2016 state of LU athletics

Geezer is a baseball fan and right now he is feeling down about the course that the LU baseball team has taken over the last few weeks of the season and that feeling has spilled over into the general state of LU athletics. I thought that it was time to have a recap by using the lamarcardinals.com website. On the men's side, Football had a down year in 2015. But, for several reasons, you have to be optimistic about a big rebound in 2016. A really nice signing class , new coaches and ideas, and a 2000 yard runner, I'll take that all day. basketball, I don't what to tell you. Let's just say that it is a work in progress. The baseball team is heading for the SLC tournament and a fresh start. The Cross Country team won the SLC championship with a roster that is fairly young. Men's golf finished 4th in the SLC, just 9 strokes off the lead, which ain't bad for team golf and, again, with a fairly young roster. The Men's tennis team won the SLC title. I can't find the results of the track and field Championship but what is available is that Lamar had several athletes named all SLC. On the ladies side, the golf team won the SLC, outdoor track and field had several winners at the SLC meet. I'm probably shortchanging the women's side but it's late and I am not in the mood to do much more. Lamar Athletics has a lot going for it, so Hang in Geezer. If ever there was a sport populated by quirky players, it's baseball. You never know but LU just might bring home the title. Bedtime.

While yes the regular season is important, I learned in the 2010 season it's all about the conference tourney and the regular season doesn't mean squat. Lamar entered the SLC tourney with a 31-24 and only 12-18 in conference play then rattled off 4 straight to grab the SLC's autobid. That team really came out of no where and we only had 1 player chosen to an All-SLC team and even that was a 3rd teamer

The Cards did win one of 3 against SAM. Unfortunately, the one game I could make was yesterday's thumping. Even at that, Lamar hit the ball and they were an inch or two off on contact which made the difference between going yard and having a fly ball caught on the edge of the warning track. If some of those balls were pulled to left they would have been windshield bait in the parking lot. LU's pitching wasn't great yesterday, or Saturday for that matter, and that's been a strength of this team this year. KABro is right when he says it doesn't change a thing as far as the conference tourney. If you have to reflect on the last two weekends it's a shame Lamar couldn't do more with the opportunity they had. They had home series against the #1 and #2 teams in the conference and only managed 1 win in 6 games. Oh, what could have been. We have one more conference series against SFA and it's pretty big. Tournament seedings will be finalized this week and Lamar could remain in 3rd place or, if they get swept by SFA, they could end up as bad as a six seed. Lamar needs to turn this recent losing streak around because these games do matter and they need to go into the conference tourney on a winning note. Edited May 16, 2016 by eagle eye

I'm glad your optimistic, and KA is correct when it comes to getting into the NCAA tourney the regular season doesn't generally mean squat but one has to wonder when or if LU will ever step over the next hurdle to become a consistent contender in the SLC again much less have an opportunity to move to a more prestigious conference until there are some results. Personally I hate loosing to anyone but especially to Sam, SFA, Northwestern St. and McNeese. Overall Lamar has better facilities than any of those schools and every year the comment is made about good or great signing classes so when is the next step?

How about Will Davis? He's potentially the next step isn't he? I can't help but wonder if it's not Davis' presence that has made the difference in the Cardinal baseball team this season. If you look at it, the only major difference in 2016 from 2015 when Lamar was second to last in conference and didn't even come close to making the SLC tourney is the presence of Davis. Coach Ricklefsen left for McNeese and Davis came in and whose to say he isn't the reason why. If so many people hate Jim Gilligan so much I don't understand why people were so pissed when Coach Ricklefsen left. If he had gotten the LU head coaching job instead of Davis wouldn't we have more of the some 'ol same 'ol? To me Davis is cause for hope that better days are ahead and there's no reason why that can't begin in the SLC tourney.

BTW, Lamar women stormed through the SLC conference softball tourney and until the lost in the championship game to McNeese. LU beat SAM, Nicholls and SFA but they couldn't beat top seeded McNeese. They lost to the Cowboys twice in the double elimination tournament by scores of 8-4 and 5-2. The LU women have steadily improved under coach Holly Bruder and with a bunch of this year's roster returning there is no reason to think they won't be even better next season. Since Lamar has reinstated the softball program in 2012 Bruder has made the SLC tournament 3 times. Once they went 2 and out, they took 3rd place in 2015 and 2nd place this season. I would definitely say the arrow is pointing up for the women's softball program. Not only that but they have a brand new stadium to play in on campus for the first time ever. Again, arrow pointing up!

When Geezer posted about moving to a better conference, I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I'm old enough to remember when Pat Foster was the head BB coach and someone got the bright idea to move to a better conference. What a disaster. At least that's the way I remember it.

There hasn't been much talk lately, but a couple of years ago there was a lot of talk about getting to a FBS football conference. I remember when Foster was the coach also and I think you may have a different memory for the evolution of Lamar Sports from the mid 80's until now than I do. I am going from my memory so the years and names might not be fully accurate but in about 1987, Lamar, La Tech, Arkansas St. split from the Southland and along with UNO, UL-Lafayette and University of Texas Pan America formed the American South Conference. I think they hoped to form a conference that would compete with the Big East which was just coming into its hey day and I think those schools all wanted to stay Div 1 football where as the Southland was going to be 1AA. I don't remember if it was a merger or what but the Sunbelt Conference came out of that beginning. Lamar went independent for football to remain in D-1 at that time as opposed to becoming part of the 1AA classification. After Foster left the Basketball coaching carousel began with one under achieving coach and team followed by another, next came the turning point in my opinion for Lamar sports that it still hasn't recovered from and that was the dumping of the football program. A very short sighted Board of Regents and University President thought that Lamar could fix its financial woes by spending more money on basketball and finding a coach to get it back to where it was when Foster left. In the early 90's the Lamar wasn't competing effectively in the Sunbelt, didn't have football and somebody had the bright idea of returning to the Southland again to cut costs and be the big name in the conference which hasn't worked out very well either. The baseball program was solid through the 80's until Gilligan decided to leave to be a Minor League coach. The guy they hired to replace him couldn't keep the standard and a few years later was fired. I don't remember if there was just the one or if there were two coaches before Gilligan returned. Even after Gilligan returned I don't think the baseball program ever got back to the same level it was before he left. There have been the exception years in every sport but never the string of good years like happened in the Tubbs and Foster years of basketball at least in the big three sports (football, basketball and baseball). Yes there appeared to be the potential for women's basketball to become something special until they got put on NCAA probation followed by a number of bad coaches. Lamar finally got a coach hire right with Tidwell and he appeared to have the program progressing well until he left. The book is still out on the current Lady Cards basketball program. Men's golf has had some good years off and on and the ladies golf is in good shape right now. Lady Cards softball and soccer are improving. I just want to see football, basketball and baseball get back to being a top tier contender every year and not just once in a while.

Edited May 16, 2016 by geezer

Two things that I am sure of. Geezer's memory is better than mine and we both are getting old. This is a true story about Jim Gilligan. Back in the early 70's, I was at the Homecoming Carnival, in that green roundabout, in front of the Setzer Center. Gilligan had set up a pitching area and he had a speed gun. I remember him saying, "if anyone can throw 85, you've got a scholarship right now. I wasn't even close.

The American South Conference merged with the Sun Belt. At the time the American South would have still been viable on its own. On the other hand, the Sun Belt was down to three members. Those three were Western Kentucky, South Alabama, and and Jacksonville (not Jacksonville State) plus incoming Arkansas-Little Rock. The new combined conference retained the Sun Belt name, but the American South commissioner was named Sun Belt commissioner.

 

Lamar played as a D-IAA football independent after leaving the Southland Conference. In addition to poor coaching after Larry Kennan's good season, I think that was one of the contributing factors of reduced attendance and poor record. During that time, several of the Cardinals' former rivals were either at the D-IA level or were in the process of transitioning back to the D-IA level. Inability to schedule those teams at home negatively impacted fan interest. The downturn in the economy petrochemical industry didn't help either. The late 80's was a bad time for the area. On top of that, the world markets took a huge hit during the period. On October 19,1987, the Dow Jones average took a 508 point hit losing over 22% of its value overnight. A lot of factors combined for uncertain times. The Savings & Loan crisis helped to fuel that uncertainty. It was pretty much a perfect storm.

 

I can understand the reasons for moving back to the SLC. I didn't agree, but I do understand. In retrospect, I think it was a bad decision just as I think dropping the football program was a bad move. Other universities held the course while Lamar was taking steps backward.

 

The good news is that is all in the past. It should be used as a learning experience, but that's all. I'm optimistic moving forward. We need to find a way to increase community support, though. That was the key during the Tubbs/Foster years. We need to find a way to "let the genie out of the bottle" again.

Edited May 17, 2016 by LUSportsFan

All gloom and doom...

 

not glamorous , but we won SLC in cross country, mens tennis, and womens golf. Not too shabby.

 

....football and basketball have complete morons at the helm....baseball.... I think Gilligan shoulda retired bout 10 yrs ago.

 

 

I also think the 1980s "let's be a basketball school" was the dumbest damn thing LU has ever done.

It's good to see LU winning championships in minor sports but they need to win in the money sports. I thought the years that LU was an independent were in 1A football not 1AA.

It's good to see LU winning championships in minor sports but they need to win in the money sports. I thought the years that LU was an independent were in 1A football not 1AA.

 

Lamar didn't meet the attendance requirement during the first years of the D-I subdivision split....a lot more stringent requirement than today's. Lamar was close . Louisiana Tech was close. Only two SLC members met the requirement to stay at D-IA, ULL (USL then) and McNeese. If either Lamar or Louisiana Tech had met the requirement along with the other two, the SLC could have remained at D-IA. They didn't. The NCAA forced the SLC (along with the Ivy League, the Southern Conference, initially the MAC, a bunch of independents, and others). With the forcedown, USL stayed at D-IA leaving the conference except for women's sports. McNeese dropped down with the rest of the conference. All that occurred in 1982. Lamar's attendance continued to drop after the force down and did not meet requirements for D-IA. I'll bet the plan was to move back up as Arkansas State and Louisiana Tech did, but that didn't happen.

 

It would be interesting to see how things might have turned out with the current more favorable attendance requirement.

Edited May 17, 2016 by LUSportsFan