DentonLurker

I would hope the new basketball arena. The Super Pit served its purpose, but it's time for a major upgrade and a true basketball facility.

Tommy left because he was either A. Fired by Littrell or B. Didn't want to work for Littrell. What makes any of you think he would want to come back now?

I'm just glad that basketball has figured out a way for a team like North Texas or Western Kentucky to get to play in the post-season. (I'm looking at you, college football)

Agreed. I think it would be a fun game to play.

caught me

At the end of the day, what happens on the field is all that matters. I'll hold judgment until we see what the D-Line looks like next year. You guys act like you've never worked a personal relationship to help you get a job you might or might not be the best candidate for. That's just kind of the way the world works. Honestly, it doesn't even bother me. Relationships are important. He'll have his shot to prove himself, just like any of us would. At the end of the day, one thing that's always stood out to me with coaches is that they're always going to hire who they know and trust. That's just kind of how the business operates. They get paid the big bucks to win. They know that. If they don't, they hit the road.

I'd be curious what his thoughts are about the location? "small time" is probably too friendly of a phrase for what that facility is. I hate that there aren't real "dug"-outs. It causes bad sightlines for fans. I also think the bleachers don't go far enough down the baselines to make it a true fan-friendly facility. Having concessions and bathrooms as far from the stands as they are there is also not ideal. It really just has a little league vibe all around. Adding batting cages and other team amenities under more substantial stands would also make it a better facility for the program. It just needs a lot of stuff and amenities to make it what it should be, in my opinion. I think starting over is your best bet. I don't even know that you can make what's there work. Add-on: I would also add that the lack of a substantial pressbox and chairbacks/luxury-type seating makes it less than ideal too.

The latest master plan does not show baseball in the same spot as that. It's also rotated.

I'm always in for nachos made with cheese from a bag... and lots of jalapenos...

That's kind of the vibe I got from listening to his reasoning in that podcast. He also stated that over 50% of his scholarship players are freshmen and sophomores due to the COVID stuff, so he is looking for guys with more experience. He said he would only have 5 seniors on scholarship next year. He also basically said that he doesn't have to make an offer to athletes who don't have other offers like he has has in the past, so he can be patient and see what his options are before making that offer. I think COVID makes transfers even more appealing. Look at Ruder. He's been in a college program for 3 years and he still has 4 years of eligibility left.

Welcome to the life of a Group of 5 program

Personally, I love the outside the box nature of what he's doing down there. He's trying to win games. I think it shows a lot of boldness to do things differently than the norm or what we're used to. We'll see how it translates on the field, but my guess is he's going to be putting more talented players on the field than just going the HS player route as he builds that program into what he wants it to be.

I don't know that this is true. In interviews I've seen with Spav, I think he's also needing to fill some major holes in the OL and DL. He needs guys who can come in and play right away. Coaches are going to understand what he's doing. If I remember correctly, he's also giving a lot of Texas players a chance to come back home. If I was a HS coach, that would be cool to me too. I'm sure they're still paying attention to the timing of when players would be coming in/out of their program.

I'm not saying I'm not impressed that it's not worse than it is, but do you really get to claim a surplus if student fees and CARES Act money is what makes your budget whole?

Have you seen their erector set stadium?

If he helps win games, I don't care how long he's here. My guess is he'll have some big time offers.

I think Dany White's a great hire for them. I hope his stance on G5's needing more respect on the FB NC front doesn't change. More people who believe that in high places is good for UNT.

You want to lose good employees during a pandemic, don't look for opportunities to reward those who have stuck with you.

This hire gives me a lot of hope. He had good defenses at Baylor against offenses that are way better than anything he'll go against in CUSA. That reason alone makes me optimistic.

I have no issue with players opting out. Loyalty is a two-way street. As long as coaches can quit/get fired by AD's before a season is over, I have no issue with players moving on whenever they see fit. Seems fair to me.

You're still stuck on this?

At this point, I think it's a pipe dream that there will even be college football in the fall.

I mean, I hear what you’re saying but the conference only had 10 guys get drafted so I would think that’s not really a huge selling point for anyone in the conference.

Coaches and Athletic Directors don't. Coaches leave before contracts are up, ADs fire coaches before contracts are up. Why hold players to a higher standard than their leaders?

What this is going to show is what schools truly can afford athletics at the amount they’re spending, whether that’s salaries of coaches or cost to play. The other thing I expect to see is schools having a harder time justifying the athletics tax they’ve been charging in student fees. I think this may well be the thing that finally separates the haves and have-nots officially. Schools are going to have to figure out how vested they really are in sports. My guess is a good chunk will have to downshift or shut down sports all together. Dropping a sport, as some schools have done, may just be the beginning. Many athletic departments have been living beyond their means for a long time and universities have propped them up. Some schools are not going to have the cash flow to do that during the lean times.