TrueBlue82 Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 I understand (and share) the frustration, but want to add a little perspective... Most of us predicted in mid-December that this team would finish the Summit League with a losing record (and some worse than others). But, if we had known then that Chris Miller would leave the team and E-Man would only play in eight of the first fourteen Summit games, I doubt if anyone on this board would have predicted a 6-8 record at this point. We have some very bright young talent, with Obanor and Weaver topping the list. If E-Man comes back from injury, we could even cause some havoc in Sioux Falls in March. It will take time to build ORU back into a Summit contender and a frequent NCAA participant, but we are (slowly) moving in the right direction. The low point was 2017, when we missed the tournament. Since then, a 6 seed in 2018 and a 5 seed (likely) in 2019, despite E-Man's injuries. The building blocks for the future are there - we just need to keep those blocks for all four years, and add in equal talent at other positions. The jury is still out on Coach Mills, but I'm willing to give him additional years to continue the progress over the past two seasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 TruBlue82, while I always respect and enjoy your level-headed optimism, I can't help but feel that a fourth-consecutive 20-loss season next year would warrant drastic, meaningful change within the men's basketball program. Injuries, defections, ineligibility, etc. are all part of life in D-1 basketball these days; every team has to deal with bad breaks every year. Better programs tend to succeed in spite of them; struggling programs tend to use them as excuses for failure. I am loathe to accept that it should "take time" for a school like ORU to become an immediate contender in a one-bid conference such as the Summit League. It just takes the right people, in the right places... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 I don't think it's reasonable to place the blame for Sutton tanking the program on Mills. Mills was introduced on May 1, 2017 with only 16 remaining days in the late signing period ( April 12 through May 17 ) and was only able to add two additional players in time for the 2017-18 season (only one of which played during the 2017-18 season). He also allowed Spencer Sutton to stay on the roster when there was zero reason to. Emir Ahmedic signed during the early period on Nov 16th, 2016 Ruder signed under Interim Coach Perry on April 26th James Conley signed May 15th (only played two games) Sam Kearns signed on May 17th The schedule for 2017-18 was already in place when Mills was announced and the majority of the roster (except for two spots) was as well. This season is a different story, Mills has his first recruiting class in (a step in the right direction) and built the schedule so this year's record is fully on him but holding him accountable for Sutton's rosters and scheduling doesn't make sense. ORU is trying build back up from being one of the bottom 15 programs in the country; something that can't be fixed in a single turn around season. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU82 Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Totally agree Dr. C. If anything, Sutton should have been fired at least a couple of years before he actually was fired. IMHO, Sutton tanked the program way before he was let go. I don't blame Coach Mills for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted February 19, 2019 Author Share Posted February 19, 2019 Watching Sutton on the bench in Stillwater vs. TCU tonight....now he's tanking the Pokes....2-10 in the Big 12.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Guys, please, please, PLEASE - read what I said: if ORU loses 20 games again NEXT YEAR, then drastic, meaningful change is warranted. Which is not, it appears, what some of you THINK I said. Look at it this way: if any other school in the conference fired a coach following a 20-loss season, only to have his replacement ALSO lose 20 games a year for three more years, could you really blame them for making another change? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU GRAD Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 8 hours ago, Old Titan said: Guys, please, please, PLEASE - read what I said: if ORU loses 20 games again NEXT YEAR, then drastic, meaningful change is warranted. Which is not, it appears, what some of you THINK I said. Look at it this way: if any other school in the conference fired a coach following a 20-loss season, only to have his replacement ALSO lose 20 games a year for three more years, could you really blame them for making another change? I totally agree with OT. We must at least give him one more year to turn this program around. He is very dedicated to doing just that. Last evening he took the blame for the loss with going man to man when this team is not at its best in that defense. Our guards are too small and like Mills said, "they just took us inside with easy scores." As was noted, they shot 6 for 9 threes in the first half and yet we were only one point down. I not only think our young players are in a learning curve but Coach Mills and staff are also. We are still without Eman and I hope he not only will be able to play the rest of this year but stay on for one more year. Time will tell and until then we will have to see how they respond these last two games plus a game in the Conference. As Coach said, he has had his challenges this year with injuries and the loss of Chris. Jones did not make it in this year. Just give him another year to right the ship. I believe we have something to build on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted February 19, 2019 Author Share Posted February 19, 2019 IN MILLS WE TRUST!!!.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceManSpiff Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 11 hours ago, Old Titan said: Guys, please, please, PLEASE - read what I said: if ORU loses 20 games again NEXT YEAR, then drastic, meaningful change is warranted. Which is not, it appears, what some of you THINK I said. Look at it this way: if any other school in the conference fired a coach following a 20-loss season, only to have his replacement ALSO lose 20 games a year for three more years, could you really blame them for making another change? That would be premature given what he had to work with. Sutton was given a team that just came off a tournament championship appearance. Mills was given a team that didn't even make the tournament! You can't turn around a team in a season. And I view this as Mill's 'true' first season for the same reasons @Dr. Cornelius described. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 2 hours ago, SpaceManSpiff said: You can't turn around a team in a season. Sure you can! Granted, it doesn’t happen all the time, but it does happen: Nolan Richardson at Tulsa, Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, Baker Mayfield in Cleveland, Norman Dale at Hickory (IN), etc. Like I said before, it just takes the right people, in the right places. (you all realize I’m trying to jinx myself into ORU winning 18 games next year, right? LOL) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Is Turning Around A College Basketball Program Easier Than You Would Think? (NCAA News 1/16/18) Again, these are all Power 5 schools where the cupboard was not exactly bare, but remember I'm just talking about becoming a legit contender in a low-major conference, not reaching the Sweet Sixteen. But, while we're at it, why NOT reach the Sweet Sixteen? A MidCon/Summit League team has done it before! #whynot #dreamaloudathighvolume Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Gotta hand it to our ol' buddy Ron Hunter: he's won at TWO low majors (IUPUI and Georgia State). If Ron Hunter Can Win At Georgia State, Why Can't Georgia Tech and Georgia Do The Same? (athletic.com) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted February 19, 2019 Author Share Posted February 19, 2019 That's it!...ORU needs to hire Ron Hunter.....and need I remind all of you....Rick Pitino IS available......isn't ORU a place of 2nd chances???...on 2nd thought..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 2 hours ago, theeagleman5 said: That's it!...ORU needs to hire Ron Hunter.....and need I remind all of you....Rick Pitino IS available......isn't ORU a place of 2nd chances???...on 2nd thought..... I'm not trying to start a "who should ORU hire as it's next coach?" thread. I was thinking more along the lines of "shouldn't ORU be further along at this point in a new regime, and how much patience is enough?", which should frankly take into account a variety of factors including wins-losses, recruiting, player development, attendance, sponsorships and donations, general buzz about the program, etc. I guess I'm just a little baseball-happy right now. It's amazing how different the vibe is between the two programs, in terms of success, culture and how the local fans & media, with no other connection to ORU, feel about the two. Simply worlds apart right now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlue82 Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 On 2/18/2019 at 2:45 PM, Old Titan said: TruBlue82, while I always respect and enjoy your level-headed optimism, I can't help but feel that a fourth-consecutive 20-loss season next year would warrant drastic, meaningful change within the men's basketball program. Injuries, defections, ineligibility, etc. are all part of life in D-1 basketball these days; every team has to deal with bad breaks every year. Better programs tend to succeed in spite of them; struggling programs tend to use them as excuses for failure. I am loathe to accept that it should "take time" for a school like ORU to become an immediate contender in a one-bid conference such as the Summit League. It just takes the right people, in the right places... I don't disagree with your statement at all. While I do have optimism for the future, I would agree that another 20-loss season would be disastrous for our program. That said, I do see an upward trend, and am expecting 2019-20 to bring the addition of some talent to augment our current freshman class, resulting in an upper-division finish in the Summit. If those expectations do not come to fruition and we stumble to another 20+ losses, then I would be among the first to propose further changes for the program. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleManiac Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 On 2/18/2019 at 11:19 AM, Old Titan said: Not losing 20 games a year, or finishing in the upper half of a one-bid conference, are such low bars to clear; forgive me for harboring higher aspirations for this once-proud program. Old Titan for AD!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleManiac Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 6 hours ago, Old Titan said: I guess I'm just a little baseball-happy right now. It's amazing how different the vibe is between the two programs, in terms of success, culture and how the local fans & media, with no other connection to ORU, feel about the two. Simply worlds apart right now... This is the quote of the year. Outside of the baseball program, the athletic department as a whole seems to have accepted mediocrity. No swagger at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted February 20, 2019 Author Share Posted February 20, 2019 Put out an APB on Swagger....it's been missing for a decade....Bring the swagger back to ORU!!!... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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