GOUND

Money. Players can get good money to play and coaches are getting crazy money. If you’re coaching watching Schmidt make $600k and little SD guy now making north of $10 million at Bama, would that appeal to you making $60k with 3 young kids as an assistant? DeBoer coached with Bubba and Schmidt. These coaches are buddies. Why blame our assistants for leaving? Everyone on this site wants to keep our coaches but nobody wants to write checks. If we couldn’t recruit kids to GF before, we’re not going to compete with the NIL money when we’re offering a coupon good for a grinder at the Pepper or a medium pizza at Italian Moon each semester. The NCAA has created a mess and for schools like UND, the landscape is changing really fast. I don’t blame Bubba considering his budget, NIL money and trying to recruit players and coaches with a lot less money. How does he beat NDSU and field a competitive team with all of the constraints? It’s all about money now in every aspect. I’m a longtime UND fan and I’d never cheer for NDSU or SDSU, but if you paid me to do that…..? How much are we talking about? Greedy, crazy world.

How does Walters not got any weight or strength his 3rd year in Grand Forks? There is a visible lack of a strength program within the hoops team. Is there anyone who has added strength since arriving? Here is a major difference alongside other D1 programs...

Hope Stewart can get going. Best player at NDSU and way too much potential to not score a basket. Is playing too tight...not having fun. Walters needs to come back next year 20 lbs heavier. Third year in program and body same as when he came.

Avants is solid. It would be fun to watch him play his natural spot of power forward alongside a true center, but there is none on the roster. The biggest disappointment is the lack of strength and conditioning on the team. Did anyone add any strength in the last year? Are they required to lift weights in off season? Stewart, Crandall, Avants, Seales......solid. Who can help from there?

I agree there was a lack of depth. But do you believe NDSU could have played freshman and sophomores and won like they did? I don’t think so. I’m not sure UND players don’t have the talent, but I think a fair question is why some of the starters came to the program and haven’t added significant bulk in their one or two years here. Can’t play LBs at 205 lbs....?

UND had a unlucky season. Mike Zimmer couldn’t have coached the defense better than Schmidt did. You can’t lose 3 Starters at DB - 2 potentially All Americans - and not see a drop off in performance. Remember week one when they had everyone healthy? They looked awesome. Sure most everyone got sick of watching the offense try run the ball behind their o line, where is the tight end etc...? But to want Bubba out? Look at the program progress in his short time. He won the conference last year. Bubba will have a much improved team next year. No doubt Bubba can coach. Get in the weight room boys.