Found this gem from our own Mike Camunas

[Brad]

how many games under .500 is CRM in league play?

Honestly, did anyone NOT expect the same old, same old from the same old, same old?

Look beyond the present and obvious there chief, it might do you some good.

[flsportsfan83]

16 games under .500 is bad I agree, but what does that make 40+ games under .500 in half the time?

[Guest JulmisteForPrez]

Personally speaking, I fully understand that McCullum isn't the problem in its entirety.

Do I think he's a sigificant part of the problem.  Absolutely.

He's had his shot at helping a horrible basketball program get a little better, and he has failed.  Miserably at times.

"NEXT!"

[Brad]

16 games under .500 is bad I agree, but what does that make 40+ games under .500 in half the time?

Well, first we would need to adjust that total for the Big East factor.  If all you want is a winning conference record we can go to the A-Sun and be done.  Hey, that could be a slogan for you guys "Let's go A-Sun and be done."  USF Basketball Rules while the A-Sun Drools!  Woo-hoo!

Most level-headed people would certainly admit that moving into the premier conference in America certainly does not help the Win-Loss ledger.

The bottom line is we weren't winning in a weaker conference.  What makes you or anyone think we could go to a conference that could feature 6-8 NCAA teams annually and automatically play .500 ball even?  Stoned?

Dissecting this program's difficulties and trying to scapegoat a guy that is not responsible for where it was when he took over is overlooking the real issues.  If you guys truly want to be on the warpath, you need to choose the right one.

[smazza]

embarrassing

why would anyone buy one season ticket?

[Brad]

He's had his shot at helping a horrible basketball program get a little better, and he has failed.  Miserably at times.

And that is where the argument lies.  Some note "overall improvement" in terms of the ground level work RMc has done to end the player issues frequently displayed in the former administration.  Some also note the C-USA Tourney wins, the wins over #25 teams, the development and subsequent drafting of Solomon Jones by the NBA, etc as credits to RMc's work.  To each his own.  Others dismiss any positive measurements and look at the W-L and that is their perogative if they choose.

Some believe he has accomplished considerably much despite the unusual number of injuries and the player death early on in his tenure, the lack of funding, the lack of fan support, etc.

He too can be blamed for recruiting misjudgements and errors.  "Not being as charismatic" as some other coaches is often a complaint.  What's the other one?  Oh yeah, he yells at his players.  Hmm.  And there are more, but most detractors hit him striaght on with W-Ls. Why?  Because you can't honestly argue the stats without sounding like an "apologist" when in fact those folks feel like realists.

So to your point MAB - it's all about one's perspective and how success is measured in both short and long term, tangible and intangible.

modified to correct spelling

[Cubanbull]

The Bulls conference records are as follows:

Sun Belt (Who we now look down our nose at) 75-113 39.9% wins

Metro 16-32 33.3% wins

CUSA  55-101 35.3% wins

Cumulative record prior to Big East 146-246 37.3% wins

Yes our basketball program has NEVER won over 40% in ANY league it has competed in.

[windbane]

there are teams that suck for a long time that are suddenly revived by hiring a great coach.  just because we failed before doesn't mean we have to keep failing.  what kind of mindset is that?  "oh well, we obviously aren't good at basketball here at USF, it's not the coach's fault, it's just the way it is..."

given 4 years to recruit, you'd think that's plenty of chances.  

as for joining the big east, why is depaul having a decent year? the worst they can do in regular season is 8-8 in the big east, and that's if we beat them!  marquette and louisville were in that same conference, too.  yes, the big east is tougher than the C-USA, but it's a down year for the big east and that's with the above teams leaving the C-USA as well.

basketball history:  depaul won the title 50 years ago or something (i looked it up before, you do it this time).  does marquette have some history I don't know about before dwayne wade played there?  I don't know.  it doesn't really matter, but I know that's a big excuse with us.

k-state was a crappy basketball team, and now they are doing quite well.  why can't we have that?

[Cubanbull]

Because we are NOT supporting the program with MONEY and fans like any of those schools are.

Marquette and DePaul spend TWICE wjhat we do for basketball.

Look at the pattern we have had MANY coaches come to USF. Even Lee Rose, Bobby Paschal and Seth all had better results BEFORE they got to USF.

notice the pattern,it doesnt matter who we get,IF the Athletic Department and our fan base cant support our team then it will be same result

[Brad]

just because we failed before doesn't mean we have to keep failing.  what kind of mindset is that?  "oh well, we obviously aren't good at basketball here at USF, it's not the coach's fault, it's just the way it is..."

This argument irritates me - BECAUSE NO ONE IS SAYING THAT!  Don't you get it?  The point is that perpsective is necessary.  It's not like RMc ran this program into the ground.  More needs to change than a coach if we are to be successful - and perhaps some of that is already underway.  We need to be a little more open-minded.

as for joining the big east, why is depaul having a decent year? the worst they can do in regular season is 8-8 in the big east, and that's if we beat them!  marquette and louisville were in that same conference, too.

 

You do know those are tradition-rich basketball schools?  For two of those schools, Basketball is not only their flagship sport, but basically their only sport (they have no football).

k-state was a crappy basketball team, and now they are doing quite well.  why can't we have that?

We can.  No reason we can not.  While they have signifcant advantage in some areas we can still do the same.  We obviously aren't going to take the million-dollar coach route.  We have several needs to meet, moreso than K-State, but we are committed to getting there, I believe.  We could compare where K-State was to where the Bulls are and you'll still see a bigger hole to dig out of for the Bulls.