Matta

[waborat]

I'm not trying to be dick. I'm really not.

Herm's about as solid a poster as there is and almost all his shit is tightly researched and spot on. This just isn't one of those times.

I get the criticisms, made them myself. But the whole body of work strongly suggests the guy is not 'terrible'. If he is he's the luckiest fuck in the history of college athletics and I'll take the terrible coach with the horseshow up his ass too.

But the Ron Lewis shit? Ughhh.. that's terrible.

Take away one Jordan shot, one Elway drive, one Byner fumble too while you're at it.

One bad game by Mesa if you will.

Take away that Chalmers three pointer last April as well and Memphis is at 60+ wins and counting with a title under their belt.
Jesus. The 'take away that one......' anything argument is just a horrible, horrible argument.

Take away Brandan Phillips and......never mind

sorry, just had to

[jb]

the nba has to do the same thing that the nfl did and go with a 3-year wait before being eligible for the draft. it was painfully obvious (with a few exceptions: lebron, kobe, dwight howard, et al) that kids jumping directly from high school was a bad idea, but to only make them stay one year was hardly an improvement, neither for the players nor for the schools and neither for the nba for that matter.

they need to only allow for early entry 3 years after the player's high school graduating class just like in the nfl and then you won't have situations like what matta has had to endure at ohio state over the last 2 seasons that has seen him lose 4 of his top freshman (oden, conley, cook, koufos) who all left after a "one and done" scenario. give him those same players over 3 years and i can guarantee you he would win national titles, plural.

after all, with those players as freshman, he went all the way to the ncaa title game and followed that up with an nit championship the following year. this year, he has another team dominated by freshman and sophomores and they went to the big ten title game, made the dance and were just one single solitary shot away from advancing to play a very over-rated louisville team that i have no doubt they could have beat.

siena was lucky to beat the buckeyes and it had nothing to do with whether or not matta was a good coach or not and i happen to think he is a very good coach despite what the outcome of that one single game was.

hopefully turner, buford and mullens don't fall into all of the greedy agents' clap-trap and declare themselves for the draft. if those players all come back next season along with a healthy david lighty and you can pretty much declare them a contender for the national title and it will all be because of matta's coaching.

[hermanfontenot]

Terrific point Herm. Eliminate the sweet 16s, elite 8s, Big10 championships, final four appearances, NCG appearance and you really don't have shit. Not at any of the schools he led there.

Jesus Christ.

Eliminate your uncle's balls and he's your aunt.

No fucking middle ground on these boards.
None. By anybody including those who should have more to say than "He's terrible". Really? He's terrible?

Okay.

What's terrible is the argument he's terrible. You want to say there are deficiencies that's one thing.

Terrible?

Pathetic take. Just is.

Okay, maybe "terrible" is putting it too strongly. Maybe "mediocre" is putting it better. Because that's what he is- mediocre. Xavier? That machine was running like a top long before he got there; he just kept it running. Sean Miller has had more success at XU than Matta did anyway. Ohio State? One run to the title game in which they were lucky to get out of Round 2 and the Sweet 16; two early NCAA exits to lower seeds; one NIT title garnered on the backs of blatantly inferior competition.

I'm sorry, I'm not impressed.

I'm also biased. I hate watching Matta's teams. Undisciplined, unable or unwilling to maximize their strengths, and totally without a clue on the offensive side. It just doesn't look like a well-coached team.

[danwismar]

Okay, maybe "terrible" is putting it too strongly.

Conceding that one point is good enough for me, Herm.

And if...say, Louisville gets to the finals, someday there will be a poster on a Louisville forum (likely someone with marginal interest in the Louisville basketball program) who will say that in 2009, they were lucky to get out of Round 2....against an ordinary "mid-major" like Siena, no less. And Pitino will be called a mediocrity.

It's easy to minimize almost any accomplishment....or attribute it to luck, if you practice it a lot, and try hard enough.

[peeker643]

Okay, maybe "terrible" is putting it too strongly.

Conceding that one point is good enough for me, Herm.

And if...say, Louisville gets to the finals, someday there will be a poster on a Louisville forum (likely someone with marginal interest in the Louisville basketball program) who will say that in 2009, they were lucky to get out of Round 2....against an ordinary "mid-major" like Siena, no less. And Pitino will be called a mediocrity.

It's easy to minimize almost any accomplishment....or attribute it to luck, if you practice it a lot, and try hard enough.

I recall Mike Miller hitting an opening round, buzzer beating leaner for Florida in a year they won the whole deal. That goofy shit just happens.

The guy ain't John Wooden in my book either. I just think his resume is solid.