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NMU 2009-2010 Season

Re: NMU 2009-2010 Season

davyd83 said:
Yet you keep posting the same. Please show us how we can be consistently competitive with big time schools with big time budgets and big time exposure in big time markets? I don't have that answer. Neither do any of the other small time small budget schools. Nor do any of the truly knowledgeable people in the industry. Firing the coach is a crapshoot at best. There's a very slight chance it will payoff, but in all likelihood you leave your money
on the table. Do risk dropping the program into Western, Bowling Green, LSSU, Tech territory on the remote chance that your move will improve the program? And the chance is just that. Remote.
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The last 10 years this program has gone nowhere. Everyone seems to think that getting to the Joe is some fantastic accomplishment. Well sure, it can be, if you freaking win! 99% of the NMU fans on this board already have the mentality of a WMU, BGSU, LSSU program. Mediocrity is "okay". We'll "try harder next year". It's not the "coaches fault". Blah, blah, blah, blah!

My mentality is that of the teams that make the NCAA's consistently or even every 4th year!!! Wouldn't you love it if we made it twice a DECADE??!?!?!

I don't know who the coach should be, other than Walt Kyle right now. The point that I am trying to make is that if we fall short again this season, I'd like to see someone else running the show. If the next guy that comes in doesn't take us to the NCAA's then obviously all of you will still be happy. I often wonder too if Walt hadn't attended NMU would there be this BLIND support for him?
 
Re: NMU 2009-2010 Season

RaceBoarder said:
So going to the NCAAs 1 year (and choking massively while there) followed by 6 seasons of 15 average wins and none of which where you had a chance at a post season game is better than NMU's current situation...

Oh, by the way NMU has averaged 20 wins, and has been in contention for the NCAAs for 3-4 of those years...

Yea, seems like a fair trade...
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You must have been one of those kids in t-ball that was excited to get a trophy for coming in 8th place out of 8 teams.

I would trade the last 6 years that Ferris has had, with what we've had at NMU. At least they got a sniff of the big dance. Something we haven't had since the 90's. There aren't too many posters on this board who were even at NMU when we were in the playoffs. Perhaps that is why everyone is so complacent. You all think that getting to the Joe is akin to the promise land, when in reality it becomes nothing more than a huge let down.
 
Re: NMU 2009-2010 Season

We have some who are fed up with no NCAA appearances in a long time. They are also fed up with slow starts that kill our chances before December.

So am I.

For the sake of school sanity here, why don't we just say that SOMETHING needs to change. We've beat the coach card into the ground. Why don't we talk about this year's team and how we can help the program?

I want to see the NCAA's, too. What can we do to help? What can we change? I don't want to hear that we are doing the best we can as a program, because I expect more.
 
Re: NMU 2009-2010 Season

Whats the best way to move the program to the next level on a consistent basis? Simply figure out just what attracts those top level recruits to Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Notre Dame and make it available here.
 
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Re: NMU 2009-2010 Season

davyd83 said:
The best way to move the program to the next level on a consistent basis? Figure out just what attracts those top level recruits to Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Notre Dame and make it available here.
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Well, off the top of my head, those two schools have a) better name recognition, and b) a geographical advantage. Not making excuses here, but when you're at that age, the pull of an area like Madison, Ann Arbor, Minneapolis, or even South Bend can outdo that of Marquette, easy. So, we have to think of what draws them there and somehow top it.
 
Re: NMU 2009-2010 Season

davyd83 said:
Whats the best way to move the program to the next level on a consistent basis? Simply figure out just what attracts those top level recruits to Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Notre Dame and make it available here.
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How about to the next level occasionally? I understand the deficit between the top programs and the next tier. I'm happy with our talent level. I mean, someone out there thinks we have the most top-level talent in the league according to meaningless pre-season picks. What prevents that talent from coming together on a consistent basis? Is it just blind luck? Is it that the recruits we pick out just have less of a chance of achieving their potential? I think the most frustrating thing is that we get a glimpse of this team in February and March against tournament-level competition and something gets lost from year to year and we seem to be starting over from scratch.

I do understand these are questions that probably can't even be answered, but I think they are a better area to discuss than whether or not to fire a coach who is doing all he can to get this team to win.
 
Re: NMU 2009-2010 Season

Without Walt Kyle not one of those preseason first teamers even give a thought to playing at NMU.
 
Re: NMU 2009-2010 Season

nmu_27 said:
We have some who are fed up with no NCAA appearances in a long time. They are also fed up with slow starts that kill our chances before December.

So am I.

For the sake of school sanity here, why don't we just say that SOMETHING needs to change. We've beat the coach card into the ground. Why don't we talk about this year's team and how we can help the program?

I want to see the NCAA's, too. What can we do to help? What can we change? I don't want to hear that we are doing the best we can as a program, because I expect more.
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I agree with this post 100%.
 
Re: NMU 2009-2010 Season

davyd83 said:
Without Walt Kyle not one of those preseason first teamers even give a thought to playing at NMU.
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This is why I personally think the "Fire the coach!" discussion is useless. Maybe discussing any of the things I mentioned is, but I think it's a better use of time than "Fire the coach!" and gets people much less riled up and stops the childish name-calling on both sides.
 
Re: NMU 2009-2010 Season

nmu_27 said:
How about to the next level occasionally? I understand the deficit between the top programs and the next tier. I'm happy with our talent level. I mean, someone out there thinks we have the most top-level talent in the league according to meaningless pre-season picks. What prevents that talent from coming together on a consistent basis? Is it just blind luck? Is it that the recruits we pick out just have less of a chance of achieving their potential? I think the most frustrating thing is that we get a glimpse of this team in February and March against tournament-level competition and something gets lost from year to year and we seem to be starting over from scratch.

I do understand these are questions that probably can't even be answered, but I think they are a better area to discuss than whether or not to fire a coach who is doing all he can to get this team to win.
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I think the problems that you are hitting on are the result of the coaching staff. I truly think that Walt is doing all he can to make this team succeed, I just think he has shortcomings as a coach and we may have seen all the he can do. When a team has the talent to compete but can't get everything together and win, the fault usually rests on the coaching staff (see Illinois football for an example of this). I mean, Walt has been successful at bringing individually talented players to NMU, he also has done a fantastic job of getting the community involved with the team and vice-versa. I love that we have the Walt Kyle Mile to help rase money to fight cancer. On the negative side, a coach gets paid to win, and so far even with all the talent, the team just hasn't played up to the level I want them to play.

And for anyone wanting to know how I could guarantee that a new coach would take the team from being on the bubble to making the NCAAs, I can't. It would be a gamble on NMU's part, but it would be a gamble they should make. Sometimes in sports you have to take a big risk to move your small-market team up to compete with the big boys, and for NMU I feel that gamble should be taken sooner rather than later.
 
Re: NMU 2009-2010 Season

I'm just sick of taking the time to read the same argument 10 times a year. I give you all the right in the world for having your opinion.

I also think you get unfairly jumped on for some things like a season prediction, just because of some of your unpopular views.

Come on guys, a season prediction is one person's opinion. It is a guess based on a general feeling. I think we can act a little more mature than middle-schoolers about some of these things. I get enough of that from 8:00 to 3:30 M-F. (Except today, as the students were released at 9:00)
 
Re: NMU 2009-2010 Season

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Re: NMU 2009-2010 Season

A lot of people have been asking who could take over as coach at NMU potentially next season if Walt was to be released . The following is my list of potential coaching prospects who I would like NMU to look at if there was a head coaching vacancy.

Current NCAA D-1 Coaches
Wayne Wilson – Head Coach, RIT
Dave Burkholder – Head Coach, Niagara
JB Bittner – Assistant Coach, tOSU
Nate Leaman – Head Coach, Union
Joe Bonnett – Assistant Coach, CC
Rob Facca – Assistant Coach, NMU
Tim Christian – Assistant Coach, LSSU
Mark Osiecki – Assistant Coach, Wisconsin

Current NCAA D-3 Coaches
Ron Fogarty – Head Coach, Adrian
Tim Coghlin – Head Coach, St. Norberts
Dan Stauber – Head Coach, UW-Superior

Other options
Brad Frost – Head Coach, Minnesota Women’s (I know men’s and women’s hockey are very different sports, but Frost also has men’s coaching experience.
Jason Christie – Assistant Coach, Chicago Wolves
Jeff Pyle – Head coach, Gwinett Gladiators
Steve Weeks – Assistant Coach, Atlanta Thrashers

If I had to rank my top 3 for the job it would be: Pyle, Fogarty, Osiecki

My question for everyone on this board is this: Hypothetically, if NMU had a head coaching vacancy at the end of this year, who would you like to see fill that vacancy. I'm not trying to trap people or twist words around here, I just want to hear anyone who will contributes thoughts on this subject. The vacancy wouldn't even have to be created by Walt being fired, lets say Walt decides to hang it up at the end of the year, Junior goes too...who do we get to fill the void?
 
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