The Psycho of Sojka
Sophomore
Posts: 107
Reg: 11-15-15
|
02-01-20 07:53 PM - Post#298261
Being in attendance for the first time this year and witnessing ND laughing at mistakes that no coach at any level would find funny pretty much crossed the line for me. I’ve wanted to start a thread of this topic countless times this year, but decided I would hold off. After today’s loss at home and watching at how awful he is coaching whether it’s defensive stops to scouting issues (as in other teams) or even drawing up plays out of timeouts. I would say the time has come and it’s time to send him and the staff packing.
|
DrBison
Junior
Posts: 244
Age: 73
Reg: 12-22-08
|
02-01-20 08:06 PM - Post#298265
In response to The Psycho of Sojka
Food for thought: 63% winning percentage at Bucknell, 73% career winning percentage, 2 time PL Coach of the Year.
|
bisonmania
Masters Student
Posts: 920
Reg: 10-26-07
|
02-01-20 08:12 PM - Post#298270
In response to DrBison
Yes very true with Paulsens recruits. IMO there were several years you didn’t really need a coach in a bunch of those games with that kind of talent. The current team needs a great coach.
|
The Psycho of Sojka
Sophomore
Posts: 107
Reg: 11-15-15
|
02-01-20 08:13 PM - Post#298271
In response to DrBison
Of these winning percentages you speak of how much of that is actually Dave Paulsen’s credit? Food for thought have you looked at ND’s senior class this year or his first class of recruits?
|
Bison54
PhD Student
Posts: 1800
Reg: 11-18-09
|
Re: Fire ND! 02-01-20 08:18 PM - Post#298276
In response to The Psycho of Sojka
A couple of weeks ago, in the post game with Doug, Coach Harrison was explaining how pleased they were with the defense switching. Coach Davis said pretty much the same thing today, as a positive. I guess he was looking for some lemonade. But really?? Just sayin'
Isn't this the first team that is 100% recruited by ND and staff?
Maybe there are more issues beyond strategy selection and in game adjustments
|
MrPhillie
Postdoc
Posts: 2757
Loc: NE PA
Reg: 07-14-08
|
02-01-20 08:26 PM - Post#298280
In response to The Psycho of Sojka
Certainly a disparity in overall talent DP was able to recruit versus what ND has. I know coaches have different styles but to me, Davis’ players follow his unemotional, often passionless approach. When you are at a talent disadvantage you need to use other tools such as focus, creativity, fundamentals, and getting fired up...Bucknell seems to lack all of those. In huddles, I’m not sure what Davis is drawing up. Also during huddles, how many players are paying attention? Seems the video board captures many players’ attention rather than the huddle.
|
HuskyColonial
PhD Student
Posts: 1976
Age: 50
Reg: 02-17-12
|
02-01-20 08:48 PM - Post#298296
In response to MrPhillie
Ellis and King were high profile recruits. Sotos was as well. Toomer had MANY offers. Each class under Davis has had a top level PL talent recruit. The rest of each class has had puzzle pieces that are typical for PL team, IMHO.
Regression by these players is the result of poor leadership and even worse coaching. Nate Sestina got out of dodge!
|
res
Masters Student
Posts: 839
Reg: 03-21-06
|
02-01-20 08:54 PM - Post#298299
In response to HuskyColonial
Nate Sestina had no choice. You guys crack me up.
|
Bison137
Professor
Posts: 16147
Reg: 01-23-06
|
Re: Fire ND! 02-01-20 08:55 PM - Post#298300
In response to Bison54
A couple of weeks ago, in the post game with Doug, Coach Harrison was explaining how pleased they were with the defense switching. Coach Davis said pretty much the same thing today, as a positive. I guess he was looking for some lemonade. But really?? Just sayin'
You’ve touched on an issue that definitely scares me. The coaching staff seems proud of a defensive strategy that has made Bucknell one of the worst teams at defending the two point shot in the entire country. It is the worst Bison defense in HISTORY in this area. And yet they seem proud of it. They don’t seem to understand that automatically switching, so that a bison guard is constantly trying to guard a 6-8 or 6-9 post player near the baskets makes no sense at all. Just as bad is that a Bison big man must defend a quick guard on the perimeter, and the wings are forced to cheat away from their man to help out on the mismatch in the post. And the other teams are smart enough to exploit this bizarre strategy.
Good teams switch as a last resort if it is going to create a mismatch. But Bucknell automatically switches, so that the opponent can create the most favorable matchup’s for themselves. I heard from a source that I believe is reliable that many of the players do not like this defensive fstrategy. Hopefully it will be radically changed at some point.
|
Bison137
Professor
Posts: 16147
Reg: 01-23-06
|
02-01-20 09:05 PM - Post#298308
In response to Bison137
By the way, this was the worst home loss versus a patriot league opponent, in at least 20 years. Possibly a lot longer. I will check the years prior to 2001 tomorrow.
|
raybucknell12
Freshman
Posts: 54
Reg: 02-19-12
|
02-02-20 11:03 AM - Post#298362
In response to Bison137
For me, the backbreaker was the American game back in January. After that final defensive possession (up 2 with seconds to go), in which there was no ball pressure and a defensive switch leading to a wide-open, game winning 3, one of our seniors and team leaders visibly ripped into the coaching staff. It seems like ND has lost this team.
|
bisonmania
Masters Student
Posts: 920
Reg: 10-26-07
|
02-02-20 11:59 AM - Post#298371
In response to raybucknell12
I could not agree with you more about Davis losing the team! The video that the team does at the media timeout in the first half really shows how uninterested the team is. Davis sits and goes over a play and much of the team is focused on the video! I know this has been posted by a few on this board in the past including me. I will say this it drives me totally crazy how the team does not respect the staff and how the staff does not see this!! There are a lot of other things you can see during a game that shows a lack of coaching focus or respect.
|
candyfan
Masters Student
Posts: 459
Reg: 01-10-10
|
02-02-20 03:25 PM - Post#298414
In response to bisonmania
While I don't disagree with the criticisms being levied against Davis and the Staff, I hesitate to indict them all to firing everybody! We have a different situation here then we've seen before.
Charlie Woolum got on top and for the most part, kept the team there with his relaxed style.
Pat Flannery brought huge energy but mundane players into the system until finally hitting GOLD with his double NCAA winners!
Paulsen inherited no talent his first year and won about 5 games? Again, high energy but great recruiting followed with big time winning.
Now Davis inherited great talent and won with them. Let's not forget that he won big at Randolph Macon. Now comes a possible slump wherein the recruits are not up to the standards we're used to? Let's give him a chance to work out of it!
|
Bison89
Professor
Posts: 5370
Loc: Philadelphia
Reg: 11-14-07
|
02-02-20 03:26 PM - Post#298415
In response to bisonmania
Mob with Pitchforks and Torches:
https://youtu.be/qLvGnro4Cgw
New season, new team, new dream . . . |
|
MrPhillie
Postdoc
Posts: 2757
Loc: NE PA
Reg: 07-14-08
|
02-02-20 04:11 PM - Post#298419
In response to Bison89
I don’t quite agree with the mob analogy, but I also think some criticism is warranted and certainly allowed in a fan forum. Even at Bucknell.
Perhaps firing Davis is extreme at this point, but he deserves some criticism. I’d be surprised if Truax is happy with the season thus far. It will take 2-3 sub-.500 years in a row along with drop off in season tickets for Davis to be fired, in my opinion. Perhaps another issue is that Davis doesn’t seem overly likable. His personality is lacking, especially compared to Flannery and Paulsen, from what I can tell.
|
res
Masters Student
Posts: 839
Reg: 03-21-06
|
02-02-20 06:53 PM - Post#298428
In response to MrPhillie
I don’t quite agree with the mob analogy, but I also think some criticism is warranted and certainly allowed in a fan forum. Even at Bucknell.
Indeed, it is, Phillie. And there has been plenty of criticism expressed here, a lot of it, I would say, deservedly so. But, this thread is entitled, "Fire ND!". I think you would agree that's a step up from "some criticism". To say nothing of the fact that it ain't gonna happen for quite some time, if ever. So I suggest people freely bring their gripes and otherwise express their frustrations. I get that people want to win, but there's a reason we're in the Patriot League, folks. Not at all costs.
|
Old Bison
Masters Student
Posts: 619
Age: 66
Reg: 07-09-17
|
02-02-20 09:44 PM - Post#298431
In response to res
Game tomorrow night. You gotta play through it and that’s up to the kids. As with everything in life, experience and maturity are the greatest teaches. If I’ve learned anything in life it is that failure is always someone else’s fault. Wasn’t it JFK who said that “victory has a thousand fathers and defeat is an orphan†I’m sure ND feels like an only child right now. I will also be the first to admit, as I have said repeatedly, that I am personally disheartened that we are not competitive within a PL context. The fall off has been precipitous. Time to 🥜 up and move on. In the likely event it doesn’t improve there’s always bourbon 🥃!!!!
|
bison63
Postdoc
Posts: 3857
Reg: 01-23-06
|
02-03-20 02:18 PM - Post#298479
In response to res
I don’t quite agree with the mob analogy, but I also think some criticism is warranted and certainly allowed in a fan forum. Even at Bucknell.
Indeed, it is, Phillie. And there has been plenty of criticism expressed here, a lot of it, I would say, deservedly so. But, this thread is entitled, "Fire ND!". I think you would agree that's a step up from "some criticism". To say nothing of the fact that it ain't gonna happen for quite some time, if ever. So I suggest people freely bring their gripes and otherwise express their frustrations. I get that people want to win, but there's a reason we're in the Patriot League, folks. Not at all costs.
Agree absolutely. “Fire ND,†that’s crazy, and the kind of thing you’d expect to find on the HC board. As long as I can remember, and that is about as long as anyone on the board, Bucknell has never fired a men’s hoops coach. This board played a role in getting a women’s hoops coach fired, but that was for a lot more than just losing. Nuff said about that.
Four winning seasons for ND, four straight PL titles and we are going to fire him for one losing season? And to boot, this is with two of the most highly rated recruits in Bucknell history poised to attend. I would have to say, that the highest rated recruit ( at the time of commitment)of the Paulsen era was Cam Ayers. Now Muscala turned out to be the all time great, but he was not even the highest rated recruit in his class. That would have been Joe Willman, who turned out to be pretty darn good in his own right.
My point is, at our level recruits are largely a crap shoot. If college recruiters knew how good Muscala would become, he’d probably been a Gopher instead of a Bison. Nana was a raw talent but new to the game, and somewhat of an unknown. Those are the kind of breaks you need to get in the PL, but they don’t happen every year.
ND has a record, and before this year it did not include losing. I’m all for being able to express ones opinion on this board. God knows I’ve expressed enough of them over the past 15 years. And my opinion on this issue is that “Fire ND†is not a reasonable discussion at this time.
Btw, fwiw in response to Candyfan, no disrespect but I thought that the 2008 team that Coach DP went 8-23 with had a lot better talent than that record indicated. Enoch Andoh came in as one of Bucknell’s highest rated recruits ever and DP turned him into a benchwarmer. Classic case of forcing the coach’s system on the players as opposed to playing the system that suited the talent on hand imo.
|
The Psycho of Sojka
Sophomore
Posts: 107
Reg: 11-15-15
|
02-03-20 08:50 PM - Post#298504
In response to bison63
After watching this anybody that disagrees is watching something entirely different.
|
raybucknell12
Freshman
Posts: 54
Reg: 02-19-12
|
02-03-20 09:02 PM - Post#298506
In response to The Psycho of Sojka
Another game, another display of the same coaching mistakes. We had no offensive flow...because we don’t even have an offense we’re running. Our best chance to score is in transition. Our half-court offense doesn’t even exist. Don’t even get me started on defense.
At what point do you accept that what you’re doing isn’t working? Is this our new normal?
|