No nothing.  No fight.  No sound play.

What does Russ say a few seconds after Ohio scores?  "And that's a quick bucket back the other way for [state name of opposition here]."

Team and staff need to think, re-assess, change.

WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE


 

ding...ding, OCF appears to be right on!

Defense needs to get much better.  

And, Offut, Kellog and Baltic need to be more consistent on offense.  All three are extremely streaky so far this year.

I think it is that simple. 

Thanks for the heads up DD.

The "fan problem" this year with the wailing and gnashing of teeth reminds me of the football team after an 8-0 start.  This team was in the Sweet 16 and returns the entire team and even adds a few decent players.  It's a different season boys and girls and anything could happen. 

I'm not quite ready yet to hang JC in Effigy....a little town outside of Albany.

WOW! We really do have and great set of admins... THat is EXACTLY the line that got me a 21 day ban form the Illini boards

As for the subject matter. DD, I appreciate your input from the trenches and have also seen JC spending time one on one and in teaching moments.

I can try to summarize what I am hearing on the street.

I do not think the knee jerk reaction has escalated to the point it does at other places where you see domain names like firetubby.com, firemattpainter.com and firemikedavis.com being bought up but I am OK with fans who have come into this season with measurably high expectations questioning what product is being put on the floor. They spent good money and supported the program by buying up scads of season tickets with their discretionary entertainment dollars expecting a great product and anticipating being part of something really special. Several people have said in passing that they are not impressed thus far.

The variables are finite in this equation and while JG prompted guys like SBH to come unglued in both the forum and the in game chats all year long it was Groce who stayed with the mantra "we want to be playing our best ball in March" and then delivering. I think there is a general disconnect and disillusionment with the program as there is no place in the press or media that we are seeing any allusion to the fact that there is indeed a direction with the season and the program,  in fact, several folks have expressed dismay with the fact that while JG is in Champaign apologizing for the mistakes and shortcoming his 13-1 Illini are having we are listening to post games with all the blame being placed squarely on the shoulders of the same kids who made it pretty far last year. A little acceptance from the top as to the performance is what folks got used to and maybe have come to expect. We also have come to expect our kids not getting thrown under the bus. Quotes like...."we just got out toughed tonite" or "we just did not execute at the end" are far easier to accept and reconcile that it is acknowledged and will be handled as opposed to the present verbaige and placement of blame. Even when guys were struggling through the EMU /TOledo weekend and on other occassions when guy were in the doghouse for drugs, discipline or any other reason the fanbase was left to wonder as there was never anything negative coming from the top.

I don't know if I represented the folks I am talking to very well but it is a general summary from my corner of the world. I appreciate any input here as this place is way tamer than most of the boards (peegs.com, Catspause, Gold and Black, Shockernet etc ) that I frequent and tends to be more friendly and astute than most.

This is a conversation that should be open to all and is certainly warranted IMHO as I think labelling anyone who may be dissapointed or dissatisfied thus far as idiotic is just ignoring your buying public.

I'm with doubledribble on this stuff.

Vince Lombardi - What the hell's going on out here!? - YouTube

Wait a minute.  Great run at the end of last year, almost every single player returns and what appears to be two solid adds.  New coach with a strong  MAC record (probably glad to come here because his wife is an OHIO).

Then, as I believe OCF said elsewhere and as was mentioned in chat vs. Okie, contrast the game last year against what was thought to be a quite good NIU team.  At their place we destoryed them late.  This year at Okie not so much.

This year, no road wins.  Destruction at Memphis.  And, as in my thread starter here, we seem to give up hoops often within seconds of scoring hoope (espec when we score what could be key comeback-starting hoops). 

So, one may well plausibly argue that there's nothing unusual here.  But can't the 'what the' question very plausibly be asked?

By no means am I calling for firing.  But to ask strongly what is going on here is a fair query.

Donuts, get your facts straight.  I have made absolutely no conclusions about the new baseball coach, and I wish him well, and  more importantly, I wish the program well.   I have been close to the Ohio baseball program since before you were born, and have always pulled for  the Bobcat baseball team so watch yourself.  My comments about the baseball program had only to do with my opinion on who should have been named the next coach after Joe Carbone ,who served Ohio well at the helm of the program.   I have no problem with who has the job now.  I was pulling for someone else to get the job.  Nothing wrong with that.    I didnt vote for Obama either. 

What mention of any coach's degree in any discussion I have been involved in ??  I have no idea what you are referencing when you mention a coach's degree.  I stand by all my comments concerning Ohio baseball.  I wish the new coach well and I wish the program well. 

I am not quite sure I get all that you are saying.

I related up above that the general tenor is not that folks are calling for his head nor have they made a decision. They are not happy with the outcome thus far from what I gather. they are also in the dark as to the direction things are going as the media presence is not allying their fears but feeding them. My point was to present what  some folks who are not comfortable coming on here are putting out there.

I do not understand the bandwagon comment.....and how Sonny Vacarro or his quote ties into  the conversation

I get the rest ....in spades and that is what I was trying to get across with the "we want to be playing our best in March" sentiment

Though you may think it is "idiotic" to judge this early I suspect there are probably folks on the other side who may think it is "idiotic" in their view to not see that this hire is not working. Just saying for every thought you think is idiotic in this world there is someone out there equally sure your view is just as idiotic. Both ends of the spectrum are represented and the middle is somewhere where most of us reside.

I am not trying to be anything but the messenger here. I think the hire will take time and the recruits I have met seem pretty solid. I look forward to how the season plays out. Having been around through the last coaching change I can relate to many of the feelings that go on in the locker room and a player's head. Big difference in squads and personnel in those situations.

IT is a good discussion and way more friendly than many other boards would be

Actually, in my research, I discovered Maurice Ndour is an internationally-feared art thief.

Well Said.

I think you touched on things I had not even really heard out in the bushes....and gave me some responses for folks when those come up.....well done.

I do not see any parallel to Crean. Let's not re  write history here. Crean came into a program that was in shambles. Davis ran it into the ground losing the recruiting base with kids like Zeller and Haragody  going to ND, Oden ANd Conley to tO$U, Dom James to Marquette. Then KS came in and had thugs, dope dealers and kids not going to class, getting their papers written for them and subsequently transfers leaving with 18 hours of phys ed credits. The first year Crean was there he had walk ons who could not have made the Muncie Central team the previous 3 years playing in the candy stripe warm ups in Barnett, Finklemeyer, WHite, Danny Moore and Brod Lewis. There is very little in common with that program and what Coach C walked into. That was a hot mess and in no way is anywhere parallel to what walking into OHIO was like.

I am in Coach Christian's corner. I am much too invested in this program not to be. For 6 years I have been on the road with Ohio gear repping at away games iwth schedules, posters, getting autographs for kids from players, helping with boosters, meeting fans and alums from all over the country, spending time talking to recruits and parents....I am goning to be really sad if he does not succeed as TOmmy and I both agreed when he signed here that we would both do everything to leave the place better when we were gone. We talked about a year ago during the mid protion of the season about the foundation having been built to sustain the program for a long time. I want Coach C to do well, and yes I still believe as I have said many times.....OHIO should dominate the MAC year in and year out. There is not a reason that any kid should ever choose any other MAC school when going head to head in recruiting.....good facilities, great campus, lots of majors, we shoud not lose recruiting wars.... I have invested a lot of time, miles, hours and effort to do what little I could to rep OHIO basketball to parents, coaches, scouts, players and anyone else who would listen. I want Coach C to do well to propogate what those guys built the last 5 years. The die is cast and you do not have to walk into a rebuilding year or a program that is shackled with problems of the past. Holtmann and Groce put it on the road with a vision and Shaus and MCDavis supported them. THe fans have been awesome and really have been excellent in supporting the program.

I am trying to bridge the gap;. I have no doubt that Coach C has credentials and a vision. I think your response along with DD is what those who are starting to doubt need to hear. OTOH you all would do well  to listen and be mindful that there are folks who are a bit dissapointed in the showing thus far. As long as there is dialogue the extremes will probably end up in the middle with the rest of us. Great points by all in this discussion.