11th Place
- Thread starter cycloneworld
- Start date
I hate losing, and it frustrates me...but Bill Self, Roy Williams, and Coach K wouldn't be getting much different results with this team...let our young guys hit the weights and mature, and let McD get some of his players in here before you write him off...it's the "wait til next year" motto, but it's reality, whether you like it or not.
Wow.
From 95-96 through 2003-2004 A&M finished no better than 7th in conference play and was 10th or worse 6 years during that stretch. It was a little more than "a year or two" for them in the cellar.
What they did was hire a guy that proved to be a GREAT coach...Billy Gillispie. All he did was IMMEDIATELY bring winning basketball to A&M...21-10 (8-8) / NIT in year one, 22-9 (10-6) / NCAA (2nd Round) in year two, and 27-7 (13-3) / NCAA (Sweet 16) in year three.
Oops, I guess I probably really shouldn't have brought this up because most of you believe that "it takes time to build a winning program" and that "we really can't expect success from McDermott until year 5 or 6...that is why we gave him a 6 year contract".
I can hear you McDermott supporters already..."but, but, but McDermott took over a way worse situation at ISU than Gillispie did at A&M". Please try to substantiate that tremendously weak argument for me...I need a few chuckles today!
A&M and USC's basketball programs have been called sleeping giants...they have the facilities, money, and location going for them without the success...in step Gillespie and Floyd, in comes success...there are definately exceptions to winnings immediately...but for everyone that takes over a down program and wins, there are far more that don't...btw, I haven't seen ONE person say McDermott deserves six years...
This is the mentality of a loser..."well, we aren't getting any better but hopefully next year everyone else will get worse."
Unfortunately, what you fail to realize is that everyone else is recruiting just as we are...and they will have new kids in the uniforms next year...and those new kids might be as good or better than the old ones.
Just look at UT...two years ago they had LaMarcus Aldridge...man, how can they replace a lottery pick like that? Well, it was a guy named Kevin Durant. They don't have Durant this year and they sure are a lot worse than last year...aren't they?!?!
If we are placing our stock in everyone else coming back to us we are in big trouble.
I'm not sure about that... His best player is a guy he brought in at the LAST minute. Tubby left the whole kitchen bare...
Your comment is a total speculation. So, I will give you my total speculation...I believe if we had Self, Williams or Coach K at the helm for the last 2 years we would be in far better shape than we are now from both a won/loss and a recruiting standpoint!
With a little over a month left to sign players, Greg stepped into ISU with a roster of Cory Johnson, Rahshon Clark, Jiri Hubalek, Jessan Gray, and Ross Marsden. Everyone else defected because they came to play a COMPLETELY different style of basketball. What kind of success should Greg be getting by year 2 cyclone#1?
But the thing is Gillispie had talent there when he got there. Players already there for him to coach A&M's all time leading scorer Bernard King, Wright and Law. The three best players in A&M history that he didn't bring in.
I guess Baylor should have fired Scott Drew after year two with your expectations. Sometimes rebuilding comes quick. Sometimes it takes time.
Gillespie had a much easier time with the players already in the system.
Where did I say we won't be better next year? And where did I say other schools didn't recruit? Do you think opposition has something to do with success? Do you think conferences have up years and down years? IMO, the Big 12 will be tough, but the conference is losing a lot of VERY talented players this year. I'm sure there will be good recruiting classes brought in, but IMO the conference will not be as strong next year. Could be wrong, but it's a very educated guess.
He was there the year before Gillespie's first year and then his first two. He was the highest rated recruit at the time to go there. He was number #21.
Kentucky goes by UK not KU.
Maybe you should take a look at what UK has done since they got off to a rough start in the non-conference season...they are 9-3 in conference play and 15-10 overall.
Or maybe you are just remembering the thrashing Vandy gave them...but you need to also realize they have beaten Tennessee and that same Vandy team.
One other thing...I don't believe an SEC team with a winning conference record has been denied an NCAA tournament bid in a very long time.
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You are absolutely right about that! The chuckling I mean.
It seems we have a lot of our fan base that is very quick to provide a littany of excuses as to why it is taking more time for McDermott or for ISU. We are always showered with the "he inherited a terrible situation".
In fact, Baylor (which was also brought up earlier in this thread) was used as a "comparable" situation by someone a week or two ago in another thread. Our situation has never been as dire as the situation at Baylor.
And frankly, I don't think we have ever been as low as the A&M program was pre-Billy Gillispie. I went to an ISU game in College Station the year that the Ravens beat the Giants for the Super Bowl and if there were 500 fans at the game I would be shocked. I yelled at one point during the game and because it was so quiet in Reed Arena, everyone in the place heard me and looked at me...even the benches.
