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UND-FB-FAN

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Posts posted by UND-FB-FAN

  1. If this is the case it might be reason alone to not fire Jones....who knows what UND will get. UND was lucky Bubba really wanted the job. Is there a coach out there like that for MBB? The head football coach and men's basketball coach positions are not ones you just put online and hope good applicants come in, you go out and go after the ones you want. Any good AD should have a list of 3-4 candidates in FB, MBB, WBB, and at some schools (UND included) Men's Hockey and Baseball.

    Don't forget the open records requests to go along with the long hiring process. That alone will probably keep good candidates from applying which probably happened with football. Do you think a guy like Chad Wathall will apply if he doesn't think he will get the job when the local paper will publish his name and his current employer will see that? He is a guy Faison would probably have to reach out to and if he doesn't he probably won't come here because he won't apply.

    It would've been interesting to see how NDSU would've handled their coaching searches for FB and MBB had they hired from outside current employees.

    Absolutely, you can't be complacent, which goes back to my Faison and nearing retirement comment a bit earlier.

    Faison just gingerly waited for applicants to apply in a period of over a month instead of actively searching out candidates whom he could convince UND head football coach is a good job. Just lucky Bubba had such fond memories of UND and a passion for UND football.

    I would imagine Faison would do that same thing with UND MBB, rather than be aggressive and say contact Chad Walthall.

  2. Unless you are UNLV football

    Yes, that is the case. Fortunately for that new HC he has OC Barney Cotton (long-time Nebraska assistant) and DC Kent Baer (former Colorado DC). With that, it will still be tough for UNLV to get on top of the competition.

  3. Have to agree with you on the "process" that Faison supposedly uses. I know with 98% certainty that he did not have his own "short list" of names ready to go when he fired Mussman. He started completely from scratch and the proceeded to take 38 days to do it.

    Typically, an AD will have a list of names written down if/when they start to think they going to make a coaching change. He had nothing. He also could have asked to speed up the timeline to hire the coach but he didn't because there was no reason to, nothing was ready anyway.

    Faison had no plan to fire Mussman until the alumni emails/concerns came raining in and some money was raised late in the process in order to buy out Mussman's contract.

    It's for this reason that I don't think Jones will be fired under Faison. Either Jones's contract expires in 2017 or a new AD goes a new direction in basketball before then.

  4. My feeling is that the best argument of all for Jones staying at least one more year is that hopefully Faison will have announced his retirement by then. Let the next a.d. judge Jones' overall body of work and if necessary, make a change. While Faison deserves credit for several things he's accomplished as a.d., does anybody really want to watch the infamous "process", or at least his interpretation of it, play out again? I don't.

    Very true. Faison's overall enthusiasm, and perhaps, ambition of moving UND up in the DI ranks is a bit lethargic at his near-retirement age. I do hope for him to hang it up soon, but then a suitable, energetic replacement must follow.

  5. Was Manson on a D-1 staff and I didn't realize it? Or a lower division head coach?

    I could not support a high school coach lacking those basic things on the resume for this job. That isn't setting him or the program for success. Too much would be easily second guessed unless the wins came fast and furious. He wouldn't get the benefit of the doubt.

    I think the two high school coaches (Jacobson and Manson) are just a joke in this context, and if they aren't, they should be. You just don't hire high school coaches as a DI college coach. I'd much rather have Brian Jones and the current course than that.
  6. I don't support all the defending and apologies.

    As a supporter (if you really are and are not just posing as one), wouldn't you want to see UND try and be a top team? If Jones isn't getting it done, and so far he definitely hasn't, then why would you want to keep him around? Contemporary college athletics is pretty well defined, as least with the most popular sports: you get the job done or you get someone else. People underestimate the importance of collegiate coaching; unlike high school or professionals, college coaches not only teach the intangibles but they also recruit the tangibles (the players). Whether a team is successful or not successful, it in some way or another comes back to the coach.

    I think most can agree on that, so the next thing is to then agree that UND basketball has not been successful. If one thinks going .500 and getting blown out to other low majors is okay, then it's an expectation/ambition thing. Far too many skeptics around UND or at least on this site.

  7. I'm hoping to make that trip. Should be a perfect measuring stick for the season and a great warmup for NDSU. I'm glad we aren't going from some fluffy spread team to NDSU, that would spell disaster. It will basically be two weeks of preparing for NDSU with a game in between. It's a pretty perfect situation for us. The negative is it gives NDSU film of us against a weaker version of them.

    Wyoming will be no pushover, but I agree that they will run what NDSU will run. If anything, at least their team isn't returning a winning squad, but they will be improved I'm afraid. Nevertheless, UND has a chance.

  8. Personally, I think all three could be good, not great, quarterbacks THIS season. That's all the offense needs though, considering how Bubba wants to play defense and run his offense. One must remember Studsrud was a TRUE freshman last season and he did manage to win his last two starts. I think he could be a much better QB this upcoming season. As for Mollberg, he was definitely improving and I hope the injury doesn't set him back. Bartels played well in his two main opportunities and also has potential. However, without question, the biggest potential difference maker this season is the offensive line and skill position players. Last season, the o line was inexperienced and the skill position players were stripped thin. It's quite useless to make an evaluation of the QBs given what they had to work with. The additions at RB and WR for this season should make a huge difference, along with the returners at OL.

  9. Forgoing to sign an NLI is actually advantageous for many 5 and 4 star recruits because their status goes unchanged after signing day as they are coveted by many schools. However, this development likely won't affect many, if any, FCS programs just because the student-athletes they recruit don't have the kind of demand that student-athletes like Roquan Smith do. Most players at the FCS level sign an NLI to guarantee they are apart of the signing class and gaurenteed a spot. Since most FCS squads rely on their own internal player evaluations and post-recruitment development, classes are quite fluid and available spots come and go. The NLI will remain with the FCS, but top FBS prospects certainly do benefit to a degree by just saying "no" to the NLI.
  10. If we would have gone 12-6 in league this year. The best case scenario is an overall record of 19-10. This is winning all non-money games. In other words, losing only to UNI, Marquette, minny, and Utah. That record would give top 3 finish but not 20 wins. There is a reason why low major 16 seeds in ncaa tourney usually have close to .500 records. They face the same challenges we do with non conference schedule. This is just reality. Before you come back with the "wow, so this is what it has come to. This is where we are setting the bar now" comments. The answer to that is well, yes. That is the reality. A reasonable expectation would be top 3 position with overall record of well, you guessed it right around .500. 16-14, 17-13. This is realistic for a low major that doesn't get to play any non-Dakota D1 schools at home. None. Zero, nada. This year has sucked. No question. A lot of close losses. Doesn't matter - they are losses. But to set goofy expectations for the following year without gut checking the reality is just not well thought out.

    Excuses. Excuses. Excuses.

    UND has suffered so many unnecessary blowout loses over the years, it should be appalling, even to apologists like yourself. Trying the same thing over and over again and yet expecting different results; it is quite insane. A change needs to be made.

    Blowout loses (+15 pt differential):

    2013-2014 ("the senior-loaded team")

    18 pt loss to Wisconsin (30-8) @ Wisconsin

    27 pt loss to Cal Poly (14-20) on neutral floor

    15 pt loss to Oregon (24-10) @ Oregon

    17 pt loss to Pacific (18-16) on neutral floor

    15 pt loss to Butler (15-17) @ Butler

    18 pt loss to Northern Colorado (18-14) @ N. Col

    21 pt loss to Weber State (19-12) @ Weber State

    16 pt loss to Omaha (17-15) @ Omaha

    At least 5 more potential wins that instead ended in a blowout.

    2014-2015 ("the rebuilding season")

    37 pt loss to Utah (20-4) @ Utah

    18 pt loss to Texas Pan Amr. (9-17) on neu. floor

    36 pt loss to Minnesota (16-10) @ Minnesota

    29 pt loss to NDSU (18-8) @ Fargo

    22 pt loss to Eastern Washington (19-6) @ EWU

    25 pt loss to Northern Arizona (13-12) @ NAU

    Actually not as bad as the benchmark 2013-2014 squad, but still a few winnable games that ended in disaster. More tight games that have ended in heartbreak this season.

    As one can see, over just the past couple seasons, there have been several winnable games (going by program stature and record) that UND has absolutely missed on and lost considerably. This set of scores doesn't even include close (less than 10 or 5 pt differential) loses that are perhaps even more frustrating. There's something at play here (the constant) that needs to be changed or else the lack of consistency will continue.

  11. I don't think fans should be speculating on who the next UND coach will be when there really isn't a need too. I don't think that is fair to players and coaches on the current team and I don't expect there to be any changes anyways so this just seems like a bad topic. I think that is very poor taste and kind of disrespectful to the current team.

    At the end of the day it's been a tough year, but a few breaks here or there and this team is 7-6 or 8-5. I will say that they continue to play hard and battle. I don't feel like i am watching the football team 2 years ago get beat by 50-60 points.

    On a side note, Walthall is a fantastic coach. He'll probably be getting bigger offers as soon as this summer.

    The UND basketball team is made-up of adults; they should be able to handle the fact that they have played poorly and lost many games that they should've won. After all, they're scholarship athletes and they're getting their schooling paid for.

    If you think going 0.500 every season is acceptable at UND, you're mistaken. One thing looking at potential coaching replacements has revealed to me is that there are coaches in Moorhead and Mankato that have achieved very successful records. These are the type of goals UND should strive for. Faison best be willing to make changes when changes need to be made, and right now, my mind and gut tell me UND needs to make a change. There are plenty of DII winners right here in the region that deserve a chance at coaching DI basketball here at UND.

    As for your "breaks" point, that could be said about any game or any season with any program. The bottom-line is you either make it happen or you lose. Jones has been an average coach, AT BEST, during his time at UND and I think the law of averages has a great enough sample size to reveal Jones will not get the job done here at UND.

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  12. How about outright dishonesty that a certain member of the moderating team made in post 1143 in this thread, quoted in bold.

    "And I am sorry, but IMO there is something other than the weather and temperature that is keeping this program from excelling to a higher level. That and saying Jones is the Tom Izzo of the Big Sky, those were two statements that really had me rolling today!"

    Where did Hoopster make the statement that Jones is the Tom Izzo of the Big Sky? You said he stated that and that is not true. You know what he meant, and how it was meant and you chose to go into your know-it-all self appointed pseudo sportswriter mode and mock him. But, only while lying to try and make your snarky point. Pretty cheap, even for this board.

    I understand that you and so many others think you know everything about coaching, playing, and administrating college basketball from all those long hours you've all spent coaching, playing and administrating basketball programs. Right? It would make as much sense for Brian Jones to get on this forum and expound about farming, explaining in great deal to you farmers on here about what you are doing wrong while farming. He could have lots of keen insight and misperceptions and explain how farmers don't know what they're doing and how their attitude isn't right for farming. He could carefully tell you, step by step, how bad you are at your job in an intelligent, thoughtful way, all without ever having actually worked on a farm. He maybe has seen a farm, maybe knows a farmer, but he isn't a farmer. That would be acceptable, right? Thats where the bar is set on SSports.com.

    Difference between farming and coaching is that it doesn't matter what others think of your farming operation, because you still get the opportunity to go about your business despite surrounding support. In coaching, if your product is so bad that no one attends games, it does affect your position and job security. Fan attendance pays the bills, although that is not so much the case with UND basketball and more the case with UND hockey and football. Nevertheless, as the coach of UND's basketball team, you need to earn support from not only the athletic department, but also the people putting their butts in the seats on gameday.
  13. I give Jones credit for doing a pretty nice job of replacing the lost production of last year's senior class. But let's be honest about UND's 9th-place predicted finish--it was likely because the other coaches could not give UND the benefit of the doubt when it comes to players like Tyler, DeRouen and Shanks, whom most were probably at best vaguely aware of. Not to mention the massive improvement of Hooker. And who even knows if they were aware of Nash's sixth year when the voting was done. The point being, I don't believe UND's talent is only the 9th-best in the Big Sky. And if UND actually does finish 9th, while I don't necessarily believe that should mean Jones should be fired, neither should it mean that it was O.K. to finish that low merely because that's where the team happened to be picked pre-season.

    Preseason polls are deceiving. For example, UND went down to 9th in the polls because they lost so many seniors, so in what way are they going to go up in the poll? That would be to prove everyone wrong and win.

    If UND wins this season and improves above 9th in the standings, then they would be voted higher in the preseason polls next season. If UND loses, then they stay low again next season. Using the polls to set a benchmark is very dangerous territory, because the only way you truly elevate in the polls is to first elevate play on the court. UND needs to be better than 9th every season, even if it is a so called "rebuilding year". I mean, what is UND rebuilding? They only went .500 last season.

  14. http://siouxfb.areavoices.com/2015/02/13/grab-bag-of-und-football-stuff/

    SiouxFBInsider has mentioned that grey helmets may be in the works. Personally, I think grey helmets and grey pants would look good with either green or white jerseys. Nevertheless, I still think the all black look is something UND should use at least once a year.

    Excited that an Adidas deal including apparel and gear is finally going to come to fruition. Will be a good boost for UND as a DI program.

  15. I've never been a coach but I would ask that you share specific times when you are confident a coaching decision won a game - but guess what - whatever example you give can not specifically be credited to just coaching - the players still have to have the talent, savvy and hustle to make the plays - doesn't matter what decision the coach makes the players have to make the plays.

    Players are always the most important component in any team sport; however, one must not forget that in collegiate athletics the head coach not only conducts in-game management, but also recruiting. If the players aren't performing, that still falls directly on the coach, because he is the talent evaluator and the one who recruited the players believing they could be winners.

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  16. I agree that Jones appears this way on the outside but I must say I believe it is because of his intensity he wears on his shoulders during and after a game. I have been around Jones quite a bit over the past several years and I've never met a person that has a love for basketball more than this man. His mind is always centered around basketball and you can see his intensity on the sidelines as he runs, jumps up and down the sidelines for the entire 40 minutes. He deserves a few more years with the recruits he has coming in to see what he can do with the upcoming talent. To be honest he was brought in under extreme difficult circumstances with the transition and brought in a young class that won 2 championships and a best ever placing in the Big Sky for a first year team and then a loss in the championship game with a very depleted roster. We may very well be able to find someone better but I believe he's done a good job with what he's been dealt. If this style of play and wins/losses continue at the current rate then I agree its time for a change but for now I think he needs a couple of years to see what he does with the talent that he has coming in.

    The "wait and see" game can be a risky one in collegiate athletics, as we found out with UND football and Mussman. There's always a fine line between allowing another season and pulling the trigger, with the negative repercussions being long-term setbacks to the program.

  17. Well Genius NDSU is not in the same conference might was well throw in Duke while your at it! NDSU and Montana have been D1 basketball while UND was D2...you post like a grade school drop out...zero facts or logic. UND has out performed 75% of Big Sky teams in conference play since joining....You have no shame posting junk

    ... NDSU men's basketball, which works under the same general principles to recruit to as UND (same climate, not #1 sport at institution, similar facilities, education quality, etc.) ...

    As I mentioned earlier, UND and NDSU are very comparable. Saying that comparing UND to NDSU is like comparing UND to Duke is, well, certainly not true. As for those 75% of Big Sky Conference teams that UND has "outperformed", they should not be the benchmark as they likely will never be in the running for a Big Sky Conference title. UND has the ability to be a top BSC team year in and year out but right now the coaching isn't quite there. To ignore what NDSU has done, because, well, they are in different conferences is quite ignorant considering they are the only two DI schools in North Dakota and were long-time NCC rivals.

    Lastly, the personal attacks you proclaim do not strengthen your argument. Rather, they make you appear childish and further prove your comments hold no water.

  18. Did not call anyone a name pal...however the content of the post is moronic period....if the shoe fits wear it!  Also stupid to throw out overall records because they are a function of non conference scheduling which as most intelligent people know varies from team to team with respect to difficulty.   Maybe if a Big sky Coach would schedule all Home games vs D2 teams then they would not make much money ...but the impressive win/loss record would make fans like you giddy.

     

    UND's out-of-conference schedule hasn't been any more difficult than NDSU's or Montana's OOC schedule over the past few years. Stop trying to talk around the fact that UND, over the past decade, has considerably under-performed in comparison to rival institutions such as NDSU and Montana. 

  19. Non morons call it a rebuilding year, pretty stupid to think teams never rebuild only improve  every and year forever and ever...this board needs an IQ requirement for posters.

     

     

    So, last season (2013-2014), Mr. Jones had a full senior line-up to work with and yet he ended up producing a 17-16 record (12-8 in conference). That's an iffy plateau; in other words, you're saying UND basketball fans should expect a "rebuilding year" after a series of 0.500 record seasons? At best, Jones has brought UND to mediocrity throughout his coaching career at UND (The year before, in 2012-2013, he finished under 0.500 at 16-17). Collegiate athletic programs that expect success do not tolerate mediocre play for nearly a decade; thus, to expect a rebuilding year is only feeble minded. 

     

    In comparison, NDSU produced a very good season last year (2013-2014) with a senior loaded class; they went 26-6 and 12-2 in their conference. After graduating many contributing senior players, their ongoing "rebuilding season" has them at 18-7 and 10-2 in conference play. Oh, and they also had to replace their head coach. 

     

    If you feel NDSU men's basketball, which works under the same general principles to recruit to as UND (same climate, not #1 sport at institution, similar facilities, education quality, etc.), is not a compatible comparison to UND men's basketball, then let's look at Big Sky Conference mate Montana. In 2012-2013, The University of Montana went 25-7 and 19-1 in conference play, and they had three players average double digit scoring. After losing two of those three players, they went on to produce a 17-13 record (12-8 BSC) the following season in 2013-2014. Now this season, after losing two of their top three scorers again, they are 13-10 and 9-3 in conference. No rebuilding year there either.

     

    My point is, don't give the UND men's basketball program too much cushion. They have been an average ball club at best over the past decade under Jones, and losing seasons definitely shouldn't be tolerated as UND hasn't produced any kind of signature win or season since going DI. 

     

    Lastly, I guess only "non-morons" are capable of accepting "rebuilding" years. Or perhaps, just maybe, the lack of expectation and ambition by some UND "supporters" is the actual problem.

  20. nothing here about having to win Big Sky Title or never having a rebuilding year....sorry fellas....In July 2012, Jones received a three-year extension with two option years.

    Jones has been UND's head coach for seven seasons.

    Last season, in UND's first year in the Big Sky Conference, Jones led UND to a 12-8 conference record and a third-place finish--the best ever for a first-year Big Sky team.

    UND went 16-17 overall last season, giving Jones a seven-year record of 102-114 and a conference mark of 36-43.

    "Coach Jones has a clear blue print for this program and the results are showing," said UND athletic director Brian Faison. "This team has had as much success as any team transitioning to the Division I level in recent years, including three straight CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament berths.

    "We saw the immediate success his team had during its first year in the Big Sky. With the program heading in the right direction, we are happy to show him this level of commitment by extending his contract."

    Heading in a right direction...well that is no longer the case. 8-15 is not in the right direction...

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