I am a huge Brian Mullins fan, but I understood why he was let go.
I was initially very excited for Coach Nagy and the Salukis.
That being said, I can't remember a Saluki basketball team with less effort and enthusiasm...and I lived through the Gottfried years. (Went to every home game, including the 0-16 year)
In listening to Coach Nagy in his post game interviews it is obvious that he is frustrated (which is totally normal), but I'm also concerned he might be letting his frustration seep into his outlook. If you're the coach, you are the one guy who has to stay focused and continue pushing your team to perform at their peak level, whatever that may be. If the players are starting to think his has thrown in the towel, then this season is over.
Moving forward, I will be looking for this team to come out next game and play hard for 40 minutes. If that happens, then win or lose, that would be a huge step in the right direction.
In the years BM was here I was pained when we didn't make it back to the NCAA's, but I was never pained by their effort. Watching this current team give minimal effort is totally unacceptable.
I really hope Coach Nagy has it in him to right this ship.
On a side note: I have been reading everyone's opinion on this site for 6 or 7 years and I appreciate your insights and your passion for the Salukis.
Go Dawgs!
Excellent post, thank you!
Since we are talking about Mullins. He was probably too young/green when he got the job.
Other than losing to a team he shouldn’t have (UIC), he or his teams were never an embarrassment. Sure people will bring up he couldn’t win with 2 big ten players and couldn’t maintain a big lead….but being embarrassed to be a Saluki never happened. What we witnessed New Year’s was a gutless, no balls, no cohesiveness effort. Our old coach is gone….I’ve moved on, but who in their right mind can defend what we are seeing. It’s not ok with me and shouldn’t be ok with anyone. I’m not old enough for the gottfried era but this to me is right on par with lowery’s last year.
Plain and simple, it’s clear that we don’t have the horses to compete in the Missouri Valley. That’s what it boils down to. If we had the talent and were terribly underachieving I would criticize the game preparation and in-game coaching a little more.
Nagy said it best himself when he was hired: “When I’ve had good players, I’m a good coach. When I don’t, I’m a bad coach.” I may be paraphrasing a little but in this day and age of college basketball with the portal era, that’s more true than ever. Just like the NBA. There’s no luxury where a coach who can develop and under the radar players with loads of potential (something I thought we did well in the glory days). Now it’s a constant turn and churn in the portal era and you’re expected to plug and replace and go win.
We have some good complementary options but we over estimated that Damien Mayo could take a big jump from his mediocre numbers on a bad Missouri State team, the transfers like Sykes and Steffe would be Day 1 big impact players at this level and JUCO guys like Morreno and Massey would Valley caliber bigs.
Other guys like Hensley, Sharpe and Aligbe would be fine Valley rotation guys but they’re now “go-to” guys on this team. Truthfully, Davis and Diba are probably the only guys who would start on almost any other Valley team this year. Davis, the face of the program and our big NIL guy, probably is a 6th man on the top Valley teams. Not trying to put him down. Just being honest how thin our talent is.
This staff with Nagy, Hawkins and Reddick were tapping into recruiting connections from when they were at other leagues. Mamon was here and Vasler was at UIC but I think this staff terribly underestimated the talent jump to the Valley. This roster may have been able to win 17-18 games in the Horizon League or OVC but it’s not cut out for the Valley, especially without Elliott.
If the talent improves and we still see Nagy not off the bench coaching too hard in games or the overall energy around the team change, then I’ll be more upset. But if Nagy and co. don’t adjust the talent level he’s bringing in, he may not be around too long.
I will be curious to see if Nagy keeps the staff as is or if he ends up changing it up after a year of being around them. Someone like a Mamon may make a jump too if he can tell this era is doomed or a difference in philosophy.
Since we are talking about Mullins. He was probably too young/green when he got the job.
Other than losing to a team he shouldn’t have (UIC), he or his teams were never an embarrassment. Sure people will bring up he couldn’t win with 2 big ten players and couldn’t maintain a big lead….but being embarrassed to be a Saluki never happened. What we witnessed New Year’s was a gutless, no balls, no cohesiveness effort. Our old coach is gone….I’ve moved on, but who in their right mind can defend what we are seeing. It’s not ok with me and shouldn’t be ok with anyone. I’m not old enough for the gottfried era but this to me is right on par with lowery’s last year.
When players are now getting paid to represent a University and program, a culture, a tradition built by those who came before, their coaches, teammates and themselves when they put that jersey on their chests.. NO! I cannot and will not support half-assed (being generous here) effort. Not now. Not ever.
Losing is one thing. Not sacking up and giving it your all is something else entirely. And that required effort goes much deeper than just under the lights on game day.
I've seen enough from this sorry group. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I'm tuning out for the season, and I could care less if a single player currently on our roster returns next fall.
--Insert something witty here--
Plain and simple, it’s clear that we don’t have the horses to compete in the Missouri Valley. That’s what it boils down to. If we had the talent and were terribly underachieving I would criticize the game preparation and in-game coaching a little more.
Nagy said it best himself when he was hired: “When I’ve had good players, I’m a good coach. When I don’t, I’m a bad coach.” I may be paraphrasing a little but in this day and age of college basketball with the portal era, that’s more true than ever. Just like the NBA. There’s no luxury where a coach who can develop and under the radar players with loads of potential (something I thought we did well in the glory days). Now it’s a constant turn and churn in the portal era and you’re expected to plug and replace and go win.
We have some good complementary options but we over estimated that Damien Mayo could take a big jump from his mediocre numbers on a bad Missouri State team, the transfers like Sykes and Steffe would be Day 1 big impact players at this level and JUCO guys like Morreno and Massey would Valley caliber bigs.
Other guys like Hensley, Sharpe and Aligbe would be fine Valley rotation guys but they’re now “go-to” guys on this team. Truthfully, Davis and Diba are probably the only guys who would start on almost any other Valley team this year. Davis, the face of the program and our big NIL guy, probably is a 6th man on the top Valley teams. Not trying to put him down. Just being honest how thin our talent is.
This staff with Nagy, Hawkins and Reddick were tapping into recruiting connections from when they were at other leagues. Mamon was here and Vasler was at UIC but I think this staff terribly underestimated the talent jump to the Valley. This roster may have been able to win 17-18 games in the Horizon League or OVC but it’s not cut out for the Valley, especially without Elliott.
If the talent improves and we still see Nagy not off the bench coaching too hard in games or the overall energy around the team change, then I’ll be more upset. But if Nagy and co. don’t adjust the talent level he’s bringing in, he may not be around too long.
I will be curious to see if Nagy keeps the staff as is or if he ends up changing it up after a year of being around them. Someone like a Mamon may make a jump too if he can tell this era is doomed or a difference in philosophy.
Agree with a lot of this, sadly. Davis and Dibba (and previously Elliott) are the only two who have any business starting for a Valley team from a talent standpoint, and Dibba’s inconsistent motor and focus is a big part of the team’s lackadaisical ways.
Since we are talking about Mullins. He was probably too young/green when he got the job.
Other than losing to a team he shouldn’t have (UIC), he or his teams were never an embarrassment. Sure people will bring up he couldn’t win with 2 big ten players and couldn’t maintain a big lead….but being embarrassed to be a Saluki never happened. What we witnessed New Year’s was a gutless, no balls, no cohesiveness effort. Our old coach is gone….I’ve moved on, but who in their right mind can defend what we are seeing. It’s not ok with me and shouldn’t be ok with anyone. I’m not old enough for the gottfried era but this to me is right on par with lowery’s last year.
When players are now getting paid to represent a University and program, a culture, a tradition built by those who came before, their coaches, teammates and themselves when they put that jersey on their chests.. NO! I cannot and will not support half-assed (being generous here) effort. Not now. Not ever.
Losing is one thing. Not sacking up and giving it your all is something else entirely. And that required effort goes much deeper than just under the lights on game day.
I've seen enough from this sorry group. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I'm tuning out for the season, and I could care less if a single player currently on our roster returns next fall.
A sad state of affairs. I hope the Dawgs earn back your interest and respect within the calendar year.
Watson knows what we all know. We had the right coach here. We had the culture. It was happening. Most of you impatient people couldn’t see it or didn’t want to. Now we are screwed, maybe forever. Nagy is clearly and AWFUL leader of men. Dudes body language is a joke. This is his GARBAGE ASS team. No fight. I hate this team. They’re losers and it starts at the top with the chancellor, the AD and the head coach. Absolute BUMS.
Just because Nagy MAY NOT have been a good hire (it’s year one, albeit a terrible one), does not mean that sticking with Mullins was the right course of action.
There is very little evidence beyond pure faith that Year 6 was going to be a good one under Mullins, losing XJ from a team that was bounced on Thursday in STL. He had not shown much in the portal and had no high school fall signees.
I like Bryan a ton. Would he eventually have figured it out and made the needed adjustments to have the success the program needs? Maybe, maybe not, but it’s unrealistic to expect 8-10 years to get it right at a program and university desperate for success.
you can call the bobber overly loyal, overly stubborn, perhaps even overly stupid. he would not disagree. I supported Lowery a long time because he was family. I supported Mullins for the same reason. it is the same reason I support Nick hill, even though he has a losing league record, a losing overall record, and has never contended for anything going into year TEN.
this is my saluki family, and Lowery, Mullins and hill are part of it. to treat them like any other coach just does not sit with the bobber. if you are going to fire the family, you better bring results.
this would be like firing the bobber and bringing back slapster or dean.
.
Best post on this site ever bobber! That is exactly how I feel. I will continue to support the team like I always do. Nagy is the coach for the next 5 1/2 years unless he decides he is not. I will still watch games and I will still continue to get ESPN plus just for Saluki athletics. I will still go to Arch Madness. I will probably still think the team is better than they are when I speak to friends that are not Saluki's. But I sure hope this turns around.
Since we are talking about Mullins. He was probably too young/green when he got the job.
Other than losing to a team he shouldn’t have (UIC), he or his teams were never an embarrassment. Sure people will bring up he couldn’t win with 2 big ten players and couldn’t maintain a big lead….but being embarrassed to be a Saluki never happened. What we witnessed New Year’s was a gutless, no balls, no cohesiveness effort. Our old coach is gone….I’ve moved on, but who in their right mind can defend what we are seeing. It’s not ok with me and shouldn’t be ok with anyone. I’m not old enough for the gottfried era but this to me is right on par with lowery’s last year.
When players are now getting paid to represent a University and program, a culture, a tradition built by those who came before, their coaches, teammates and themselves when they put that jersey on their chests.. NO! I cannot and will not support half-assed (being generous here) effort. Not now. Not ever.
Losing is one thing. Not sacking up and giving it your all is something else entirely. And that required effort goes much deeper than just under the lights on game day.
I've seen enough from this sorry group. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I'm tuning out for the season, and I could care less if a single player currently on our roster returns next fall.
Sorry to see you go, but it's understandable. I will miss your insights. Hope we bring in some players in the offseason whose passion matches that of your screen name!
Since we are talking about Mullins. He was probably too young/green when he got the job.
Other than losing to a team he shouldn’t have (UIC), he or his teams were never an embarrassment. Sure people will bring up he couldn’t win with 2 big ten players and couldn’t maintain a big lead….but being embarrassed to be a Saluki never happened. What we witnessed New Year’s was a gutless, no balls, no cohesiveness effort. Our old coach is gone….I’ve moved on, but who in their right mind can defend what we are seeing. It’s not ok with me and shouldn’t be ok with anyone. I’m not old enough for the gottfried era but this to me is right on par with lowery’s last year.
I guess you never saw the Southern Indiana game where they kicked our ass.. that was an embarrassment. we also managed to lose to some really bad Evansville teams.
I agree with everybody this team is bad and I knew they were going to be bad after losing Elliot. I also agree that the effort of some of these guys is just not great or at least not sustained. Dibba who seems to be a talented player just disappears a lot.
Also agree with the poster who said there is not that much talent on this team.
That said I am sure as hell not wanting to go back to Brian Mullins. He was a very inexperienced coach and it certainly showed .. good D some of the time but awful offense even when he had some real weapons. Foolish moves like playing D'amico at center while Rupert sat on the bench caused us to lose some games the one year we had a chance to tie for the valley championship.
And it certainly seemed like the last year Mullins lost out on almost every recruiting attempt at some really good players.
We gave him 5 years and he certainly was not getting it done, so I'm definitely willing to give Nagy a couple more years.
Also anybody who saw those Gottfried teams knows this team is way better than that team even though we may still end up in last place or very close to it.
I think everyone knows in football if you don't have a good quarterback you're screwed. You're going to lose most of your games. Elliot was our quarterback our energy guy and our most talented offensive player. I can't emphasize enough how much his loss has hurt this team. It really seems to me that we just don't have that takeover kick ass leader and that's one of the big problems, along with a lack of talent and the lack of a big guy in the middle that can really do some damage.
Also think a lot of people on here are really reacting to Nagy's demeanor. He's relatively laid back on the sideline compared to some coaches. I don't have a problem with it and I like his comments after the games. He understands what's going on but he may just have a different approach than some coaches.
I think this roster will look a lot different next year.
Go Dawgs!
It's time to move on from using Elliott as a crutch. Teams in every sport lose valuable players all of the time. I agreed that was a huge loss, but good organizations figure out ways to bounce back. Even with Elliott we would still lack talent and a true big man.
People forget just how much the game changed during the Mullins era. You can criticize his coaching failures, and that is fair. But his recruiting failures? Not as fair. The game was changing on the fly, and the SIU administration was not prepared to get him the resources to be successful with that change. Yes, he had a few great players and didn’t win, I totally understand that argument.
We are not a championship program. We haven’t been in a long time and it is clear that it will be difficult to get back. Mullins at least gave some hope that we may be in it the final weekend for the championship/top 4. If that is me accepting mediocrity, then so be it.
But this season is showing exactly why I didn’t want Mullins fired. It CAN be worse. The games are no longer fun. That $600k EXTRA we are spending this year in coaching could’ve won some recruiting battles by being put into NIL, and maybe, just maybe, we win a Valley title with Mullins. We sure as hell don’t get the dog shit beat out of us at home by Evansville.
Nagy hasn’t been winning during this new era either, and that’s exactly why an “experienced (old)” coach worried me. Pay attention around the country. The old guys are quitting. It’s a new age.
Mullins at least gave some hope that we may be in it the final weekend for the championship/top 4. If that is me accepting mediocrity, then so be it.
Maybe that's how you felt. For me, I never went into Arch Madness with the expectation to win in any of the 5 years with Mullins. The one year they got to Saturday they barely scraped by a bad Missouri State team in one of the worst games I've ever seen where they nearly threw it away.
I think, fwiw, we are not too far from a massive lawsuit from non P5(with a few P5 schools as well) on anti trust grounds.
Transfers will likely be regulated again as well as the NIL.
The current game of just paying players along with unlimited transfers combined with super conferences is completely unsustainable.
It's time to move on from using Elliott as a crutch. Teams in every sport lose valuable players all of the time. I agreed that was a huge loss, but good organizations figure out ways to bounce back. Even with Elliott we would still lack talent and a true big man.
Really? If Domask was lot for a whole season, SIU would have lost most of their games. It is especially true in a sport with just 5 players that losing your star player is a disaster you don't recover from unless you have a seriously talented roster, which we don't. It's not an excuse - it's a fact. With a healthy EE, we have a better record, although we may still have lost to an Evansville team that played great the last two games. (57 - 40 over Mo State.)
I too dislike what I'm seeing on the court right now, but there is really no instant cure. There's no 80 man roster to choose from like football. Recruiting IS the answer.
And for those fans of the bad D2 team Gottfried put on the floor, I too saw every game and this team is considerably better, although pretty darn bad.
Hopefully we'll have some games in which we shoot well and win a few.
