Tonight

sparkmank · January 22, 2017

Let me start by saying, I think Tony Benford is a good guy, he has always been professional & respectful. At least to me personally. But if you can't fire the guy tonight, you're pretty much saying we don't care about our program.

Aquila_Viridis · January 22, 2017

Maybe should not have hired someone loyal to TT. Another inside job.

oldguystudent · January 22, 2017

Sagarin rating before tonight's game was 298 out of 351 D1 teams. So when the new ratings come out in the morning, it will likely be sub 300.

Hunter Green · January 22, 2017

Embarrassing. Not even competitive. Come on Wren, pull the trigger.

Edited January 22, 2017 by Hunter Green

THOR · January 22, 2017

10 hours ago, oldguystudent said:

Sagarin rating before tonight's game was 298 out of 351 D1 teams. So when the new ratings come out in the morning, it will likely be sub 300.

If ya can't be the best, might as well shoot for the worst...

oldguystudent · January 22, 2017

Just now, THOR said:

If ya can't be the best, might as well shoot for the worst...

Is this from the Big Book of Todd Dodge quotes?

KRAM1 · January 22, 2017

16 hours ago, sparkmank said:

But if you can't fire the guy tonight, you're pretty much saying we don't care about our program.

That, Sir, is a mighty BIG assumption with absolutely ZERO basis in fact.

djohnnie · January 22, 2017

1 minute ago, KRAM1 said:

That, Sir, is a mighty BIG assumption with absolutely ZERO basis in fact.

This

sparkmank · January 22, 2017

1 minute ago, KRAM1 said:

That, Sir, is a mighty BIG assumption with absolutely ZERO basis in fact.

Fair. But 5 years of below .500 ball & a 16 game road losing streak is more than enough. How much lower do you have to go?? From the outside looking in, if I was to look at our basketball program, I would come to the conclusion that the university doesn't care. I personally don't believe that, but others do. I understand WB's hands may be tied a tad, I get that, but seriously, do we have to drop a couple more conference games by 25+?? Just make the move to show you give a damn. Actions speak louder than words.

Hunter Green · January 22, 2017

I'm sure there is an assistant on staff who would love the opportunity.

GrandGreen · January 22, 2017

I have advocated a change after every year Benford has been here and during the holiday break this year. However I now think that little would be accomplished by making that change now. An addendum to that is that I want to make sure that he is not risking further player injury trying to save his job.

Many think it makes a needed statement, I don't think much of one. Benford obviously is not HC material and should have been terminated or better yet not hired in the first place. However, this team is so beat down now; I don't see anyone that NT could possibly get as interim making it any better. I don't see any different point being made whether he is fired now or after the season.

While I certainly would not fault Baker for terminating Benford, I believe that time as passed. I had rather the AD focus more on finding the best MBB available for a permanent position than wasting time trying to set up some interim band-aid.

I certainly don't buy the AD does not care about the program, that does not even make sense. That akin to saying he doesn't care anything about a $400k job, he took 6 months ago. Baker didn't have a lot of options. In many's opinion, he should have began his career in football season to terminate Benford and search for a replacement. I can definitely support his decision to not go that way. A lot of other priorities and a lot more risk in making a bad choice in the future MBB coach.

UNT90 · January 22, 2017

1 hour ago, sparkmank said:

Fair. But 5 years of below .500 ball & a 16 game road losing streak is more than enough. How much lower do you have to go?? From the outside looking in, if I was to look at our basketball program, I would come to the conclusion that the university doesn't care. I personally don't believe that, but others do. I understand WB's hands may be tied a tad, I get that, but seriously, do we have to drop a couple more conference games by 25+?? Just make the move to show you give a damn. Actions speak louder than words.

This is exactly correct. It says to all of college athletics that UNT doesn't give a damn about the men's basketball program. It surely sends that message to recruits. And if I'm battling UNT for a recruit, I would tell that recruit that if your coach at UNT is awful, you can't count on UNT to do the right thing. They would rather YOU suffer, would rather YOU lose, and would rather blame YOU for it than to take responsibility and make the hard decision.

If Baker doesn't ax Benford tomorrow, I will be SEVERELY disappointed in Baker as an AD. Words and actions. Lots of the former, little of the latter so far.

shootermcgavin44 · January 22, 2017

1 hour ago, Hunter Green said:

I'm sure there is an assistant on staff who would love the opportunity.

If you can't find anyone on staff that is chomping at the bit to get an opportunity to be a head coach, why the heck did they get hired in the first place?

This team hasn't won a game since December 20th, don't understand the mindset that people think this thing could possibly get worse with a change.

Edited January 22, 2017 by shootermcgavin44

UNT90 · January 22, 2017

Do it Monday after the recruits have left town. Desperate times.

UNTFan23 · January 22, 2017

26 minutes ago, shootermcgavin44 said:

If you can't find anyone on staff that is chomping at the bit to get an opportunity to be a head coach, why the heck did they get hired in the first place?

This team hasn't won a game since December 20th, don't understand the mindset that people think this thing could possibly get worse with a change.

The assistants on the staff might want to be a head coach some day but this is a radioactive situation I'd avoid if I were looking to show off my (head) coaching skills.

The interim coach has two basic options:

Forget scouting teams to try to get back to basics and maybe coach some of the bad habits out of the team/learn some new sets
Go with what you got and maybe catch a team looking ahead on the schedule/go cold on their shooting (see UTEP/UTSA game)

UNT90 · January 22, 2017

I really don't get what a bad basketball coach has to do with football recruiting.

Keep in mind UNT will most likely be 0-9 in conference by national signing day, and the last big recruiting weekend may involve taking recruits to see a Benford led team in the 9th of those losses. At least if you fire Benford, there is some type of hope around the basketball team for those recruits to see.

Letting this thing go to 0-9 will permanently do it for me and will affect my future giving to UNT athletics in general.

UNT90 · January 22, 2017

The problem I worry about is Benford winning a game he isn't supposed to and the powers that be doing the typical lazy UNT thing and saying "well, he won, so let's just let him coach it out." Right now there is zero argument basketball wise for his dismissal.

Im really tired of rooting for losses in the hopes that the right thing is done. Only at UNT.

Rudy · January 23, 2017

Do we have anyone at the athletic department watching for black smoke to billow out from the chapel?

UNT Mean Green · January 23, 2017

14 hours ago, UNT90 said:

I really don't get what a bad basketball coach has to do with football recruiting.

Keep in mind UNT will most likely be 0-9 in conference by national signing day, and the last big recruiting weekend may involve taking recruits to see a Benford led team in the 9th of those losses. At least if you fire Benford, there is some type of hope around the basketball team for those recruits to see.

Letting this thing go to 0-9 will permanently do it for me and will affect my future giving to UNT athletics in general.

Football visits here do not currently involve attending basketball games likely by design (remember Littrell has coached at Arizona, Indiana, UNC which I imagine include hoops in the visitor itinerary).

UNT90 · January 23, 2017

11 minutes ago, UNT Mean Green said:

Football visits here do not currently involve attending basketball games likely by design (remember Littrell has coached at Arizona, Indiana, UNC which I imagine include hoops in the visitor itinerary).

When you can't bring your recruits to basketball games because of the level of suck, it's time to fire your coach.

Then again, it was time 4 years ago, wasn't it?