Is early season lack of attendance concerning?

Trotting out the ancient coaches statement that the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores is about as relevant as the old military statement don't shoot till you see the whites of their eyes. With year round playing of basketball, AAU programs, players one and done and soon probably going straight to pro's out of HS it just no longer applies to most players.

False.

Creighton just redshirted a center that went on to become a first round pick the next year.

Freshmen big men are best used sparingly unless they come in supremely skilled.

Earlington, Roberts, and Williams were all more projectsble than they were ready. Champagnie doesn’t have half the athletic ability of Roberts but he’s skilled as hell.

Trotting out the ancient coaches statement that the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores is about as relevant as the old military statement don't shoot till you see the whites of their eyes. With year round playing of basketball, AAU programs, players one and done and soon probably going straight to pro's out of HS it just no longer applies to most players.

Do most freshman not get better as sophomores? Or are most freshman just getting drafted? 

Do most freshman not get better as sophomores? Or are most freshman just getting drafted? 

If you have 7-8 players that can play then you can afford not to play freshmen but when you have "no bench" as many are saying about last years team it may have been smart to give Williams and Roberts more burn especially in the early season OOC schedule and especially against cupcakes so maybe you could develop them to the extent you could spot them some minutes in the BE portion of the schedule. As I recall both had their moments in some BE games and maybe could have been of even more help if they had gotten more early season experience.

I thought the committee made a mistake.

Of course you did.

Meaningless compared to the fold in conference

Qualifying for the Ncaa tournament is meaningless if you do poorly in the end of your conference schedule?  If a team wins a lot of late season conference games but ends up playing in the Nit, CBi or Cit...that's meaningful?

Of course you did.

Not like they showed up for the game

Qualifying for the Ncaa tournament is meaningless if you do poorly in the end of your conference schedule?  If a team wins a lot of late season conference games but ends up playing in the Nit, CBi or Cit...that's meaningful?

What if we did t make the play in game? Would the season have been a success? Real question. You are very proud of that achievement.
Harrison’s junior year, as a fan I enjoyed it. The Robert Morris loss didn’t take any of it away for me. I know I didn’t go to that game.

Qualifying for the Ncaa tournament is meaningless if you do poorly in the end of your conference schedule?  If a team wins a lot of late season conference games but ends up playing in the Nit, CBi or Cit...that's meaningful?

Yes it is.  The February poor play certainly looked to be due to exhaustion, Clarke and Ponds especially.  Poor conference play extended into the torney.  Poor use of depth (I know, they were freshmen yadayada) led to exhaustion and that is on the staff.  No point in being the last team in if you are playing like shit.  How one could not develop depth with their early schedule is beyond me.  Just making the torney is not a sign of success necessarily especially if you back in.  They should never been offered a bid with their February play.

 

Yes it is.  The February poor play certainly looked to be due to exhaustion, Clarke and Ponds especially.  Poor conference play extended into the torney.  Poor use of depth (I know, they were freshmen yadayada) led to exhaustion and that is on the staff.  No point in being the last team in if you are playing like shit.  How one could not develop depth with their early schedule is beyond me.  Just making the torney is not a sign of success necessarily especially if you back in.  They should never been offered a bid with their February play.

Stop with all these facts Not only did they not develop depth, they got worse as the season went on. I agree if there was ever a team to back into the dance, it was last year's.

What if we did t make the play in game? Would the season have been a success?

No.

Dude, it's Tulsa. No casual observer outside of Tornado alley gives a rat's ass about them. Whereas, even though we've sucked for the better part of the last 15 years, we're still in the BE, still in NYC and still got MSG (well kinda on the MSG part).

It's just the way it is. Anderson's Tulsa days are long past. He wants a real challenge and wants to do it in the bright lights.

Well, for one thing expectations would be much lower in Tulsa.  And if he made it big, he would be the toast of the town.  In NYC, nobody knows who he is outside of a few looney St John's fans.

Well, for one thing expectations would be much lower in Tulsa.  And if he made it big, he would be the toast of the town.  In NYC, nobody knows who he is outside of a few looney St John's fans.

I'd 100% rather coach at Tulsa than St. John's.  The stress here is too much.  Once again, Fraschilla said there were elements of coaching at St. John's that he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.  A Brooklyn guy who grew up loving St. John's wanted out...badly...with a Final Four roster during the height of Big East basketball and while we were still getting 5-star recruits on a regular basis.   

I'd 100% rather coach at Tulsa than St. John's.  The stress here is too much.  Once again, Fraschilla said there were elements of coaching at St. John's that he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.  A Brooklyn guy who grew up loving St. John's wanted out...badly...with a Final Four roster during the height of Big East basketball and while we were still getting 5-star recruits on a regular basis.   

What elements ? The same ones that were displayed in our most recent coaching search ?

I'd 100% rather coach at Tulsa than St. John's.  The stress here is too much.  Once again, Fraschilla said there were elements of coaching at St. John's that he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.  A Brooklyn guy who grew up loving St. John's wanted out...badly...with a Final Four roster during the height of Big East basketball and while we were still getting 5-star recruits on a regular basis.   

And that made sense twenty something years ago. Instead of Syracuse and Louisville we are competing with butler and creighton.

And that made sense twenty something years ago. Instead of Syracuse and Louisville we are competing with butler and creighton.

And Tulsa is competing with Cincy, Memphis, and Wichita State. You are making my argument for me.

What elements ? The same ones that were displayed in our most recent coaching search ?

You’d have to ask Fran. I took it to mean the unrealistic fan base and the groups of people you have to constantly please to survive...from AAU and high school coaches to the vindictive local media to purported program insiders and boosters it’s hell on Earth.

And Tulsa is competing with Cincy, Memphis, and Wichita State. You are making my argument for me.

I have no idea what your argument is. We just came away from the worst 4 years in school history and we now have the best coach we have had in our lifetimes. ( we were to young for Louie)  The next 6/7 years should be fun. Hopefully Cragg or someone like him is there to ensure us another decade of prosperity after Anderson leaves.
You constantly make fun of how the school handled things 25 years ago. Now We finally have a real AD who is doing things right. Instead of being happy you Mock him. You are not hurting my feelings. (I find it hysterical)
Sadly for me I can’t go to the game. I have been looking forward to it for a long time. I don’t know if we win. But I expect us to show up. No more going through the motions. No more getting embarrassed on our home floor. We might not have the best tactician in basketball but he has done his job this week. He will not be embarrassing himself today. His shoes will be tied. He is coming to compete. “Fxck you” will not be his second half adjustment.
Finally after 4 years the complete rebuild has started.

And Tulsa is competing with Cincy, Memphis, and Wichita State. You are making my argument for me.

and you just made his argument for him. Tulsa not going to prevail over those programs not that we will in BE but Tulsa is almost like saying Rutgers in B10 football.

and you just made his argument for him. Tulsa not going to prevail over those programs not that we will in BE but Tulsa is almost like saying Rutgers in B10 football.

You’re not all there are you? The tone of Tony D and other posters in this thread is total condescension to Tulsa based largely on conference. You can’t then point to them playing big time programs like Cincy, Wichita State, Memphis, and even Houston as a negative. They’ve finished 12-6 or better in conference four times in the last five years. They’ve only finished lower than .500 in conference play once since 2006 and that was an 8-10 record. They are as good or better than us in almost every objective measurement over the last 30 years.

I'd 100% rather coach at Tulsa than St. John's.  The stress here is too much.  Once again, Fraschilla said there were elements of coaching at St. John's that he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.  A Brooklyn guy who grew up loving St. John's wanted out...badly...with a Final Four roster during the height of Big East basketball and while we were still getting 5-star recruits on a regular basis.

Maybe it would have been better if franchilla didnt suck as a coach.

And kept his balls in his pants.  Idiot.