You can agree or disagree with how Schaus handled this extension talk after year three or four. However, I can't believe this take from Arkley on not bringing Saul back.

https://www.athensmessenger.com/blogs/bobcat_blog/phillip...

This guy watched every game for five years...went to hundreds of practices. Was closer to the program than any other local media member and he feels Saul wasn't given every opportunity to get it done? Come on, man. Saul had 5 years to win....5 years...and didn't come close to winning. And not once did Arkley address how recruiting in this conference was way over Saul's head. And when you are the highest paid coach in the conference, yes, the administration and its fanbase expects you to win now.

We get it Jason...Saul is a nice guy...he's a good man. Nobody disagrees with ya there. We wish him and his family all the best. But please....stop making excuses. It's clear now who the #1 Saulaholic truly is.

Good article. I agree with much of it except this part "It’s winning games, selling tickets and making money for everyone but the players."

Oy vey.

This column is embarrassing to me as a former sportswriter. I agree that Saul is a good guy. I agree that he had key injuries that would have changed the course of his success at OU. But let's look at other facts. He may have brought Jaaron in but he lost him to. Jaaron would have rather sat the pine at Michigan than star at OU with Saul. That has to be taken into account. Player after player has transferred and not to Division I but down a peg. Culver, Butler, Gareri. That is a fact. A Northeast Ohio coach friend of mine told me when we signed McMurray that he was stunned. He thought McMurray would be at Walsh, a D-2 school.

In year 2, TK regressed. Fact. Gavin Block regressed. Fact. Doug never developed a true offensive game. Fact. Kenny Kaminski never developed more than a sweet jumper. Fact. This year, Torey James and Nathan Springs were not up to snuff. Fact. We got two JUCOs who averaged (without stats in front of me) a combined 12 points per game. Fact.

People want to credit Saul for Laster's development but look back, Laster sat the pine more than he started for two years until injuries FORCED Saul to play him. Only then did Laster show that he was a very good MAC athlete.

Finally, you have to take into account the crowds and the overall lack of interest in the program at the university level. It has to be said and Arkley must not see the correlation to the decline of the O Zone and lack of attendance and Saul's arrival.

It's not all about wins and losses. Saul developed great relationships and had solid men he worked with and molded off the court. He is a family man who I respect personally. But EVERY job is about wins and losses. If you're a teacher and you have horrible test scores for 5 straight years, you are probably going to lose your job. If you are a production manager at a plant and production falls for 3 of your 5 years you probably will lose your job. The difference with Saul and those jobs is a teacher makes 50 grand per year. Saul made 500 grand per year so let's set our expectations of the next guy higher than "he was a good guy."

I am officially done with Arkley and hope to heck that the Post continues to shine when Pete is gone.

He liked Saul because Saul answered his calls and acted like the Athens Messenger sports section is important in the grand scheme of things. Pretty transparent...and another reason why I don't take Arkley seriously any more.

Yes...I realize it's a column and his "opinion". However, maybe he didn't watch as many games, practices or even checked the rankings of Saul's recruiting classes as much as I thought. Because if he did, there is no way he would think Saul should be brought back..none. Even until the very end, he refuses to take off the green colored Saulaholic glasses.

Arkley is lazy and his opinion would be stronger if it was based in reality and instead of his apologetic fantasy world.

When's this last time Arkley did actual reporting on his beat?

He's in career survival mode, instead of adapting to the new media reality, he's a dinosaur going down with the print ship.

The Post is the only source providing any semblance of coverage. I trust the pipeline is in place to continue it.

Best part article... no extension after years 2 or 3. Bullet dodged!

This is such a factual post, I am not done with Arkley, hie is just a little emotional right now.

Soooooo...For those of you who aren’t bringing torches and pitchforks to Arkley’s front door today, here’s a link to the podcast I recorded with him on Tuesday night. I thought he gave a pretty good assessment of the situation (and a nice primer on today’s quarterfinals).

http://www.thenailpodcast.com/2019/03/episode-144-buffalo...

(And if this episode doesn’t do it for you, hey, no worries. Maybe the one I did yesterday on the Browns getting OBJ will instead!)

I think Jason lays out very well why Saul will land on his feet and land another job. I don’t know at what level, but I’m fairly confident that he will. As an outsider, the story makes a lot of sense.

Based on all I read here, I wonder how more knowledgeable basketball minds will judge his recruiting and in game decisions, in game clock management etc, but I’m excited, in a way, to see where he lands.

First, for the love of God, enough with the "Saulaholic" crap. It's absolutely ridiculous.


Second, there are some points in there that are legit:

-The way the AD was not responsive about an extension after year three, when at that time, all things were pointing upward prior to Simmons leaving.

-This point is spot on, and is reflective on Jimmy and his team more than anyone else: "Ohio, apparently, made the decision to move on from Phillips just after the start of Phillips’ fourth season. The lack of communication about the future of the program since that point makes it clear in hindsight. The fact that Ohio was too cheap, or too apathetic, to make the change earlier doesn't reflect well on a department that prides itself on doing more with less."

-"You have to win. Now....Keep that in mind the next time the Bobcats push an academic accomplishment, or a community service project."
He's not wrong here either. The fact is, they need to decide what they're going to be inside that building, and right now, they don't seem to know. That starts with the leadership at the top - with the AD and the University President. When McDavis was here, we knew exactly what he wanted to be related to Athletics. More and more, it's obvious that he was the one who steered the bus more than Schaus. Not only that, but if winning is most important, giving a winning feel in the arena should be too.



Third, the rest of it, yeah, I get it, the rest of it isn't great. We don't need to hear about injuries anymore, and so on. I get it. I feel the same way. And, I feel like the time to move on was here. Hell, it probably was a year ago. Instead Jimmy and his superiors decided to just let them run out the string. What a shame. What a waste of so many people's time and money.


What I continually don't get is how so many people on this board seem to refuse to place any blame on the CEO of the athletic department in this situation. If a Fortune 500 company isn't doing well in the stock market, the CEO is given at least some of the blame. Why not here in this case?

Re:Jans, NMSU is trying to get his salary to $400-500K . He has a buyout of 50% of his remaining contract which could be $375K to $750K. I’m not seeing that kind of money in our bank.

"Phillips didn’t need Ohio, but Bobcat basketball needed him five years ago. In terms of stability, the Bobcats’ situation right now is a 180-degree from where it was then. Ohio needed a culture change, and got one."

Translation. Christian ruined the Sweet 16 program because he was an asshole who didn't know what he was doing, so we had to do a 180 and bring in the complete opposite.

Per Setty's post, I'm feeling really good about my comments that Schaus whiffed on Christian AND Saul. This guy really needs to get it right this time because that Christian hire was a colossal bust. Colossal. And spare me the comments about a MAC Title. We had a team that was a whisp away from the Elite 8 bringing back EVERY single player and Christian found a way to muck it up. Just sad.

Kadeem Green his ass.

Boo-hoo. Are we on the verge of giving out participation trophies now at the Convo? I thought basketball was a competitive sport? My God, have Bobcat fans become that beaten down and hopeless over losing that they have become soft? Yes, the game is about winning, and, yes, you can have all these great qualities, but will lose your job at the end of the day if you don't win. What is this pity-party related to Saul really about? Lost innocence? Come on, folks, really?!?! The only thing that is becoming clear to me is that Bobcat basketball is beginning to resemble the acceptance and tolerance of losing that was so acceptable in the football program for so many years. Thank God that has changed. What is so wrong with expecting the Bobcats to not only win, but win big? This Ohio basketball program has had a reputation of being very dangerous, and now this program is lucky to win even a slight bit of respect from other programs in the MAC, let alone around the country. I want a GROWL not a MEOW. Enough of this. Toughen up folks, and lets get this program back to the top of the MAC.