This link pretty much sums it up for me.
http://en.bloguru.com/GloryHounds/323136/zags-neighbor-to-the-south-needs-a
http://en.bloguru.com/GloryHounds/323136/zags-neighbor-to-the-south-needs-a
State of Affairs
- Thread starter 7ICoug
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Basically what one would expect from this guy The last thing he wants is a revival of coug basketball. People wanted a change and the players have certainly changed.If Kent cannot play .500 ball next year,he will certainly be on the hot seat. But this guy is just throwing rocks to throw rocks He basically wants the zags to be" the only game in town. I had really liked the zags but articles like this makes me want to see the program fall a bit.
Except pretty much everything he writes is accurate.
Moos mishandled basketball from Day 1. And Ernie hiring his buddies certainly didn't add much. And now that Pat Chun is handcuffed with Moos' egregious contract extension, it's just a waiting game until Ernie decides he wants to leave.
And, by the way, there won't be any hot seat. The new deficit amount announced to the Regents is $67 Million. Until that gets chunked down according to fiscal plans previously presented to the board, Schulz isn't going to burn $3Million+ to make a coaching change. He might eat one year of Ernie's contract but he's not going to chow down more than that. Ernie is safe for at least another two years.
It is a sad state of affairs. The part on the staff hires was spot on. Given it all this class has some upside but maybe we aren't where we are through year 4 if there was a better or really any plan well-thought out.
I still think that the cougs will play above .500 ball next year. If that happens then it will look like the "plan" is working : ) If they do not Kent will be on a hot seat as his program will have failed. I think that he and his staff are recruiting hard as they know that the pressure is on. He jettisoned his" ace recruiter" as this was an important first step, no matter how Allen s supporters cry about him being the "only decent recruiter". it is addition by subtraction.Of course Allen gets his "revenge" by going after Milan now.
You'd like to see some sort of progress in the program after 4 years, but I don't think WSU basketball is any better than it was when Kent arrived. I can't just pin all these defections on "the trend in college basketball". There are some serious issues within the team and it reminds me of all the transfers out of EK's program at UO shortly before he was canned.
I think Bud Withers nailed it.
I think Bud Withers nailed it.
The whole key and "plan" is recruiting. The "plan" is always to get better recruits. At WSU,it will always have to be a mixture of frosh,transfer and jucos. Until Kent has a good year,he will not recruit many 4 stars as will other struggling programs. For Withers,to say "no plan" is just a shot at trying to keep a program down as he is in love with Gonzaga. The idiot has written a book about zag basketball and he wants it to be the premier program in the Northwest. Since the new udub coach has come aboard ,he is recruiting top players. If Ed Haskins can reach a couple of top Washington HS recruits,this will start to cut into Gonzaga s base. His article is naught but a ploy and plug for zag basketball. wake up and smell the coffee.
Well, I suppose Bud can ignore WSU basketball the way everyone else seems to. I actually appreciate someone in the media making the effort to discuss Cougar basketball, whether you agree or disagree. The alternative is irrelevance, which is where most people outside our small band of internet enthusiasts have placed the program.
By the way, Withers has also written a book about Cougar football (Stadium Stories) and Gonzaga IS the premier program in the Northwest at this time, as much as I wish otherwise.
Glad Cougar
He is a WSU grad. But, he also has taken a lot of unfair and out of context pot shots against WSU over the years to prove how "neutral" he was.
Gonzaga is now the premier program in the Northwest.Weithers just wants to keep it that way. Gonzaga ,however,is on slippery ground and thus their foray into perhaps joining the MWC. If udub and WSU develop,their programs, it will effect their recruiting and current status. Gonzaga is kinda regarded as a renegade team who has great success coming from a small conference. If two P5 teams grow,they can eclipse Gonzaga,believe it or not.In basketball all it takes is a few quality recruits to turn a program completely around The huskies have done so already. The cougs may be able to do so in the near future.Also,if Gonzaga misses out on a few quality recruits,there program may slip a few notches. I do not think that they will stay at their current status .
Well, if he's going out of his way to be neutral, that's what a good journalist does. The piece cited here, however, is commentary, which requires opinion (and evidence to support it). I have absolutely no problem with this piece, even though I don't agree with all of it. As for good journalism, WSU actually produces journalists who at least attempt to set aside their biases. Good luck with that regarding any UW or Oregon communication school products.
Simple ,if Gonzaga falls in stature,so does his book on Gonzaga. It is a good economic move on his part
