Mike Porter
Postdoc
Posts: 3619
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
Reg: 11-21-04
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03-05-24 02:45 AM - Post#364526
In response to SomeGuy
My reasoning probably isn’t all that compelling. First up, I don’t think there’s any chance he’ll be fired this off-season, so I don’t put too much thought or energy into whether he should be. Second, kind of like with the players, I’m a Penn fan through and through. I don’t look at it and say I want some other players or coaches who would be more competitive. I want to win with these players, and these coaches. I know most fans don’t relate that way, and I’m not saying that somehow makes me a bigger or better fan (maybe just a dumber fan). I know (almost) everyone here wants them to succeed.
I do think (as you acknowledge) that bringing the program back from where it was mattered a lot and was hard — I think Steve should get lots of credit for that. I do think backsliding is a very real possibility with a new coach, given we had 2 straight bad ones before Steve. Those aren’t reasons to live with mediocrity, necessarily, but they matter. I also think that we get a little too binary in our thinking when we say “the team will never succeed with Steve,” etc. I’m sure there are other coaches out there who would increase our odds, but it could happen with Steve too, as it did at Cornell.
I appreciate the response. I do acknowledge and thank Coach Donahue for bringing Penn back to a clean and respectable program, and have always said he seems like a good guy. However, results, like in most jobs, are important. I also (very sadly) doubt that a change is made, but for me it is all that's about left to discuss before I lose interest entirely. I like the frosh class, but again the lack of depth in other classes (with many swings and misses in recruiting) means that after losing Clark this year, next year continues to look rough (unless next years frosh above and beyond surprise).
I agree though that "it could happen to us" isn't a particularly compelling reason for me to stay the course. We're talking about an Ivy League school built on the premise of striving to achieve (mediocrity really shouldn't be on the agenda, no?).
Here is some food for thought: https://kenpom.com/history.php?c=Steve+Donahue
Coach Doahue, in 23 years as a head coach, has 2 Top 100 finishes. His Sweet 16 Cornell team in 2010, and his first BC team in 2011 that was recruited by his predecessor. We know the story of how that Cornell team came together (Dale and Foote basically recruited Cornell, not the other way around). His other top 100 team had none of his own recruits.
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