good chance he would have met at least one of the criteria.

Again their AD knows all this, thinks they have a nice base of young talent, and he knows that even if they fire Balado the haters are just going to shift their hate somewhere else on their #1 Hate site, so they have no leverage.

While he has invested a lot of time and energy into attacking all things A-State ,and especially Balado, their programs #1 Haters posted that , "We’ve spent the last 20 years making the wrong decisions on coaches retention. Why bet on red when black has hit 20 times in a row?".

Aside from not really being true-some coaches were able to be just mediocre enough not to get fired, and some took better jobs- a few their dream jobs, and there was nothing A-State could do to change their minds, it probably means that no one knows what their AD is going to do.

I don't get the feeling all the media types are blaming Balado for this season:
Thread
See new Tweets
Conversation
Kara Richey
@Kara_Richey
The Arkansas State men's basketball season comes to an end with a 63-59 loss to Troy in the 2nd rd of the Sun Belt Tournament.

After playing short-handed all season, it looked like #ASate just ran out of gas at the end. The Red Wolves wrap up the 22-23 slate with a 13-20 record.
4:05 PM · Mar 2, 2023
·

https://twitter.com/Kara_Richey/status/1...bx-aMtAAAA

The bottom line is that unless doing so would tick off some big donors there is probably enough cover for their AD to retain Balado if he wants to - not saying firing or retaining him are great options, and there is enough young talent on their roster where I can see why he might want too. At least for another season.

One unknown is they have supposedly been conducting an investigations into complaints about how Balado treats his players. Have not heard anything about how that is going.

and of course if their AD feels confident he can hire a can't miss coach, that could be a factor.

Like the men's team, their women's team also continued their improved play, but also came up a little short.

Unlike their even younger men's team , for the most part their fans seem happy with the progress shown by their young team.

Despite their overall youth, some untimely injuries, and the fact they were inexperience in playing together , both teams when healthy were competitive and both are probably a player or two away from being very solid SBC teams, and should be improved in 2023- something their AD is very aware of.

Spring practice starts on March 9th in football, and like their basketball programs, the expectations are that the bumps and bruises their young team endured this past season are going to began to payoff-again something their AD is very aware of.

A poster posted a video showing what they claim was Balado making a player get into a garbage can: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jpk5o5d2cnctc...EV5Oa?dl=0

Have no idea what is happening but does not look like a garbage can to me- more like something for rehab, like with ice. Most sites would remove it, but the point is the Haters that dominate that site must be getting a little concerned there relentless, multi-year efforts to get Balado fired might not be a sure thing.

Probably upset them that their talented freshman guard tweeted this:
Tweet
See new Tweets
Conversation
AStateNation Retweeted
Terrance Tbaby Ford
@terranceford_11
year one was one I’ll never forget about. love all my brothers & coaches, won’t trade this year for nothing in the world. More work to be done!!! #H11M

https://twitter.com/terranceford_11/stat...nMvaYtAAAA

Hope no other SBC team has anything like The Den that has attached itself to your program.

Noticed on this tweet by another one of their outstanding freshmen:
AStateNation Retweeted
Izaiyah Nelson
@IzaiyahN
·
6h
Can’t believe #year1 is over… Grateful to have had the opportunity to wear an A-state jersey and represent?… Thank you to all the fans that supported us throughout this rough year y’all will always be remembered in my heart️ Now it’s time to get ready for next year…

https://twitter.com/IzaiyahN/status/1632...vk9qYtAAAA

Now that will set them off on The Den where it was already getting pretty nasty.

Have not seen Arkstfan chime on The Den to temper the hate in this latest round of attacks on Balado- that is normally his role, because their editor Jeff Reed does not engage posters there at all , so still get the impression that they are not in Balado's corner.

Seems to have calmed down a little bit, but regardless if they fire or keep Balado, their #1 Hater - who controls that site and has made sure the majority of posters are conditioned to hate all things A-State ,they can point them at who ever they want to lay the hate on.

Looks like their AD will be the next target if the don't fire Balado, but the reality is it is all about hating all things associated with A-State athletics, all the time.

As I have posted before, because their Publisher does not engage posters at all, regardless of what they post, they desperately needed a 30 something Arkstfan to keep it between the ditches on that site.

Looks like they got such a person, but unfortunately they don't want to avoid any ditches. They are on that site 24/7, so it is impossible to get anything positive to stick. There is only token resistance now- and even that is met with immediate name calling, and a coordinated attack, so he is free to lay the hate as he sees fit. That is such a shame.

Again hope no other SBC team has anything like The Den that has attached itself to your program.

Reading on the Densider today it appears that they are expecting a coaching change in men's basketball, but nothing official.

Also still get the feeling based on how Arkstfan has interacted, or not interacted with their posters- not picking on him just he is the only member of the staff that interacts with posters, that he felt that a change was needed, and that maybe why their programs # 1 hater has been allowed such leeway in playing the "hate card".

Can't really say about their publisher because he does not interact with posters at all.

No doubt hate can work short term, but my experience is that when you play the "hate card", there are always untended consequences and they are always bad. Its like there a force in the Universe that absolutely hates "hater" and will not let them go unpunished, and they don't have to wait to an afterlife. My recommendation to anyone is don't go the hate route.

So again, with the "hate card" on the table, a very toxic environment will most likely get a lot worse, so the hope still is they can have enough success across the board so that everyone associated with their athletic program- players, coaches or administrators, will have the option of bettering themselves, and sooner rather than later.

Nothing on the official site yet but Balado is out and post on the Densider answered my question as why Arkstfan had not chimed chime on The Den to temper the hating on Balado.

Here is an article from AStateNation: https://247sports.com/college/arkansas-s...206623431/

Looks like the next coach on their hit list is their baseball coach:https://247sports.com/college/arkansas-state/board/105452/Contents/purinton-to-raffo-206665154/?page=1