WEB wrote:

ElDuque wrote:

Unlike the Bluff, where consecutive non-winning seasons turn into contract extensions.

Worth pointing out: Danny Hurley, hired @ same time as Ferry, has been linked to every job opening I've seen so far.

PS, great quote by the new Rutgers coach, the guy from CW Post: "We're going to build a program." Must be a Lawn Gisland thing.

Was the contract extension performance based or merely a clause that was triggered when the AD changed?

Was it earned, in any event?

levon, speaking for myself, I simply haven't bought into Ferry's system yet. This is based only on what I see on the court. I understand why you see this as negative, but in fairness, I started a balanced thread about the pros and cons of the past season. And no one has been more optimistic about the prospect of Tarin Smith running this team than me. I'm not a hater; like you, I'm a long-time, frustrated fan. I'm simply running out of patience faster than some. OK, many ... OK, most.  

Levon, I really do not like the lump sum categorization of this board as negative.  Yes some may be more optimistic than others the negativity (I would call it frustration) recently stems from the fact that the Dukes went 2-10 in their last 12 games (which is a pretty damn negative performance).  After three consecutive losing seasons finishing at the bottom of the league the expectation was that this was the year the Dukes would move up.  Finishing 11th was a major disappointment to many fans.  According to a tweet by Craig Myers today DU had the 22nd easiest non conference schedule in D1 based on the KenPom rating.  So maybe the strong non conference start really disguised how bad this team really was.  That is not being negative, that is taking a realistic look at this past season, and evaluating Ferry's performance.  Moreover, looking at who is leaving and who is returning makes us (or at least me) doubt that next year will be better.  Yes I think the signed recruits for next year are a cut above the freshmen that Ferry previously recruited, but the other teams are not exactly standing still.  That leaves the confidence we have in Ferry and staff teach, motivate and coach these guys to make them better as a team. Based on his past performance I again have my doubts.  Is this negative or is this being realistic?  

Bottom line, fans have a right to feel as they may without condemnation.  Ferry will have one maybe two more years to prove he can get DU to the top part of the League. His future is in his own hands. 

levon1975 wrote:

ElDuque wrote:

levon, speaking for myself, I simply haven't bought into Ferry's system yet. This is based only on what I see on the court. I understand why you see this as negative, but in fairness, I started a balanced thread about the pros and cons of the past season. And no one has been more optimistic about the prospect of Tarin Smith running this team than me. I'm not a hater; like you, I'm a long-time, frustrated fan. I'm simply running out of patience faster than some. OK, many ... OK, most.  

A "hater like me" seriously where did that come from? My post was positive not hateful to anyone on this board. I just felt it necessary to make my points, and ask for some relief from the negativity. I think the negatives have certainly been stated over and over......similar to a gang mentality; well I'm not paying that game.

I think you missed his punctuation. He's saying, he's not a hater,      like you, he's a frustrated fan. As for the negativity, there are a few who are over the top with some of their criticism, but those types are on every board. There are a couple of guys here who I do believe would see Ferry failing as vindication for Ron.
 

Sorry Levon. I would not call you a hater or any names. I should have punctuated that with a
period.

And thanks for stepping in Duq81.

Getting the thread back on track, the experience of the past four years (Winters, White, Stephens, Watkins, Powell) makes me take a wait and see approach to newcomers. Smith is different, as I have said, because a trusted and highly knowledgeable sports writer who watched him many times said he will be a difference maker. Plus he is a St. Anthony's kid. Of course, I hope they all turn into stars.

I said in an earlier post I'd look at starting Lewis, Robinson, Gill, James and Smith next year. Two seniors, a RS junior, a junior, a RS sophomore. Sanders, Jackson and Steele certainly have earned PT. Bring the kids along slowly, unless someone jumps off the page. I hope we recruit another PG, or get lucky with another Jason Duty walk on.

Mike Ignelsi wrote:

Michael Sanserino of the PG made the point that, given Duquesne's record over the last forty years, putting the blame on coaching seems unreasonable; that the true culprit in this cavalcade of tears lies in the fact that the program lacks for financing.  No doubt, DU has trotted out some awful coaches over the years, but that, too, can be viewed as a money issue.  While I was all for tar and feathering the current coach, could it not be that he is hamstrung by, for instance, a recruiting budget thats's woefully inadequate?  I believe I've seen numbers that put Duquesne in the middle of the pack as far as spending; I'm not sure on this.  But if DU is to compete with Dayton and State Schools, it must seriously up the ante.  And as to the lack of local talent being a drag on Duquesne's basketball fortunes, try filling a roster in Arizona with local products.  

That may be true, but Arizona is a big state school, in a major conference, with plenty of money. They are an established power, and can attract a proven coach. Duquesne is none of those things. Duquesne always relied on local talent. Even in the glory days, Duquesne never had a great program. What we had was a great tradition, fueled by 3 excellent coaches, and a solid local talent base. A local talent base is important, because you can land local players of a caliber that otherwise wouldn't consider you. Is Duquesne spending enough to consistently challenge Dayton? No, but there is no excuse for us to not even be able to achieve what Bona has done over the last 20 years. This, even with them having a scandal that threatened the very existence of the program. Other than a loyal fanbase, Duquesne has pretty much every advantage over Bona. Bona's performance should be the absolute minimum that is acceptable for us. Do you realize how hard it is to be as bad as we've been for 44 years. Just by dumb luck we should have had a team or two that had an outstanding season. In hindsight, we would have been better served by giving Cinicola, Carroll, and Ron, more time. The MCC move killed what John Carroll was doing. The rape case killed Jim Satalin. The shooting killed Ron Everhart. Seems like we're snakebit.
 

ElDuque wrote:

I think the alleged rape case (charges were dismissed) hurt, but Satalin ended his own career with his exotic behavior, which included withholding meal money from players on road trips. Mike DeCourcey nailed Satalin, which was a springboard for Mike's career.

Yeah, he pissed off Mossie as well. You notice I didn't list him among the coaches who should have gotten more time.
 

Carroll got stuck at 13-15 for three straight years, but the conference move was part of the problem, as it disrupted his recruiting right when he was making progress. He deserved another year to see if he could add to the nice collection of talent he had coming up.