Fire Dave Paulsen / Hire Tony Skinn

[gmujim92]

Are we in agreement that if Texas fires Shaka Smart after this season, and he's interested in and affordable to Mason, this is a "near unanimous home run"?

That is a 600-foot grand slam.

 

[gmubrian]

Are we in agreement that if Texas fires Shaka Smart after this season, and he's interested in and affordable to Mason, this is a "near unanimous home run"?

I'd be on board with it but my opinion carries no weight. I am assuming others at Mason would be on board with it. vcu fans' would hate it, but they don't count.

 

[gmujim92]

Strangely I think our roster would fit the way Shaka wants to play better than it fits DP.

 

[sleeperpick]

Strangely I think our roster would fit the way Shaka wants to play better than it fits DP.

defensively probably... offense wise absolutely not. We have 0 3 point threats

 

[mkaufman1]

If Mason hires Shaka, my donation is going up, and I’m pretty sure I’d know that Mason is super serious about competing in the A10 and nationally.

That said, I highly highly doubt its occurring for pretty much all the reasons that have been covered already in depth.

 

[GMUgemini]

defensively probably... offense wise absolutely not. We have 0 3 point threats

If you put XJ, Greene, Miller, and AJ on the floor and tell them to aggressively trap for 40 straight minutes, I’m not all that worried about the half-court offense or having a bunch of 3 point shooters.

 

[Patriotsince81]

Shaka Smart:

vcu for 6 years. 163-56 (.744) overall. 74-30 (.712) in CAA and A10.
Won at least 26 games all 6 years.
5 NCAA appearances in 6 years.
One Final 4. Twice advanced to 2nd round. Twice lost in first round.
The one year he did not go to the NCAA he won the CBI title.

Texas now in his 5th year. 83-72 (.540) overall. 31 - 43 (.425) in conference play.
2 NCAA appearances - lost in first round both times. 1 NIT championship.

 

[tblack33]

Curious as to how many people actually have emailed Brad with their thoughts on the current situation.

 

[Patriotsince81]

Smart will receive a $3 million base salary for the 2016–17 season, with another $100,000 raise each season. Can't see Mason ponying up that kind of cash.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

OMG it would be hilarious if we gave Shaka about three times what we wouldn't give Larranaga and even bought him a house.

I still wouldn't buy tickets because I f**king hate anyone that has spent more than seven minutes at vcu, but it would troll Larranaga like a champ, so I'd be on board.

 

[Patriotsince81]

Curious as to how many people actually have emailed Brad with their thoughts on the current situation.

I will be doing so at the end of this year. I want to choose my words carefully.

 

[gmujim92]

If you put XJ, Greene, Miller, and AJ on the floor and tell them to aggressively trap for 40 straight minutes, I’m not all that worried about the half-court offense or having a bunch of 3 point shooters.

This is right. vcu made the F4 with 3-point shooting, but Shaka’s best teams after that were built on scoring off forced turnovers.

 

[gmujim92]

Smart will receive a $3 million base salary for the 2016–17 season, with another $100,000 raise each season. Can't see Mason ponying up that kind of cash.

Considering what he’s going to be getting from Texas in his buyout, his next school might not have to get to $3M. If he wants back in badly enough I could see someone landing him for half that.

Would Mason pay $1.5M for a coach? Doubtful, but it’s interesting to think about.

 

[gmubrian]

OMG it would be hilarious if we gave Shaka about three times what we wouldn't give Larranaga and even bought him a house.

I still wouldn't buy tickets because I f*cking hate anyone that has spent more than seven minutes at vcu, but it would troll Larranaga like a champ, so I'd be on board.

We could even name it Shaka Smart Court. He practically owned it anyways.

 

[Leesburg Chankenstank III]

I will be doing so at the end of this year. I want to choose my words carefully.

Certainly understand. I’ve been told these emails are taken much more seriously than we all think.

But just keep in mind that the timing is crucial because people who matter are already rubbing elbows with the powers that be and the wheels are turning. Any emails sent will help grease those wheels and help make the case.

 

[JPgmuswim]

That is a 600-foot grand slam.

Just like 600-foot grand slam, getting Shaka isn’t happening though and we know it. I was one of the ones who mentioned this dream a while back and one can still dream. Ha

 

[JPgmuswim]

Certainly understand. I’ve been told these emails are taken much more seriously than we all think.

But just keep in mind that the timing is crucial because people who matter are already rubbing elbows with the powers that be and the wheels are turning. Any emails sent will help grease those wheels and help make the case.

I would imagine a email from someone like McKay would be taken much more seriously than some of us.

 

[GSII]

gmubrian, you mentioned you were thinking about the position Brad is in? Look at what is consistently wrong with our teams. It's the recruiting. Plain and simple. It's consistently below average. What reason is there to think our coach can change this going forward? He couldn't do it with Fischer and Kelly on his staff but somehow we suspect that it will change over night and the ship will be righted by giving him another year? I disagree. Other than Simpkins, we have nobodies coaching. As for these 3 recruits coming in next year, they are all below average for the A10, Kolek average at best. After a summer in a program under pressure, they could regress faster than Mar and Calixte have.

If Brad had Balls, he sat Lil Dave down after year three and told him what would happen next if recruiting didn't increase by year 4. Hopefully, Brad laid out his expectations and won't let sorry injury excuses get in the way of moving on.

 

[GMUgemini]

gmubrian, you mentioned you were thinking about the position Brad is in? Look at what is consistently wrong with our teams. It's the recruiting. Plain and simple. It's consistently below average. What reason is there to think our coach can change this going forward? He couldn't do it with Fischer and Kelly on his staff but somehow we suspect that it will change over night and the ship will be righted by giving him another year? I disagree. Other than Simpkins, we have nobodies coaching. As for these 3 recruits coming in next year, they are all below average for the A10, Kolek average at best. After a summer in a program under pressure, they could regress faster than Mar and Calixte have.

If Brad had Balls, he sat Lil Dave down after year three and told him what would happen next if recruiting didn't increase by year 4. Hopefully, Brad laid out his expectations and won't let sorry injury excuses get in the way of moving on.

To be a little fair to Hutchins, he did coach 3 NBA players while at New Hampton as well as a bunch of high major talent.

Also, proclaiming a kid “average at best” before they get here isn’t smart.

 

[gmubrian]

gmubrian, you mentioned you were thinking about the position Brad is in? Look at what is consistently wrong with our teams. It's the recruiting. Plain and simple. It's consistently below average. What reason is there to think our coach can change this going forward? He couldn't do it with Fischer and Kelly on his staff but somehow we suspect that it will change over night and the ship will be righted by giving him another year? I disagree. Other than Simpkins, we have nobodies coaching. As for these 3 recruits coming in next year, they are all below average for the A10, Kolek average at best. After a summer in a program under pressure, they could regress faster than Mar and Calixte have.

If Brad had Balls, he sat Lil Dave down after year three and told him what would happen next if recruiting didn't increase by year 4. Hopefully, Brad laid out his expectations and won't let sorry injury excuses get in the way of moving on.

GS-You seem to be conflating the reality of a situation with your (or anyone else's) desires. I don't think there is anything that indicates it will be fixed going forward (other than a slight uptick in the quality of our recruits). I am just pointing out that the facts of the situation don't seem to be conducive to DP being fired at the end of the season. It isn't just up to Brad. He has to convince the President and BOV, which, at this point I suspect is just the BOV. I would be surprised if the acting president would get involved in such a decision. And if she did, I would expect an acting president to take the non-controversial route (don't fire him with two years left on his contract).

I already gave you a scenario where if Brad had big balls, he might try to pull the trigger before the new president arrives, but I see that scenario as a very low probability. Now, if Chank's rich friend and Mason Lawyer pony up some money to make it happen, that would change the situation. Again, I still see it as a low probability.