TIPPING POINT

untjim1995 · January 27, 2015

RV has said many times that he gave Johnny five years to make it work....it did. Read into that what you will regarding year four.

It tells me that we will extend Benford at this first chance we can reasonably do so--but that high hurdle right now is .500 this year or finishing above .500 next year by 4 games or more.

greenminer · January 27, 2015

RV has said many times that he gave Johnny five years to make it work....it did. Read into that what you will regarding year four.

We are all grateful that it worked out with Johnny, but it should not mean every new hire is entitled to 5 years no matter what.

oldguystudent · January 27, 2015

It tells me that we will extend Benford at this first chance we can reasonably do so--but that high hurdle right now is .500 this year or finishing above .500 next year by 4 games or more.

This makes no sense at all. I'm aware of two contract extensions -- Johnny Jones (well deserved) and Mac (cheered at the time, questioned by some right now). For all his questionable hires, I'm not aware of any extensions to shitty coaches. I could be wrong, but I really don't think the guy is sitting in a candle lit pentagram in his basement rubbing his hands together, conjuring ways to f up the athletic department with his velvet rope buddies.

UNT90 · January 27, 2015

RV has said many times that he gave Johnny five years to make it work....it did. Read into that what you will regarding year four.

Johnny took over crap and rebuilt. Benford took over a rebuilt program and turned it to crap.

Hardly the same thing.

If this is the way RV truly feels, he should have been fired yesterday. But we really don't know if this is how he feels, because he is never honest with the fan base.

Edited January 27, 2015 by UNT90

flyonthewall · January 28, 2015

Blah Blah Blah, five game schedule, blah blah blah fired yesterday, blah blah blah never honest, blah blah blah, its the players fault they missed the free throw, blah blah blah accepting mediocrity,blah blah blah doesn't care about winning

GreenMachine · January 28, 2015

Blah Blah Blah, five game schedule, blah blah blah fired yesterday, blah blah blah never honest, blah blah blah, its the players fault they missed the free throw, blah blah blah accepting mediocrity,blah blah blah doesn't care about winning

you might not care for the guy but you have to admit, he doesn't accept mediocrity like most people associated with UNT. It might not do any good to be negative on a message board but it doesn't do any harm like setting low to no standards does.

untjim1995 · January 28, 2015

This makes no sense at all. I'm aware of two contract extensions -- Johnny Jones (well deserved) and Mac (cheered at the time, questioned by some right now). For all his questionable hires, I'm not aware of any extensions to shitty coaches. I could be wrong, but I really don't think the guy is sitting in a candle lit pentagram in his basement rubbing his hands together, conjuring ways to f up the athletic department with his velvet rope buddies.

If you think RV feels that Benford is a shitty coach, especially after all of his public comments about his team being the problem and that Benford is growing into the role as a head coach, I don't know what to say. Maybe he says that in private, but I really doubt it--RV needs (badly) for Tony Benford to not be another colossal failure in revenue sports like Todd Dodge, Shanice Stephens, and Rick Petersen have all been under his leadership. And those extensions of Dickey and McCarney under Rv's guidance haven't really worked out for him. Only Johnny Jones was a success--and that was after five years of extreme medicority that followed the worst basketball we have ever witnessed at the Super Pit. If Benford can get to .500 again, he can say that he has made strides in getting the program back in the right direction (in his opinion only) and that it really won't cost the unviersity too much to extend his contract out a couple of more years at the same pay. If the BOR has proven anything over the years, it is that this kind of approach to athletics (cost vs. winning) will be fully embraced.

The real problem for RV and Benford is that a .500 record this year is a really tall hurdle going forward--it could be that we leap over it, but it is doubtful. But just like RV told Dickey in 2001 after we lost to ULM and couldn't fire him because of the BOR, he told him needed to see some wins to justify an extension. Dickey ran off 5 straight wins, a conference championship, and a bowl berth. Maybe Benford gets the same message and the team squeezes out those 7 wins needed to get to .500. At North Texas, you can never count out the reality that we will reward a coach for accomplishing very little. Too much history to think otherwise, IMO...

Edited January 28, 2015 by untjim1995

ChristopherRyanWilkes · January 28, 2015

Johnny took over crap and rebuilt. Benford took over a rebuilt program and turned it to crap.
Hardly the same thing.
If this is the way RV truly feels, he should have been fired yesterday. But we really don't know if this is how he feels, because he is never honest with the fan base.

I can promise you this is exactly what he's thinking. Hence the comments about Benford "not taking over an easy job" he has sent to concerned alumni in the past. He is justifying this hire with a past hire that worked out, but like you've pointed out under completely different circumstances.