Let the gnashing of teeth begin over the Tampa Tri

[Omniscientbull]

Mess = Not having the full allotment of scholarship players becuase the previous coach could not recruit.  He was giving walk-on's scholarships to pad his numbers.  We started a walk-on point guard in the Big East for an extended period of time.  Kid worked his a$$ off and deserved a scholarship but we should've never been in that position with a decent coach.

Mess = Donor's and ticket holders lack of interest in the program becuase we've had a run of 4 or 5 years with horrible records.

Mess = Moving from CUSA to the BE and just now starting to recognize some of the BE dollars to help with the budget.  Facility improvements are planned, higher coaching spending is planned.  Unfortunately we needed it 4 or 5 years ago.

Mess = Keeping a coach 1 season longer than we should've and not having a replacement lined up to take his spot immediately after firing him or at least having a vaild list of replacements you are certain would take the job if offered.

If you were to call the program a mess then those would be the shortfalls.  However, I would consider a mess to be a scandal ridden program, cheating program, etc. which we certainly are not.  We are in need of improvement but a mess in my mind is something different.

[BullyPulpit]

So surfer and Mid-Atlantic, do you think USF basketball is a 'mess'?  I don't.  So what if a couple of low watt dudes decided that they didn't have enough Enzyte on their shelves to take us to the next level.  Normal

I assume that had you been on the Titanic, you would have been telling someone to turn off the leaky faucet just as the ship's bow began to sink below the waves. Dude, the Bulls are 4-28 in the BE. They got turned down by a coach from WINTHROP! The guy at Arkansas got fired after making the NCAA Tournament twice in the last two years. What, exactly, qualifies as a mess to you?

Getting turned down by a coach does not necessarily speak as to the quality of a program. Marshall was using his visit to USF as leverage. He wants to remain in South Carolina and is most likely patiently awaiting a job opening at South Carolina. You can;t judge a book by its cover all of the time, sometimes you have to turn a few pages to see what is really going on.  

[NormalBull]

Randy:  Losing does not make the program a mess.  Losing is part of the challenge.  In basketball, someone has to lose.  It's that simple...there are no ties.  Saying the program is a mess goes beyond the last few years and even decades.  Every other program in the Big East has hoops tradition that goes back to the 40's and 50's...we didn't even exist back then.  Why is it so hard to see the potential in USF for you?  Basketball is a sport where it only takes a couple of key guys and some lucky breaks to turn things around.  Our program is not a 'mess.'  A mess is when there is no talent on the roster and a scandal surrounds the program.  Trust me our program is no mess.  Did we need to make a change in leadership so that we could win more games....absolutely and we are in that process.

USF hoops will be a better product and soon I guarantee it.  Calling us a mess is merely applying the same unoriginal mentality that reporters and so called sages wrote over and over again about Big East football two years ago.

I think it is funny that you attacked McCullom all season long and now that he is fired you're going after the program.  Maybe all year long you should have been attacking the program, not the poor sot that had to coach this messy program.  Or better yet, why don't you take a vacation from attacking anything USF.  What a concept.

Normal

[Guest JulmisteForPrez]

So surfer and Mid-Atlantic, do you think USF basketball is a 'mess'?  I don't.  So what if a couple of low watt dudes decided that they didn't have enough Enzyte on their shelves to take us to the next level.  Normal

I assume that had you been on the Titanic, you would have been telling someone to turn off the leaky faucet just as the ship's bow began to sink below the waves. Dude, the Bulls are 4-28 in the BE. They got turned down by a coach from WINTHROP! The guy at Arkansas got fired after making the NCAA Tournament twice in the last two years. What, exactly, qualifies as a mess to you?

Yep.....what he said. ^^

[Guest JulmisteForPrez]

Mess = Not having the full allotment of scholarship players becuase the previous coach could not recruit.  He was giving walk-on's scholarships to pad his numbers.  We started a walk-on point guard in the Big East for an extended period of time.  Kid worked his a$$ off and deserved a scholarship but we should've never been in that position with a decent coach.

Mess = Donor's and ticket holders lack of interest in the program becuase we've had a run of 4 or 5 years with horrible records.

Mess = Moving from CUSA to the BE and just now starting to recognize some of the BE dollars to help with the budget.  Facility improvements are planned, higher coaching spending is planned.  Unfortunately we needed it 4 or 5 years ago.

Mess = Keeping a coach 1 season longer than we should've and not having a replacement lined up to take his spot immediately after firing him or at least having a vaild list of replacements you are certain would take the job if offered.

If you were to call the program a mess then those would be the shortfalls.  However, I would consider a mess to be a scandal ridden program, cheating program, etc. which we certainly are not.  We are in need of improvement but a mess [highlight]in my mind[/highlight] is something different.

Hey, that's cool.  You have your definition of a "mess," and we have ours.

I know a lot of people would agree with you.

And I know a lot of people would agree with us.

Just keep in mind (as the highlighted portion above says), that is the definition of a mess in your own mind.

[hightechbull]

But what is the best way to characterize where we are now? I think that MESS is a bit over-the-top. I think CHALLENGE is more appropriate.

We are now unofficially UChallenge.  Sounds nicer than UMess.  

[flsportsfan83]

Do I thnk we will be better off yes, do I think CRM dug us deep in a hole yes. I think the right hire will turn this program around.

[Velcro]

If we were "UMass" and he called us UMess... there might be a slight bit of humor there... but this is quite a stretch.  

[Omniscientbull]

Yeah, maybe he should've went with the extra letter and called us UMessF

[dabull80]

Sorry guys,  for those that know me, you know I support  USF all the way but I don't take offense to the article.

Try to look from the outside.

No practice facilities

Old building needing renovation - Sun Dome

Not a basketball state - makes the Gator rise look even more impressive.

No history of winning at BB at USF

Tough conference with no advantages against other conference teams.

This is exactly why I was in no rush to replace Mac.  I fear we end up in the same position.  We need that big name coach that brings recruits with him.  If we can't afford that we should have stayed with Mac.  

We look bad right now and it isn't getting any better.

Turned down by lower level coaches - do you really think we are high on anyones list ?  Like Seth said Kids(Coaches) don't grow up wanting to be part of USF basketball.

This article is just a shot to the heart of all USF basketball who want us to be successful and that includes me.