Welcome Kim English

[Pikapppatri8]

Cuonzo Martin at Mizzou is making 3x what CKE is making. If & when it happens, it's the job of Brad Edwards to find the next Coach and not skip a beat. To be more like Butler (Brad Collier > Todd Lickliter > Brad Stevens > Chris Holtman), vcu (Capel > Grant > Smart > Wade > Rhoades) or Xavier (Pete Gillen > Skip Prosser > Thad Matta > Sean Miller > Chris Mack) or Dayton (Oliver Purnell > Brian Gregory > Archie Miller > Anthony Grant) and less like...well....us.

This. Unlike when previous good/great coaches were here - Mason is a different animal.

We are in a better conference - A10
Mason is more visible and relevant regionally - size, notoriety, campus, etc
The new administration is favorable to athletics and is willing to invest - so is the AD.

If KE gives us 2-3 great years and the AD is setting up a process to get an equal replacement - ala vcu, WSU, others - than we are good. It won't be the groin shot that Coach L's leaving was.

 

[bravesfan]

How about donating like we are a blue blood and force admission to the club!

I donated today. Hope others did, as well.

 

[mkaufman1]

I donated today. Hope others did, as well.

ditto here- following the 71.66 trend

 

[gmubrian]

Did L really promise to stay at Mason until retirement?

He said it many ways in many settings, but here is a quote with that gist after we extended him when Providence came courting him:

"I've said before that I hope to retire here at George Mason and this contract extension allows me to do just that," Larranaga said in a statement.

Providence alum Larranaga won't take Friars' offer

George Mason basketball coach Jim Larranaga has turned down an offer to coach at his alma mater, Providence College.

www.espn.com

 

[GMU79]

This. Unlike when previous good/great coaches were here - Mason is a different animal.

We are in a better conference - A10
Mason is more visible and relevant regionally - size, notoriety, campus, etc
The new administration is favorable to athletics and is willing to invest - so is the AD.

If KE gives us 2-3 great years and the AD is setting up a process to get an equal replacement - ala vcu, WSU, others - than we are good. It won't be the groin shot that Coach L's leaving was.

Yes, if he left after this year, which I don't think he will, it would be bad in that nothing is really established yet.
But if it's 3-4ish and he establishes us as a school coaches and athletes want to come to, then yes, we should be okay.
The problem after L left was TOC hiring Hewitt, AND the school as whole wasn't really invested in athletics.

 

[GMU79]

He said it many ways in many settings, but here is a quote with that gist after we extended him when Providence came courting him:

"I've said before that I hope to retire here at George Mason and this contract extension allows me to do just that," Larranaga said in a statement.

Providence alum Larranaga won't take Friars' offer

George Mason basketball coach Jim Larranaga has turned down an offer to coach at his alma mater, Providence College.

www.espn.com

That's not a promise. And we all know how PC coaches have to be. And heck yeah, given the chance, who wouldn't want to coach in the ACC? We've all changed our minds....and yes, even bailed on promises, if it was a promise.

 

[GMUgemini]

He said it many ways in many settings, but here is a quote with that gist after we extended him when Providence came courting him:

"I've said before that I hope to retire here at George Mason and this contract extension allows me to do just that," Larranaga said in a statement.

Providence alum Larranaga won't take Friars' offer

George Mason basketball coach Jim Larranaga has turned down an offer to coach at his alma mater, Providence College.

www.espn.com

Yes, but CKE said he doesn’t see a difference between Mason and a P5 and that he wants to build something here. So, that’s an implicit promise not to bolt after 1 year. Whether he does that or not, who knows. But he’s talking the talk of someone who at least “wants” to be here longer.

 

[GMU79]

Just donated my 71.66
Felt darn good!

 

[gmubrian]

That's not a promise. And we all know how PC coaches have to be. And heck yeah, given the chance, who wouldn't want to coach in the ACC? We've all changed our minds....and yes, even bailed on promises, if it was a promise.

You seemed to completely ignore the words "He said it many ways in many settings" and "a quote with that gist". I found that quote in all of 10 seconds of searching. I myself heard him in person, to my face, hint/promise/reassure that he was retiring from Mason. I didn't record those, so I can't provide them as proof. I'd be surprised, though, if there weren't plenty of other people that heard him say those same/similar things. The only thing that really changed at the time L decided to leave was when Shaka got his big raise and made more than L.

Regardless, yes people change their minds, but, you seem to have missed the argument. Considering someone disloyal when they abide by their contract but part ways, but, not considering someone (Coach L) who did the same thing AND claimed he was going to stay as not disloyal is inconsistent/contradictory. That is all I am pointing out.

 

[GMU79]

You seemed to completely ignore the words "He said it many ways in many settings" and "a quote with that gist". I found that quote in all of 10 seconds of searching. I myself heard him in person, to my face, hint/promise/reassure that he was retiring from Mason. I didn't record those, so I can't provide them as proof. I'd be surprised, though, if there weren't plenty of other people that heard him say those same/similar things. The only thing that really changed at the time L decided to leave was when Shaka got his big raise and made more than L.

Regardless, yes people change their minds, but, you seem to have missed the argument. Considering someone disloyal when they abide by their contract but part ways, but, not considering someone (Coach L) who did the same thing AND claimed he was going to stay as not disloyal is inconsistent/contradictory. That is all I am pointing out.

We disagree.

 

[patriot2000]

I neither agree nor disagree with the greater point here, but I can corroborate what Brian has said. I personally heard L say, on several occasions, that we would retire at Mason and made SPECIFIC comments about not leaving for a P5

 

[gmutom]

I neither agree nor disagree with the greater point here, but I can corroborate what Brian has said. I personally heard L say, on several occasions, that we would retire at Mason and made SPECIFIC comments about not leaving for a P5

I think this went beyond Larranaga's self-professed commitment to Mason. It became personal between him, O'Connor and Merten, and when he didn't get his way he picked up his ball and went home (or, in this case, Miami).

And just to be clear, I think a basketball coach like any person in any profession has the right to better themself financially. I just don't like that L didn't give Mason a final chance to match or better the offer. My take might be wrong, but I always got the impression he was happy to stick it to O'Connor/Merten — which, if true, does admittedly piss me off.

 

[Pikapppatri8]

I think this went beyond Larranaga's self-professed commitment to Mason. It became personal between him, O'Connor and Merten, and when he didn't get his way he picked up his ball and went home (or, in this case, Miami).

And just to be clear, I think a basketball coach like any person in any profession has the right to better themself financially. I just don't like that L didn't give Mason a final chance to match or better the offer. My take might be wrong, but I always got the impression he was happy to stick it to O'Connor/Merten — which, if true, does admittedly piss me off.

Yes yes let that feeling grow. Feeeeeel its power.

 

[GMUgemini]

I think this went beyond Larranaga's self-professed commitment to Mason. It became personal between him, O'Connor and Merten, and when he didn't get his way he picked up his ball and went home (or, in this case, Miami).

And just to be clear, I think a basketball coach like any person in any profession has the right to better themself financially. I just don't like that L didn't give Mason a final chance to match or better the offer. My take might be wrong, but I always got the impression he was happy to stick it to O'Connor/Merten — which, if true, does admittedly piss me off.

I thought it was Merten retiring got him thinking about his dream of coaching in the ACC? Might be BS. I know he wrote a thing outlining why he was concerned about the future of the program before he left.

 

[gmutom]

I thought it was Merten retiring got him thinking about his dream of coaching in the ACC? Might be BS. I know he wrote a thing outlining why he was concerned about the future of the program before he left.

There's no doubt that coaching in the ACC and living in Miami was a huge draw to L and his wife. For all we know, he might have made the jump had we offered to double his salary. The truth is we really don't know what we don't know.

 

[GMUSSTN]

I thought it was Merten retiring got him thinking about his dream of coaching in the ACC? Might be BS. I know he wrote a thing outlining why he was concerned about the future of the program before he left.

I always heard he wanted basically a salary match to what vcu was paying Shaka after their Final Four run AND a commitment to better facilities, since ours were sorely lacking at the time. I think he knew that recruiting was only going to get tougher if Mason didn't start committing the kind of money to the program that other schools in our state/conference were doing.

If he did anything personally I think it was TOC who drove him out...I heard he started donating to Mason again once we hired Brad.

 

[Walter]

Larranaga gave them a chance to counter, but by the time TOC got back to him, he was already on the plane to Miami. He later said if Mason had made the offer earlier, he would have stayed.

 

[GMUgemini]

Larranaga gave them a chance to counter, but by the time TOC got back to him, he was already on the plane to Miami. He later said if Mason had made the offer earlier, he would have stayed.

His wife stopped him from answering that question didn't she with a deftly "well, we are here?"

By the way, what can give us comfort is that the university's commitment to basketball and the resources they've put in to infrastructure is much better than what it was when L left (where Merten wouldn't even let TOC do a dedicated fundraiser for a practice facility).

 

[Walter]

His wife stopped him from answering that question didn't she with a deftly "well, we are here?"

By the way, what can give us comfort is that the university's commitment to basketball and the resources they've put in to infrastructure is much better than what it was when L left (where Merten wouldn't even let TOC do a dedicated fundraiser for a practice facility).

Maybe my memory is faulty, but I recall him saying in one interview that he likely would have stayed.

 

[Pikapppatri8]

OK guys who cares now - the old Cuban is retiring the Miami program in Florida before he retires.

We have the hot young thing that can get shit done.

Life is good - lets' go beat JMU