Sad

Well, if you want change, the wheels totally coming off might be the best thing to happen. 3-24 got rid of Danny Nee.

Well, it was 2 nothing at the 20 second mark...

They are a different team at home....
We just got to grind it out ....
It's just a beast ...
 

What is your complaints they lost by 31 points I have seen the light thanks to Mr. Brightside. I was wrong about GA. Brightside is right it's all on coach Ferry not on GA. What was I thinking?

We based our optimism on 3 things, all of which have turned out to be false.
First was that McCoy would be able to step into Soko's shoes to a large degree. He hasn't come close.
Second was that Mason would become one of the better players in the league. He's a one trick pony, and teams have learned how to slow him down.
Third was that Robinson would be an impact player, giving us quality at a position where we have been weak for years. Of course this hasn't come close to happening.
Only Colter has played above expectations. Knowing this, it's no surprise the team is bad.

I feel bad for Dr, Dougherty.  I believe he really wantswhat we all want for DU basketball. Regrettably, he put his trust in Amodio and that most likely will tarnish his legacy in the eyes of many. 



 

FAM wrote:

CLK,
I have to disagree. I don't feel bad for Dr Dougherty at all.  His responsibility is to supervise those who supervise!  I have been in a similar position with a place of employment - not as President but very close.  You put your trust in folks - but you also have to do your own homework.  Now, IT IS on the President.  I said a few months ago this is a Danny Neelike program.  There are a few home games left...probably will go to one.  What is bothering me is NO ONE = the AD or Presdent is even coming out and saying how disappointed they are with the program.  That is really bothering me about the President.  Hey, but he is painted with this same brush since he is in charge.  

Hear hear, especially that homework idea.  My God, when they were researching head coaches, did they look at anything? For instance, those defensive stats the other day, which showed Ferry to be worse than Danny Nee was all you needed to look at!

I don't feel bad for him at all.  He made the decision (whether Iago was whispering in his ear or not) and the responsibility is his alone!  Also the lack of public comment at this point in the disaster is troubling.

So when do you think someone will say something!

How about 3 more losses as the over-under. When will someone say anything in public?
 

I agree with CLK CHARLIE came to the bluff & faced a sh**storm. He has done well yes legacy an issue but come March he has to make a move not with the coach 3-4 years left on contract.

I disagree Napa.  I think you can win with those types of players.  There is no reason we cannot recruit on the same level as a Richmond or GW.  They are in the same league as us afterall.  I think the difference is that we never have coaches who know how to coach in that situation.  Our motion offense lacks motion, and our defense is beyond bad.  I don't want another coach who thinks he needs to run run run and try to go for steals while pressing.*   I much prefer a coach who slows it down and plays a Jamie Dixon/Bo Ryan type of basketball.

*Unless it is Shaka Smart

NapaDuke wrote:

Ferry's big mistake,like many past coaches that have failed here is you can't out-recruit better programs for players that fit that half-court-Pitt-style game. We just are not going to get 4 and 5 star recruits, so why play their game??  Ron's success was he didn't recruit nor play their game but instead found lighter, faster players that were over looked by Bigger programs and exploited weakness in the teams that played the slower, run-down the shot-clock-half-court-game.  A typical score for Pitt is winning 60 to 58  vs   Ron's style teams might hit 100.  It's odd someone in a recent post mentioned the better teams in this league like G.W. and UMASS, Ron beat them almost every year?  I'm not saying we are going to get Ron back, but what I am saying is this is the reality!  Duquesne University Basketball will not compete toe to toe with Big Programs playing their game, PERIOD !  We can't out recruit for those players. Just won't happen.  Find some young coach that sees a different game, from a D-2 school that runs the full 40 minutes, plays man to man, that presses the whole game, that traps and steals constantly, that makes baskets in transition and doesn't get catch standing still in a zone defense, BECAUSE lesser talented players are at their weakest stand still in a zone defense, then just maybe, we might win again. If you don't see that we lost consistantly for over 20 years with coaches trying to be Half-court style teams, then one coach comes in and runs something different and wins, then we get Ferry in trying the old stuff again with no success, then we will continue this loosing.  I know we all want to win, but this present path just isn't the way to do it. It's not the players, it's the system!         

I can't remember a single coach who came here with the idea of running a Pitt style offense, just the opposite. Ferry promised a high scoring team. What happens is that the players are not good enough to get out there and run with good teams. What Ron did, especially early on, was run weaker teams off the court. If you beat the weaker teams consistently, and steal a few from the better teams, you end up above .500 most years. That is what Ron did. The struggle was to become good enough to dominate your home floor, even against the better teams, while winning road games vs middle of the pack teams. This was the hump that Ron struggled to get over, and where complaints about not reaching the "next level" came from. You need to be deep, and talented to play a 94 foot game for 40 minutes. While perpetual mediocrity is unacceptable, and RE was going to have to get over the hump sooner, rather than later, considering how bad the track record was between Carroll's firing, and Ron's arrival, a bit more patience was in order. Now, if the program had dropped below .500 the following 2 years, and didn't look like it was trending upward, I'd have been on here calling for Ron's head, but we never reached that point.

    Again, as for the slower style that Pitt has run, that is exactly the type of style you need to run when your talent is not quite as good as the better teams on your schedule.
 

duq81 wrote:

NapaDuke wrote:

Ferry's big mistake,like many past coaches that have failed here is you can't out-recruit better programs for players that fit that half-court-Pitt-style game. We just are not going to get 4 and 5 star recruits, so why play their game??  Ron's success was he didn't recruit nor play their game but instead found lighter, faster players that were over looked by Bigger programs and exploited weakness in the teams that played the slower, run-down the shot-clock-half-court-game.  A typical score for Pitt is winning 60 to 58  vs   Ron's style teams might hit 100.  It's odd someone in a recent post mentioned the better teams in this league like G.W. and UMASS, Ron beat them almost every year?  I'm not saying we are going to get Ron back, but what I am saying is this is the reality!  Duquesne University Basketball will not compete toe to toe with Big Programs playing their game, PERIOD !  We can't out recruit for those players. Just won't happen.  Find some young coach that sees a different game, from a D-2 school that runs the full 40 minutes, plays man to man, that presses the whole game, that traps and steals constantly, that makes baskets in transition and doesn't get catch standing still in a zone defense, BECAUSE lesser talented players are at their weakest stand still in a zone defense, then just maybe, we might win again. If you don't see that we lost consistantly for over 20 years with coaches trying to be Half-court style teams, then one coach comes in and runs something different and wins, then we get Ferry in trying the old stuff again with no success, then we will continue this loosing.  I know we all want to win, but this present path just isn't the way to do it. It's not the players, it's the system!         

I can't remember a single coach who came here with the idea of running a Pitt style offense, just the opposite. Ferry promised a high scoring team. What happens is that the players are not good enough to get out there and run with good teams. What Ron did, especially early on, was run weaker teams off the court. If you beat the weaker teams consistently, and steal a few from the better teams, you end up above .500 most years. That is what Ron did. The struggle was to become good enough to dominate your home floor, even against the better teams, while winning road games vs middle of the pack teams. This was the hump that Ron struggled to get over, and where complaints about not reaching the "next level" came from. You need to be deep, and talented to play a 94 foot game for 40 minutes. While perpetual mediocrity is unacceptable, and RE was going to have to get over the hump sooner, rather than later, considering how bad the track record was between Carroll's firing, and Ron's arrival, a bit more patience was in order. Now, if the program had dropped below .500 the following 2 years, and didn't look like it was trending upward, I'd have been on here calling for Ron's head, but we never reached that point.

    Again, as for the slower style that Pitt has run, that is exactly the type of style you need to run when your talent is not quite as good as the better teams on your schedule.
 

Ron had something going and never got a big guy since James played to go with the fast pace game. Andre just was not the answer and in fact, just could not replace Damian at all and that was the end for Ron. I don't know if Donovan coming in could have worked though maybe, and Ron should have never given TJ his release, but that's history. Ron was on to something that worked here maybe it needed time for him to figure everything out or maybe another coach with a similar style should have been hired that  could do better.  But here's a though to stomach the cost of firing Ferry, find a young successful D-2 coach and give him a chance at a low salary with incentives based on performace?? P    

DukesFan79 wrote:

No recruit would ever choose Duquesne over Richmond or GW. First off the national recognition of the universities is not even comparable. Then add on the millions (in Richmond's case $19 million) that each school has put into their already superior facilities in the last 2-3 years. UMASS is also in the middle of contraction on a new $20 million dollar facility. All of the above mentioned schools will always have more brand recognition than Duquesne, and with superior resources and facilities in addition, why would a kid ever pick Duquesne?

The only schools in the A10 that Duquesne could conceivably beat out for a recruit are St. Bona and Fordham. If the administration is not going to change its commitment then they might as well join the Patriot league or NEC. We can keep firing coaches over and over and over, maybe after 80 years that will work out.

Also find it funny that people are calling for a successful D2 coach who plays a fast style to replace Ferry. Although the team is struggling currently, has anyone read Ferry's bio? He went 82-11 in D2 with some of the highest scoring teams in the country. It ain't the coaches over the years at Duquesne! The school needs to take a good long look In the mirror.

Funny Danny Nee was successful at Nebraska and I guess at RM but could not recruit well enough for his style to work here too?  And you are right about recruits to GW, so why did Ron beat GW every year anyway??  So what's your take on how to fix this program?  Can't out recruit? Can't out spend?  No coach has taken this team off the bottom, except one, and oddly,  no one wants to see that style of play here?