IS IT GOOD ENOUGH ???

We know this isn't the 80s. That's why instead of discussing if the team will go to the NCAA or NIT tournament we are relieved they make the SLC tournament.

 

Instead of averaging 5000+ fans a game, people say a game with 2000 fans had a great game atmosphere.

 

Instead of keeping up with old rivals LU settles for a league made up schools that were either D2 or had no sports teams in the 80s.

 

I for one am tired of talking about the "progress" LU is making because in the long run they've been going the wrong way.

 

Exactly. And we are supposed to like it. smh

I agree wholeheartedly! It seems people expect miracles. He has brought this program gutter in only 2 years. My God get real people.

 

Umm..Tx A&m Corpus Christi and UNO played in the championship. I don't consider wanting/expecting our program to beat those schools would fall in the "miracle" category.

If you don't know what the quality of the conference is, then just look at the tourney bracket. UNO regular and conference tourney champ gets a 16 seed play in game to play the #1 overall seed Villinova if they happen to win the play in game. Edited March 12, 2017 by geezer

I actually think Price did a decent job this year. We beat Oregon State from a Power 5 conference at their place and we made the SLC Tournament - and his players play hard. We have most of the team back next year, so expectations will be higher. Both New Orleans and Tx A&M CC were senior teams and probably will suffer next year. SFA will be in that same boat. My concern is what happens after next year? We will be a heavily senior team next year due to the large influx of JUCO players this year. But I will support a coach as long as his program continues to improve.

Also, will be interesting who doesn't come back since most players got playing time this year.

I think Hubby would be the one most apt to transfer. Personally I like what I saw of him both of the last two years but unless he develops an outside game he will be fighting the same players next year that he was behind this year. I could see Chatman moving also but I would expect being close to home might keep him. The two freshmen are possibilities to leave also but I think both of them have a decent shot at significant playing time next year with Davis and Owens gone.

I actually think Price did a decent job this year. We beat Oregon State from a Power 5 conference at their place and we made the SLC Tournament - and his players play hard. We have most of the team back next year, so expectations will be higher. Both New Orleans and Tx A&M CC were senior teams and probably will suffer next year. SFA will be in that same boat. My concern is what happens after next year? We will be a heavily senior team next year due to the large influx of JUCO players this year. But I will support a coach as long as his program continues to improve.

Also, will be interesting who doesn't come back since most players got playing time this year.

 

Hey, folks. I frequently read this (and other SLC) forums. Just wanted to interject on this topic.

 

I think Tic Price has done a pretty remarkable job turning the dumpster fire of a year ago into a competent basketball team with an upside. SFA is most definitely not in the same boat as the other teams you listed, but it is true that A&M-CC, UNO, and SHSU are losing a lot of talent. SFA is the youngest team in the league. That said, the SFA perspective right now is that Lamar (and all of Tic's returners) is probably the biggest road block to reclaiming the title next year. UNO proved this season that experience matters sometimes more than talent.

Is where we are good enough? No. I attended Lamar in the 80s when we beat the heck out of Villanova at home. That was a great game. The La Tech game in the Montagne Center after they had broken the home win streak may have been the best ever from a crowd prospective. The student section was on fire that night. I remember camping out for the student tickets because there was a high demand. We are not there. I try to make a home game 1-2 times per year. It is sad to see so many empty seats.

 

However, we are a far sight better than what we were before. Tony Branch shot the program in the head, and Knight came in and threw dirt on the grave. It is going to take more than a vitamin B shot to bring it back to life, much less to what it was before. Price has given it a pulse. Now is not the time to change doctors because we may believe (unrealistically) that the patient should be fully recovered and running now.

I agree

Is where we are good enough? No. I attended Lamar in the 80s when we beat the heck out of Villanova at home. That was a great game. The La Tech game in the Montagne Center after they had broken the home win streak may have been the best ever from a crowd prospective. The student section was on fire that night. I remember camping out for the student tickets because there was a high demand. We are not there. I try to make a home game 1-2 times per year. It is sad to see so many empty seats.

 

However, we are a far sight better than what we were before. Tony Branch shot the program in the head, and Knight came in and threw dirt on the grave. It is going to take more than a vitamin B shot to bring it back to life, much less to what it was before. Price has given it a pulse. Now is not the time to change doctors because we may believe (unrealistically) that the patient should be fully recovered and running now.

 

2 Really good games i remember ( we lost em both), one at the civic center, i think santa clara? So loud, it was unreal. And tenn- chatt, fricking rocking. 7,8 and 9k people. What it used to be.........

2 Really good games i remember ( we lost em both), one at the civic center, i think santa clara? So loud, it was unreal. And tenn- chatt, fricking rocking. 7,8 and 9k people. What it used to be.........

 

UT- Chattanooga was a gut punch of a game.

What year are you guys talking about?

What year are you guys talking about?

 

long long ago...

 

santa clara was an '84 NIT game, Chat was '85 NIT game

Ah, the golden age of Southland Conference hoops. La Tech had Carl Malone, McNeese had Joe Dumars, USL had Andrew Toney and Lamar had Mike Oliver. All but Oliver made it to the NBA and the two of them won NBA titles (Dumars and Toney) and two made the NBA Hall of Fame (Dumars and Malone). Oliver gave way to Tommy Sewell and Lu was the big dog on the block.

I sure hope LU gets back to that level--soon!!!

I doubt that it will ever get back to that level as long as Lamar is in the Southland Conference (not sure what conference you would have to get to). Yes Lamar should once again be the big dog of the Southland, but I doubt that we will ever see that caliber of players at multiple schools in the Southland at the same time again. The exposure, money and media hype are all about the "major" conferences. Of the thirty two D-1 conferences how many got more than one team in this years NCAA tourney? For this year ten conferences filled 46 of the 68 slots in the brackets. The vast majority of players that think they have a chance to make it will go to one of the six or seven conferences that got more than two teams into the tourney if they get an offer. There is more exposure for high school players now than ever before and the number of players that are overlooked by the big programs continues to dwindle. A school has to find a hidden gem coach that will stay even when confronted with much higher profile opportunities and then initially get lucky on a couple of top quality players. The lure of the major conferences for coaches and players is so big that unless the perfect combination comes together, which probably includes a big money donor willing to pony up several million dollars a year I doubt Lamar or any school in the Southland can keep an extended success rate going.

By the way even real success is never good enough. Saw where Brad Underwood has moved on from Ok State to Illinois after one year. Reported reasons, Ok State not willing to raise his compensation, reported paraphrased comment from OSU athletic director " well you didn't win as many games in the first year as the previous coach". Also not mentioned perhaps a feeling on his part that as good as the Big 12 is, it won't be perceived as good of a conference as the Big Ten will be. Good enough in any sport is being perfect and even then someone will think it could be better.

Brad Underwood showed you can have success in the conference and the NCAA Tournament.His program ,from what I have seen ,had the highest budget in the conference and best attendance.It does help some to be able to pay more for assistant coaches.I believe we are close to them in salaries and significantly above the Louisiana schools and Central Ark.Our facilities are very good compared to other conference schools which is another plus.Our online courses are excellent and important for athletes who travel a lot .

Are you comparing Underwood at SFA as having the largest attendance and budget? SFA arena seats around 5k. It is a nice facility but doesn't compare to the Montange. As for attendance even with their record over the three years of the Underwood era couldn't fill the arena on a regular basis. When I first started going to the LU games in the late 80's 5k was a low attendance night at the Montange, and Lamar wasn't winning conference championships at that point. Apparently having good facilities, largest attendance and competitive salaries isn't enough anymore. Underwood at Illinois is making nearly three times what he was making at Ok State and more than 15 times what he was making at SFA and what Price is making at Lamar. I'm not going to pretend that Lamar and the Southland can compete in budget and facilities with the Big 10 or Big 12, but how about the West Coast Conference. Mark Few's reported salary is between 1 and $2 million, Greg Marshall at Wichita State salary is around $3 million. Gonzaga doesn't have the on campus facility equal to the Montange and Wichita State's arena is about the same size at around 10k but is closer to 60 years old as compared to the 30 year old Montange. I don't want to mislead anyone but I think Lamar has to step up to at least $500k for a truly quality head coach. I think if Price is the right coach to get the success that Gonzaga and Wichita State are having in only slightly better overall conferences then the Lamar donor base is going to have to raise the bar. Former Lamar assistant, SFA head coach and current Texas State head coach Danny Kasper's reported salary is about $270k. He has already proven that he can deliver championships in the Southland. I'd be willing to bet that Lamar could get him for $350k if in the future the administration decides it's the current level of success is not good enough or that progression toward a higher level of success is happening quickly enough. I mention Kasper as a known commodity to many of the posters on this sight not as a recommendation as a replacement. Edited March 31, 2017 by geezer

Let's deal in facts and not guesses.First,SFA 's William R.Johnson coliseum has a capacity of 7203 not around 5000. Yes our arena is larger and newer but I am surprised our friendly Lumberjack troll was not all over this.Next,average attendance for all home games according to the Southland Conference website is led this year again by SFA at 3732,with Lamar taking the silver at 2016 and Corpus taking the bronze at 1604.Underwood's total compensation package reportedly exceeded $400,000 which exceeded the total of most conference schools head coach salary and all their assistants salaries combined.To recruit well you need at least three assistant coaches being paid above high school salaries.Fortunately we can manage that but some conference schools can't.With Texas And Louisiana legislatures probably cutting back on higher education funding and non revenue sports needing funding I don't look for any conference schools to be paying the numbers Geezer is suggesting unless someone wants to endow basketball salaries with about 500k a year for ten years or there is a sudden surge in sponsorships,cardinal club memberships and student activity fees.

Lamar had a taste of success this past season. Any guess as to how Lamar's next recruiting class is shaping up?

My apologies for not looking up the listed capacity for SFA's arena. And I did not look up what Underwood was paid at SFA either but neither of those change the fact that Lamar will most likely have to significantly raise the bar to pay for a coach that will deliver the kind of success that most feel is really good enough. It also doesn't change that fans show up for winners and if you want winners you have to have the program and coach in place and keep them. I say find a donor that will support it and give Price a big bonus for what he has accomplished to date, but don't get locked into a deal that if progress stalls will keep the university from seeking a perceived better coach. Also be prepared to offer the kind of money it will take to get the kind of coach it will take to raise the success level. If Lamar is competing for the conference championship every year it won't take long until the attendance is up to where it is again the highest in the conference. People in the Beaumont area are looking for a winner.

I was at the SFA game this year. Was I ever impressed with their arena. Having always heard we have the best arena it's just no so. Theirs is really nice. We beat them in seating and our cushion seats but that's all even with our new scoreboard! Our concessions stands are horrible theirs were great. Also our parking is better. I hear our locker rooms are terrible. Also our poor free throws were a result of only 2 goals for practices. They did not move the seats in all season for fear they would not come back out. I hear that has been resolved. That must be some truth in that story because the men and women were last in free throw %. 13 players cannot shoot 100/200 free throws in the time allotted with only 2 goals. I did watch the transfer Davidson from U. Tenn. Martin. I think he will be an improvement over M Owens.....

Is where we are good enough? No. I attended Lamar in the 80s when we beat the heck out of Villanova at home. That was a great game. The La Tech game in the Montagne Center after they had broken the home win streak may have been the best ever from a crowd prospective. The student section was on fire that night. I remember camping out for the student tickets because there was a high demand. We are not there. I try to make a home game 1-2 times per year. It is sad to see so many empty seats.

 

However, we are a far sight better than what we were before. Tony Branch shot the program in the head, and Knight came in and threw dirt on the grave. It is going to take more than a vitamin B shot to bring it back to life, much less to what it was before. Price has given it a pulse. Now is not the time to change doctors because we may believe (unrealistically) that the patient should be fully recovered and running now.

 

 

Finally! An LU fan with a brain!!! Ive been alone and ridiculed with my disgust for the state of our athletics! It's nice to hear from a REAL fan who knows what we should e left from our program!

The men signed two high school big men early and have a transfer who sat out last year and will be on scholarship.With the departure of four players they have one scholarship left to offer as it stands today.I believe they will look for the right transfer that graduates from a Big School and can transfer with a year of eligibility left and can play immediately or another quality transfer that must sit a year before playing.Of course that could change as a new set of facts can lead to a different plan.

Does anyone know if Hubby and Chatman were encouraged to leave or if they made the decision and then told the coaching staff? I'm thinking that Price may already have someone lined up for that last open spot if he encouraged them to leave by indicating that with the new big guys coming in their playing time was going to drop off further unless they could really make some personal improvements during this off season. They already know what the transfer that sat out last season is bringing. On the other hand if their departures are a surprise to Price filling the open slot could be a real hunt to find the right guy as most of the best available are already committed.

First privacy requirements limit what a coach can say about these matters.As the father of a former Cardinal athlete it would also not be something I or my son would like spread all over a chat room had he transferred.With one scholarship left coaches I know well who do not have a recruit locked up,they really want,like to keep their powder dry in case a big school backs off a committed player at signing time,which is next Wednesday.They also consider transfers and graduates with a year left.