15 Minutes Thread

[gmutom]

Me too. Having a conference media day where we're a total afterthought and picked to finish next-to-last, just eight years after going to the Final Four, is enough to generate some serious hate..

I have to admit that plunking down a couple grand for my tickets and Patriot Club donation was not an easy pill to swallow. Although I understand why some people chose not to renew this season, I personally felt like I would be turning my back on the players when they need the support the most.

The biggest challenge will be finding friends and family members to join me for week night games, which end too late for my kids. It's not an easy sell to get people to come out and watch an inferior product, especially if they have no vested interest in the university.

 

[gmujim92]

I have to admit that plunking down a couple grand for my tickets and Patriot Club donation was not an easy pill to swallow. Although I understand why some people chose not to renew this season, I personally felt like I would be turning my back on the players when they need the support the most.

The biggest challenge will be finding friends and family members to join me for week night games, which end too late for my kids. It's not an easy sell to get people to come out and watch an inferior product, especially if they have no vested interest in the university.

It was certainly easier to justify driving 2 hours up to Fairfax and 2 hours back to Richmond for a weeknight game when we were basically unbeatable at home.

Now I find myself making excuses not to go.

I'll probably catch more games in person than last season, though, simply because we're hardly gonna be on TV.

As a fan, I try to hold out hope that somehow everyone could be as wrong about us as they were about GW last season. Then I remember we don't have Lonergan.

 

[MasonFanatic]

I had be planning to add more seat(s) this year, but I could not get friends to commit to using them, so I just renewed what I already had. It's still fun to go to the games, so long as I take a step back and don't live and die on every turnover.

 

[Five Two]

As a fan, I try to hold out hope that somehow everyone could be as wrong about us as they were about GW last season. Then I remember we don't have Lonergan.

I try to post this every time somebody here mentions Lonergan- during his first 2 years at GW, their fans thought he was the "index case" and were ready to ship him back to NE DC and Catholic U. He gets a kid like Mo Creek to transfer in and suddenly he's a great coach.

 

[933127]

I try to post this every time somebody here mentions Lonergan- during his first 2 years at GW, their fans thought he was the "index case" and were ready to ship him back to NE DC and Catholic U. He gets a kid like Mo Creek to transfer in and suddenly he's a great coach.

Well then let's hope Julian Royal is our version of Mo Creek I guess......
Paul Hewitt is essentially a washed up version of Charles Grice "Lefty" Driesell.

 

[GSII]

Wasnt Lonegran starting from scratch vs our dude who couldnt light the splif OCM rolled for him?

 

[gmujim92]

Karl Hobbs basically left Lonergan an empty cupboard other than Lasan Kromah and David Pellom, both of whom transferred prior to last season.

Lonergan recruited his a** off, made it to the NCAA tournament with two transfers and four really talented sophomores, and now GW is picked No. 2 in the A-10 preseason poll.

Meanwhile, Hewitt has our engine going full-throttle in reverse.

Suggesting that Mo Creek is the only reason Lonergan is considered a great coach is ridiculous. He's completely turned GW's program around in 3 years. That's impressive as hell.

 

[Walter]

Wasnt Lonegran starting from scratch vs our dude who couldnt light the splif OCM rolled for him?

That was so funny that the brASSWIPE who owns @FirePaulHewitt just retweeted it. What an unoriginal hack he is.

 

[gmutom]

I'll probably catch more games in person than last season, though, simply because we're hardly gonna be on TV

Jim, I just sent you a PM about a freelance writing opportunity. Give me a ring if you're interested. It's great money and will help offset your gas costs from driving back and forth.

 

[wijg]

I try to post this every time somebody here mentions Lonergan- during his first 2 years at GW, their fans thought he was the "index case" and were ready to ship him back to NE DC and Catholic U. He gets a kid like Mo Creek to transfer in and suddenly he's a great coach.

FiveTwo-I usually understand and agree with all of your points, but this one seems to be eluding me.

Is your point is that the GW fans were too impatient, and by inference, so are the Mason fans. Meaning, we need to give Hewitt more time to find his Mo Creek to make him look good. While patience might have been warranted in the first two years of Hewitt at GMU, wouldn't the 3 years here and the last 6 or 7 of his years at GT be a large enough sample size that it takes more than just one good recruit for him to succeed?

If that is not your point, then I can only assume that you are implying that Lonergan is not a good coach. I could be remembering wrong, but I thought you were a proponent of his during our coaching search days. His track record seems to speak for itself with the only real blip on the radar being the first two years at GW and those are excusable given where GW was when he took the helm.

So, could you clarify your point?

 

[gmujim92]

Patience was never warranted with Hewitt because he inherited a program ready to win immediately.

He never would've taken the job otherwise.

He's basically admitted as much.

His situation and Lonergan's are apples and oranges.

 

[GMUgemini]

FiveTwo-I usually understand and agree with all of your points, but this one seems to be eluding me.

Is your point is that the GW fans were too impatient, and by inference, so are the Mason fans. Meaning, we need to give Hewitt more time to find his Mo Creek to make him look good. While patience might have been warranted in the first two years of Hewitt at GMU, wouldn't the 3 years here and the last 6 or 7 of his years at GT be a large enough sample size that it takes more than just one good recruit for him to succeed?

If that is not your point, then I can only assume that you are implying that Lonergan is not a good coach. I could be remembering wrong, but I thought you were a proponent of his during our coaching search days. His track record seems to speak for itself with the only real blip on the radar being the first two years at GW and those are excusable given where GW was when he took the helm.

So, could you clarify your point?

I read it as too much credit. We give coaches too much credit when things are going right and too much blame when they are going wrong.

Someone in another thread mention Patsos turning around Siena. How I remember Patsos as the idiot who refused to stop doubling Stephen Curry even after Curry took himself out of the game by standing in the corner thereby letting Davidson play 4 on 3 basketball the entire game. You want to talk about the king of not making in-game adjustments.

 

[gmujim92]

We give coaches too much credit when things are going right and too much blame when they are going wrong.

Normally I'd agree with you, but college basketball is a coach's game.

GW hired the right guy and is realistically set up for three consecutive NCAA bids.

Mason had the right guy, whiffed badly on his replacement and faces the uncertain prospect of rebuilding from the basement of a highly competitive league. Who knows when we'll get back to the dance?

Is GW's talent that much better than ours? I don't think so.

 

[JimP]

I read it as too much credit. We give coaches too much credit when things are going right and too much blame when they are going wrong.

Someone in another thread mention Patsos turning around Siena. How I remember Patsos as the idiot who refused to stop doubling Stephen Curry even after Curry took himself out of the game by standing in the corner thereby letting Davidson play 4 on 3 basketball the entire game. You want to talk about the king of not making in-game adjustments.

No matter the coach, fan's will question in game strategy. I live in Syracuse country, and plenty of fans question Boeheim's constant use of zone. It generally works though - the defensive numbers are always pretty good at the end of the year. Hell, I hated Larranaga's penchant for refusing to foul when it'd help. (Penn State & Fairfield)

It's the long term trends have most of us putting Hewitt in the bad coach category. Always a bunch of TO's on offense and a defense that gives up points in bunches, etc.. It basically seems his teams are never prepared.

 

[GMURaider]

Normally I'd agree with you, but college basketball is a coach's game.

GW hired the right guy and is realistically set up for three consecutive NCAA bids.

Mason had the right guy, whiffed badly on his replacement and faces the uncertain prospect of rebuilding from the basement of a highly competitive league. Who knows when we'll get back to the dance?

Is GW's talent that much better than ours? I don't think so.

What if we get to 19-11?

 

[wijg]

What if I spot a unicorn in my backyard?

You remind me of my children. What if this, what if that... I have begun to hate that phrase with a passion.

 

[GMURaider]

What if I spot a unicorn in my backyard?

You remind me of my children. What if this, what if that... I have begun to hate that phrase with a passion.

Well I suppose we'll just have to wait and see who's right and who's wrong. I feel this team as currently constituted will be a 7 or 8 seed in the NIT similar to the 2009 team.

 

[Pablo]

Well I suppose we'll just have to wait and see who's right and who's wrong. I feel this team as currently constituted will be a 7 or 8 seed in the NIT similar to the 2009 team.

What is your basis for comparing this season's team with Mason's 2008-09 team? Of 330 D-I teams, Mason's 2008-09 team was:

26th in scoring defense (60.6 ppg)
34th in FG% defense (40.0%)
26th in 3-pt. FG% defense (30.9%)
27th in turnovers per game (11.9)

 

[JimP]

What is your basis for comparing this season's team with Mason's 2008-09 team? Of 330 D-I teams, Mason's 2008-09 team was:

26th in scoring defense (60.6 ppg)
34th in FG% defense (40.0%)
26th in 3-pt. FG% defense (30.9%)
27th in turnovers per game (11.9)

Wow - great post. Really shows how far we've fallen.

 

[Pablo]

GMURaider,

Mason's 2008-09 team was also 22th in D-I in personal fouls per game (15.7). With 7 players returning from a team that was 294th of 345 D-I teams (20.9 personal fouls per game), how do you think this season's team will do in this category?

Interestingly, Hewitt told the interviewer during the A10 media day that this season's team will defend well. Perhaps, Hewitt needs to watch tapes of our 2008-09 team?