Just curious, have you watched our last few games? TK is no longer Saul's main ball handler. Preston has the keys and the minutes.

1. You might want to add another category. Those of us who like Coach Phillips (and former Coach Billy Hahn for that matter) would love to have a beer with him, but think he doesn't know how to recruit or make real game time adjustments against talented teams.

2. Do you or your apologists have any answers as to why Coach Nee turned us around in year three? Believe me the cupboard was more bare than when Coach Phillips arrived. Also what about other great MAC coaches like the late Coach Majerus who had a horrible team when he arrived and went 29-3 his second year? What about the late Coach Charlie Coles who had a gym/auditorium that looked straight out of the East German architecture planning commission circa 1965, a school that elevated hockey way over basketball and yet with only a modicum of talent did far better with less than Coach Phillips.

3. Simon Cowell on the first year of American Idol was pretty ruthless with contestants with little talent. I later read that he wasn't ridiculing them to be a jerk and pick on the weak. Actually, it was quite the opposite. He said there were far too many people in life--especially show business who spent way too much of their own time and money on something that would never work out for them. Sometimes contestants would yell back at him saying--my mom thinks I sing great and Uncle Vic said the same and he's the Hungry Heifer Karaoke champ three years running. Besides that sweet cousin Meldehide--my high school drama teacher thinks I am great too. Cowell would retort, your mother, Uncle Vic and Sweet Cousin Meldehide have been lying to you and I am the only one who will tell you truth. This just isn't for you. There are plenty of other areas in life in which you will succeed--this just isn't one of them.

Coach Phillips may one day succeed after becoming an assistant or taking a year off as did Coach Solich to see what went wrong. Sadly, this isn't working and no matter how many nice talks you have heard and motivating practices you have witnessed--it isn't working. Left Lane Hammer Down, I can't tell you how many high school coaching clinics I went to when I was coaching where the supposed hot shot coach with some new offense or gadget defense was out of coaching a few years later after wooing far too many coaches into believing he was the next big thing. Coach Phillips is a good man whom I hope succeeds in his next stop. This stop just didn't work.

+1 Well said Roar-Room. If it wasn't so sad, this thread would almost be funny. We were once the envy of other MAC message board. The folks from Buffalo and Akron must think someone drove over from Oxford and slipped these two something in their drinks that made them go loopy. How depressing!

Although no one does.. :)

Crazy that people still feel he deserves a contract extension...my god. Five years=0 results. Time for the Saulaholics to realize he'll either be an assistant at Wisconsin next year, coaching at Stony Brook or being the head man at Nicolet Area Technical College (google it) . It's over. How many of his recruits left and can't even play at the D3 level? Anyone have an EDoz sighting recently? Saul badly underestimated the talent needed to win in this league.

I'm pretty certain Phillips won't be back. A few weeks ago, I'd have agreed completely with that. I don't think the team's recent success will have any factor in changing his fate but it has changed my mind some. I do think Saul has had terrible luck with injuries in his time here, and that is a much bigger factor in the team's lack of winning than a lot of people are admitting. I think the Bobcats would have won a championship a few years back if Campbell didn't get hurt. I think if Dartis and Gollon were healthy this year, Ohio would have been much better. Still not a realistic championship contender but probably above .500 in the MAC. I also have to put some blame on Phillips that there wasn't the depth needed to prevent such a big drop-off because of the injuries. He clearly didn't bring in enough shooting. At the same time, it has taken some time, but I think the team has adjusted to the identity it has developed to make it the best it can be, which has been very impressive. I think Saul has done a lot of good things, but he's failed at a few, and those things combined with bad luck have sealed his fate.

I am sure that the University could find a place for Saul, if he, in fact, wanted to stay at Ohio, take a huge cut in salary, and do something other than coaching basketball. Unfortunately, he has failed as a coach in terms of wins and losses, and it sounds like the product that he is putting out there is not putting butts in the seats. Sports programs are about generating interest among Alumni and potential students for the purpose of increasing the bottom line. Like it or not, Universities are not "Ivory Towers," but businesses. Unless Saul is personally responsible for funneling huge sums of money to Ohio University, he is gone. It is nothing personal, this is simply the kind of business he decided to willingly enter into. After all, with a high salary comes risks, and you better produce, if, in fact, you want to keep getting paid.

I don't feel pity for Saul. After all, he has a great opportunity to learn a valuable lesson here. If he does, there is no reason why he can't become successful elsewhere. If not, this will be his last big payday as a coach. He had his chance. He rolled the dice, and he lost. Time to cash in what chips he has left, and find another game. Period. Bye.

I don't either. The man completed his contract and walks away with $2,500,000-$3,000,000 dollars. After taxes that's somewhere close to $1.8-$2 million in his pocket I'm guessing. We should all be so lucky. Like I said awhile ago, he'll never see that money again most likely moving forward as a head coach. He's a "nice guy" though and now a "richer nice guy". #NextCoachUp

With the obscene salaries like BG's WBB coach making 700k I wouldn't be so sure at 46 Saul has earned his last million. Wright State's HC made over 700 thousand this past year and that is in the Horizon League.

I think we should offer Saul a contract extension if we win the MAC Tournament

If he stays, he needs to take a haircut on his base salary with large incentives for regular season and tourney MAC championships and NCAA tournament wins.

“Tell me why you deserve a raise.”

“I’m really nice and I don’t cheat.”

Your opening post may have been unpopular with many but I know others who would like to see Saul here at least another year. Dartis and Gollon play this year and we likely win 18-20 games. Same type of numbers when we lost Carter and Campbell. All in all the bad luck is kind of blown off by those who think W-L is only measure of success. And I don't recall any players in trouble with the law in his tenure.