I have a really hard time believing that Scottie E. will be back next year. Of course, I have no inside information; I'm just thinking about what I would do if I were SE.
I hope I'm wrong and that there really is some magical culture/brotherhood being created here that will make him want to stay.
We have a 6' 10", 260 lb. guy that the coaching staff is just baffled about. FFS . . . What a waste.
(Inflammatory political snark)
It's not surprising to see people assuming players will be bolting after a 2-4 stretch. What's worse is that SIU is likely to go 2-3 or even 1-4 in their next 5 games (Ill St at home is the only W I am confident in at this point, as long as we don't build up a big lead-lol). At the same time, it's premature to lament or guess over who's leaving until the season is over, at least IMO.
With regards to Mullins, at this point, I only want him replaced IF we had a "sure thing". And when I say sure thing, I mean proven thing. Mullins was the choice of many, and I myself was VERY excited but I also had my concerns. I thought it was a stretch (to say the least) that some gave HIM the credit for Loyola's success. Meanwhile Moser has made Oklahoma a top team in the Big 12 and has done it almost solely through the Xfer portal. Maybe that actually gives me some hope here, that maybe, somehow, someway our recent coaching hire will make a difference this Spring.
I can tell you this, at this point, I am no longer going to get upset. The season is essentially over as far as I'm concerned and there's no reason to get all fired up. 9th place preseason pick not looking to crazy anymore.
Been thinking about this for a while.
I he did not win with Lance,Marcus and X on the roster I’m not sure he can.
I want nothing more than Bryan to succeed. He is a true Saluki.
we are overachieving a bit this year. That being said X and Trent are gone for sure. I’m guessing Scotty and probably more. We have no recruits. Things are not looking real good. I really don’t see how they extend him. Maybe one year to see what Snacks can do with the transfer portal ?
I think the Bryan hire as a HC was too early in his career. He had been an assistant for just a few years - his only coaching experience I believe. Of course he was a point guard and that's always great experience for a future coach. He may turn out to be a great coach eventually, but he's not close yet.
I agree with the poster that said a very experienced assistant is needed... but will BM listen to him?
However, I think our biggest issue is recruiting. We can complain about the lineups and substitutions, and they could be better - why did Davis, a tough defender, play so little last night? Why so little Ebube when Clay was eating up smaller defenders like D'Amico?
But BM is limited because of his bench - it's weak. Who's going to spell XJ? Sharp is a true freshmen who has played so little that it's hard to know if he could be the guy. Mullins obviously doesn't think so at this point. Miller is definitely not that backup PG IMO. Same at forward - Hensley gets pushed around like a leaf in the wind. D'Amico played over 40 minutes and was wiped out by the last 5 minutes and Clay took full advantage.
I am absolutely disappointed in those losses after big leads but it happens. (#6 Bucky Badger with a great HC was up by 19 at Nebraska in the 2nd half tonight and lost in OT.) I'm more concerned about the future - it's not looking good.
I agree with Barkeep that we're over-achieving a bit. Without some real recruiting success this year, I don't see how keeping this coaching staff can be justified.
I am probably in a minority in here in that I do not want to see Mullins let go. I think he is a class act who has a class program off the court. As a season ticket holder, I have attended the preseason “meet and greet” event and a couple of the dinners. The players are polite and friendly when you talk with them which cannot be easy for young men their age who are getting bombarded with questions and picture requests.
I want to give Howard a chance to perform his recruiting magic. Having him at the beginning of the transfer portal rather than the very end should give him the opportunity to work the recruiting trail. I am not as concerned as others are about the lack of high school recruits signed. After the portal season plays out, there should still be time to hit the high school/AAU prospects. We have had contacts with and I think offers made with a few high school players.
I do think there needs to be an evaluation of the assistants and development personnel. This could potentially be a touchy situation since one of the assistants is the brother of the head coach. There is a definite need for someone with an extensive background/experience in offensive schemes and development.
Been thinking about this for a while.
I he did not win with Lance,Marcus and X on the roster I’m not sure he can.
I want nothing more than Bryan to succeed. He is a true Saluki.
we are overachieving a bit this year. That being said X and Trent are gone for sure. I’m guessing Scotty and probably more. We have no recruits. Things are not looking real good. I really don’t see how they extend him. Maybe one year to see what Snacks can do with the transfer portal ?
I don’t know how any recruiting success could be expected without some sort of short extension. It’s very rare to let a coach go into his final year for that reason. Who would come into that situation unless you’re loading up on a bunch of grad transfers with just one year left to play?
I live more than 800 miles from Carbondale and don't have access to inside information aside from what I read on Saluki-Insider.com. My question for those closer to the situation: Have there been any rumblings from the administration or the athletic director so far about Mullins' status? I recall the two years of lead-in to Coach Sauce's departure, with all the reports, rumors and involvement from one influential booster in particular -- is he still around and does he still have influence? Again, observing from a distance, it seems much quieter this time. That could mean nothing -- or everything.
According to Saluki 4 Life and the rest of the Koolaid crowd, yes. Being picked 9th and finishing 5th or 6th is a great accomplishment and we are being selfish and unreasonable to expect more from Saluki Basketball. 🙄
incorrect, I never said that. I am not even opposed to getting a new coach, I just think some of you need to get a grip with the new reality of what SIU basketball and MVC basketball is.
It's not surprising to see people assuming players will be bolting after a 2-4 stretch. What's worse is that SIU is likely to go 2-3 or even 1-4 in their next 5 games (Ill St at home is the only W I am confident in at this point, as long as we don't build up a big lead-lol). At the same time, it's premature to lament or guess over who's leaving until the season is over, at least IMO.
With regards to Mullins, at this point, I only want him replaced IF we had a "sure thing". And when I say sure thing, I mean proven thing. Mullins was the choice of many, and I myself was VERY excited but I also had my concerns. I thought it was a stretch (to say the least) that some gave HIM the credit for Loyola's success. Meanwhile Moser has made Oklahoma a top team in the Big 12 and has done it almost solely through the Xfer portal. Maybe that actually gives me some hope here, that maybe, somehow, someway our recent coaching hire will make a difference this Spring.
I can tell you this, at this point, I am no longer going to get upset. The season is essentially over as far as I'm concerned and there's no reason to get all fired up. 9th place preseason pick not looking to crazy anymore.
This is my only concerning with getting rid of Mullins... Under Mullins we are at a minimum respectable and competitive... I think admin will absolutely botch this hire if given the chance. I have heard enough to know that what they will be looking for in a candidate won't translate to anything good. That's all I will say.
No where near anything considered an "insider," but as a season ticket holder you do hear rumblings. Some rumors have it the Chancellor and AD are not pleased with the basketball results and maybe sniffing around for potential replacement. Again, this is a RUMOR. Have no way to know what's going on.
Personally, yeah, it's been disappointing and on the fence about BM as much as I like him for a lot of reasons. And also, very happy the Admins are concerned, and want and expect more out of the hoops program.
However, as Saluki4life said above, I'm more concerned about the Admins choosing some hack coach and we end up in worse shape. We've seen it happen before. Be careful what you wish for...
March on triumphantly!
It's not surprising to see people assuming players will be bolting after a 2-4 stretch. What's worse is that SIU is likely to go 2-3 or even 1-4 in their next 5 games (Ill St at home is the only W I am confident in at this point, as long as we don't build up a big lead-lol). At the same time, it's premature to lament or guess over who's leaving until the season is over, at least IMO.
With regards to Mullins, at this point, I only want him replaced IF we had a "sure thing". And when I say sure thing, I mean proven thing. Mullins was the choice of many, and I myself was VERY excited but I also had my concerns. I thought it was a stretch (to say the least) that some gave HIM the credit for Loyola's success. Meanwhile Moser has made Oklahoma a top team in the Big 12 and has done it almost solely through the Xfer portal. Maybe that actually gives me some hope here, that maybe, somehow, someway our recent coaching hire will make a difference this Spring.
I can tell you this, at this point, I am no longer going to get upset. The season is essentially over as far as I'm concerned and there's no reason to get all fired up. 9th place preseason pick not looking to crazy anymore.
This is my only concerning with getting rid of Mullins... Under Mullins we are at a minimum respectable and competitive... I think admin will absolutely botch this hire if given the chance. I have heard enough to know that what they will be looking for in a candidate won't translate to anything good. That's all I will say.
That's a sorry reason for keeping a coach IMO. If you want to excel, you have to make decisions based firstly on winning. We kept Barbecue way too long. We kept Dale Lennon too long and are still recovering from it.
Been thinking about this for a while.
I he did not win with Lance,Marcus and X on the roster I’m not sure he can.
I want nothing more than Bryan to succeed. He is a true Saluki.
we are overachieving a bit this year. That being said X and Trent are gone for sure. I’m guessing Scotty and probably more. We have no recruits. Things are not looking real good. I really don’t see how they extend him. Maybe one year to see what Snacks can do with the transfer portal ?
I don’t know how any recruiting success could be expected without some sort of short extension. It’s very rare to let a coach go into his final year for that reason. Who would come into that situation unless you’re loading up on a bunch of grad transfers with just one year left to play?
Doesn't work that way any more with the portal and hundred and hundreds of players entering it. I think most players are recruited to a school or program rather than the coach. Not all certainly. Many coaches rebuild in one year if they can grab serious talent from the portal. Throwing away a couple of years of salary on a coach who hasn't gotten it done is a waste.
Not saying BM should get the axe, but he's had years to recruit and we ARE getting out-recruited by InSU, Bradley, Drake, Mo. State, etc. And don't be surprised if Prom and Belmont pull in some serious talent this Spring.
Here is what we have in Coach Mullins. We have someone who works extremely hard at his job. We have a person who is very loyal and committed to the university and the community. Our players play hard and seem to enjoy playing together; there seems to be a positive culture in the program. The players go to class and graduate and seem to be good students and people both on campus and out in the community.
We have also been pretty successful on the floor. The Domask injury ruined what had started as a great season. Aaron Cook’s injury and then unexpected departure also hurt. The transfer portal and NIL have changed so much with the way college sports, especially for mid-majors, deal with these. With all this, we are having a winning season although it may not be as successful as some want it to be.
There are some definite concerns with things. The offensive issues, especially late game play, is one. There have been some questionable decisions concerning playing time and lineups. There have been more than a few defections, although I am not sure how this stacks up with other schools. We seem to have lost out on some recruits and possibly made some questionable decisions on others. Our latest portal transfers have not been as successful as most would like.
I don’t think it is fair to bring up what Domask and Jones are doing this year. Had it not been for COVID, they would both be playing in the G-League or overseas and we would probably know very little about what they are doing. Do you know how Aaron Cook is doing or for that matter, where he is playing? I also think both Domask and Jones have benefited by the quality of the players around them. They also benefitted from their four years here as neither was recruited by their current school when they graduated high school.
Yes Indiana State seems to have hit a home run with Schertz. No doubt DeVries, Wardle, and Jacobsen are excellent coaches, but even the blogs for their schools sometimes are asking if a change is not needed, especially with Jacobsen this season. How long will Schertz be there as he is getting lots of attention this year? If he leaves, and takes some of his players with him, what happens at Indiana State?
Our past history has had some hits and some misses with hiring coaches. This not only pertains to men’s basketball, but women’s basketball, baseball, and football. There is no guarantee you will get a Schertz or Bruce Weber. You may get a Gottfried or Van Winkle.
Hopefully we finish the season strong and the question turns to how long do we extend Coach Mullins. No matter what, I will continue to cheer for the Dawgs in all sports.
Southern Illinois is still a pretty storied basketball program. I'm not saying I want to see Bryan fired. Nor am I saying I want him extended. I just don't think we'd have a problem bringing in a good coach.
Southern Illinois is still a pretty storied basketball program. I'm not saying I want to see Bryan fired. Nor am I saying I want him extended. I just don't think we'd have a problem bringing in a good coach.
Don’t think the problem will be the quality of applicants. The problem will be who the people in charge select. I’m hesitant looking back at some of our other “final” candidates the previous times hiring a coach. Most of those finalist would have us in a worse position than we are currently. I really like our AD like I have said before….he seems all in.
This is just me spouting off the cuff. Don’t know too much about our chancellor. How much does he value athletics….his previous stops were the SWAC, correct? Does he carry over the SWAC way of thinking? This is just hesitation on my part and it could be way off course. If so steer me on course and lessen my worry.
