It's way off the thread topic, but I totally agree. I watched three complete college football games all year, only one by choice really. NIL and the portal, as it's managed now, have completely ruined the sport. The NCAA revenue sports are the worst operated sports I've ever seen. Carson Beck is the perfect example - a guy still in college while fellow top recruits from his freshman year in Bryce Young and CJ Stroud have been in the league for 3-4 years and are playoff starting QB's. College football has become a complete joke.

Serious question on this topic: How much do we really believe that those people making decisions about head coaching openings at Ohio care about winning? That's something I'm starting to question that I never questioned 10-12 years ago.

In short, no. If he hasn't gotten a head job elsewhere at this point, I think that says a lot about him. But even if he was a candidate, I wouldn't want him. We had our chance to hand him the keys after Groce left and we didn't. I think that tells you all you need to know. Unless he turned down the job that I don't know about.

AD's are tied to winning and the success of their coaches. If Lars comes here and the football and basketball programs collapse around him, he's gonna be selling Jackrabbit nachos at the South Dakota State Fair. If he has success, he'll head to Texas Tech, or Miami, or LSU or lead a conference, like the folks before him. This is a cushy spot if you have success.

Lori also knows what it means to have a winning program here. Shit, she was the one at the campus football celebration when the bus came back without Albin. Sports, even our little engine that could, drive pride and engagement throughout the alumni and students. We're not Ohio State, but we don't need to be. We love our little teams. They know that.

Been banging this drum for the last month as well. Everything is stale. If Boals gets a lame duck year...it should be mandated he looks to make changes to his staff. Then again, who is going to come to Athens as an assistant for a lame duck season?

Or instead of signing the three Reynoldsburg guys from an hour away, our coaching staff could have gone to Florida to check out some guys shooting 50% from three in high level juco ball. Or maybe check out some of the 7-footers from the Serbian junior national team. Not as convenient though. But you know what the TGI Friday's manager in Office Space said about doing the bare minimum.

I've posted this before - but I'll gladly take the opportunity to post it again since it was brought up above.

Ohio HC All-Time Wins
1. Jim Snyder - 355 (25 seasons)
2. Larry Hunter - 204 (12 seasons)
3. Butch Grover - 192 (16 seasons)
4. Dutch Trautwein - 136 (11 seasons)
5. Jeff Boals - 125 (6+ seasons)
6. Tim O'Shea - 120 (7 seasons)
7. Danny Nee - 107 (6 seasons)
8. John Groce - 85 (4 seasons)
9. Saul Phillips - 81 (5 seasons)
10. Dale Bandy - 69 (6 seasons)

But - they played different quantities of games per year you say. Sure. Let's look at pct.

Ohio HC All-Time Winning Pct
1. RW Finsterwald: 34-6 .850 (2 seasons)
2. Jim Christian: 49-22 .690 (2 seasons)
3. Danny Nee: 107-67 .615 (6 seasons)
4. John Groce: 85-56 .603 (4 seasons)
5. Dutch Trautwein: 136-90 .602 (11 seasons)
6. Butch Grover: 192-129 .598 (16 seasons)
7. Jim Snyder: 355-245 .592 (25 seasons)
8. Jeff Boals: 125-87 .590 (6+ seasons) (fell below Snyder with the Kent loss)
9. Larry Hunter: 204-148 .580 (12 seasons)
10. Tim O'Shea: 120-95 .558 (7 seasons)

How about winning in March in Cleveland/NCAA when it really matters (Yes, NOTHING MATTERS BUT MARCH).

Ohio HC All-Time MAC Tournament Winning Pct
1. John Groce: 9-2 .818 (2 titles)
2. Jeff Boals: 7-4 .636 (1 title)
3. Tim O'Shea: 9-6 .600 (1 title)
4. Danny Nee: 6-4 .600 (2 titles)
5. Jim Christian: 3-2 .600 (0 titles)
6. Billy Hahn: 3-3 .500 (0 titles)
7. Larry Hunter: 9-10 .474 (1 title)
8. Saul Phillips: 2-5 .286 (0 titles)
9. Dale Bandy: 0-0 .000 (0 titles) (Didn't qualify in his last season)

What about before the MAC tournament? Look at total NCAA appearances (or NIT prior to NCAA being main tournament).

Ohio HC All-Time Tournament/League Champ Appearances
1. John Groce: 2 trips in 4 seasons (2.0 seasons/champ)
2. RW Finsterwald: 1 championship in 2 seasons (2.0 seasons/champ)
3. Danny Nee: 2 trips in 6 seasons (3.0 seasons/champ)
4. Jim Snyder: 7 trips in 25 seasons (3.57 seasons/champ)
5. Butch Grover: 3 championships in 16 seasons (5.33 seasons/champ)
6. Jeff Boals: 1 trip in 6+ seasons (6.00 seasons/champ)
7. Tim O'Shea: 1 trip in 7 seasons (7.00 seasons/champ)
8. Dutch Trautwein: 1 NIT in 11 seasons (11.00 seasons/champ)
9. Larry Hunter: 1 trip in 12 seasons (12.00 seasons/champ)
10. All Remaining coaches: 0 trips in 29 seasons

Ohio total: 19 trips (14 NCAA, 1 NIT (when it was main tourney) and 4 "league championships) in 118 seasons - averaging one trip every 6.21 seasons historically.

The landscape has changed. College athletics is no longer about building a "team" but rather building a 1 year collection of 5-8 guys who compliment each other. It's not about developing talent, it's about renting guys for a year. It's no longer about culture and systems (X's and O's), it's about how much $$$ you can offer.

Given that landscape shift - the coaches that are going to be the most successful moving forward, for all teams that don't have huge donor coffers already - are the guys who can fund-raise the best. The guys who can make the most lucrative business deals. And those who can most efficiently spend their limiting money pool on finding diamonds in the rough by casting world-wide nets. It also means investing just as much (if not more) time and money on recruiting current D1 players to try and poach them as it does on lowly freshmen HS kids who are likely not impact guys in year 1 anyway. Let them go somewhere else and prove their abilities then come steal them after they've proven it rather than determining that on your bench.

MOST of those traits sounds awful to uninteresting to traditional basketball coaches. Thus the mass exodus of many of the old-timers and greats (Izzo and Cal about to jump ship soon as well IMO).

I'd go hire a team of international scouts, NBA scouts, fund-raisers, promoters, an analytics department and a GM and call it a day.

I know about 5-6 here who would lose the freaking mind!

Yes and no. Culture and systems are still valid in spite of potential roster turnover. The best coaches can have guys leave their systems and successfully be able to identify other system fits -- portal, overseas, etc. to replenish continuity.

Groce and Senderoff have proven that, it's why Kent and Akron are perennial MAC title contenders each season during this era and we are not. We don't have a system. Combine that with poor recruiting and development and you have Boals' results.

Ohio University will not dismiss Coach Boals in 2026. The buyout, thanks to the former AD is more than they want to pay. I hope Coach Boals turns things around because he is a good guy. Shouldn’t Bobcat fans expect more from Boals because of his top salary in the league? Be prepared for another fifth seed finish this season. Coach Boals has been in Athens 11-12 years including his under grad degree at Ohio University. Coach Albin spent 20 years in Athens and was awarded
the conference coach of the year twice. He also led the football program to a league title for the first time in over five decades. Albin and the football program achieved three consecutive ten win seasons and wonderful success, but for some reason the former AD ignored those achievements. Albin out performed Boals, but yet the former AD rewarded Boals. And SBH and others, like I have told you many times before, I’m not related to Coach Albin. I’m just a fan who appreciated unprecedented success for the Bobcat football program unlike many of you and the former AD!

Dude, it was a Chotchkie's! Get it right!