Coach Jones?

[jdub27]

You mentioned Saul Phillips, look what Saul did compared to Jones and you think Phillips should've been canned after one game with UND? How many wins against big named schools does Jones have? It's hard to name them with the whole six road OOC wins in his career. I would take Saul over Jones even if NDSU didn't go to the dance last season. I am glad others are seeing my point of view while you are hoping and praying for a miracle.

My point went completely over your head.  It had nothing to do with comparing Phillips to Jones.  The point was that UND/NDSU game last year and the NDSU fan's reaction to it was a perfect example why fans don't make decisions and decisions shouldn't be knee-jerk reactions.

 

Think whatever you want about people "seeing your point of view".  Glad that you can feel vindicated after a UND loss "knowing" that your opinion clearly must be right.

[hoopster]

Jones will coach UND next season...0% chance he gets canned... that is the way it is.  Complain til the cows come in this season!, however Jones will return.

[bincitysioux]

I said earlier in this thread that I don't feel real strongly one way or the other about Jones.  Well after this week, particularly last night, I'm starting to lean one way rather than the other and I bet most could guess which way that is. 

 

In the last week there were two televised games, back to back, against the two opponents that every self respecting North Dakota fan wants to beat more than any other.  I would guess there were more eyes on the men's program over the last two weeks both from near and afar than there has been in a long time.  What was the result?  Two 30 point losses.

 

What did the "casual" fans that we are trying to entice to show up at the Sioux Center, the ones that normally don't follow but maybe were this week because of who we were playing get to see?  They got to see that UND plays some pretty bad basketball. 

 

Now I am not saying that I expected to beat Minnesota.  But a competetive game would have been nice.  I know we hung in there OK through the first half, but the wheels came off as the often do in the 2nd half and the end result was a 36 point loss which is a beat down in any gym. 

 

In 30 years of watching UND basketball I can't recall a more disappointing effort off the top of my head than what I saw last night.  The coach said he was disappointed with the effort put forth by his players.  Well at some point, doesn't it fall on the coach to motivate his players to give their best effort?

 

Nobody better be looking past Dickinson St., because the UND team I saw last night could not beat Dickinson St.............

[Oxbow6]

Jones will coach UND next season...0% chance he gets canned... that is the way it is. Complain til the cows come in this season!, however Jones will return.

And 0% chance next year's team will be any better than any other team under Jones. Least the bar has been set..........

[niouxsiouxfan]

I said earlier in this thread that I don't feel real strongly one way or the other about Jones. Well after this week, particularly last night, I'm starting to lean one way rather than the other and I bet most could guess which way that is.

In the last week there were two televised games, back to back, against the two opponents that every self respecting North Dakota fan wants to beat more than any other. I would guess there were more eyes on the men's program over the last two weeks both from near and afar than there has been in a long time. What was the result? Two 30 point losses.

What did the "casual" fans that we are trying to entice to show up at the Sioux Center, the ones that normally don't follow but maybe were this week because of who we were playing get to see? They got to see that UND plays some pretty bad basketball.

Now I am not saying that I expected to beat Minnesota. But a competetive game would have been nice. I know we hung in there OK through the first half, but the wheels came off as the often do in the 2nd half and the end result was a 36 point loss which is a beat down in any gym.

In 30 years of watching UND basketball I can't recall a more disappointing effort off the top of my head than what I saw last night. The coach said he was disappointed with the effort put forth by his players. Well at some point, doesn't it fall on the coach to motivate his players to give their best effort?

Nobody better be looking past Dickinson St., because the UND team I saw last night could not beat Dickinson St.............

It is the coaches job to prepare his team for the game. I will be the first to say, doesn't look like that was done. However, I know for a fact the team didn't follow game plan and the players decided to take it on themselves. A lot of that is inexperience, it showed. And Jones went to his bench and played others to try and send message. We have to wait until the next game to see if that got thru to them.

The coach can talk about motivating his players, but in reality if a player can't get motivated on his own, especially for that game, something is wrong. And not pointing to anything specifically wrong with any player not motivated, but the game snowballed into a disaster, and with young players it's tough to fight out of it. The mental aspect is so tough to learn. Let's see if they can pick it up against Dickenson State.

[Boomer 40AAA]

Jones did lose to Mayville State at home and survived.So the performance last night will be forgotten as soon as they beat Dickinson.Could we possibly get any more D1 transfers or should we  build a  program with freshman.He has been here long enough not to go to the transfer route.My 2 cents worth.

[MafiaMan]

The mental aspect is so tough to learn. Let's see if they can pick it up against Dickinson State.

Oxbow6, I guess this is what you mean by the bar being set low, eh? Now we're measuring success by seeing how well this team handles adversity against Dickinson State.

I'm sure this isn't what most folks had in mind when they learned UND was going "Division I."

[MafiaMan]

Jones did lose to Mayville State at home and survived.So the performance last night will be forgotten as soon as they beat Dickinson.

Yes, beating the Dickinson State Blue Hawks is now apparently the University of North Dakota benchmark for success.

[darell1976]

Yes, beating the Dickinson State Blue Hawks is now apparently the University of North Dakota benchmark for success.

I thought the next benchmarking game would be Marquette not Dickinson St. We beat DSU by 30 but lose to Marquette by 30 what does that prove?

[bincitysioux]

I thought the next benchmarking game would be Marquette not Dickinson St. We beat DSU by 30 but lose to Marquette by 30 what does that prove?

 

Omaha has already beaten Marquette this season.  I guess it would mean that UNO is also 30 points better than us.

[SooToo]

I said earlier in this thread that I don't feel real strongly one way or the other about Jones.  Well after this week, particularly last night, I'm starting to lean one way rather than the other and I bet most could guess which way that is. ...

 

 

What did the "casual" fans that we are trying to entice to show up at the Sioux Center, the ones that normally don't follow but maybe were this week because of who we were playing get to see?  They got to see that UND plays some pretty bad basketball. ...

 

 

In 30 years of watching UND basketball I can't recall a more disappointing effort off the top of my head than what I saw last night.  The coach said he was disappointed with the effort put forth by his players.  Well at some point, doesn't it fall on the coach to motivate his players to give their best effort?...

 

 

 

Agree completely. Over the last three years we've seen a number of games where Jones' team performed poorly or seemed poorly motivated or prepared. Conceivably, that could have reflected the character of that particular group of players. Fast forward to this year, and the roster has turned over significantly; yet we continue to witness the same problems. Ultimately, that's on the coach.

 

How many casual or potential fans were lost yesterday watching that pathetic debacle on TV? I'd guess the number would be substantial, and it will take a lot of wins to lure them back. Earlier this week, I watched USD -- North Dakota's contemporary in the transition process -- battle Creighton for two overtimes before losing. What an entertaining game that was, and what a stark contrast to what I witnessed last night.

[darell1976]

Omaha has already beaten Marquette this season. I guess it would mean that UNO is also 30 points better than us.

UND is 0-1 against DI transfer Omaha. I wouldn't be shocked if Omaha beats us by 30.

[MafiaMan]

We beat DSU by 30 but lose to Marquette by 30 what does that prove?

That UND could probably beat Watford City High School by 40 but lose a close one to Fargo South?

[SWSiouxMN]

My mustangs could have dropped 100 on us last night .

Blown out by a 6 man NDSU squad. Unacceptable and zero excuse for it.

[northdakota18]

Jones needs to be fired, if not this week then at the end of the season. He is a mediocre coach with a below .500 overall record here, he is not someone that I trust to take UND to NCAA tournament, which should be one of the main goals of this program at this point. We were 5-9 non-conference last year, 4-9 the year before that. That was with our vaunted senior class that we lost this year, and that was the best we could manage? Our biggest win the past three years was over NDSU last year, and the other two times we played them we got the crap kicked out of us. The fact of the matter is that we have been getting run out of the gym on a regular basis by teams that we should at least be competitive with (see: NDSU, Texas Pan-am), at some point it falls back on the coach.

 

 I do not trust Jones's recruiting ability for that matter either. This past season we brought in 4 transfers and only 3 true freshman. It really says something when you don't have enough built up depth to not have to rely on transfers to play a large role because usually they are not very good. I do not care how it is done, but Jones needs to be out of here and we need to get some fresh blood in the program ala - Schweigart this year. This program is in a very poor state right now and I do not see us improving very much before season's end

[northdakota18]

UND is 0-1 against DI transfer Omaha. I wouldn't be shocked if Omaha beats us by 30.

0-2. We've lost to them the past two years.

[MafiaMan]

My mustangs could have dropped 100 on us last night .

Blown out by a 6 man NDSU squad. Unacceptable and zero excuse for it.

Now, now, SW, just relax. Let's see how the team responds against Dickinson State before over-reacting!

[darell1976]

0-2. We've lost to them the past two years.

I wasn't sure if it was 0-2 or 0-1, thanks for the correction, when their transition is over I see them going to the dance before UND does.

[Oxbow6]

Oxbow6, I guess this is what you mean by the bar being set low, eh? Now we're measuring success by seeing how well this team handles adversity against Dickinson State.

I'm sure this isn't what most folks had in mind when they learned UND was going "Division I."

Ummmmmmmmmm.......yes to all of that above.

[Oxbow6]

I thought the next benchmarking game would be Marquette not Dickinson St. We beat DSU by 30 but lose to Marquette by 30 what does that prove?

Exactly....UND should roll DSU and given Jones road record Marquette will roll UND and at the end of all of that all we still know is UND lost to a less than average NDSU team badly but if UND eventually finishes top 3 in the BB hot bed that is the BS conference.....all is good w the MBB program at UND.

Did I miss anything?

[darell1976]

Exactly....UND should roll DSU and given Jones road record Marquette will roll UND and at the end of all of that all we still know is UND lost to a less than average NDSU team badly but if UND eventually finishes top 3 in the BB hot bed that is the BS conference.....all is good w the MBB program at UND.

Did I miss anything?

That covers it then we do this roller coaster again next year.

[Feff]

Say Jones is fired at some point this season (long shot, not likely), is there a coach on staff that would be the obvious one to step up as the interim? 

[fightingsioux4life]

Yes.  Have you actually sent any e-mails or called someone at the REA or athletic department to voice your concerns or just put them out on a message board?  Because I can tell which one of those two might actually have some impact on seeing some progress on the things you want to see.

 

As for the rest of your post...

What small group of executives is the REA benefitting that you are referring to?  And feel free to believe that everyone here contributes (and I'm not talking buying tickets to a few games which done as a personal benefit, I'm talking actually donating money to the Champions Club or other parts of UND), I don't think the number is as high as you think.  I didn't question whether you do or not, I fully believe you do.  And I'm not questioning the loyalty of those who don't donate either, I'm just pointing out that CMSioux is spot on when talking about spending other people's money.

 

My assumption is CM's assertion was that fans are demanding thousands and thousands of dollars of improvements but the programs that would benefit currently are not providing a level of revenue anywhere near what is required to fund these improvements.  So yes, it will be "other people's" money.  And don't kid yourself if you think that tickets and concessions from the BESC would be enough to cover the extra needed.  And while that is true, I do agree that they need to look into making some upgrades into the BESC or at least explain what their future plan is.

 

Comparing what goes on in the REA and in the BESC is not an apples to apples comparison.  The BESC itself is currently being paid for from extra revenue from the REA.  I wish they'd divert more money to the BESC, but at this point, that is not a decision that UND has the final say in.  Again, e-mail someone in the athletic department to lobby harder or someone at the REA to voice your concerns.  Saying you want this or demanding you want that sure makes for a good read on a message board but in reality, it isn't going to do any good.

So since it involves "other people's money", we must shut up and accept whatever is dished out to us?  Sorry, not happening, no matter how many "grandfatherly" lectures you give me and others on this forum.  Honestly, you and 82SiouxGuy set the standard for preaching and establishment brown-nosing.  And you both like to relentlessly attack anyone that dares to think otherwise.  Whatever floats your boat I guess.....

 

Please name one thing in this world (outside of REA itself) that isn't built at least in part with "other people's money"?  The Vikings Stadium?  Other people's money.  Target Field?  Other people's money.  Fargodome?  Other people's money.  Alerus Center?  Other people's money.  Do you sense a pattern here?  I do.  And I honestly don't care how we fund this stuff; it simply needs to be done.  And it is not my job or your job to find the financing; it's the Faison's and Kelley's of the world that are tasked with doing this.  Our sister institution in North Dakota (NDSU) is dominating the State and Region in terms of media coverage, success on the field and court and so on.  You may not have a problem with that, I do.  What happened in Fargo last night is just another example of this.  Jones has been here since before the move up to Division I, but his teams continuously underachieve and cannot buy quality road wins if their lives depended on it.  But he'll have his defenders that will make the case that he is not responsible for what happens during games because he isn't out there playing.  The FB program crashed and burned because of that thinking; I do not want MBB to suffer the same fate.

 

As for e-mailing or calling these people, I honestly question just how much they care what I or other stakeholders think.  The cave-in to FU with regard to FB scheduling was vehemently opposed by me and others on this forum.  I sent Mr. Faison an e-mail telling him not to cave in.  I am pretty sure many others did as well.  Did it make any difference whatsoever?  Nope.  That is why a lot of people are cynical about doing that.  You may have all the confidence in the world in the establishment to make the right choices on things like this, but I do not.  More and more in our society, the average person is worth next to nothing to the decision makers and power brokers and no number of e-mails and phone calls will change that.

 

Always question authority when things don't look right or smell right or feel right.  Always.

[fightingsioux4life]

It is the coaches job to prepare his team for the game. I will be the first to say, doesn't look like that was done. However, I know for a fact the team didn't follow game plan and the players decided to take it on themselves. A lot of that is inexperience, it showed. And Jones went to his bench and played others to try and send message. We have to wait until the next game to see if that got thru to them.

The coach can talk about motivating his players, but in reality if a player can't get motivated on his own, especially for that game, something is wrong. And not pointing to anything specifically wrong with any player not motivated, but the game snowballed into a disaster, and with young players it's tough to fight out of it. The mental aspect is so tough to learn. Let's see if they can pick it up against Dickenson State.

Based on your logic, Mussman should still be in charge of the FB program.  And Carolyn DeHoff should still be in charge of the NDSU women's b-ball team.

 

If the players aren't motivated to be the best they can be, then that is a recruiting flaw and that falls on the coaches.  Unless you really want to convince us that recruiting is on the players, too?

 

Jones has been here long enough to be held responsible for the state of the program.  And honestly, if I hear one apologist bring up "nickname" or "transition", I might literally throw up.

[fightingsioux4life]

Oxbow6, I guess this is what you mean by the bar being set low, eh? Now we're measuring success by seeing how well this team handles adversity against Dickinson State.

I'm sure this isn't what most folks had in mind when they learned UND was going "Division I."

Shhhh, don't say that too loud.  Otherwise, you'll be accused of wanting a "gold-plated" version of D-I athletics and also wanting to spend "other people's money".  

 

Seriously though, I agree with the bolded sentence 100%.  When are we going to start acting like a Division I program instead of being merely satisfied with being one in name only?