Wow FAM, I just read the article and talk about the same old broken record.  Ferry has blown so many games to teams he "should" beat without taking any responsibility it is truly mind blowing.  If players don't execute that means you as a Coach are NOT getting through to them or they are just not paying attention to you.  Either way it is on you Jimmy, as FAM points out you recruited all these guys!!  Last year with his "experienced" team we "don't have enough length defensively".  This year we are too young and its a "process".  Give me a break.  A satisfactory process involves continuing a positive progression, can anyone say we have really seen this in Ferry's 5 years? I don't think so.  Coaching enables you to get the time out after IMike made the shot against Canius, not frantically waving your arms to go down Court - anyone can view the replay.  Coaching enables you to see that your best offensive low post threat should play more than about 2 minutes a game.  Coaching drills into your players where to be positioned on the floor to break a press - its not rocket science.  Take responsibility Jimmy and quit with the excuses.  Then again you are from NY so I guess you are familiar with the Teflon Don. 

Politics has nothing to do with this fellow, he has been a failure here and for most of his mediocre tenure at LIU-Brooklyn, he got hot after 8 years in a sub par conference with a good power forward from San Antonio and made two NCAA 's by automatic bid.

He was the best Duquesne could get to come here, and looks like we are stuck with him.

How would you like to play for this guy, no wonder they transfer......

CLK wrote:

Let me first say I believe that there is enough talent on this team to win, and I wish that by some miracle Jim Ferry can turn this mess around and still have a winning season. However after watching Ferry's teams for the last 4 years and his inability to teach, motivate, and make good game day coaching decisions I would not bet on that.  I don't see him surviving an almost inevitable losing season and a bottom finish in the A10.  If the Board is truly going to make some big investment in facilities as has been hinted in Harper's Plan, he will be forced to pull the plug.  

As far as who would come here, I know one excellent assistant coach who might take the job to redeem his name if the new DU President & AD would admit their predecessors made a huge mistake in firing him. A guy who did what others in the last 30-years have not done in getting to the A10 championship game, an NIT appearance and put together 5 consecutive non losing seasons.  I think if DU made that decision it would instantly fill back a couple hundred season ticket seats.    

Billy Martin proved you can go back again after being fired.

Dukes2012 wrote:

I know a lot of you like Ron (as did I) and were upset about how his letting go was handled (embarrassing to say the least), but I don't think there's any chance he's coming back here nor do I want him to. I want fresh blood, someone with a new perspective. It will be hard to find a great coach but plenty of schools in lesser conferences with fewer resources have done so. I'd like to give the new AD a chance to make his own hire. Let's see what he can do.

I believe that several posters raised the question of what quality head coach or assistant would want to come here.  I was simply pointing out one quality option in my opinion.   Honestly, I do not know if he would come back or not.  Certainly the AD will make his own decision.

Please, with all due respect, let Ron Everhart go. He got off to a fantastic start under very difficult circumstances. I really thought he was the guy & he always showed well for the university only to get humiliated.

That said, he peaked at respectability. It was the correct decision to let him go because after 6 years because the program was headed in the wrong direction in a very big way from lackluster recruiting, poor offensive execution, & player defections.

In 17 years as a head coach he won 20 games 3 times & never led a team to the Big Dance even when he was working in lower level conferences. 

Finally, if RE were a valued head coaching propsect, he wouldn't still be as assistant after 5 years.

Last edited by phil95 (11/29/2016 5:11 pm)

phil95 wrote:

Please, with all due respect, let Ron Everhart go. He got off to a fantastic start under very difficult circumstances. I really thought he was the guy & he always showed well for the university only to get humiliated.

That said, he peaked at respectability. It was the correct decision to let him go because after 6 years because the program was headed in the wrong direction in a very big way from lackluster recruiting, poor offensive execution, & player defections.

In 17 years as a head coach he won 20 games 3 times & never led a team to the Big Dance even when he was working in lower level conferences. 

Finally, if RE were a valued head coaching propsect, he wouldn't still be as assistant after 5 years.

 
Really oh Mr.  Basketball knowledge first of all you like many probably sat in his office ate at his home and turned the knife slobbering over Ferrys hiring. You & many have no credibility just look back to your posts five years ago " next level coach". Again if you have a job big if you need the support from the organization from staff to your superior. He was undermined. Please Amodio your buddy did you turn yet & move over to Dave? You do not understand college basketball my friend.

The least of our problems is who we would get IF Ferry is let go at the end of this year.  I can't believe we have to go through another year with Ferry and maybe a year after that.  If he loses this year he needs to go and then let's worry about who to hire.  To me, that is a nice problem!  I am just appalled by the same BS he keeps saying over and over as demonstrated in that article.  Harper is a professional and he is not going to discuss with us what is on his mind - but if this guy is back next year and we don't get to at least an NIT tournament this year, then Harper will be a mistake hire.  Now, I am NOT saying that he is, let's see.  And, I don't care if they upgrade the Palumbo with a wet bar - Ferry can't coach or recruit in this league as demonstrated by his record.

Last edited by FAM (11/29/2016 6:15 pm)

CLK I can understand your feeling exactly, it seems that there is little to understand in the unstable program we choose to follow.

I don't like the blame game from the Head Coach, you always protect your players, help them get better in private.

It seems this team will have even harder times as the season progresses, if possible.

Hang in there buddy, and hey we can remember the days when Duquesne was one of the top programs in the land. Although the memories are are getting more distant for this old fan.

2012 God Bless your optimism!!! I agree with your assessment of the Amodio decision. GA allowed his emotions and once again my favorite characteristic "arrogance" get ahead of him. Instead of having a coach all but signed and sealed he fired Ron and figured the money would be the difference maker. Ferry was at best a 3rd choice and once Charlie was gone and JF looked like a he wasn't getting it done GA ran. The BIGGEST CULPRIT is Amodio.
CLK have a big cocktail and relax, your guidance is needed!!!

Dukes2012 wrote:

CLK wrote:

First let me say I am sorry to hear about Ron's health issues.  I also never meant to start a crap storm here.  Again I never suggested that Ron  would agree to come here or that Harper should hire him.  As for those that believe that it made sense to fire Ron because he peaked at respectability, and believed Amodio's degrading leaked memo that "It is clear that we will not be capable of moving to the next level of excellence with Ron at the helm."  all I can say is you are entitled to your opinion.  So Amodio canned a respectable coach and declared the goal was to do better and get to the next level  After Amodio made this declaration ib his demeaning leaked comments he went out and hired a .500 coach who had two good years and traded a coach who "finished no worse than 10th in the conference, including one fifth-place and one fourth-place finish, for Ferry’s teams have finished 16th, 10th, 11th and 10th."  Even Ferry's highlight remember he 2-10 down the stretch and 1-8 in the A10.   

I am ranting, sorry.  Let me say this, Duquesne is the ultimate example and definition of incompetence.  I have been a fan since I went to DU the late 60's, I started, and been active on these Duquesne internet message boards since the mid 90's when we started the old Inside The Web Message Board and I am very close to walking away.  

I certainly hope you don't get to the point of walking away, as I always enjoy hearing your thoughts and perspectives. I totally agree that Duquesne's main flagship athletic program (men's bball) has been horribly managed over the years, there's no denying that. The results (or lack thereof) speak for themselves. However, I'm not sure you can say that ferry's failure proves that it was a mistake to fire Ron. That just means we made a mistake in hiring ferry. It should have been obvious from the beginning, given his record at LIU, that success wouldn't come quickly under ferry. I didn't love the hire then, and still don't now. That being said, I'm not quitting on this young, talented team this year or ferry. There's nothing I (or most of us) would love more than for us to be patting coach on the back for a job well done a few months from now.

Thanks 2012.  With my rant I got off point. My point is bigger than the decision of firing Ron. My problem with Duquesne after being a fan for 50 long suffering years is I have no confidence (despite whatever proclamation they make or marginal investment they make) that they will ever get it right and become a major player in the A10. The incompetence is deep rooted and systemic. With the fan base dwindling into obscurity, there is no way the program will survive another rebuild.   I have said this many times before, that our only hope is by some miracle Ferry can win this year.  The sad part is that he has the player talent to win, but not the coaching talent.  Am I being too jaundiced  in my analysis?  Maybe, but there is ample historical precedent to support it.      
 

Levon, Pitt's dismantling of Maryland had far more to do with coaching than experience IMHO. I do agree that having experience is invaluable. Doesn't it give everyone pause that the names and faces change but nothing else does. What we are seeing is the same flaws. Last year I was skewered on this board for stating we were in store for a long losing streak after starting 10-3.  I would love to eat crow but please point me in the direction of the positives.

Levon
I generally agree with your comments and it pains me to be negative.  But I just don't see any improvement when I go to the game.  Even with a young team, shouldn't something be different already?  If you are building a program shouldn't there be something in that program now that is evident? 

I've said I don't know enough to intelligently speak about basketball like some of you do but I don't see anything evident.  Even with a new team shouldn't something be ingrained in the system now that allows them to get the ball inbounds to someone without running the constant risk of a steal?  Opposing teams seem to have little problem there.  Shouldn't we stop allowing teams to roll the ball up the court to save a few seconds without some kind of opposition?  Two things that may be minor to some but that drives me crazy constantly sitting there watching this same stuff happen over and over.  I've tried to stay positive but after this number of years it's just the same old story.  And the respect isn't there on the part of Duquesne coaches, staff and higher ups to change this.  I'm getting way too old for this (rhymes with Pitt, right ED?).