MBB in SBC Tourney Round 1: Apps @ ULM 8 PM ESPN+

[Boone Goon]

We have the money. Do we have the will?

All will no money.

[Yosef84]

I see a lot of people saying they trust DG and I believe that most mean it but I know that some will flip in a heartbeat if they don't agree with the decision. Folks seem to believe there is a foregone decision. Maybe there is and maybe there isn't. None of us are happy with the W/L column and this year was clearly an underachieving year but DG has a LOT more information than I do.

Whatever his decision, I'll support DG.

ALWAYS PROUD TO BE A MOUNTAINEER!!!!

[sixtoes9134]

I see a lot of people saying they trust DG and I believe that most mean it but I know that some will flip in a heartbeat if they don't agree with the decision. Folks seem to believe there is a foregone decision. Maybe there is and maybe there isn't. None of us are happy with the W/L column and this year was clearly an underachieving year but DG has a LOT more information than I do.

Whatever his decision, I'll support DG.

ALWAYS PROUD TO BE A MOUNTAINEER!!!!

How much more "information" does one need? The results aren't there after plenty of data. Poor coaching, bad game management, week after week, year after year.

[BUTCH1991]

I see a lot of people saying they trust DG and I believe that most mean it but I know that some will flip in a heartbeat if they don't agree with the decision. Folks seem to believe there is a foregone decision. Maybe there is and maybe there isn't. None of us are happy with the W/L column and this year was clearly an underachieving year but DG has a LOT more information than I do.

Whatever his decision, I'll support DG.

ALWAYS PROUD TO BE A MOUNTAINEER!!!!

How much more "information" does one need? The results aren't there after plenty of data. Poor coaching, bad game management, week after week, year after year.

$$$ info. I believe that will drive the decision. It's not necessarily going to be a performance based decision, so we may have another year or two in the Foxhole unless someone comes up with some money.

[MAD Doctor]

At the beginning of the season, I made an over/under thread and set the number of total wins at 16. 100% of respondents took the "over", with most predicting 18 or more wins.
We won eleven games total, including non-D1 wins. We won 2 games on the road and none on a neutral court. We all expected better results. Was it because of a lack of talent or effort by our players? I think the vast majority of us (especially those who saw the team play) will say no. It's time to make the call. No one is happy about it, and we all wish Coach Fox would have succeeded on the court , as well as off, but it didn't happen. We were not impatient, and even extended his contract at the glimmer of the hope of turning the corner.
It's now time.

[mike87]

If only some celeb would pay to put their kid in school here to help fund these coaching decisions.

[Stonewall]

We have the money.

[EastHallApp]

Again, the buyout is $200,000 total, and only drops by $50,000 if we wait another year. I know our athletic department isn't loaded with cash, but that is not a large number for a revenue sport. Obviously we can't be assured the next coach will be successful, but we are bleeding revenue right now by playing in a nearly empty arena every night, and there's no reason to expect that to change until we do something to change it.

[8993]

So far, I have heard these reasons for why we shouldn't/won't/can't let Fox go:

• We don't have the money for a buyout.

• We went 6-7 in the last part of the season, so he didn't do that bad.

• We don't want to lose recruits.

• We got to the tournament, so how bad would another year be?

• We can't afford to hire a good coach.

• We can't afford a brand new staff.

• We don't have the clout to recruit a good coach.

We don't have the money for a buyout? We won't have it next year with that kind of attitude, either, especially if the buyout only decreases by $50k after another season. We went 6-7 in the last half? That's still a losing record. We got WORSE this year, going from 15-18 last season to 11-21 this season... with more talent. We don't want to lose recruits? If we lose them, we lose them, but I'd rather us find the right staff who can put together a high-performing team than keep a staff who recruits well, only to keep losing. We can't afford a good coach? Wofford seems to say otherwise. UNCG seems to say otherwise. If they can make it happen, so can we. We don't have the clout to recruit a good coach? So, what does that make Coach Angel Elderkin? She's grown in status and in the win column... were we not able to recruit her to coach at App?

To be honest, I'm sick of the excuses as to why we can't be better. Why is that we don't make excuses for football, but we will excuse every little thing for men's basketball? App clearly prioritizes football, which is totally reasonable and likely the right move, but we cannot allow our basketball program fall to the wayside anymore. We will NEVER move up if we don't get this program in order. If we, as fans, continue to make excuses as to why we can't be great, we will never be great.

[AppGrad78]

We’re an athletic department with a $30 million budget but I’m not buying the notion that a $200,000 buyout is a drop in the bucket. I see too much anecdotal evidence to the contrary. Almost all of our Olympic sports are under funded. Our North Endzone project looks painfully frugal. The 105 Project is awaiting funding from who-knows-where. Heck, we even subjected our basketball team to a day-long travel ordeal (flying to Dallas, then bussing 5 hours to Monroe, La.) just to save a few bucks. Unless you walk in Doug Gillin’s shoes, you don’t know what impact a contract buyout has.

[EastHallApp]

We’re an athletic department with a $30 million budget but I’m not buying the notion that a $200,000 buyout is a drop in the bucket. I see too much anecdotal evidence to the contrary. Almost all of our Olympic sports are under funded. Our North Endzone project looks painfully frugal. The 105 Project is awaiting funding from who-knows-where. Heck, we even subjected our basketball team to a day-long travel ordeal (flying to Dallas, then bussing 5 hours to Monroe, La.) just to save a few bucks. Unless you walk in Doug Gillin’s shoes, you don’t know what impact a contract buyout has.

Man, if it's that dire, I bet Gillin is FURIOUS at the guy who gave Fox the extension that included that buyout.

[Yosef84]

I think a couple of the reasons cited in 8993's post above were actually states as sarcasm. To clarify my earlier post, I haven't stated an argument that Coach Fox should be retained. Earlier in the season, I disagree with calls to fire him immediately but I haven't really commented on retaining him here. My comments had to do with DG's decision and my support of him. People like to overly simplify the situation. When on a basketball thread, it's easy to talk about it being only $200K. We have the money....Satterfield's buy-out, etc. Then in baseball threads, we need to fund scholarships. In softball threads, the coach is doing great, etc. Football threads: EVERY assistant should be paid more so they don't get poached. My point is that DG sits at the big desk and he is the ONLY one with the complete view. My personal opinion is that he has had a plan all along and I trust we will hear something soon. I'm not fond of the posts that appear to be "demanding" a decision because I always hated people giving me those opinions about my employees based on a fraction of the information. I understand people are venting and expressing opinions and I'm not calling anybody out or mad at anyone. I'm just expressing my own opinion. I think I'm done with this topic though. I hate that things went the way they did. I wanted Fox to succeed.

[AppGrad78]

We’re an athletic department with a $30 million budget but I’m not buying the notion that a $200,000 buyout is a drop in the bucket. I see too much anecdotal evidence to the contrary. Almost all of our Olympic sports are under funded. Our North Endzone project looks painfully frugal. The 105 Project is awaiting funding from who-knows-where. Heck, we even subjected our basketball team to a day-long travel ordeal (flying to Dallas, then bussing 5 hours to Monroe, La.) just to save a few bucks. Unless you walk in Doug Gillin’s shoes, you don’t know what impact a contract buyout has.

Man, if it's that dire, I bet Gillin is FURIOUS at the guy who gave Fox the extension that included that buyout.

Yeah, too bad that person wasn’t as good at predicting the future as some claim they can on here.

[appgrouch]

We’re an athletic department with a $30 million budget but I’m not buying the notion that a $200,000 buyout is a drop in the bucket. I see too much anecdotal evidence to the contrary. Almost all of our Olympic sports are under funded. Our North Endzone project looks painfully frugal. The 105 Project is awaiting funding from who-knows-where. Heck, we even subjected our basketball team to a day-long travel ordeal (flying to Dallas, then bussing 5 hours to Monroe, La.) just to save a few bucks. Unless you walk in Doug Gillin’s shoes, you don’t know what impact a contract buyout has.

Have you ever tried to book 30 plane tickets on less that a days notice. Unless we wanted to charter a private plane for a PLAY-IN GAME, this is what you get.

[AppGrad78]

We’re an athletic department with a $30 million budget but I’m not buying the notion that a $200,000 buyout is a drop in the bucket. I see too much anecdotal evidence to the contrary. Almost all of our Olympic sports are under funded. Our North Endzone project looks painfully frugal. The 105 Project is awaiting funding from who-knows-where. Heck, we even subjected our basketball team to a day-long travel ordeal (flying to Dallas, then bussing 5 hours to Monroe, La.) just to save a few bucks. Unless you walk in Doug Gillin’s shoes, you don’t know what impact a contract buyout has.

Have you ever tried to book 30 plane tickets on less that a days notice. Unless we wanted to charter a private plane for a PLAY-IN GAME, this is what you get.

Perhaps you're right. I don't know but to me it doesn't pass the smell test. Another sign we're not flush with money: We're not replacing Brian Tracy.

[hapapp]

I'd like to see a change but I'm not convinced it will happen. We may very well be in the penny pinching mode. Do we fare better not spending the money to let Fox go or continue a program that is bleeding money? A calculation that DG will need to make.

[Seattleapp]

If we are penny pinching for our men’s basketball problem we got problems. Has anyone watched television over the past two months? Men’s basketball is a major money maker if done properly.

[sixtoes9134]

We have always penny pinched for men's bball.

[WataugaMan]

We have always penny pinched for men's bball.

If that be the case, why even have a program?

[appgrouch]

We’re an athletic department with a $30 million budget but I’m not buying the notion that a $200,000 buyout is a drop in the bucket. I see too much anecdotal evidence to the contrary. Almost all of our Olympic sports are under funded. Our North Endzone project looks painfully frugal. The 105 Project is awaiting funding from who-knows-where. Heck, we even subjected our basketball team to a day-long travel ordeal (flying to Dallas, then bussing 5 hours to Monroe, La.) just to save a few bucks. Unless you walk in Doug Gillin’s shoes, you don’t know what impact a contract buyout has.

Have you ever tried to book 30 plane tickets on less that a days notice. Unless we wanted to charter a private plane for a PLAY-IN GAME, this is what you get.

Perhaps you're right. I don't know but to me it doesn't pass the smell test. Another sign we're not flush with money: We're not replacing Brian Tracy.

The department is a little bloated anyway. May be a reorg coming in the new fiscal year.