MGB: Firing Benford midseason would be a bad move for UNT

[Brett Vito]

MGB: UNT made midseason moves twice recently in football. The circumstances are not right when it comes to men's hoops

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2017/01/pulling-the-trigger-on-tony-benford-before-seasons-end-is-a-bad-idea.html/

[UNTFan23]

17 minutes ago, Brett Vito said:

MGB: UNT made midseason moves twice recently in football. The circumstances are not right when it comes to men's hoops

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2017/01/pulling-the-trigger-on-tony-benford-before-seasons-end-is-a-bad-idea.html/

@Brett Vito, this isn't how you get +1s.

Edited January 23, 2017 by UNTFan23

[TheTastyGreek]

Disagree. 

I still love you, Vito. Parking make a man say and do crazy things. 

[UNT90]

That damn parking pass!...

Well, keeping Benford is the wrong move if they ever want my business back at the Pit. That's all I know.

Question for @Brett Vito. What if UNT pulls an 0-fer the rest of the year. Doesn't win one conference game. And UNT allows Benford to coach through the whole ordeal. How do you think that goes over with the fan base?

Edited January 23, 2017 by UNT90

[EagleMBA]

Good article, Brett.  You made the case for patience (as hard as it is to be patient) very well. You know your post won't rack up points with the majority...the sharks smell blood in the water!

[greenminer]

RV didn't just watch that Portland State game and think, "I have to find a way to make this continue.  Shit! Wait.  WE HAVE CANALES."

We didn't turn to Canales because we had Canales, we turned to him because things were THAT BAD.

[Travis]

6 minutes ago, greenminer said:

RV didn't just watch that Portland State game and think, "I have to find a way to make this continue.  Shit! Wait.  WE HAVE CANALES."

We didn't turn to Canales because we had Canales, we turned to him because things were THAT BAD.

This!

[TreeFiddy]

Barf.

Edited January 23, 2017 by TreeFiddy

[untbowler]

disappointing article but typical of the culture, don't do anything radical. Benford has been an abject failure since Day 1 and has done more harm to the BBall program than Dodge did to FBall. Trilli had worse record but Benford took a Conference Contending team and ran it into the ground. What would it do to throw out the cancer, Benford, and interim an Asst Coach. Tired of the losing.

[BTG_Fan1]

Honestly, Vito does have a point... I'm assuming WB is already making a list of people to talk to. Yes this isn't good for the fan base, but whoever WB hires will be an upgrade nor will they hire be the sole reason people start attending games. I know its doubtful but maybe there is a clause or something that Benford gets more if fired, i know its doubtful but WB knows basketball. 

[Green P1]

FAKE NEWS ALERT

[UNT90]

Don't rule out Brett just playing contrarian here. Don't forget the Daily called for Benford to be fired several days ago.

Does anyone think Brett Vito is going to be the one to second the opinion of a lowly school newspaper? Hardly.

Edited January 23, 2017 by UNT90

[southsideguy]

ok vito when do they tell benford their will be no new contract?????

[Mean Green 93-98]

[Side Show Joe]

These players are not stupid. They have to know Benford will be gone. If they are going to transfer, they are going to transfer. The sooner we get moving forward in our search for a new coach, the better. If we stink for the rest of the season under an interim basketball coach, as least it will come with the disclaimer that we are in the process of finding a new coach.

[BTG_Fan1]

Just now, Side Show Joe said:

These players are not stupid. They have to know Benford will be gone. If they are going to transfer, they are going to transfer. The sooner we get moving forward in our search for a new coach, the better. If we stink for the rest of the season under an interim basketball coach, as least it will come with the disclaimer that we are in the process of finding a new coach.

Why can't they search now with him knowing he wont be back???

[Rudy]

2 hours ago, EagleMBA said:

Good article, Brett.  You made the case for patience (as hard as it is to be patient) very well. You know your post won't rack up points with the majority...the sharks smell blood in the water!

What exactly are we being patient for?

[outoftown]

10 hours ago, Rudy said:

What exactly are we being patient for?

This. Are we thinking it might magically get better? Isn't it that kind of thinking that got UNT here in the first place (how many days since Alabama Huntsville?)? Also, as someone said: players know Benford will not be retained. If they want to leave, they'll do it anyway. Yes we may not have an obvious replacement ready, but give the younger assistants a shot. Can they really do worse? Who knows, one of them might be a diamond in the rough. At least there would be a sliver of hope.

Edited January 23, 2017 by outoftown

[Cerebus]

10 hours ago, greenminer said:

RV didn't just watch that Portland State game and think, "I have to find a way to make this continue.  Shit! Wait.  WE HAVE CANALES."

We didn't turn to Canales because we had Canales, we turned to him because things were THAT BAD.

RV didn't turn to Canales by choice, he was forced to fire Mac.  He would have allowed him to finish the year.

Keeping Mac would have been a terrible mistake, because of the messaging to fans. Same situation here.

[UNT Mean Green]

38 minutes ago, Cerebus said:

RV didn't turn to Canales by choice, he was forced to fire Mac.  He would have allowed him to finish the year.

Keeping Mac would have been a terrible mistake, because of the messaging to fans. Same situation here.

True, he had no choice. 

As far as the timing of a firing, in the end, what tangible difference was there in firing McCarney in October versus the end of the year? Littrell was still named head coach after the season and did not fully assemble a staff until January.

What is there to gain by firing Benford at this point? Are coaches who are currently in their conference runs going to speak with Wren Baker about the job? In all likelihood, probably not. If it's merely to pacify the fans, that's pretty awful reasoning at this point. The new coach is going to have to earn the confidence of those fans by winning regardless.

[UNT90]

36 minutes ago, UNT Mean Green said:

True, he had no choice. 

As far as the timing of a firing, in the end, what tangible difference was there in firing McCarney in October versus the end of the year? Littrell was still named head coach after the season and did not fully assemble a staff until January.

What is there to gain by firing Benford at this point? Are coaches who are currently in their conference runs going to speak with Wren Baker about the job? In all likelihood, probably not. If it's merely to pacify the fans, that's pretty awful reasoning at this point. The new coach is going to have to earn the confidence of those fans by winning regardless.

Telling your fan base you give a crap. ESPECIALLY in THIS situation, where you have ignored a problem for so long (4 years) while a vast majority of your fan base has rightfully demanded action.

Like I said, I'll never buy season tickets again if this is allowed to play out. I'm quite sure others have a line drawn in the sand, also. This isn't a program that can afford to alienate fans more than it already has.

Thats why you end it. You should have ended it years ago, but failing it end it now tells me your priority will never be a championship basketball program. 

Edited January 23, 2017 by UNT90

[untbowler]

11 hours ago, UNT90 said:

Don't rule out Brett just playing contrarian here. Don't forget the Daily called for Benford to be fired several days ago.

Does anyone think Brett Vito is going to be the one to second the opinion of a lowly school newspaper? Hardly.

Sounds to me like Vito is playing defender for Baker, hoping to keep his scoops coming in.

There is zero reason to keep Benford on the payroll. Fire him and Evans name an interim and finish out the season, guarantee the players will play better with the albatross gone.

[Cerebus]

1 hour ago, UNT Mean Green said:

As far as the timing of a firing, in the end, what tangible difference was there in firing McCarney in October versus the end of the year? 

The AD is selling a product.  Part of selling  is your customer base having confidence in the brand value of your product.  Keeping Mac around would have had no chance to help the brand, but it did have a good chance of helping it.  

Every day that you send the message that this kind of product is acceptable, you are lowering the value of the product the next coach is going to try and sell.  Stop digging a deeper hole for that coach.

[UNT Mean Green]

1 hour ago, UNT90 said:

Telling your fan base you give a crap. ESPECIALLY in THIS situation, where you have ignored a problem for so long (4 years) while a vast majority of your fan base has rightfully demanded action.

Like I said, I'll never buy season tickets again if this is allowed to play out. I'm quite sure others have a line drawn in the sand, also. This isn't a program that can afford to alienate fans more than it already has.

Thats why you end it. You should have ended it years ago, but failing it end it now tells me your priority will never be a championship basketball program. 

So your simple answer is in order to pacify fans like you who don't attend games anyway, and if Benford is not fired before the end of the year, you claim the new athletic director will never make winning in basketball a priority?

[Army of Dad]

Just now, UNT Mean Green said:

So your simple answer is in order to pacify fans like you who don't attend games anyway, and if Benford is not fired before the end of the year, you claim the new athletic director will never make winning in basketball a priority?

How about the few who actually do go?