UNT90

Raise your standards.

Lol. I got a job, don't want another. Besides, I got my sights set on the TCU head basketball coaching gig once Jaime takes the Duke job when Coach K retires.

??????? So your stated goal for UNT basketball is .500 or VERY slightly above?

You don't keep a guy around that wanted and openly campaigned heavily for your job. It leads to split loyalties inside your organization. That move should have been made immediately and hurt the time frame to improve the AD. That was a complete go along to get along move, a la Mac keeping Chico. He didn't fire Benford when he knew he should have. He bowed to people in high places that liked Benford and didn't want him gone before season's end. Good old personal manipulation and UNT athletics are best buddies. He thinks he is being politically smart, but what he is doing is perpetuating a terrible culture that he either can't identify or has decided not to fight. Is there a chance I'm wrong? Sure. If you ignore human behavior and listen to just words. June will tell the tale. If there are no AD changes (I'm betting there won't be), we will know what The Who told us so many years ago:

Would you take the slap on the wrist SMU got to be a nationally prominent basketball program? If not, enjoy losing. Exactly, the biggest P5 shadow on the state. Wouldn't surprise me to see UTSA and UT sign a one and one in the future...

Fixed.

I'm not talking about coaches. I'm talking about UNT leadership and administration. If there is a cultural problem there, it will absolutely work its way down to head coaches. Dickey is a PRIME example. The man became bitter because he got zero support from apathic leadership above the AD. What did UNT do when they fired Dickey? Hired a high school coach. That's not even pretending to care. And when Dodge predictably failed? Hired a retread and bumped salaries because they absolutely had to do so. And who was AD that entire time? A woefully underperforming AD that kept his job for 15 years and was only fired after a huge majority of the fan base threw a hissy fit. Yes, that absolutely mattered. Even then, RV had support from high level donors and some BOR members to remain. What other FBS would ever retain that level of incompetence for 15 years? The answer is none. That moves us to Baker, who appears to have taken a go along to get along position at UNT. That will work well for him if he wants to he UNT AD for 15 years, but it will be highly detrimental to the most important change needed for success of the major athletic programs: a change in culture. Baker appears to be willing to do what his bosses want him to do with little or no fight. How do I know this? Because I haven't seen evidence of him winning one major issue. IF this is the case (we will know for certain if major changes aren't made in the AD by mid June), Baker will be just another in a long line of failed hires at UNT.

Bullshit to the P5 not wanting to play here. UNT didn't want them to play here. The Hattiesburg Hustler said so publicly on a GMG.com podcast, Yet Baker was able to get a one and one within 6 months of taking the job. Can't believe you of all people would throw that particular excuse out. That particular false narrative should be dead and buried. 18 year olds don't know our history. I think our culture hurts us much more than our history, because you can bet HS coaches know that culture and have been subjected to it if they have been coaching very long. What UTSA has in publicity they lack in facilities, and terribly so. Unless they get really good (very possible), their attendance average will fall below 20k. People don't want to watch losers. You as a UNT fan should know that by just looking around Apogee or the Pit. The Alamo Dome is a complete craphole, and anyone who has been there understands this. Their biggest advantage is culture inside the program. They have a culture that wants to win and will do what is legally necessary to get there. UNT doesn't. Really crazy analogy and completely inapplicable. SMU didn't commit a crime, for Pete's sake. So, back to the question: Would you have hired Larry Brown if he could have provided to UNT exactly what he provided to SMU? Wait, that's probably poorly worded. Better question: Do you think Brown was a good hire for SMU?

No, they are doing what every other FBS school not named UNT does. They hire people to win. They are committed to a winning athletics program. I love ya, but this was the same statement rolled out there by many (myself included) for the Larry Brown hire by SMU. Did they get their wrists slapped? Yep. Are they now positioned to get a 4 seed in the NCAA tournament and have they been picked by one expert as one of 8 teams that should win it all? Yep again. And a program poised to be a major player on the national scene for years to come. So I ask you, was the slap on the hand worth it?

Truth hurts. Hide and watch. They are building something down there that has never been built here. And they are doing it with much much less. #commitment

Wilson is getting it done by taking chances. UTSA is committed to athletics. I wish UNT was half as committed. UTSA is my darkhouse to win CUSA next year.

Lol. Ok. Which one of the training staff was the team cancer that sunk this thing?

Looks like Ray found food at the wildlife refuge.

For a spin free, outsider assessment, just look where other conference coaches thought UNT would finish this year: http://conferenceusa.com/news/2016/10/6/MBK_1006161210.aspx Now, the argument could be made that the other coaches knew that Benford was an awful coach and rated UNT accordingly, but it also says something about the talent on this roster. 336 out of 352 in RPI. Lots of evidence this team won't be a 20 win team next year. Instead of worrying about Combs, the new coach better get busy convincing the Desoto kid not to try and get a release from his LOI.

Interesting. That would be great news for whoever the new coach turns out to be.

Absolutely ZERO way to know what this team is. You may be right, you may be dead wrong. These guys have been so poorly coached for so long, there is no telling what they are. Is there talent? Some. I would bet you and I disagree completely on Brice. He needs A LOT of work to be a contributing bench player in CUSA. Lawson looks like the real deal, but does he stay? Everyone else is pretty meh. That first statement was a shot, not a question. But I don't hate ya. It's ok, I know you were just jumping on the dog pile and using me as a punching bag for your frustration of Combs being wasted for 3 plus years while UNT failed to act. Yes, I went to A game this year. One. Combs didn't play. No, I would never disclose a conversation with a player or player's parent on this board. Ever.

Can't tell if it's completely naked. MUST BE CREEPILY AND COMPLETELY NAKED!!!!!!

And a trap door to a career death as an AD, I assume...

You forgot the most dangerous sin of all: they will have pre-marital sex with college girls!!!!!! Oh, the horror!!!!

So it's gone from 3 out of 5 to 4 out of 5 now? Did they add an injured starter this 3rd day after the season was over? Look, The SMU kid wasn't a starter. Never was a starter here. Just because you wanted him to be a starter doesn't mean that he was. I also have my doubts about him leaving the program because of his knee. Really weird circumstances led to his departure. Combs was a big loss. Deckie wasn't. He was actually replaced by an all-conference freshman. Who was this third starter lost again? That should be pretty telling.

I think it's because he knows deep down odds are I have a very good chance of being right here, and it pisses him off that Combs will be gone. Its always easy to kill the messenger, and it's a proud tradition at UNT.

There literally is zero evidence that Baker will make a good or bad hire. You know, because he has never hired any FBS level coach. I know people want to wish it so, but at some point you have to at least concede basic facts.

You seriously equate UNT athletics to Walmart and Target? Good lord. Ah, the injury excuse. Every team faces challenges throughout the season. These aren't unique circumstances to UNT. You are right about the season being over before it started, but no one anticipated the possibility of a 0-18 conference record, which was a VERY real possibility into February. Circumstances changed. So should have Baker's evaluation time line. Instead, he chose to let this team possibility go 0-18. That's unforgivable. It also shows a lack of ability to adjust to incoming info. This is a huge weakness in many executives. They think it makes them look weak to adjust to new info. Those leaders don't last long (at least in a non-dysfunctional organization). If UNT would have changed their culture, I would fear this fate for Baker.

If it was for more than one year, I would agree with you. But it isn't. Negligible gamble for a big payoff.

His Facebook page is... out there...