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Ohio Basketball Topic
Topic: Has Saul Lost The Team?
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ohiocatfan1
1/18/2018 4:19 PM
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:expand_more
I've said it before, I'll say it again: that Sweet 16 run was the best worst thing to happen to this program. It was a great ride...but it also brought with it unrealistic expectations from a large portion of the fan base, got our coach a pay day somewhere else, and gets folks to look past the shortcomings of that coach's performance between November and February. Expecting tournament berths and runs in March is the exception, not the normal. In MAC basketball, it just doesn't often happen. Even at Akron under Dambrot, a run I'm sure most here would love to have, they won jack in the tournament. Most of the time they got shelled on the big stage. It's a harsh realization, but we aren't Gonzaga. We aren't VCU. We aren't Wichita State. Expecting that type of result every year is a fool's errand, in my humble opinion.
I don't know that anyone expects that. I certainly don't. But the lack of talent on this roster is glaring. Ellis Dozier may be a great kid, probably is, but a total recruiting whiff. And let's all be honest. Some of those seeing minutes are not close to D-1 talent. We had no business on the same floor with Toledo in that regard.
Great minds think alike I guess.

took the words right out of my...keyboard?
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spongeBOB CATpants
1/18/2018 4:27 PM
100%Cat wrote:expand_more
I've said it before, I'll say it again: that Sweet 16 run was the best worst thing to happen to this program. It was a great ride...but it also brought with it unrealistic expectations from a large portion of the fan base, got our coach a pay day somewhere else, and gets folks to look past the shortcomings of that coach's performance between November and February. Expecting tournament berths and runs in March is the exception, not the normal. In MAC basketball, it just doesn't often happen. Even at Akron under Dambrot, a run I'm sure most here would love to have, they won jack in the tournament. Most of the time they got shelled on the big stage. It's a harsh realization, but we aren't Gonzaga. We aren't VCU. We aren't Wichita State. Expecting that type of result every year is a fool's errand, in my humble opinion.
Not sure anybody here is expecting sweet 16 runs every season, but I'm sure most of us expect to be competitive at home against Toledo. We looked like a d3 school and not because of how we played, but were completely outmatched athletically.
I've read a lot about MAC tourney semi's not being good enough and tourney berths every X number of years talk. We had an awful game. Remember when that glorious group of Sweet 16ers lost at home to Winthrop without cracking 50 points? I do, I was there. Was that really not uglier than the Toledo game?
Winthrop has been to 10 NCAA tournaments since 99. Quality program. Toledo not so much.
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allen
1/18/2018 4:38 PM
greencat wrote:expand_more
To quote Aaron Rogers, some people need to "R-E-L-A......XXXXXXXXX." Seriously, back away from the ledge. No coach would be winning with what has happened to this roster in the past 7-8 months. That's not making excuses, it's looking at the situation and being realistic.
Counterpoint: Would a standout coach HAVE this roster? Look at the recruiting grid and tell me honestly you see 12 quality MAC-level players.
I like a good challenge:

Yes - Carter, Dartis, Kirk, Laster, Taylor, Mickle, Block, Butler

Have no idea because either no or limited sample - Gareri, VanderPlas

Maybe - Gollon (I think he could be a useful 9th or 10th man in the MAC)

Evidently not - Dozier

Remember, you said MAC level, not all-MAC or higher.


Taylor would be 3rd string on a high level mid-major.

If Gareri is the one who looks like Jesus, he should be playing juco ball to get his skill level up to mid-major sub off the bench level. If not, then NAIA for all 4 years.

Mickle? Looks like his high water mark at FGCU was 13 points against something called Ave Maria (?)**

**Upon further review, Ave Maria is a tiny Catholic school who is currently 3-17 in men's basketball and 1-8 in whatever league they play in vs other tiny church schools.

See, this is the thing. Saul needs to realize he is not in Bunfart, ND anymore. He is near the middle of the heavy populated midwest, near an airport that has non-stop flights to all those Dallas and Atlanta kind of mega-cities. He needs to stock the roster as if he can take advantage of that. Other than Kirk, he doesn't seem to be doing it.
Carter would probably get some run at a high major, besides that I agree with this post. Saul is stubborn about playing zone so you have to recruit athletes that can defend. He has largely stuck with the same guys when he has had a full lineup, Gollon on over laster at one point is ridiculous. Kirk and butler can be good, but can we trust him to develop them. The buyout talk is malarkey, coaches get fired and bought out in the MAC. I am not calling for his head, but if he does not make adjustments and we continue to struggle, he should be fired. This was a crazy year for Saul, but he hasn’t handled it well. Let’s see what he can pull out of his hat. There is no such thing as Saulball, that is something that a bunch of exuberant fans made up. We got lucky with Mickle. The nyc heart stuff was sick last year. We need to stop coddling coaches and hold them to a standard.
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FearLeon
1/18/2018 4:39 PM
100%Cat wrote:expand_more
I've said it before, I'll say it again: that Sweet 16 run was the best worst thing to happen to this program. It was a great ride...but it also brought with it unrealistic expectations from a large portion of the fan base, got our coach a pay day somewhere else, and gets folks to look past the shortcomings of that coach's performance between November and February. Expecting tournament berths and runs in March is the exception, not the normal. In MAC basketball, it just doesn't often happen. Even at Akron under Dambrot, a run I'm sure most here would love to have, they won jack in the tournament. Most of the time they got shelled on the big stage. It's a harsh realization, but we aren't Gonzaga. We aren't VCU. We aren't Wichita State. Expecting that type of result every year is a fool's errand, in my humble opinion.
Goodness...1 missed free throw away from the Elite 8 and that would have been the worst thing to happen to this program? How can anyone think this way? I was there in St. Louis. The UNC game was the most thrilling and disappointing sports night I've ever experienced in person. Does anybody expect that to happen every year...of course not. What that night in St. Louis did was give Bobcat Nation hope that sustained trips to the Big Dance over the next 5 years was possible. Then we hired the wrong guy and he scooted after 2 years when all his good players were gone. And now I'm afraid we've hired another wrong guy. #14MonthsToProveMeWrong
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Bobcat1996
1/18/2018 4:57 PM
Yes Akron was the top program in the MAC for many seasons, but eventually the inability to win a NCAA game and the fact that the MAC is a one bid league forced Dambrot to move to the A-10. He did get a bunch of cash to take the job in Duquesne so that didn't hurt. If Dambrot has the same success he had at Akron, he won't need to win the league tourney every March to reach the NCAA. The MAC is a one bid league and the regular season is all about getting in position to make a run in the league tourney. Groce knew that at Ohio and that is what got him his gig in the Big Ten. Hopefully Saul will do the same eventually. Don't give up hope on this program yet.
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GoCats105
1/18/2018 5:26 PM
FearLeon wrote:expand_more
I've said it before, I'll say it again: that Sweet 16 run was the best worst thing to happen to this program. It was a great ride...but it also brought with it unrealistic expectations from a large portion of the fan base, got our coach a pay day somewhere else, and gets folks to look past the shortcomings of that coach's performance between November and February. Expecting tournament berths and runs in March is the exception, not the normal. In MAC basketball, it just doesn't often happen. Even at Akron under Dambrot, a run I'm sure most here would love to have, they won jack in the tournament. Most of the time they got shelled on the big stage. It's a harsh realization, but we aren't Gonzaga. We aren't VCU. We aren't Wichita State. Expecting that type of result every year is a fool's errand, in my humble opinion.
Goodness...1 missed free throw away from the Elite 8 and that would have been the worst thing to happen to this program? How can anyone think this way? I was there in St. Louis. The UNC game was the most thrilling and disappointing sports night I've ever experienced in person. Does anybody expect that to happen every year...of course not. What that night in St. Louis did was give Bobcat Nation hope that sustained trips to the Big Dance over the next 5 years was possible. Then we hired the wrong guy and he scooted after 2 years when all his good players were gone. And now I'm afraid we've hired another wrong guy. #14MonthsToProveMeWrong
Moving away from the Saul stuff for a second...

...going back and looking at the recruiting threads during that run is really fun and also severely depressing. Man, was Ohio ever close to bursting into a different stratosphere. The entire 2012 Sweet 16 roster was returning and two guys who were committed and would have ended up here had Groce stayed.

2012 Caris LeVert - he turned out OK

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caris_LeVert

2013 Evan Bradds - yeah he's not so bad either

https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2017/11/03/belmon... /

Not to mention any number of guys we could have legitimate shots at.
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OhioStunter
1/18/2018 5:38 PM
allen wrote:expand_more
Saul is stubborn about playing zone so you have to recruit athletes that can defend.
The athletes he recruited gave up 90+ points in four different games this year and Ohio is 10th in the MAC in scoring defense, so this defense thing isn't really working.
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allen
1/18/2018 5:46 PM
OhioStunter wrote:expand_more
Saul is stubborn about playing zone so you have to recruit athletes that can defend.
The athletes he recruited gave up 90+ points in four different games this year and Ohio is 10th in the MAC in scoring defense, so this defense thing isn't really working.
Buffalo is just going to drive, drive drive and if they make layups they win. You go to a zone like Princeton when you don’t have athletes to match up one on one.
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greencat
1/18/2018 6:08 PM
GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
To quote Aaron Rogers, some people need to "R-E-L-A......XXXXXXXXX." Seriously, back away from the ledge. No coach would be winning with what has happened to this roster in the past 7-8 months. That's not making excuses, it's looking at the situation and being realistic.
Counterpoint: Would a standout coach HAVE this roster? Look at the recruiting grid and tell me honestly you see 12 quality MAC-level players.
I like a good challenge:

Yes - Carter, Dartis, Kirk, Laster, Taylor, Mickle, Block, Butler

Have no idea because either no or limited sample - Gareri, VanderPlas

Maybe - Gollon (I think he could be a useful 9th or 10th man in the MAC)

Evidently not - Dozier

Remember, you said MAC level, not all-MAC or higher.


Mickle? Looks like his high water mark at FGCU was 13 points against something called Ave Maria (?)**
Who cares what he did at FGCU. He's playing a role here.

Clemson - 10 pts, 3 rebs
Maryland - 9 pts, 3 rebs
WKU - 17 pts, 4 rebs
Ball State - 10 pts, 6 rebs

He's definitely not the home run we all wanted in a transfer, but he's doing a great job. More than they expected out of him for sure.
Dayton - 2 points in 23 minutes
Central Mich. - 5 points in 19 minutes
Kent - missed game winning layup
Toledo - 0 points in 19 minutes

If you lose a MAC MVP to grad transfer, the replacement needs to be better than a notch above Ave Maria College. Saul's recruiting is going to put Bobcat basketball in the poorhouse of the mid-major world. Bookmark this post if you like.

Hey, I currently live not far from MTSU which is a similar size school to Ohio with lots more mid-major d-1 competition near them. And Murphy Center is certainly not a glamorous gym. Yet they are 13-4 with wins over several SEC teams, are 5-0 in their conference and will be going to the big dance for the third straight time. (where they had wins over Minnesota and Michigan St. recently) If Kermit Davis has some scrubs on the roster, they are probably walk-ons.
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FearLeon
1/18/2018 6:42 PM
greencat wrote:expand_more
To quote Aaron Rogers, some people need to "R-E-L-A......XXXXXXXXX." Seriously, back away from the ledge. No coach would be winning with what has happened to this roster in the past 7-8 months. That's not making excuses, it's looking at the situation and being realistic.
Counterpoint: Would a standout coach HAVE this roster? Look at the recruiting grid and tell me honestly you see 12 quality MAC-level players.
I like a good challenge:

Yes - Carter, Dartis, Kirk, Laster, Taylor, Mickle, Block, Butler

Have no idea because either no or limited sample - Gareri, VanderPlas

Maybe - Gollon (I think he could be a useful 9th or 10th man in the MAC)

Evidently not - Dozier

Remember, you said MAC level, not all-MAC or higher.


Mickle? Looks like his high water mark at FGCU was 13 points against something called Ave Maria (?)**
Who cares what he did at FGCU. He's playing a role here.

Clemson - 10 pts, 3 rebs
Maryland - 9 pts, 3 rebs
WKU - 17 pts, 4 rebs
Ball State - 10 pts, 6 rebs

He's definitely not the home run we all wanted in a transfer, but he's doing a great job. More than they expected out of him for sure.
Dayton - 2 points in 23 minutes
Central Mich. - 5 points in 19 minutes
Kent - missed game winning layup
Toledo - 0 points in 19 minutes

If you lose a MAC MVP to grad transfer, the replacement needs to be better than a notch above Ave Maria College. Saul's recruiting is going to put Bobcat basketball in the poorhouse of the mid-major world. Bookmark this post if you like.
Terrific hot take ^^^^ #AndTrue
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OhioStunter
1/18/2018 7:19 PM
ohiocatfan1 wrote:expand_more
I've said it before, I'll say it again: that Sweet 16 run was the best worst thing to happen to this program. It was a great ride...but it also brought with it unrealistic expectations from a large portion of the fan base, got our coach a pay day somewhere else, and gets folks to look past the shortcomings of that coach's performance between November and February.
This is an interesting take -- one big run on the national stage with the caveat of mediocre seasons to follow vs. a sustained run of winning seasons without a breakout season. One is Ohio Basketball and one is Ohio Football and I've read posts on this board about how people are unhappy with either scenario.
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ohiocatfan1
1/18/2018 7:40 PM
I'm watching Murray State @ Belmont right now. My goodness our lack of athleticism is even more evident.
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Diamond Cat
1/18/2018 7:55 PM
I am going to join all of the other coaches, recruiters and AD's in this thread (it's a joke people).

Personally - our sad hoops season has made this crap winter feel colder and longer. I am pissed about that and will not make any trips to Athens to see this team. That is my prerogative but I will still follow the boys on a daily basis.

Just about everyone on this site knows what and why we expect more from hoops. If you don't, I can't help you.

We have a hidden gem in the hills of Athens that we all love and go back to as much as we can. Basketball owns the athletic tie to our university (Football is trying to catch up).

Like most of you, I question some of the recruits under Saul. It's hard to justify when you see the end results. That said, we lost Carter and Simmons became the ultimate turncoat and left his teammates. You can justify that in any way your heart desires. I hope his degree fills the void he will be faced with time and time again as he looks back on the "what if." If someone influenced his decision, he should distance himself from that person.

Taking away Simmons and Carter...I will give Saul next year. That left a gap to fill that would be tough for any program.

Mercenary Groce will turn cr-Akron into a powerhouse before he leaves (again) to coach a bottom-feeder from some P5 Conference (make millions and get fired again). Thus, Saul better step it up or we need to make a change.

Many people on BA worship Schaus so let's see what he does next.

Looking forward to Hoops and Football next season.
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allen
1/18/2018 8:00 PM
Diamond Cat wrote:expand_more
I am going to join all of the other coaches, recruiters and AD's in this thread (it's a joke people).

Personally - our sad hoops season has made this crap winter feel colder and longer. I am pissed about that and will not make any trips to Athens to see this team. That is my prerogative but I will still follow the boys on a daily basis.

Just about everyone on this site knows what and why we expect more from hoops. If you don't, I can't help you.

We have a hidden gem in the hills of Athens that we all love and go back to as much as we can. Basketball owns the athletic tie to our university (Football is trying to catch up).

Like most of you, I question some of the recruits under Saul. It's hard to justify when you see the end results. That said, we lost Carter and Simmons became the ultimate turncoat and left his teammates. You can justify that in any way your heart desires. I hope his degree fills the void he will be faced with time and time again as he looks back on the "what if." If someone influenced his decision, he should distance himself from that person.

Taking away Simmons and Carter...I will give Saul next year. That left a gap to fill that would be tough for any program.

Mercenary Groce will turn cr-Akron into a powerhouse before he leaves (again) to coach a bottom-feeder from some P5 Conference (make millions and get fired again). Thus, Saul better step it up or we need to make a change.

Many people on BA worship Schaus so let's see what he does next.

Looking forward to Hoops and Football next season.

These responses don’t work anymore. The Woe is me, Saul knows all is not going to cut it.
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BobcatSports
1/18/2018 8:38 PM
Saul really doesn’t have a “team” to lose. He “lost” his starting PG to Grad school,lol, he lost his up and coming starting PF to a freak foot injury, he lost his starting shooting guards effectiveness to a nagging apparently season long injury, his starting SF has lost lots of his effectiveness to a nagging injury, he lost any chance of his two incoming frosh forwards being major contributors due to injury, and due to all of the above he has lost virtually any chance to run effective practice sessions to improve the product on the court.

My take it’s just a “lost” season and Saul had little chance to overcome the events that contributed to it. I know many posters are claiming if Saul recruited better he could just plug and replace these “losses”. If only. Not making excuses for him but take ANY program that loses it’s two key cogs and then have the majority of the supporting cast injured and expect to have able bodied replacements a few seats down the bench is folly.
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greencat
1/18/2018 9:11 PM
ohiocatfan1 wrote:expand_more
I'm watching Murray State @ Belmont right now. My goodness our lack of athleticism is even more evident.
There's this misconception in the world that since half of Belmont's players are always clean-cut looking white kids, that they are somehow "not athletic" or "only win because Rick Byrd is a good coach." That is not true. He doesn't settle for scrub players that are a notch above the NAIA level. Several of his current tall guys were rated 3 stars. He will go into a state like Indiana and get a kid like Mercer who the Hoosiers and Mizzou and Louisville passed on but is still very legit. Same with Egekeze from the state of Illinois. He had offers from DePaul and Toledo with various interest from Butler and those types.

If you settle for scrub players, in a few years, almost the entire roster will be scrubs. I admit to being unimpressed with the current Saul signing class. From what I read about them, they remind me of NAIA level players, not the level of talent that would interest a Belmont or a Murray State.
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OhioCatFan
1/18/2018 9:52 PM
greencat wrote:expand_more
. . . If you settle for scrub players, in a few years, almost the entire roster will be scrubs. I admit to being unimpressed with the current Saul signing class. From what I read about them, they remind me of NAIA level players, not the level of talent that would interest a Belmont or a Murray State.
I'm going to put you down as undecided about SaulBall. ;-)
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giacomo
1/18/2018 10:16 PM
When I say "look in the mirror", this is what I mean:

You all have jobs and careers and such. You expect perfection and championships from our coaches and teams. What about you? Are you at the top of your games? Are you the top performer at what you do every day? If somebody criticized your performance like some of the stuff I see on here, most of you would cry like a little kid who fell off their banana bike.
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Jeff McKinney
1/18/2018 10:31 PM
greencat wrote:expand_more
I'm watching Murray State @ Belmont right now. My goodness our lack of athleticism is even more evident.
There's this misconception in the world that since half of Belmont's players are always clean-cut looking white kids, that they are somehow "not athletic" or "only win because Rick Byrd is a good coach." That is not true. He doesn't settle for scrub players that are a notch above the NAIA level. Several of his current tall guys were rated 3 stars. He will go into a state like Indiana and get a kid like Mercer who the Hoosiers and Mizzou and Louisville passed on but is still very legit. Same with Egekeze from the state of Illinois. He had offers from DePaul and Toledo with various interest from Butler and those types.

If you settle for scrub players, in a few years, almost the entire roster will be scrubs. I admit to being unimpressed with the current Saul signing class. From what I read about them, they remind me of NAIA level players, not the level of talent that would interest a Belmont or a Murray State.
Butler was offered by Murray St.

We have a player, Ben Vander Plas, who would have been an important part of the rotation this year if not for injury. Look at the list of solid mid majors who recruited him.

Kirk had some very solid offers.

Gareri had offers from Kent St, Bowling Green, and Akron came in late on him.
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Recovering Journalist
1/18/2018 10:37 PM
giacomo wrote:expand_more
When I say "look in the mirror", this is what I mean:

You all have jobs and careers and such. You expect perfection and championships from our coaches and teams. What about you? Are you at the top of your games? Are you the top performer at what you do every day? If somebody criticized your performance like some of the stuff I see on here, most of you would cry like a little kid who fell off their banana bike.
Ridiculous.

None of us make $550,000 a year to specifically win basketball games. If any of us worked in a field where we had the largest budget and underperformed against most of our competition, you're right. We wouldn't get yelled at or criticized daily. We'd be fired.

We know he's not getting fired, but part of the gig for Saul is to take heat when he doesn't meet expectations. I'll gladly "look in the mirror" and take some levelheaded criticism on a silly message board for $550,000 a year. You hiring?
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Bobcat1998
1/18/2018 10:44 PM
Diamond Cat wrote:expand_more
I am going to join all of the other coaches, recruiters and AD's in this thread (it's a joke people).

Personally - our sad hoops season has made this crap winter feel colder and longer. I am pissed about that and will not make any trips to Athens to see this team. That is my prerogative but I will still follow the boys on a daily basis.

Just about everyone on this site knows what and why we expect more from hoops. If you don't, I can't help you.

We have a hidden gem in the hills of Athens that we all love and go back to as much as we can. Basketball owns the athletic tie to our university (Football is trying to catch up).

Like most of you, I question some of the recruits under Saul. It's hard to justify when you see the end results. That said, we lost Carter and Simmons became the ultimate turncoat and left his teammates. You can justify that in any way your heart desires. I hope his degree fills the void he will be faced with time and time again as he looks back on the "what if." If someone influenced his decision, he should distance himself from that person.

Taking away Simmons and Carter...I will give Saul next year. That left a gap to fill that would be tough for any program.

Mercenary Groce will turn cr-Akron into a powerhouse before he leaves (again) to coach a bottom-feeder from some P5 Conference (make millions and get fired again). Thus, Saul better step it up or we need to make a change.

Many people on BA worship Schaus so let's see what he does next.

Looking forward to Hoops and Football next season.
I will also give Saul next year. He will have (if everyone is back and healthy) Carter, Dartis, Block, Kirk, Butler, Doug, Gareri and Gollon all with experience and some nice young guys.
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BillyTheCat
1/18/2018 11:54 PM
allen wrote:expand_more
Saul is stubborn about playing zone so you have to recruit athletes that can defend.
The athletes he recruited gave up 90+ points in four different games this year and Ohio is 10th in the MAC in scoring defense, so this defense thing isn't really working.
Buffalo is just going to drive, drive drive and if they make layups they win. You go to a zone like Princeton when you don’t have athletes to match up one on one.
If you can not play man, and understand man principles of defense than you cannot play zone to a high level. But hey, you’ve got all the answers.
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bobcatsquared
1/19/2018 6:14 AM
Jeff McKinney wrote:expand_more
Butler was offered by Murray St.

We have a player, Ben Vander Plas, who would have been an important part of the rotation this year if not for injury. Look at the list of solid mid majors who recruited him.

Kirk had some very solid offers.

Gareri had offers from Kent St, Bowling Green, and Akron came in late on him.
C'mon, Jeff. You attend most games in the Convo (although Alan mentioned in the chat room that you were conspicuously absent for the UT game) and have been for decades. Do you honestly believe that the talent on this year's roster measures up to most other years' talent?
Many on here believe that Saul's recruits, overall, have been lacking. Not sure I disagree.
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100%Cat
1/19/2018 8:02 AM
greencat wrote:expand_more
To quote Aaron Rogers, some people need to "R-E-L-A......XXXXXXXXX." Seriously, back away from the ledge. No coach would be winning with what has happened to this roster in the past 7-8 months. That's not making excuses, it's looking at the situation and being realistic.
Counterpoint: Would a standout coach HAVE this roster? Look at the recruiting grid and tell me honestly you see 12 quality MAC-level players.
I like a good challenge:

Yes - Carter, Dartis, Kirk, Laster, Taylor, Mickle, Block, Butler

Have no idea because either no or limited sample - Gareri, VanderPlas

Maybe - Gollon (I think he could be a useful 9th or 10th man in the MAC)

Evidently not - Dozier

Remember, you said MAC level, not all-MAC or higher.


Mickle? Looks like his high water mark at FGCU was 13 points against something called Ave Maria (?)**
Who cares what he did at FGCU. He's playing a role here.

Clemson - 10 pts, 3 rebs
Maryland - 9 pts, 3 rebs
WKU - 17 pts, 4 rebs
Ball State - 10 pts, 6 rebs

He's definitely not the home run we all wanted in a transfer, but he's doing a great job. More than they expected out of him for sure.
Dayton - 2 points in 23 minutes
Central Mich. - 5 points in 19 minutes
Kent - missed game winning layup
Toledo - 0 points in 19 minutes

If you lose a MAC MVP to grad transfer, the replacement needs to be better than a notch above Ave Maria College. Saul's recruiting is going to put Bobcat basketball in the poorhouse of the mid-major world. Bookmark this post if you like.

Hey, I currently live not far from MTSU which is a similar size school to Ohio with lots more mid-major d-1 competition near them. And Murphy Center is certainly not a glamorous gym. Yet they are 13-4 with wins over several SEC teams, are 5-0 in their conference and will be going to the big dance for the third straight time. (where they had wins over Minnesota and Michigan St. recently) If Kermit Davis has some scrubs on the roster, they are probably walk-ons.
How close would the Kent game have even been if not for Mickle's 8 bench points?
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100%Cat
1/19/2018 8:04 AM
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:expand_more
I've said it before, I'll say it again: that Sweet 16 run was the best worst thing to happen to this program. It was a great ride...but it also brought with it unrealistic expectations from a large portion of the fan base, got our coach a pay day somewhere else, and gets folks to look past the shortcomings of that coach's performance between November and February. Expecting tournament berths and runs in March is the exception, not the normal. In MAC basketball, it just doesn't often happen. Even at Akron under Dambrot, a run I'm sure most here would love to have, they won jack in the tournament. Most of the time they got shelled on the big stage. It's a harsh realization, but we aren't Gonzaga. We aren't VCU. We aren't Wichita State. Expecting that type of result every year is a fool's errand, in my humble opinion.
Not sure anybody here is expecting sweet 16 runs every season, but I'm sure most of us expect to be competitive at home against Toledo. We looked like a d3 school and not because of how we played, but were completely outmatched athletically.
I've read a lot about MAC tourney semi's not being good enough and tourney berths every X number of years talk. We had an awful game. Remember when that glorious group of Sweet 16ers lost at home to Winthrop without cracking 50 points? I do, I was there. Was that really not uglier than the Toledo game?
Winthrop has been to 10 NCAA tournaments since 99. Quality program. Toledo not so much.
Yep, they have. And they were under .500 that year they came into our house and beat us. Scoring 50 points. 50. That Winthrop team lost that year to powerhouses like Campbell, Wofford, James Madison, North Carolina Central, High Point, Longwood, Presbyterian, and Gardner Webb. We had a nearly intact Sweet 16 roster.
Last Edited: 1/19/2018 8:06:21 AM by 100%Cat
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