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Post by aahhbigboy on Mar 12, 2008 22:27:38 GMT -5
Truthseeker, look at our budget now. It is more than enough, but it's used to get kids from Kentucky etc. Since, Goins and Booker, we've seen a serious drop off in talent. I am not suggesting that Eaves go after superstars when I say "studs", I'm merely suggesting that we get players that can play (and not have to get screamed at for 40 minutes). Coleman is a stud, outside of that, we are extra regular.
When I referred to people laughing/talking, I was referring to the coaching community, not players.
Shumate is how we should, at least, be. Eaves is no thorn in anyone's side. We don't even compete for a tourney title, reg. season title, etc. Our accomplishments speak directly to the level of player talent that we have. And the last time I checked, we've accomplished nothing in the Eaves era. Not even so much as an advancement to the tourney championship. Not even so much as a 2nd place finish.
I'm aware of the dead period, it's the same dead period every other successful coach has. lol I know they can't be at every amateur tourney (east-west games are a political farce, they don't count), but the state can't be ignored either. I would understand if they ignored NC, and every year they were bringing in good players. They bring in below average-average talent every year. If Bozeman, Jack, or Nickelberry wanted to do that, we'd hear about them signing 4 players early also. It's a joke.
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Post by aggiejazz on Mar 13, 2008 7:44:42 GMT -5
Aahhbigboy, what do you think of Hampton's coach Nickleberry now?
Lawd knows what you would be saying if Eaves lost in the second round as a #2 seed.
Eaves did make it to the semi-finals as a #3 seed last year.
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Post by aggiejazz on Mar 13, 2008 8:03:29 GMT -5
I know a lot of people will disagree with me but I think A&T missed out on a golden opportunity to again have a special basketball program with Curtis Hunter as the head coach. I think A&T could have been where Winthrop is now. Curtis Hunter needed a smart AD who could have provided Curtis with an experienced older coach, a former head coach in particular, who could have mentored Curtis. Hunter had money contacts and a famous college coach willing to give some assistance albeit from a distance from A&T. Also, the mothers of recruits loved him.
But A&T had several opportunities to take the men's basketball program to a Gonzaga-like presence in the NCAA but the support wasn't there.
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Post by Aggie9195 on Mar 13, 2008 8:59:36 GMT -5
I concur!
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Post by aggie82 on Mar 13, 2008 9:16:09 GMT -5
when was the last time a former player sent a kid back to A&T to play ball ?? Heck, I didnt even play ball in college and I am out here on the high school and aau circuit looking for a kid to send to A&T....
I have a relationship with Coach Key, and I have begun to funnel him some info on this year's 9th grade class, since this is the class that i am most familiar with....Charlotte is loaded with kids that no one knows about....i am working that area since my son plays aau down there...i also have some contacts in the clemson, sc area..
to my knowledge other than Trahern Chapman and Steve Rush, we havent gotten the kids with family ties to the university....i talked to Ice Griffis in Raleigh....he has a son in the 9th grade; all he talks about is sending his son to A&T...I know that Chuckie Becton has a son that is a soph and the staff knows about him; he is not the type of player his father was, and at 6-2, he may not ever be tall enough to play the wing in college....
now if we send/give info to the staff, that's about all we can do; but going back to my other post, i dont know what Eaves wants other than for a kid to turn down a better deal to come to A&T....
In the old days, the MEAC was full of guards that could really play; most of them were undersized, but they could push the ball up the court and put the ball in the basket...we used to be a conferene filled with wide body 6-4 to 6-6 foward centers that could play, and occaisionally we would get a 6-9 kid...
Now we are looking for kids that can lead us to the MEAC championship and win a game in the first round...we havent won a championship in forever, so talking about winning a NCAA game is out of the question....
we just need to focus on finding kids that can play; I looked at George Mason; starting center is 6-7, 6-8...but everyone on the team can play....is putting a team together than can really play asking for too much? someone please help me...
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Post by aahhbigboy on Mar 13, 2008 9:36:12 GMT -5
Jazz, Nickelberry ought to have his @ss whipped. Pilgrim must've been in foul trouble because he only played 20 minutes. Somewhere along the line, Nickelberry's team stopped playing for him. With the talent he had, this season has been a huge disappointment for their faithfuls. Now, onto Hunt. I know/knew Hunter and he is a better basketball coach than Eaves. Hands down, period. He knows the game better and his recruitng was better (for the most part). Hunt's problem is that he is a terrible people-person. And I do mean terrible. I talk to a lot of the boys still and ALL of them have a story to tell about Hunt. Most of them still won't have anything good to say about him. There were actually a few players that quit and just persued graduation because he could be so bad. Think about this. Hunt is/was a part of the coveted Carolina coaching fraternity and he hasn't been able to land another job (assistant or whatever) on the collegiate level. Why do you think that's so? What's funny is that Eaves actually thought about having Hunt around in some capacity when he first got here. Now that I look at the football fiasco, Hunt probably should've gotten another chance. But how do you justify 1-26?
Aggie82, I swear, that is all I'm trying to say. These cats have no idea how to put teams together, mainly because they have difficulty evaluating talent. They think they know everything (a number of us have tried funneling players to T). I guess if I were the head coach, I couldn't let outsiders influence my program, but how long will you continue to be slightly below average before you acknowledge that a change is needed somewhere?
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Post by aggiejazz on Mar 13, 2008 9:55:07 GMT -5
Aggie82, we are on the same wavelength. I have learned the hard way that A&T needed to start contacting 9th and 10th graders. When I was out there in high school basketball until recently, I would get calls from people telling me about players A&T should take a look at for recruiting. Most of the players were very good or on the verge of being very good but were under the radar of major basketball colleges. With AAU summer tournaments their anonymity were lost and most of them ended up at major problems but not all.
There are two freshmen now starting for ODU, 6'9" and 6'5" that I thought A&T had a damn good chance of getting but things fell through for whatever reason. I don't do much now. I will say you can talk to Coach Kee.
Aahhbigboy, I know what you are saying about Curtis. If I could have afforded it and A&T would have allowed it, I would have liked to be on Hunter's coaching staff because he needed help.
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Aggie77
Official BDF member
Member Since: September 2004
Posts: 5,572
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Post by Aggie77 on Mar 13, 2008 10:16:18 GMT -5
I know a lot of people will disagree with me but I think A&T missed out on a golden opportunity to again have a special basketball program with Curtis Hunter as the head coach. I think A&T could have been where Winthrop is now. Curtis Hunter needed a smart AD who could have provided Curtis with an experienced older coach, a former head coach in particular, who could have mentored Curtis. Hunter had money contacts and a famous college coach willing to give some assistance albeit from a distance from A&T. Also, the mothers of recruits loved him. But A&T had several opportunities to take the men's basketball program to a Gonzaga-like presence in the NCAA but the support wasn't there. I don't concur. 'Jazz, in my opinion the dude was in over his head (on almost every level, from running practice to calling time-outs) and he whined incessantly about not having "this or that". Granted he didn't have "this or that" but find a way to get "this or that". If he had these so called “money contacts”, where were they? The mothers of recruits may have loved him, but they didn’t love sending their sons to A&T to play basketball. Is he in coaching today, let that be your guide. Looking back, what you suggest as a mentor scenario is probably in reverse. We should have hired a seasoned head coach over him; hopefully grooming him to be a better coach in the long run, because he had the foundation, but not the polish. He thought he was ready, we thought he was ready, we were both wrong. Though I think some of ”aahhbigboy” comments are over the top, his guiding principle appears to be that if the coaching staff works harder the program will be successful. My issue is I don’t know how hard they are working, but to successful at Div. I level in basketball takes more than working harder, it take hard cold cash. Do think Gonzaga spends less $ ¾ million on their basketball program?
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Post by aggiejazz on Mar 13, 2008 10:50:54 GMT -5
Aggie77, I don't disagree with your assessment minus the money part. I was looking at the situation after he was hired.
I had already stated a long time ago that A&T should have hired Duckett of WSSU or Del State's head coach, Jackson, when he was at NCCU or even Mike Bernard, formerly of NCCU and Norfolk State.
Hunter needed help in his recruiting no doubt. Keeping the money you raised was a problem that Hunter had as well as Bill Hayes had in his early days. The money you raised went into the whole athletic budget and it didn't all go to your program. A fact later learned the hard way for Hunter. When your efforts are stymied like that I guess you stop doing certain things. Coach Hayes later learned how to protect most of the money raise by him.
Hunter is coaching a high school team in Guilford County. I think last year his team made the state playoffs.
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Post by dj98 on Mar 13, 2008 21:40:36 GMT -5
Eaves is on Wide Legs status now...... If he done find a True PG It might get ugly next year?!?!?!?!?!?!
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