This is just Steve's "schtick" to try to get people to read and respond to his blog. I got sucked into reading the blog because you posted the link here, Scotch.  I think, maybe you're working for Steve now.

Going the Mark Madden route with the theatrics of calling Everhart's record at Duquesne mediocre is certainly debatable, and the facts easily refute some of the arguments he presents. Ron's winning percentage here was .527. Ferry's record at LIU, despite winning 52 games in his last two seasons, was barely above .500. To show how bad that conference was, Ferry's team won 16 games one season and 12 of those wins were in the conference. In his first two seasons here Ferry is 21-39 and 6-26 in the A-10. Everhart was 27-32 and 13-19, and the Dukes played a much tougher OOC and the A-10 had Temple and the X-men.  Season 3 for Everhart was a quantum improvement, and it remains to be seen if, and when, Ferry can accomplish anything similar here. Yes, I think the schedule this year should result in 18 wins, but it still has to happen on the court.

Last year we lost a bunch of games early because guys with low shooting percentages were starting games 0-10 from the floor and putting us in deep holes. Attributing that to anything but the players or Ferry's reluctance to yank them wouldn't make any sense at all. Putting 50% of that on Everhart, or making up numbers of how many games the team would have won is pure fantasy. Maybe the Yuku board will be offering some type of new fantasy league this season that will include a projected Everhart Duquesne team. They have some sabermetrics guys who crank out some impressive statistics that would knock most savants out of a tree. I can see it happening, and I might play myself if they do it.

One of the knocks against Ron was roster turnover. Of course, the supposed best players from each of Ferry's first two recruiting classes (Winters and Watkins) are gone. If 50% of that was Ron's fault, then I guess he's responsible for Winters.

Yada yada yada. Or in my case, yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn.

As a writer, you build your reputation on what you put your name to, which can be a blessing or curse. So don't get worked up about this.

ElDuque wrote:

This is just Steve's "schtick" to try to get people to read and respond to his blog. I got sucked into reading the blog because you posted the link here, Scotch.  I think, maybe you're working for Steve now.

Going the Mark Madden route with the theatrics of calling Everhart's record at Duquesne mediocre is certainly debatable, and the facts easily refute some of the arguments he presents. Ron's winning percentage here was .527. Ferry's record at LIU, despite winning 52 games in his last two seasons, was barely above .500. To show how bad that conference was, Ferry's team won 16 games one season and 12 of those wins were in the conference. In his first two seasons here Ferry is 21-39 and 6-26 in the A-10. Everhart was 27-32 and 13-19, and the Dukes played a much tougher OOC and the A-10 had Temple and the X-men.  Season 3 for Everhart was a quantum improvement, and it remains to be seen if, and when, Ferry can accomplish anything similar here. Yes, I think the schedule this year should result in 18 wins, but it still has to happen on the court.

Last year we lost a bunch of games early because guys with low shooting percentages were starting games 0-10 from the floor and putting us in deep holes. Attributing that to anything but the players or Ferry's reluctance to yank them wouldn't make any sense at all. Putting 50% of that on Everhart, or making up numbers of how many games the team would have won is pure fantasy. Maybe the Yuku board will be offering some type of new fantasy league this season that will include a projected Everhart Duquesne team. They have some sabermetrics guys who crank out some impressive statistics that would knock most savants out of a tree. I can see it happening, and I might play myself if they do it.

One of the knocks against Ron was roster turnover. Of course, the supposed best players from each of Ferry's first two recruiting classes (Winters and Watkins) are gone. If 50% of that was Ron's fault, then I guess he's responsible for Winters.

Yada yada yada. Or in my case, yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn.

As a writer, you build your reputation on what you put your name to, which can be a blessing or curse. So don't get worked up about this.

For what it's worth, Robinson was the highest rated recruit in Ferry's second class. We've yet to see what he can do.
 

ElDuque wrote:

DukesFan79 wrote:

With all due respect to the author as well as both aforementioned coaches, these are not comparable situations. Apples and Oranges if you will. We can all aknowledge that Ron did a good job rebuildling the program.

However, the A10 as a league was never remotely close to the level it is at currrently. Getting 11 combined NCAA bids in the last two seasons puts the A10 in the Top 6-7 conferences in the country. Therefore, this makes both coaches situations drastically different.

As we stand today with the A10 making a big time power move to cement itself among the top leagues in the country, we have an arms race with both facilities and resources that DU thus far has not kept up in. Schools like UMass, VCU, Richmond, and more are making UPGRADES in the $15-$20 million range, which is significantly larger than the worth of the entire Palumbo. I attended a season ticket holders event a few months ago in July in which their was discussion about finally getting rid of the wooden bleachers in the endzones, replacing them with modern chairbacks. Has this happened yet?

Schools like St. Bona and LaSalle are common comparisons that fans like to make with DU. Both made their surprise runs to the NCAAs in the last 3-4 years. Where did both schools end up afterwords? Back to the bottom half of the league. Exactly where their facilties and resources place them. Not much different than Ron's run to the A10 championship game, other than a few minutes and a different outcome. That was our "surprise run," the end result was just a little different.

By all accounts the school has done a good job raising budgets, but budgets do not tell the entire story. The school must fully commit to being totally invested in achieving success in basketball, not just paying a coach's salary and raising budgets to a respectable level. We all like to argue on this board about the coaches in DU's history...but when discussing a program that hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since 1977-guess what?- it ain't the coaches!

If the commitment level isn't addressed it will be the same 4-6 year outcome story of 90% of the head coaches at Duquesne. They will bring in the next guy, preach university wide committment and continue the cycle.

I think Ron had substantially better resources than any of his predecessors, and Jim has better resources than Ron had. That said, I agree, our history is that we chose not to keep up with the times in the sport and were long ago swept under the rug as a result.

Agree 100% with this. We laughed when DAP complained about the cell phones, but he actually had a point, and showed how little they were putting into the program. Nee got a lot more than DAP had, and Ron had more resources than Nee did. Ferry has even more than Ron, but of course the competition hasn't been standing still.

i used to do alot of "goverment contract work" and am privy to lots of secrets, so I can tell you for a fact, that ron everhart was the second shooter on the grassy knoll...

I think we should just blame everything on him from here on out...
Gas prices go up, blame everhart.
unrest in ukraine, its that damn everharts fault.
stock market crash, EVERHART!(i am saying that as if I am seinfeld saying newman)
rumor has it that it was everhart who taught pedro alvarez how to throw a baseball....

blaming someone else for your problems is kindred to being american at this point.

 

CLK wrote:

heelsdukesfan wrote:

i used to do alot of "goverment contract work" and am privy to lots of secrets, so I can tell you for a fact, that ron everhart was the second shooter on the grassy knoll...

I think we should just blame everything on him from here on out...
Gas prices go up, blame everhart.
unrest in ukraine, its that damn everharts fault.
stock market crash, EVERHART!(i am saying that as if I am seinfeld saying newman)
rumor has it that it was everhart who taught pedro alvarez how to throw a baseball....

blaming someone else for your problems is kindred to being american at this point.

 

LMAO, I nominate this post for "Post of the Year".  Thank you heelsdukesfan. 

I couldn't agree more with either "heels" or CLK. What the hell is the purpose of Dimiceli's blog. Surprised he didn't blame Bush. Ron's been gone over 2 years. Wasn't his firing, public disclosure of his many faults and failures and the added humiliation of referring to his successor as a next level coach enough?? Everhart doesn't deserve this treatment regardless of Dimiceli's purpose. I quit reading the YUKU board a long time ago with its downloaded ads, etc. I want to read about DU basketball, not put money in Dimiceli's pocket. Oh, I get it! That's the purpose of the blog!!!

i like to read and 'lurk' on both boards as I think both boards have guys that get some up to the date info and breaking news. I also like the guys blog. I just dont particularly see the need for anyone to keep bashing the old coach. For those that knew RE, know that he was a hell of a great guy and loved duquesne. If ferry makes the ncaa, I guarantee RE would be one of the first ones to call or text him to congratulate him.

I always thought it would take atleast 10years to get the program back on track, and believe RE would have dont that if he were given more time. sometimes you gotta take a step back in order to go 2 steps forward. With that said, I am starting to see  Ferry's ultimate vision for the program  and I really think the top of the a10 and ncaas are in our future.
i havent been this excited for Duq Hoops since going into REs second year. 

Its like they are building a brand new house--RE excavated the land, layed a nice foundation; now, ferry has the framing done; and its time to raise the roof...like a guy said on the other board..we are duquesne...

I should also add that I choose to root for the name on the front of the jersey, not the administrators, ADs, or even the coach. I cheer for the dukes. And when this time gets over the hump and makes the NCAAs, to me, all the credit goes to the kids busting their asses right now. Its about their blood, sweat, and tears. Everything they pour into it. Its for DC, who is up at 5am working on free throws, and Micah Mason, always in the gym, For Jordan Robinson, working on his 'wind' to play longer. For Tysean, Domo, an LG, tearing it up in the weightroom bc they know they gotta get stronger.....you guys get the point...

CLK wrote:

heelsdukesfan wrote:

I should also add that I choose to root for the name on the front of the jersey, not the administrators, ADs, or even the coach. I cheer for the dukes. And when this time gets over the hump and makes the NCAAs, to me, all the credit goes to the kids busting their asses right now. Its about their blood, sweat, and tears. Everything they pour into it. Its for DC, who is up at 5am working on free throws, and Micah Mason, always in the gym, For Jordan Robinson, working on his 'wind' to play longer. For Tysean, Domo, an LG, tearing it up in the weightroom bc they know they gotta get stronger.....you guys get the point...

I absolutely agree with your posts.  We need to get behind this team and let go of the past.  Ron busted his ass pulling this program out of the mud to respectabiliy and should be respected for his accomplishments.  He did not deserve the humiliation by Dougherty and Amodio of the leaked memo that badly damaged his career, but that is another topic.  Nothing is gained by these constant posts and blogs bashing Ron except to piss off the fans that knew him and appreciate what he did at DU. Speaking for a long suffering fan base, let's put behind the past and move forward hopefully to the "return to glory" starting with a winning season this year.  Go Dukes!

Agree with all of this. Now if we can stop the Ferry bashing, and all the "next level" nasty comments about him as well, then we can move forward.
 

duq81 wrote:

CLK wrote:

heelsdukesfan wrote:

I should also add that I choose to root for the name on the front of the jersey, not the administrators, ADs, or even the coach. I cheer for the dukes. And when this time gets over the hump and makes the NCAAs, to me, all the credit goes to the kids busting their asses right now. Its about their blood, sweat, and tears. Everything they pour into it. Its for DC, who is up at 5am working on free throws, and Micah Mason, always in the gym, For Jordan Robinson, working on his 'wind' to play longer. For Tysean, Domo, an LG, tearing it up in the weightroom bc they know they gotta get stronger.....you guys get the point...

I absolutely agree with your posts.  We need to get behind this team and let go of the past.  Ron busted his ass pulling this program out of the mud to respectabiliy and should be respected for his accomplishments.  He did not deserve the humiliation by Dougherty and Amodio of the leaked memo that badly damaged his career, but that is another topic.  Nothing is gained by these constant posts and blogs bashing Ron except to piss off the fans that knew him and appreciate what he did at DU. Speaking for a long suffering fan base, let's put behind the past and move forward hopefully to the "return to glory" starting with a winning season this year.  Go Dukes!

Agree with all of this. Now if we can stop the Ferry bashing, and all the "next level" nasty comments about him as well, then we can move forward.
 

Ron did not give the "next level coach" hash tag to Ferry.  Amodio & Dougherty did as their stated goal, and performance expectation, for Ferry.  He will either get us there (which I hope he does) or not in which case we will have a new AD in the next couple of years. As the current coach, however,  like it or not people are going to comment on his performance, that is just the way it is here and everywhere.  Ron was not exempt while he was coach and Ferry certainly will not be exempt nor should he be.  Any comments about the Ferry's perfomace going foward should not be a justification for the Amodio apologists to bash Ron.  I am not saying that Ferry does not deserve patience and support of the fans because as our coach he does. We are, howeve,  into Ferry's third year now.  His performance should stand on its own.  This is his team and the current roster for the most is either going to get us to the next level or not.  If God forbid he stumbles this year and we finish at the bottom of the League (which I hope will not happen) he will disappoint many fans who predicted a winning season. There will be those who will question the Amodio designated "next level" mantra for Ferry. There should be no excuses or assessment of blame on the prior coach period.  Having said that I am hopefull that this will be the year as said by heelsdukesfan where we raise the roof.   

Last edited by CLK (9/06/2014 9:44 am)

heelsdukesfan wrote:

logical criticisms of in game coaching are what message boards are all about: why didnt he switch to a  zone? why did he sub in jeremiah for micah to shoot FTs at end of game? Why did he leave LG on bench after he scored 20 pts in first half?  it just gets old when its accompanied with the "i thought this guy was our next level coach, why did he do that, RE wouldnt have done that..."

its inevitable they we are gonna lose a few games this year, that are gonna leave us all scratching our heads, at same time, we are gonna jump up and bite a few teams on the ass and make people take notice...the ol "how in the hell did this team knock off vcu and dayton, but lose to njit!"
its basketball, it happens!

I absolutely agree with that, however, that is not how this thread got started.  Unless I missed it, most people here were being for the most part opimistic about next season and praising Ferry for his recruiting.  The blog article out of nowhere prevoked this discussion.

CLK wrote:

heelsdukesfan wrote:

logical criticisms of in game coaching are what message boards are all about: why didnt he switch to a  zone? why did he sub in jeremiah for micah to shoot FTs at end of game? Why did he leave LG on bench after he scored 20 pts in first half?  it just gets old when its accompanied with the "i thought this guy was our next level coach, why did he do that, RE wouldnt have done that..."

its inevitable they we are gonna lose a few games this year, that are gonna leave us all scratching our heads, at same time, we are gonna jump up and bite a few teams on the ass and make people take notice...the ol "how in the hell did this team knock off vcu and dayton, but lose to njit!"
its basketball, it happens!

I absolutely agree with that, however, that is not how this thread got started.  Unless I missed it, most people here were being for the most part opimistic about next season and praising Ferry for his recruiting.  The blog article out of nowhere prevoked this discussion.

As I posted earlier, the original post was classic trolling. (In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people,[1][/url] by posting inflammatory,[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29#cite_note-2][2][/url] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29#cite_note-PCMAG_def-3][3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.) That blog is actually from a rival site, one which has it's own message board, a message board that many who post here, also post to, and one that the op is registered on. He should have made his arguments there, instead of bringing the negativity over here.
 

DukesFan79 wrote:

As there have been constant references to Ron clearing house immediatly upon his hiring, and Ferry delaying it a year, I feel compelled to shed some light on this topic. I'm not sure how many on this board are familiar with the APR (Academic Progess Rate) and how it can affect a program. We have all seen it in the news when it results in a team being banned from the post season. I believe these rules were not in place at the time of Ron's hiring. From my understanding, "cleaning house" is no longer an option when new coaches are hired. Any player transfering must have a certain GPA or the school results in losing APR points. Losing too many of these points results in a post season ban or loss of scholarships. Thus, it becomes impossible for any coach to "clean house" without taking years to do so. These rules have become much more promiment with the popularity of transfering schools.

Very very good post. That is something I don't think any of us really thought of. Long term, it might be a blessing in disguise, as it kept us from having an overload in a single class. Having 5 senior starters may sound good, but what usually happens is that if the team has a good year, the coach bails, and the program craters. It's much better long term to have your talent spread out among your classes.