i mentioned sloan and you were all WHAT? LON KRUGER? HA YOU'RE STUPID ERNIE? WTF LON KRUGER?

3/27/2007 4:25:44 PM

i guess since its sloan, anything he touches, he builds

let alone his performance at florida was subpar at best compared to what he did at state (obviously)

but if you consider that "building the program"...

you probably think somebody before Lararnnagnagnag (george mason) built that program too dont you

[Edited on March 27, 2007 at 4:29 PM. Reason : .]

3/27/2007 4:27:47 PM

Quote :

"NCSU basketball really, but who built our program? "

the answer is Everett Case

he Built State and the ACC

then Sloan, then V, then Herb, perhaps now maybe Sid

3/27/2007 4:28:27 PM

that was all i was looking for

but still, 3 tournament appearances is pretty weak, but i also don't know where they were before that

and they've continued to grow to the power they are now, so Ernie makes a valid point

i still don't think he leaves tho

[Edited on March 27, 2007 at 4:31 PM. Reason : a]

3/27/2007 4:29:27 PM

their first conference championship was in 2004 (Donovan)

first final four in 94 (Kruger)

2nd and 3rd and 4th final 4's in 2000, 2006, 2007 (Donovan, Donovan, Donovan)

not sure about overall tournament appearances

but simply making the tourney a few times isnt my idea of "building" a program if you are in a power conference

but anyway i dont think he'll leave

[Edited on March 27, 2007 at 4:37 PM. Reason : .]

3/27/2007 4:36:43 PM

lets take someone like Western Carolina

John Doe comes along and takes them to 3 NCAA in 8 years after they have never been in the championship tournament or never even been considered at all in the history of their school.

years later Juan Buck comes along and takes them to a national championship.


thats what this is saying, a school that had NOTHING beforehand would say thanks to the first one for getting them somewhere and really thanks to the last one for making that final push



or you want power conference?? ok use Miami and substitute them for Western

[Edited on March 27, 2007 at 4:52 PM. Reason : c]

3/27/2007 4:51:45 PM

Quote :

"Juan Buck"

lol, i see what you did there

3/27/2007 4:53:23 PM

^^I hear your point (and Ernie's) I just don't agree

but I did clarify the 'power conference' thing

it's one thing to get a couple ncaa bids at a shitty school like central connecticut state and be responsible for "building that program"

course sloan goes in and gets a few appearances at a D-1 school in a power conference (i wish we had the exact years and numbers of appearances)...i mean thats nice and everything but its not great...then donovan comes in and all of a sudden they were favorites to win the title this year in many peoples' preseason predictions

I have zero issues with the accuracy of someone saying:

Quote :

"He basically built the program himself"

3/27/2007 5:01:48 PM

Quote :

"then donovan comes in and all of a sudden they were favorites to win the title this year in many peoples' preseason predictions"

its taken about 10 years for that to happen though...just going to show that it takes time to establish a good program with enough talent and respect to take em to that level...

but yes i see what points are being made i think that Sloan did a good job there though given the cards he was dealt, see the Miami reference.

3/27/2007 5:16:44 PM

so i guess no one really bothered to read my earlier post

Quote :

"sloan put them on the map donovan made them into the power they are today"

3/27/2007 5:34:36 PM

Ponce de León put Florida on the map

3/27/2007 6:02:19 PM

Although I graduated from UF before Donovan arrived there, I think he's the one who built the program.

When I got there in '93, almost no one cared about basketball; some years in the early 90s, the Kentucky game would be the only sell-out of the season. Sloan had a couple of decent teams, including one that went to the Sweet Sixteen, but no sustained excellence.

When Lon Kruger's 1993-94 team went to the Final Four, the campus went basketball-crazy for a while, and sold out most of the SEC home games the following year. After that, things slowly went back to apathy. And this is on a campus where women's volleyball averages 3000 fans, and gymnastics more than twice that. Part of it was that Lon Kruger was a lot like Herb Sendek: a good coach, without much personality, who played a boring brand of basketball.

Billy Donvan came in with a youthful enthusiasm, a media-friendly persona, and a run-and-gun style. Even before his first trip to the Final Four in 2000, he got the campus excited over basketball. I went to see a young Gator team play in Cameron Indoor Stadium in 1999. They didn't beat Duke, or even come close, but they hustled and played a frenetic style at both ends that made them fun to watch. With three straight SEC championships. three trips to the Final Four, and a national title, I don't think anyone else comes close.

3/27/2007 7:07:01 PM