duqkurt wrote:

ElDuque wrote:

duqkurt wrote:

Well, this is new to all if us. We are spoiled like Steeler fans. Miss the playoffs one year and the world is coming to an end.

This is a rebuilding year!   We are used to the excellence that is DU basketball.   We will soon return to our glorious seasons and records  of the 80s, 90s and 00s.   And the post season success those decades brought.

Some would think 2 technical fouls in the space of 30 seconds as a negative, I see the fire and spirit that is DUQUESNE basketball!!

Kurt, I meant Laff at Louisiana. They are not a good team. Of course, neither are we.

I WISH we were spoiled. We're joust soiled.

That wasn't meant to be a dig at you.  I didnt even see that you posted about the technical fouls when I posted this. 

You have to laugh at this team and this situation, because we are in the same damn situation all the time.   

They should just extend Amodio's contract now, and really make the new year something really special to look forward too.

Do you really think we would be in any better of a spot had the change not been made? Really? If so, please tell me how? Was Marhold going to suddenly morph into Hakeem Olajuwon? Was Sean Johnson going to become Aaron Jackson? Was Panto suddenly going to make us forget Bill Clark?

duqkurt wrote:

Make the change. Don't make the change.  It is irrevelant to me.

The constant is loss after loss after loss.  New coach.  Old coach.

Doesn't losing just ever get to you??  I'm not perfect.    Losing all the time with no hope of success frustrates me. 

What make this coach different from the last?  In  five years, we will all be hearing that the new coach is really going to turn DU around because of the renewed support of the administration.

How is there no hope of success? This doesn't even begin to make sense. Maybe not this year

How is this coach different from the last? Look at his record in close games so far. Look at the contribution he's getting from more than two members of his first class. Look at how the freshman he brought in account for 42% of scoring so far. Look at the difference that's been made in rebounding without any real change in personnel. Look at the fact that players are getting noticeably better playing under him. Look at the how he runs multiple sets on offense. Look at the way the team fights through screens and doesn't concede mismatches. Look at the other teams after the players he's after and the one that he landed for next class already. Look at the caliber of staff he's brought in. Look at how he actually delegates and consults with his assistants.  Look at how they teach in the game instead of just yelling. Look at the team's record and tell me you thought anyone could go 7-7 with them non con after TJ transferred.

Am I saying Ferry is a huge upgrade? At the end of the day I have no idea but he does well with a lot what Ron did poorly. Are we going to discover some flaws? Sure. But for you to insinuate that he'll be a failure in 5 years is absurd.

steve19981 wrote:

duqkurt wrote:

Make the change. Don't make the change.  It is irrevelant to me.

The constant is loss after loss after loss.  New coach.  Old coach.

Doesn't losing just ever get to you??  I'm not perfect.    Losing all the time with no hope of success frustrates me. 

What make this coach different from the last?  In  five years, we will all be hearing that the new coach is really going to turn DU around because of the renewed support of the administration.

How is there no hope of success? This doesn't even begin to make sense. Maybe not this year

How is this coach different from the last? Look at his record in close games so far. Look at the contribution he's getting from more than two members of his first class. Look at how the freshman he brought in account for 42% of scoring so far. Look at the difference that's been made in rebounding without any real change in personnel. Look at the fact that players are getting noticeably better playing under him. Look at the how he runs multiple sets on offense. Look at the way the team fights through screens and doesn't concede mismatches. Look at the other teams after the players he's after and the one that he landed for next class already. Look at the caliber of staff he's brought in. Look at how he actually delegates and consults with his assistants.  Look at how they teach in the game instead of just yelling. Look at the team's record and tell me you thought anyone could go 7-7 with them non con after TJ transferred.

Am I saying Ferry is a huge upgrade? At the end of the day I have no idea but he does well with a lot what Ron did poorly. Are we going to discover some flaws? Sure. But for you to insinuate that he'll be a failure in 5 years is absurd.

Thank you Steve. All the whining is sickening. Anyone with a grain of objectivity knew that this team would struggle this year. This is not a good team. All we could hope for was for it not to be a train wreck, and for the young players to show promise, and improvement as the year progressed. We've seen that. Sure we can dream, but to trash this particular team for failing to win road games is silly. If this was year 4, you'd be justified, not now.

CLK wrote:

Let's see how Ferry finishes before we say he is an upgrade.  The way this team plays defense I do not see us winning 10 games this year which is the least Ron won with a lot worse team than Ferry inherited playing walk ons.  In my opinion Ferry should look at himself for this loss.  I think Ferry really had a very poor game plan against PSU, and his technicals were just plain stupid.  PSU did not have a true point guard yet we did not press and trap until we were down by 22.  We played into PS half court offense for all but the last 8 minutes of the game.  Our multiple offensive sets did little to translate into points.  Our offense sputtered until we picked up the defensive intensity.  To me he is no better a game day coach than Ron which some say was his biggest weakness.  Maybe Ferry will be a great coach.  I sure hope so, but this constant knocking of Ron to try to prove Ferry is a better coach is getting old.  If he is a better coach let him prove it in victories.  Until then there is nothing to talk about.

RE had Aaron Jackson and Kieron Achara on his first team. I'd take them over anyone on this team. I don't want to knock Ron, the problem CLK, is that you don't have the same attitude when certain posters constantly want to bring up the change, because they have an axe to grind with regard to his firing. Personally, I have no problem moving on, as long as those in the other camp move on as well. If they continue to insinuate that we'd be winning with the old regime, you can't get mad if people with another opinion decide to debate the issue.

I just prefer we wait to judge Ferry period, good or bad, for at least another couple of years. All I'm doing is pointing out some things I think he's doing well so far and explained why to a person who asked what's different. I agree the loss is on him today and I'm with you that there are flaws. It took him a long time to make adjustments. His players don't run off the ball enough. I'd like to see more structure. The gameplan didn't work well when Penn St actually made their three's. The extra help d in the post backfired because a bad shooting team made their shots. The reluctance to foul towards the end was confusing. 

I have my complaints, but I'm not going to overreact one way or the other.

Last edited by steve19981 (12/29/2012 11:53 pm)

Steve, I'm just asking: Are you ever going to stop the gratuitous negative comments about Ron Everhart? What exactly did he do to you? Beat you up and take your lunch money? Steal your girlfriend? Mash a banana split into your nostrils?

The man turned around the worst NCAA men's basketball program in the nation much faster than anyone could have asked, overcame the shootings and his own personal illness, and brought respectability back to the program despite having to battle his own AD the past couple of years. You talk about him like he's Danny bleeping Nee. Please, if you keep coming here with the same nonsense that you tweet and post on Yuku, I'll stop coming to this board too. It's ridiculous to see someone with such a danged hard-on for a guy who did so much for Duquesne and was treated like a hunk of crap in the end. Wasn't that enough? Or do you think he deserves to be piled on some more?

Why do you think you have to be Greg's bagman?

Enough already.

In 96 years of Duquesne basketball, only three men have won more games as a basketball coach here. Their names are Moore, Davies and Manning.

And yes ... I have said all along that this team should finish around .500 this year. But not if they keep playing the way they have been. I hope Ferry does well here, I hope he does better than Everhart did, but so far I'm not seeing enough to make me feel comfortable that he will.

I'll continue to root for the guy so that I don't have to see the University crap itself again with another botched firing, but I'm not going to continue to visit message boards that exist to give idiots with agendas a free space to shoot their loads.

ElDuque wrote:

Steve, I'm just asking: Are you ever going to stop the gratuitous negative comments about Ron Everhart? What exactly did he do to you? Beat you up and take your lunch money? Steal your girlfriend? Mash a banana split into your nostrils?

The man turned around the worst NCAA men's basketball program in the nation much faster than anyone could have asked, overcame the shootings and his own personal illness, and brought respectability back to the program despite having to battle his own AD the past couple of years. You talk about him like he's Danny bleeping Nee. Please, if you keep coming here with the same nonsense that you tweet and post on Yuku, I'll stop coming to this board too. It's ridiculous to see someone with such a danged hard-on for a guy who did so much for Duquesne and was treated like a hunk of crap in the end. Wasn't that enough? Or do you think he deserves to be piled on some more?

Why do you think you have to be Greg's bagman?

Enough already.

In 96 years of Duquesne basketball, only three men have won more games as a basketball coach here. Their names are Moore, Davies and Manning.

And yes ... I have said all along that this team should finish around .500 this year. But not if they keep playing the way they have been. I hope Ferry does well here, I hope he does better than Everhart did, but so far I'm not seeing enough to make me feel comfortable that he will.

I'll continue to root for the guy so that I don't have to see the University crap itself again with another botched firing, but I'm not going to continue to visit message boards that exist to give idiots with agendas a free space to shoot their loads.

I support the program and want to see us win. Nothing more, nothing less. There is nothing personal against Ron, just business and in a lot of ways, I felt I needed to serve as a counter balance to what was being reported by the mainstream press. I do want to point out that I didn't bring this up. Someone asked for a comparison and I provided it. 80% of the time when I write something about Ron it's because I felt prodded into it and at the end of the day, I'm just ready to move on. Others aren't.

My opinions are all my opinions. I'm not an Amodio champion. However, I like what he has done so far and as a result, my pieces tend to be positive on him. As I've said a number of times, when I think he's maxed out what he can do for Duquesne, I will change my tune.

Ron certainly had his strengths and I've pointed them out on a number of occasions.  He often had a very good game plan he managed to turn the program around faster than anyone could have dreamed. His team also managed to start seasons and games well most of the time. Rarely did he lose games to inferior teams talent wise. I thought he would get another year even if I didn't believe he'd be able to save his job. His downfall may have been that he accomplished too much too quickly. Had the first NIT appearance come in year 5 rather than year 3, he may have kept his job. If you think I put him on the level of Nee, I think you're reading my criticisms too harshly. I could compare Ron to Nee but really there is no comparison. The comps between Ron and Ferry are in some way a compliment because even if I do think Ferry could (and should) provide an improvement, I think Ron is a legit D-1 coach unlike Nee.

I'm very appreciative of what Ron has done. He was the right coach for the right time, but he plateaued. In today's college basketball game, if you're not taking steps forward, you're going to end up going backwards on a long enough time line.  I don't believe he was nearly as hard done as you do. I feel like a member of the board actually leaked the letter from Dr D. not someone from the athletic department. I also agree with a great deal of the criticism that I'm able to speak for.  The ironic thing is that the gentleman who made the connection between the leak and the AD was a man you've accused of yellow journalism in the past.

Steve, I've been following and supporting this program for longer than you've been on this earth. That doesn't make me any better or worse or any more deserving of something decent, but it does give me some basis to make observations too. You have most certainly taken some swipes at Ron that are completely undeserved. You're certainly entitled to your opinions - although I'd love to know exactly what Amodio has done to be considered "successful" here. Seems to me that if you take away Ron's contributions with the men's program, Amodio's record is somewhat less than that of Brian Colleary. Unless I'm missing something here, the entire program is mediocre at best.

Meanwhile, I'd still really love to see a good basketball season. Maybe Ferry can start by figuring out how to keep other teams from taking his freshman point guard out of the game all the time. It was a little embarrassing that Penn State did it without a real point guard of its own. Figure that out, and give Abele more of Marhold's minutes, and push the ball a little more (and press on defense once in a while) and I think these Dukes can be pretty decent.

As I have said in several previous posts, and as ED and CLK are saying now, I don't know and can't understand why it is necessarry for a few posters here to tear Ron Everhart down when they discuss the play, good or bad, of this season's team. Do they do it to justify Ron's firing? Do they do it to explain Jim Ferry's hiring? Are they Greg Amodio supporters? Are they Greg Amodio's son, daughter or wife? Is it Greg Amodio? I don't know, but one thing for sure is that Ron Everhart is no longer here, was undeservedly humiliated  and cannot defend himself on this board. It is no longer necessary to bring his name, strengths or weaknesses up when discussing Duquesne basketball. He is gone and no longer relevant except for the reputation Duquesne has earned in the minds of many as to how inept they are in handling the terminations of highly popular employees. I wonder how many of his critics would say what they say if they were face to face with him. I have no axe to grind with Jim Ferry, and like everybody else, I want him to win. But before he is claimed to be the next coming of John Wooten at the expense of Ron Everhart's reputation and abilities as a D1 coach, lets see the results he gets on the floor over the next 2 or 3 years at least. He was 150-149 in D1 before he came here. At this point, he is still one game over .500. But that doesn't matter to me. He is Duquesne's coach, he seems like he is a great guy and I want him to win. Let's just stop propping him up by tearing Ron Everhart down.

Much has been said about the leaking of the report that was presented to the Board to justify Ron's firing. But let's face it. Even if the report was never leaked, his firing would still have been highly controversial and widely unpopular. Why? Because he was popular with the alumni, ex players, most of the Athletic staff, many of the faculty,the media and the general public. He was well liked and a tremendous ambassador for Duquesne University. For these reasons and the fact that he loved it here and did enough to resurrect Duquesne basketball, he deserved to be treated with more respect and be given at least one more year to try to save his job. I never suggested that he be given an extension without improved performance. But he deserved better, and he deserves better from the posters here who continue to denigrate him unnecessarily and irrelevantly.

Last edited by Westender (1/01/2013 2:23 pm)

Lets see yesterday I was absurd.  Today you feel sorry for me. 

I have gone out of my way to refrain from insulting you personally on this board.  Please do the same for me.

I can not see the postive about this program every waking moment of my life.

Well, I believe if this is the comment you meant as a swipe at you.  Wow.   That is just terrible.   I believe that was after I was called absurd yesterday.

Look, I really do my best to avoid you but you really can't talk about DU basketball and avoid you.

Steve I also have a lot of respect for you and I admire your passion for DU hoops. I wish there were more young guys like you out there. The treatment of Ron, and the performace of the AD are certainly hot buttons with me and others alums who now feel alienated from a program we have supported in some cases for over 40 years.  Most are willing to move on and support Coach Ferry, but feel the AD needs to go.   We will agree to disagree on this issue. 

I also think Kurt is a passionate fan and wants the same thing we all do... see the Dukes win.  In that regard you guys are not different.  I wish I lived in Pittsburgh I would invite you both for a beer...Duquesne beer of course.

Last edited by CLK (12/31/2012 8:58 am)