Who should be our next Men's head coach?

[UNT90]

Sort of like the Coach Mac hire...I am thinking he's responsible for that hire as well. Can you do me a search of all the D-1 NCAA schools and how the coach hires turned out at those schools? You can just focus on basketba;l if you would like so as to narrow it down a bit. Since you don't like this hire (understatement of the year perhaps), maybe you can research the AD's who made some questionable hires at other D-1 schools since hiring people in any profession is truly scientific and fool proof, right?

This is the basketball forum, right? So yes, I am only talking about the basketball hire.

And my problem really isn't so much with the hire, but with the stubborn refusal to fix a glaring hiring mistake after year one and publicly blaming players for his mistake. Take some freakiing ownership.

[Mean_Green09]

This is the basketball forum, right? So yes, I am only talking about the basketball hire.

And my problem really isn't so much with the hire, but with the stubborn refusal to fix a glaring hiring mistake after year one and publicly blaming players for his mistake. Take some freakiing ownership.

If you fire a head coach after one year you will lose a lot of interest in the position. He deserves 3 years to get his program going in the right direction.

He has proven he can bring in players with recruiting and transfers. So it's not like there won't be talent later on down the road.

It's just plain stupid to fire a coach after one yr. Find me teams that were successfull in the year after firing their head coach who has been there for one year.

[Army of Dad]

If you fire a head coach after one year you will lose a lot of interest in the position. He deserves 3 years to get his program going in the right direction.

He has proven he can bring in players with recruiting and transfers. So it's not like there won't be talent later on down the road.

It's just plain stupid to fire a coach after one yr. Find me teams that were successfull in the year after firing their head coach who has been there for one year.

He took what should have been the breakout year and turned it into a dumpster fire. He doesn't deserve two more years to fix what he broke.

He's proven he can get players in here? How many high school recruits from this staff are on the roster? I'm sorry, but Benford hasn't proven anything on the recruiting trail yet.

Find me teams that were conference finalists the year before a new coach and lost 20+ games the next year. Now see if any of those teams had an NBA talent on the roster with most of the contributors back...

[ColoradoEagle]

I think that logic only applies when they're replacing a coach who was fired for not getting the job done. He took an 18-14 squad with remarkable returning talent, projected as a possible top 25, and turned in a 12-20 record with a loss to a division II team.

[UNT90]

I think that logic only applies when they're replacing a coach who was fired for not getting the job done. He took an 18-14 squad with remarkable returning talent, projected as a possible top 25, and turned in a 12-20 record with a loss to a division II team.

And then the AD refused to gix the problem, blamed the players, and got a 10 year extension (before anyone knew how his football hire would play out).

That would not happen anywhere else except UNT.

Edited November 12, 2013 by UNT90

[GRN-WHT]

He deserves 3 years to get his program going in the right direction.

So Johnny Jones had the program going in the wrong direction? Am I reading that right?

[Mean_Green09]

By his direction I mean his product on the floor. His formula for building a winner. In no way am I say that Jones had the program going in the wrong direction. I meant he should get his 3 years to develop his program. Installing his ways.

You people who think its best to get rid of a coach after 1 year clearly don't know a lick about coaching. Your delusional to think that will solve the problem with a snap of the finger. If that would have happened I'm not sure we would have been able to field a team this year.

Last year had a lot to do with a new coach learning how to be a head coach and a group of players who quit. There was no effort and no execution of the motion offense. It was clear our guys didn't understand it. Last night they showed a lot better understanding. I'd be willing to bet that this team will look much like Jones teams. Lots of scoring and no defense.

[ColoradoEagle]

So every year that one of our coaches gets hired away by another school for winning too much here, we should expect and be ok with two years of losing?

[Mean_Green09]

So every year that one of our coaches gets hired away by another school for winning too much here, we should expect and be ok with two years of losing?

Did not even saying anything like that. And who said two years of losing? Am I missing something did the college basketball season finish already. If so please send me all the scores so I can go place some bets

[Mean_Green09]

All I said was I believe in giving a coach 3 years to prove that he can win. Programs and organizations who are consistently changing tend to struggle for longer.

I'm willing to give Benford his 3 years to show me he can win. If you don't then don't even bother paying attention to the bball program and save yourself the trouble of bashing the team and coach. I'm sure the basketball program will survive without you watching or paying attention.

I don't even think he needs 3 years. I fully expect this team to show a lot more improvement this year against much tougher competition.

[GRN-WHT]

Last year had a lot to do with a new coach learning how to be a head coach

That's exactly the problem many have with this hire. After being told by the AD that this exact thing would not happen, we hire a lifelong assistant who needs time to learn on the job.

Instead of needing to give a coach 3 years to prove to us that he can win, why not hire a proven winner from the beginning, like we did with Mac.

[Mean_Green09]

That's exactly the problem many have with this hire. After being told by the AD that this exact thing would not happen, we hire a lifelong assistant who needs time to learn on the job.

Instead of needing to give a coach 3 years to prove to us that he can win, why not hire a proven winner from the beginning, like we did with Mac.

And I get that...

Look I'm not trying to say I agree with what the AD did and his choice.

All I'm saying is you cant determine after year one and all the BS from last year whether or not Benford will work out. Making a move after one year would have almost been a death penalty for the program. The only thing to do is to hope that their is improvement. I'm pretty confident we will see it. I've watched, coached, and played a lot of basketball and what I saw last night was a step in the right direction.

[ColoradoEagle]

Did not even saying anything like that. And who said two years of losing? Am I missing something did the college basketball season finish already. If so please send me all the scores so I can go place some bets

Well, when you said you're willing to give him 3 years, that to me says we should be ok with 2 years of losing, because the third year is where we see whether or not he can win. Maybe you meant something else. I don't know how we'll end the year, but I do know that OU isn't expected to set the world on fire, and it never once looked like we were going to win last night.

All I said was I believe in giving a coach 3 years to prove that he can win. Programs and organizations who are consistently changing tend to struggle for longer.

I'm willing to give Benford his 3 years to show me he can win. If you don't then don't even bother paying attention to the bball program and save yourself the trouble of bashing the team and coach. I'm sure the basketball program will survive without you watching or paying attention.

I don't even think he needs 3 years. I fully expect this team to show a lot more improvement this year against much tougher competition.

We had the same coach for 11 years before Benford. I wouldn't classify that as 'consistently changing'. You're egging the wrong guy on when it comes to supporting UNT basketball.

[GreenBat]

I don't even think he needs 3 years. I fully expect this team to show a lot more improvement this year against much tougher competition.

What have you seen in the first two games that shows you this. And what is the much tougher competition? Certainly not the teams that Benford has scheduled as home opponents.

[Mean_Green09]

Well, when you said you're willing to give him 3 years, that to me says we should be ok with 2 years of losing, because the third year is where we see whether or not he can win. Maybe you meant something else. I don't know how we'll end the year, but I do know that OU isn't expected to set the world on fire, and it never once looked like we were going to win last night.

We had the same coach for 11 years before Benford. I wouldn't classify that as 'consistently changing'. You're egging the wrong guy on when it comes to supporting UNT basketball.

I didn't say this program was consistently changing, but if you make a change after his first year that is 3 different coaches in 3 years. I'd say that is becoming consistent change. So you support the team just not the coach. I got it now.

When Jones was here who did he beat that was expected to set the world on fire? OU is a pretty good team. Not great, but they are one of the better teams in the BigXII. Top 5 team.

So it didn't look like we had chance to win when we cut it down to 4? I sure as hell thought we had a chance to win at that point. Oh but I guess your right. Might as well packed it in then. Why even show up to play the rest of the game.

[Andrew]

What have you seen in the first two games that shows you this. And what is the much tougher competition? Certainly not the teams that Benford has scheduled as home opponents.

This schedule is no different then any other schedule we have seen in the past few years.. if we replaced on NAIA school with UTA all of you would be happy...

We just are not playing a "big name school" at home. With our conference scheduled we are the same... I guess you rather have Jackson state, Texas southern, Arkansas state and Sam Houston state then Tulane, ECU, or Old Dominion

[Andrew]

I didn't say this program was consistently changing, but if you make a change after his first year that is 3 different coaches in 3 years. I'd say that is becoming consistent change. So you support the team just not the coach. I got it now.

When Jones was here who did he beat that was expected to set the world on fire? OU is a pretty good team. Not great, but they are one of the better teams in the BigXII. Top 5 team.

So it didn't look like we had chance to win when we cut it down to 4? I sure as hell thought we had a chance to win at that point. Oh but I guess your right. Might as well packed it in then. Why even show up to play the rest of the game.

Because they can do better... they can coach, dunk, an knock down a 3...

[ColoradoEagle]

I'm not going to go around on this. You have your opinion that Benford is a good coach. I have my opinion that he's almost as bad of a hire as Todd Dodge. It will take a couple more years (because you know he won't be fired before then) to figure out who was right.

[Mean_Green09]

What have you seen in the first two games that shows you this. And what is the much tougher competition? Certainly not the teams that Benford has scheduled as home opponents.

CUSA is much tougher then the Belt.

The offense for one and their ability to score. They have showed a lot greater ability to move the ball and move without the ball. It flows a lot better like a motion offense should,

They are guard oriented. With the new rules it favors the team with the better guards who can get to the basket. UNT has got more than a few guys who get to the basket.

Showed better leadership.

The effort is 10 times better. I didn't see guys loafing around. Guys attacked and went for loose balls.

Coaching looks better. He has learned from last year. I could tell in some of the subtle things he did during the game.

They still have lots of room for improvement, but having a winning season is not impossible.

[dml7007]

I think this is a joke of a thread!! Give the coach the support and the players.. Unless you have the money to give the university to make the change, then we all have no reason to not support it. I hope coach Benford has a lot of success, and if he does not, then at the point the make a change we can discuss who the next coach is.

Edited November 12, 2013 by dml7007

[Mean_Green09]

I'm not going to go around on this. You have your opinion that Benford is a good coach. I have my opinion that he's almost as bad of a hire as Todd Dodge. It will take a couple more years (because you know he won't be fired before then) to figure out who was right.

Don't quote me on saying that I think he is a good coach. I didn't say that and nothing I said reflects that. His status as a good coach is yet to be determined.

I'm just willing to let things play out to see if he is good or not, because making a change after one year is not what the program needed to do.

[ColoradoEagle]

I'm just willing to let things play out to see if he is good or not, because making a change after one year is not what the program needed to do.

[Censored by Laurie]

I can't believe we're still clarifying the difference between a coach taking over a losing program and a coach taking over a winning program.

[Mean_Green09]

Lol but of coarse you and a ton of other people do. Because making the change would have revived the program, and we would have brought in the right person, and all the players would have stayed no transfers, and we would win 20 games this year, and we could all hold hands and sing kumbaya and be happy. I wish I had that knowledge and foresight knowing everything would have been that peachy had we just fired Benford after one year.

[untbowler]

Fran wanted the job, but RV blew any chance of ever getting him to come here after he chose Benny.

Good thing is if Benford is fired early, RV probably should not be around to make the next hire with his track record of suck hires (3 suck hires should be a fireable offense, but not with our BOR)