Just stating the obvious that most in the know have known for years. This dog is too old to learn any new tricks and we had the same failings each year with a few years where extraordinary talent hid RB's incompetence just like VY hid GD's incompetence. Explain this to me: Wichita State loses 4 starters and wins 25+ games and is not done and will likely upset Gonzaga in the next round. We dererve better than RB. The athletes who opt to play for the University deserve better than RB. There are a ton of competent coaches out there. Hire one of them and get rid of the dimwit we currently have. Here is my suggestion: The Link
I think we should poach a coach from one of these small schools that play basketball that seem to be in the tournament every year like Butler, Marquette, Gonzaga, even Wichita State. These schools do wonders with guys with lesser talent. Surely the 2 milllion we pay Barnes is enough to lure one of these small school coaches away.
The Butler coach will not leave Butler. He has had numerous chances to do just that and has refused each time. It is one of the better stories in college sports. The guy has turned down more $$$ and bigger schools to stay at the school that took a chance on him. I see Duke and Coach K coming after him strong when Coach K is about to hang it up. That aside, I don't see him leaving Butler, ever. Marquette is a BBall school with some history and it will be hard to lure away a coach that is doing well there. We should be able to land the coach at Wichita State or another solid coach at another program that has over achieved with lesser talent. Barnes has underachieved in a big way at Texas and he would not have survived at a real BBall school this long. We have had no rythm on O each year under Barnes and his rotation and player use has never made any sense to me.
Barnes has been able to produce reasonable results in the past with young teams and down years on talent. The problem is I see no quick or long term fix as it stands right now.
I would love to have Brad Stevens, but I still put Shaka Smart and his "havoc" style of play at the top of my wish list to bring some excitement back to the drum. I don't know if Smart would be willing to make the move however, since he just signed an extension at VCU for $1.2 mil + bonuses per year and like Stevens has rebuffed offers before.
Notwithstanding Nonatentives peristent efforts to shield the program from dissent it's even worse than we thought; both Ok State and KSU lost in the first round.... we couldn't even compete in a conference full of losers.....
If OU makes a deep run, and if by some stretch Kansas makes it to the final four or even to the championship, and if Baylor makes a nice run in the NIT, would you be willing to say that we just could not compete against championship quality teams? By the time this weekend is over, 52 (if my math's correct) teams will have lost. Are you saying all of those teams are losers in the grander sense of the word that you want to use to dump on Texas? Did you really think that K State and Ok State were 'losers' in your exaggerated negative use of the term before they lost today?
My worthless 2 cents: Deloss ain't firing anybody 'cause he knows he's dead man walking. Someone else will do the dirty work.
For your consideration: Andy Enfield / Florida Gulf Coast U. After the way his team plays, and the way they took it to the Hoyas........damn...... Of course, he's 42 and only been a head coach for 3 years so he wouldn't be considered. Remember this name: Andy Enfield
I totally forgot Iowa State - and they're handing it to Notre Dame right now. If the info on TexasSports is correct, we split out two with those 'losers'. And we beat North Carolina - guess that makes them losers, too. My point is you picked the two teams that lost their first round games to make a point, but the dance isn't over yet, so it's too soon to say.
Iowa St. did play well, but then OU gets beaten by San Diego State and Kansas has all they can handle from 16th seed Western Kentucky.
L/Catholic is on target. My understanding is that Dodds gets a one million dollar payment (don't know the method -- annuity, etc.) in August of 14, at which time he will feel free to exit. And he's not likely to fire/hire any coaches, leaving that to the next guy, so what we have is what we will still have for awhile.
I have not liked the style of play here since moving back to Austin in '04, able to get down to the drum to watch the team on a regular basis. Each year learning over again each year how to pass the ball, and doing so in a grinding style of festidious play.
Wichita State closed it out with a 16-7 run. Lost 4 starters. Rebuilding year. No problem. Gonzaga had not lost in 9 weeks, 63 days. #1 end of season. No problem. Credit the coach.
Marquette vs Butler was a hell of a game. Arguably the best at the dance so far. Regarding Wichita State and Gonzaga: No disrespect to the former, but I don't think the latter got out of the funk they were in against Southern when they almost became the first 1 seed to lose to a 16 in their second round game. 14 threes by WSU is hard to overcome, especially when half of those come late. Congrats and best of luck to the Shockers. Cinderellas are a big part of what makes this thing special.
Notanative I evolve in my thinking you know... and relative to our little basketball conference neither OK State or KSU were losers. Flash forward to REAL competition and they get bounced. So now they are losers. And they handled us with ease. I know it's tough for you to accept these things but I can't believe the levels of absurdity that the "friends of the program" will go to defend the indefensible. But I know you are an attorney so you won't give up even when it's obvious.
And in the what have you done for me lately department, it looks like Ben Howland is out at UCLA after three final fours and a handful of conference championships - including this season. Missing the dance a couple of times and early exits when they made it over the past few seasons - including this one - apparently doomed the coach. Clearly we don't have the basketball history that UCLA does, but our standards of excellence should be no less. On a related note, it appears they may go after Shaka Smart to replace Howland. It will be interesting to see if he listens to their overtures.
I love UT Athletics. It now reminds me of when I was on campus during my grad school years. David McWilliams was roaming the sidelines at Memorial Stadium and Bob Weltlich was packing in 3,000 to the men's games in the Drum. Ah, yes, good times indeed.
How about Florida Gulf Coast making it to the sweet 16? These guys are awesome to watch. Next up is the Florida Gators. Stranger things have happened.
They are indeed very entertaining and talented and a match up with the big state school has got to be pretty motivational for them. Donovan continues to prove you can have a very good basketball program in a predominantly football oriented school and state. Though with Miami in the mix also it seems that could be changing somewhat.
I'm adding my allegiance to Florida Gulf Coast. One of their players, I believe #25, Sherwood Brown, is a freaking walk-on. Put his talent on the floor without a scholarship, and I believe ended up conference player of the year. Texas continues to recruit prima donas who are either too entitled to be coached or can't be coached, or don't know what coaching and playing is all about. Their first season was 2002-2003. Div II. Entered full Div I in 2011. Their arena capacity is 4,500. Head coach in his second year there. I'm pretty sure they don't have the entire lower floor of that arena filled with chair-back Foundation ticket holders. But... guess where they will be next weekend?
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. They play almost like it is a 5 on 5 pick up game with a little more structure.
