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Post by Ace78 on Jan 23, 2024 13:00:26 GMT -6
What Purple Orange said above was thought provoking, insightful, and very well expressed. I know I'm guilty of immediately reacting to a bad game and the unmet expectations of how I think that game should have gone. It's always best to step back and look at things to see how they have progressed. I trust that David and the coaches will continue to work hard and continue to build a great team for us. It will take time.
As Austin Ace also points out, it's likely to be another tough game and outcome tonight. UNI is playing better, and we're not. I also expect UNI will be eager to get this game started so they can avenge their loss to the Aces. It will be interesting to see how the Aces respond to all these factors. Maybe they will surprise us? It will take a lot of heart, focus, and effort to be competitive in this game.
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Post by 6thman on Jan 23, 2024 13:52:57 GMT -6
D3.. OVC that y'all's cry... Grow where you are planted.
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Post by thevampire5 on Jan 23, 2024 14:08:30 GMT -6
Prob important to remember that this is all by design. Remember last year when they didn’t run an offense? This year he put in an offensive scheme but at this point in the season teams in conference have it all scouted so that your best players don’t get the looks they like, and the worst players are wide open. At least in the non-con Rags was changing defenses and creating extra chances for the team. That went out the window when Ben got hurt. I don’t subscribe to it at all, but some coaches (clearly Rags does) think losing by 1 or 51 is the same. IMHO there are still plenty of levers to pull to give this team a chance to steal possessions and win games. Frankly for Rags career it may not be something he thinks is important right now idk. I like Rags but it’s clear he decides when the game is over and when he should be “coaching” … so be it. It’s his call The one thing I haven’t quite figured out yet is: What will Rags teams hang their hat on? Crews teams were tough and smart Floorburn U made you hate playing them Jake gives UNI about a dozen points per game by calling plays that get his guys easy shots Idk but: this team doesn’t play harder than the teams they play, they don’t shoot better than the teams on the schedule… idk haven’t figured it out yet - it might be getting bigger players and hope the other team misses and we can back them down enough to get easy buckets idk If someone knows what the Aces calling card will be from the coaches or watching I’d be interested in that discussion. Tell me about this offense that Ragland supposedly runs..... 🤔
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Post by E-Villan on Jan 23, 2024 14:36:03 GMT -6
I figured it wouldn't be long before someone brought up dropping conferences or the D-3 crap. I have said all along we have MVC level everything except the people. I am still convinced right now we have a President and AD finally that are committed to making us competitive. They are certainly MVC level admins.
No one in the league is heads and shoulders above us in resources, fanbases, facilities, etc You do realize the poorest school in the conference, in terms of basketball budget and coaches pay is on track not only for an MVC Championship but an at-large bid as well? All with a coach in his 3rd year.
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Post by aceloverlarry on Jan 23, 2024 14:54:44 GMT -6
Prob important to remember that this is all by design. Remember last year when they didn’t run an offense? This year he put in an offensive scheme but at this point in the season teams in conference have it all scouted so that your best players don’t get the looks they like, and the worst players are wide open. At least in the non-con Rags was changing defenses and creating extra chances for the team. That went out the window when Ben got hurt. I don’t subscribe to it at all, but some coaches (clearly Rags does) think losing by 1 or 51 is the same. IMHO there are still plenty of levers to pull to give this team a chance to steal possessions and win games. Frankly for Rags career it may not be something he thinks is important right now idk. I like Rags but it’s clear he decides when the game is over and when he should be “coaching” … so be it. It’s his call The one thing I haven’t quite figured out yet is: What will Rags teams hang their hat on? Crews teams were tough and smart Floorburn U made you hate playing them Jake gives UNI about a dozen points per game by calling plays that get his guys easy shots Idk but: this team doesn’t play harder than the teams they play, they don’t shoot better than the teams on the schedule… idk haven’t figured it out yet - it might be getting bigger players and hope the other team misses and we can back them down enough to get easy buckets idk If someone knows what the Aces calling card will be from the coaches or watching I’d be interested in that discussion. Tell me about this offense that Ragland supposedly runs..... 🤔 The offense has been non existent in conference play, but there’s plenty of examples of good ball movement and back cuts from the non con schedule. Why that has gone away/doesn’t seem to be working against conference opponents is a great question, but we definitely saw examples of the attacking the basket offense and tough defense that leads to transition points that he was talking about when hired. It’s clear from recruiting that he wants big guards and lots of length on the team with switchable defenders that can play multiple positions. He hasn’t had enough time to recruit a team that fully fits that profile but we’re definitely making progress in those areas. Hopefully we get more players in the offseason that helps bring his vision to fruition, but there’s a lot more “proof of concept” from the non con season than we ever saw in year one. Just going to take time to get more players in that fit his play style and can play at the MVC level.
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Post by acepurple84 on Jan 23, 2024 15:07:29 GMT -6
I figured it wouldn't be long before someone brought up dropping conferences or the D-3 crap. I have said all along we have MVC level everything except the people. I am still convinced right now we have a President and AD finally that are committed to making us competitive. They are certainly MVC level admins. No one in the league is heads and shoulders above us in resources, fanbases, facilities, etc You do realize the poorest school in the conference, in terms of basketball budget and coaches pay is on track not only for an MVC Championship but an at-large bid as well? All with a coach in his 3rd year. Thet are the same fools that keep saying it. Probably closeted USI fans
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Post by ad1770 on Jan 23, 2024 15:16:40 GMT -6
Things I keep hearing here are the same things I’ve been hearing for years like:
1) Coach just needs to get “his guys” in;
And
2) we just need to get MVC quality players.
What in the world are you talking about???
In the top 9 of the current rotation, who besides Bobe (totally divisive issue I am not touching) is a hold over from the previous regime? I gave a pass last year because I understood he couldn’t run the team off because of how late he was hired. But this is his team now, and plain and simple, his team got beat by 49, 36, 22, 14, 12, and 10. So, exactly when does the team show a little fire?
And as far “MVC quality” players, apparently the staff thought they were, so if they aren’t, then that should be called out by us, instead of people on here telling others to take a breath, and just wait.
I also am not one who over reacts after a game. I typically take a day or so to go over everything again.
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Post by aceloverlarry on Jan 23, 2024 16:24:36 GMT -6
Things I keep hearing here are the same things I’ve been hearing for years like: 1) Coach just needs to get “his guys” in; And 2) we just need to get MVC quality players. What in the world are you talking about??? In the top 9 of the current rotation, who besides Bobe (totally divisive issue I am not touching) is a hold over from the previous regime? I gave a pass last year because I understood he couldn’t run the team off because of how late he was hired. But this is his team now, and plain and simple, his team got beat by 49, 36, 22, 14, 12, and 10. So, exactly when does the team show a little fire? And as far “MVC quality” players, apparently the staff thought they were, so if they aren’t, then that should be called out by us, instead of people on here telling others to take a breath, and just wait. I also am not one who over reacts after a game. I typically take a day or so to go over everything again. There’s a big difference between the guys you recruit to a 5 win team v the guys you can recruit to a 15 win team. Yes, this is 90% a roster of his assembly right now, but we have two starters who are guys that were available in the portal in June still when they came here. I’m glad they decided to come here and help lay the foundation of the program, but we’ve all been frustrated with certain aspects of their game at times and there’s a reason they were still available when he got hired late in the cycle. We’ve got other guys that were added late in the cycle last offseason that aren’t quite getting it done. I doubt they were our top choices when portal season started, but like I said it was probably an uphill battle to recruit after last season. I see it being much easier this offseason. I think we can all agree Hughes and Bailey have what it takes to be high level MVC players, but they’re both freshman and there are few freshman that are capable of leading MVC teams to victory night in n out. He deserves time to get more guys like them and Ben Humrichous into the program. It’s unrealistic to think that he is going to add 6 or 7 guys of that caliber in one off season following a 5 win season. It’s just not possible without a ton of NIL money (which this program & fan base doesn’t seem to understand or support). The nature of the recent blowouts is embarrassing and he deserves criticism for allowing them to happen. But it can also be true that the roster is going to take time to get to the level required to compete with ISU, Bradley, and Drake, and it’s not going to happen in one offseason following the worst season in school history. You’re absolutely right though that he deserves criticism for the lack of fire they have shown at times. Hopefully that changes tonight.
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Post by goacesgo on Jan 23, 2024 16:26:02 GMT -6
Things I keep hearing here are the same things I’ve been hearing for years like: 1) Coach just needs to get “his guys” in; And 2) we just need to get MVC quality players. What in the world are you talking about??? In the top 9 of the current rotation, who besides Bobe (totally divisive issue I am not touching) is a hold over from the previous regime? I gave a pass last year because I understood he couldn’t run the team off because of how late he was hired. But this is his team now, and plain and simple, his team got beat by 49, 36, 22, 14, 12, and 10. So, exactly when does the team show a little fire? And as far “MVC quality” players, apparently the staff thought they were, so if they aren’t, then that should be called out by us, instead of people on here telling others to take a breath, and just wait. I also am not one who over reacts after a game. I typically take a day or so to go over everything again. I don’t understand neither do you how difficult it must be to turn around a perennial loser. If this was easy Merfield would still be here, or Simmons, even recruiting has to be difficult. I feel like Toumi and Strawbridge were held over for their work ethic, I feel like some recruits this year have not played up to expectations and I feel like a couple have surpassed expectations. People talk about other teams in different conferences turning teams around, but that’s not apples to apples comparison. All i know several good coaches have been shown the door here, I think we have improved in talent level and wins, and if we can do that again the next couple we should be fighting for the top of the conference and looking for a new coach in my opinion. Hopefully if and when Ragland leaves he is the one opening the door.
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Post by lawrencevgibson on Jan 23, 2024 16:43:57 GMT -6
Calling for Ragland to get fired after year 3 is one of the more absurd things I’ve read on here. Are the blowouts disappointing? Yes. Should we all be really concerned if they continue into next year? Absolutely. But considering the state of the program that he took over, he deserves at least 4-5 years to fix it. Year one shouldn’t count at all since he didn’t have his players and was hired so late into the cycle, so you’re basically asking to fire him two seasons into a massive rebuild? That is crazy talk. It’s incredibly hard to recruit to a 5 win team, and he was able to bring in some pretty good guys this year. I think it’ll be even easier to bring in talent this offseason with better results and tape of what his offense looks like when it’s being ran successfully. He’s already elevated our recruiting. We just have to give him time to get in more players that are MVC caliber. The nature of the recent losses are concerning, but it was always going to be a slow process for him to rebuild and establish his culture. If the ugly losses are still happening at the end of next season, his seat will be pretty hot going into year 4, but he will still be here for another season, and deservingly so. I think we’re only a couple of players short of good season. I’m giving Ragland a break.
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Post by purpleaces on Jan 23, 2024 16:53:24 GMT -6
Ragland will be fine as soon as this Senior class is gone this year. Hopefully this will be the worst we will see in a while. Sorry to be blunt but the 3 that are graduating belong in the SWAC. The recruiting has gotten better. We need guards that can shoot and will have that next season. Our guard play is the worst in the league.
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Post by ibleedpurple on Jan 23, 2024 21:49:33 GMT -6
Ragland will be fine as soon as this Senior class is gone this year. Hopefully this will be the worst we will see in a while. Sorry to be blunt but the 3 that are graduating belong in the SWAC. The recruiting has gotten better. We need guards that can shoot and will have that next season. Our guard play is the worst in the league. +100 Personally I would like to see them on the bench more than they are in the game. They are not helping us get over the hump because as you stated they are amoung the weakest if not the weakest in the conference. Some will say they have earned the minutes because they came here and stuck around and worked hard..I get this and why rock the boat in year two is probably the thinking of the coaching staff. If this were year 3 or 4 and the level of our guard play is still at this level we will continue to be near the bottom of the league. When we face teams with quick, aggressive guards who can score inside or out we have been beaten badly...Racers, Trees come to mind. Go Aces !
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Post by austinace on Jan 23, 2024 23:31:34 GMT -6
Ragland will be fine as soon as this Senior class is gone this year. Hopefully this will be the worst we will see in a while. Sorry to be blunt but the 3 that are graduating belong in the SWAC. The recruiting has gotten better. We need guards that can shoot and will have that next season. Our guard play is the worst in the league. I was a little hesitant go put a thumbs up, especially because of the SWAC comment and singling out players; but I feel this is accurate. It is obvious that you are talking about the fifth-year seniors. Do we know if Yacine is coming back next year or not (or if he has a fifth-year available)? He has improved a lot this year. Note: I like the other three as people; but the reality is they will not get us where we need to be or desire to be to compete for MVC championships, especially the two shorter guards. And these were part of the starting units of both halves that scored zero points in the first 2 1/2 minutes of each half to get us in a 17-0 "hole". Nothing like spotting the other team 17 points with your most experienced guys.
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Post by purpleaces on Jan 24, 2024 7:13:16 GMT -6
Ragland will be fine as soon as this Senior class is gone this year. Hopefully this will be the worst we will see in a while. Sorry to be blunt but the 3 that are graduating belong in the SWAC. The recruiting has gotten better. We need guards that can shoot and will have that next season. Our guard play is the worst in the league. I was a little hesitant go put a thumbs up, especially because of the SWAC comment and singling out players; but I feel this is accurate. It is obvious that you are talking about the fifth-year seniors. Do we know if Yacine is coming back next year or not (or if he has a fifth-year available)? He has improved a lot this year. Note: I like the other three as people; but the reality is they will not get us where we need to be or desire to be to compete for MVC championships, especially the two shorter guards. And these were part of the starting units of both halves that scored zero points in the first 2 1/2 minutes of each half to get us in a 17-0 "hole". Nothing like spotting the other team 17 points with your most experienced guys. I really meant no disrespect to our guys. I speak my mind and sometimes don't think about how it comes out. I think Toumi has another year. I really like his progress from last year.I am one of the few that sit around us but I think he has done a pretty good job this year. He's not forcing as much as he did last year. Our guard play is just too weak for this conference. I respect all the hard work our boys put into this program. Meant no disrespect to the Seniors and yes I should've left the Swac comment out. I will just be happy when our guard play improves.
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Post by municup14 on Jan 24, 2024 11:59:24 GMT -6
One of our starting guards was a SWAC player and the other was a D2 player last year.
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