Sometimes a single game is a watershed moment for a team, an event that all by itself indicates that things won’t be the same going forward. It can be a good thing, as in a landmark, awe-inspiring win, or it can be very bad, as in the Rutgers-Seton Hall game last Saturday. The hammering that RU took from the Pirates wasn’t just a bad game; it stripped us bare of any pretensions for the season. To be sure, the absence of Freeman was huge, as was to a much lesser degree that of Doorson, and the team of course is ridiculously inexperienced. Having said that, RU MBB’s performance was still head-shakingly inept in every aspect of the sport of basketball. Not the slightest adjustment to instill a little fire or basketball sense into these players, offensively or defensively. A moment when we knew that the emperor had no clothes. Way too little talent to compete in any top conference, or even in some mid-majors. Not much indication that this team will get significantly better this year.
Having followed RU MBB for 45 years, I remember the steep decline when Tom Young left after 12 years without a sub-.500 record, 4 NCAA’s, 4 NIT’s, the Final 4, the construction of the RAC, etc., albeit it in the so-so Atlantic 10 The program dropped off the cliff under Craig Littlepage (a much better AD than coach), culminating in his dismissal after year 3, when the record declined to 7-22, with 3 conference wins. But here is what a lot of fans don’t know: the very next season (under Wentzel), we made the NCAA tournament. Does any human being on planet earth think that’s going to happen with this team? Not saying it was all due to Wentzel’s brilliant coaching; just citing a sharp historical contrast between then and now.
It is conceivable—I hope this doesn’t happen—that things could deteriorate into a 6 or 7 win season. If that happens, I do not see Sanders staying. Then we are really in trouble. We’ll have a depleted roster, way too little talent and probably few prospects coming in. If, on the other hand, we show just a modest little bit of progress and do better than that, there might be a reason to keep Eddie for one more make or break year. I love and am grateful to EJ, but he probably is not the guy to get the job done here in the long run. So…here are a few steps that I would hope Pat Hobbs could initiate for MBB:
1) Take the existing architectural renderings and feasibility studies for a RAC expansion/upgrade and a new practice facility, the Pernetti/Hermann plans, and give them massive new publicity in all media. Keep publicizing the plans and fundraising through news media, online and social media sources, so the public and recruits can keep it in their minds..
2) Concurrently, initiate a massive, well organized and aggressive capital funding and fundraising campaign for the facility, private and public sources.
3) If EJ has to go, prioritize candidates who are young, upcoming, hungry, willing to work for less than top dollar, and, above all, with strong RECRUITING connections in particular geographic locations, hopefully including NY/NJ. In other words, a Mike Rice, sans the crazy behavior, of course.
Don’t know what else to suggest; unlike some who think the turnaround can be affected fairly quickly, I think this damaged program is going to take quite some time to rebuild. Thoughts, criticisms, ideas welcomed.
Having followed RU MBB for 45 years, I remember the steep decline when Tom Young left after 12 years without a sub-.500 record, 4 NCAA’s, 4 NIT’s, the Final 4, the construction of the RAC, etc., albeit it in the so-so Atlantic 10 The program dropped off the cliff under Craig Littlepage (a much better AD than coach), culminating in his dismissal after year 3, when the record declined to 7-22, with 3 conference wins. But here is what a lot of fans don’t know: the very next season (under Wentzel), we made the NCAA tournament. Does any human being on planet earth think that’s going to happen with this team? Not saying it was all due to Wentzel’s brilliant coaching; just citing a sharp historical contrast between then and now.
It is conceivable—I hope this doesn’t happen—that things could deteriorate into a 6 or 7 win season. If that happens, I do not see Sanders staying. Then we are really in trouble. We’ll have a depleted roster, way too little talent and probably few prospects coming in. If, on the other hand, we show just a modest little bit of progress and do better than that, there might be a reason to keep Eddie for one more make or break year. I love and am grateful to EJ, but he probably is not the guy to get the job done here in the long run. So…here are a few steps that I would hope Pat Hobbs could initiate for MBB:
1) Take the existing architectural renderings and feasibility studies for a RAC expansion/upgrade and a new practice facility, the Pernetti/Hermann plans, and give them massive new publicity in all media. Keep publicizing the plans and fundraising through news media, online and social media sources, so the public and recruits can keep it in their minds..
2) Concurrently, initiate a massive, well organized and aggressive capital funding and fundraising campaign for the facility, private and public sources.
3) If EJ has to go, prioritize candidates who are young, upcoming, hungry, willing to work for less than top dollar, and, above all, with strong RECRUITING connections in particular geographic locations, hopefully including NY/NJ. In other words, a Mike Rice, sans the crazy behavior, of course.
Don’t know what else to suggest; unlike some who think the turnaround can be affected fairly quickly, I think this damaged program is going to take quite some time to rebuild. Thoughts, criticisms, ideas welcomed.
