Jonesy Bull

We need to stop what is perceived as obsession. Ive been a little guilty of it myself so not pointing fingers. We use to blame them for the same thing....but we need to be better than that. With that, my sermon has ended.

No problem! Other more knowledgeable folks can answer this better than i can. Basic level - my understanding is that the NCAA has relaxed some of their tranfer rules for players to move without penalty of sitting out a year. I dont know the specics of the rules. These players that choose to do this and are approved are put into the "transfer portal" where they are basically free agents to be picked up by other schools with no penalty of losing playing time..........how long did you say you were away. Were you stranded on a deserted island like Tom Hanks (messing with ya). If i said anything wrong please correct me my peeps.....and i know u will.

But both USF and Jack were both in the Sun Belt together, which would have been a step or 2 above any other Div 1 FL college teams at that time.

I would think that UCF had a program then, but not sure (too lazy to look) - but they played in that tiny little high school gym.

I remember that Triple, I was in High School. That was back in the day when USF Basketball was an actual "Tampa Sporting Thing". Imagine a time when South Florida and Jacksonville were basically considered in the top 4 basketball programs in the state (at least to be a part of this tournament).

Any win against UCF is a reason to celebrate, especially when a Conference Championship is on the line.......Congrats to the Mens Tennis Team. Does this mean they get an auto bid to the NCAA Tennis tournament (if they have one)?

Oh I forgot to add - The Basketball team actually won a post-season championship trophy for the first time since we won the Sun Belt Championship like in 1990 or something......It is only the CBI, but for us to win anything and get a trophy is significant, and it was an exciting tournament, had everything from us coming back from a 25 point deficit to win, and a 3 game championship where we won Game 1 basically at the Buzzer, and won Game 3 in DePaul's house to win it.......Again all key players are young and will be back and better.

I'm just wondering if the current coaching staff is the people that can actually do the rebuilding. I heard that all the coaching staff have been in the major leagues. But honestly, I don't know what the strengths and weaknesses are of this current staff to have an opinion.

There are several threads on this topic. The bottom line: The Basketball team had the biggest turnaround (record wise) than any other team in America The Basketball team is young and only getting better, along with having a coach that seems to be a difference maker as far as player development, team fundamentals, etc. The Football team - I think the optimism mostly stems around having seemingly a more dynamic OC in Kerwin Bell. The play calling (at first glance) is more creative and puts players in position to make plays. There is a pretty large playbook that the players have to learn. The Football team - overall could possibly be benefiting of the various changes in the assistant coaches (defense included). The Football team - Recruiting seems to be a little bit on the uptick, and the Transfer portal thingy is helping us too.

Now Stevie Y is heading off to Detroit - like we didn't see that coming. There is no way to replace him, but I hope our new GM can at least keep the train rolling and keep the team ultra competitive for years to come. I guess only time will tell.

Between all of the optimism for both the Basketball and Football programs right now - I definitely feel like I am on an episode of the "Twilight Zone". I guess this will last until our first loss next year.

If we were all the same and had the same opinions......how boring would that be!

This might be a little bit of sour grapes, but the calls for Columbus and the non calls for Tampa Bay in the last 2 games of the series were huge. Yes, Tampa deserved the penalties they got, but it sure felt one sided to me.......I don't know if it would have made a difference because we couldn't stop their power play anyway. It really was a perfect storm (to steal Triple B's comment) that went against the Lightning, and the #1 seed doesn't usually have to play a #8 seed team the caliber and a team that was peaking at the right time like Columbus was. I don't think there is a reason to over-react and make a bunch of changes for next year. This team is still ultra-talented, and just needs a few defensive tweaks for next year (and hopefully stay healthy when the playoffs come).....Every year it has been key injuries at key positions that have been our downfall come playoff time. Next year is a long way away, but this team is built for more Stanley Cup runs if it can keep the core together.

You make good points, and I agree with some of them......this is a world class organization with a lot of smart people. Despite what happened in the playoffs this year, this team is still ultra talented and most of the core will be back next year, and we are set up for another run at this thing. I think they will make some adjustments to fix some of the Defensive deficiencies that were exposed this year......Its ultra disappointing, but for now I've turned the page on Hockey. Its on to Baseball and looking forward to football season next year!

I think for most people including myself we just want the experience of winning a championship ANY championship since it has NEVER happened in our history...its the proverbial monkey on our back. For me yes this is a short term goal for our program. Long term i want alot more, get back to the big boy table and become a force in the power 5. May be unrealistic, who knows. But a boy can dream.