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[TOK]

Since many folks today seem to believe that quad wins are the best/most important metric, let’s look at the breakdown for the ‘Cats (153 in the NET rankings) for this past season:

Quad 1: 0–5
Quad 2: 1–2
Quad 3: 4–9
Quad 4: 11–0

Davidson finished the pre-NCAA tournament season 148th in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings (three behind Rikus Schulte’s UC Riverside, and four ahead of Jarvis Moss-led Radford). That would have been good for seventh in the SoCon, fourth in the Sun Belt, and third in the ASun.

The results above suggest that the Cats were quite consistent.

[Wildcat92]

Hey, if we'd lost 6 more Quad 1 games, we'd be a shoo-in

[Wildcat92]

When Matt was hired (which I supported for multiple reasons and still feel was the right thing to do), I felt he had 4 years gratis to prove himself. With the sea change brought about by the portal and NIL I believe this period is extended. But not indefinitely. Hopefully, Clunie’s process includes yearly sit-down evaluations with Matt and all the coaches to look at strengths and weaknesses. We are quite incestuous on our coaching staff and it might be that we need some new blood and outside perspective.

With the amount of close games we have lost in the last two years we really need to figure out how to manufacture a few more ppg and get a few more stops. It’s up to the coaches to figure out how to do this. One suggestion I had some games back is to run more stuff for Durkin to get him to the line more, where he is all but automatic. When he gets completely taken out of games we are not effective and we struggle.

Two areas for improvement are our end-of-game and end-of-shot clock management and our ability to get the ball across the time line under full-court pressure. We are sub-standard in these situations and hard questions need to be asked—is the problem coaching or is it personnel? Our offense is deliberate and predicated on numerous cuts, screens and ball movement, so we’re out of our element in a short-clock situation. In fact, we generally suck in these situations. A different approach is needed. I often think we’d be better off running our normal stuff instead of holding the ball until the last seven seconds before starting the play.

We’ve also lost a number of players to other schools who went on to strongly contribute. More hard questions need to be asked here. These players didn’t leave because of NIL money to my knowledge. So what’s going on here? This issue has come up often enough that it deserves close scrutiny. God forbid we’d lose a player with Manie’s potential.

Perhaps most importantly we need to look at recruiting. It seems we often end up with finesse players instead of the strong, athletic bruisers we need to compete in our league. While I don’t particularly enjoy the kind of basketball we saw in the A-10 semis and finals (almost unwatchable), it is clear we need to have some horses who can compete in that environment.

Hopefully our new NIL fund will help us get back to our historic level of competitiveness but I don’t see it happening overnight. Which is why I argue that Matt needs more time. A couple of years to my thinking.

All very fair. Would like to see us add two categories for evaluating potential Wildcats: quickness and shoulders

[El Gato Bizco]

Methinks if Lee, Mennenga, Dez, and the others didn't bolt y'all would be singing a different tune. Devastating loss of personnel that we have not recovered from.

Some folks could make an argument that we shouldn't have been surprised that they left, but it's something very hard to plan for.

Frankly, I think we are superbly coached on the court. We just need better basketball players, better athletes, and more of them. Really have to step up recruiting and retention.

This reminds me of the old Yiddish saying , "if my grandmother had balls, she would be my grandfather"

[Waitress]

Methinks if Lee, Mennenga, Dez, and the others didn't bolt y'all would be singing a different tune. Devastating loss of personnel that we have not recovered from.

Some folks could make an argument that we shouldn't have been surprised that they left, but it's something very hard to plan for.

Frankly, I think we are superbly coached on the court. We just need better basketball players, better athletes, and more of them. Really have to step up recruiting and retention.

.

This reminds me of the old Yiddish saying , "if my grandmother had balls, she would be my grandfather"

Az der bubbe vot gehat baytzim vot zie geven
mein zayde.

[stevelee]

An article by Amelia Collins emphasizes the assistant GM role much more than the money concludes with

And the irony of it all? The same school that once ignored by major college programs is now poised to become a prime recruiting destination—simply because Stephen Curry is in the building. His influence can change the entire dynamic, making Davidson a place that attracts raw talent eager to follow in his footsteps. Curry, who already changed the game of basketball with his three-point revolution, is now on the verge of revolutionizing the way former NBA players can impact college programs while still being active professionals. His NBA career may still have a few championship runs left, but his next mission is clear—turn Davidson College into a powerhouse that discovers the next ‘underrated’ superstar. Because if there’s anyone who knows what it’s like to defy expectations, it’s Stephen Curry. And now, it’s his turn to do for someone else what Davidson once did for him.

[loosha's lad]

An article by Amelia Collins emphasizes the assistant GM role much more than the money concludes with

And the irony of it all? The same school that once ignored by major college programs is now poised to become a prime recruiting destination—simply because Stephen Curry is in the building. His influence can change the entire dynamic, making Davidson a place that attracts raw talent eager to follow in his footsteps. Curry, who already changed the game of basketball with his three-point revolution, is now on the verge of revolutionizing the way former NBA players can impact college programs while still being active professionals. His NBA career may still have a few championship runs left, but his next mission is clear—turn Davidson College into a powerhouse that discovers the next ‘underrated’ superstar. Because if there’s anyone who knows what it’s like to defy expectations, it’s Stephen Curry. And now, it’s his turn to do for someone else what Davidson once did for him.

Wow. I'll have what she's drinking! While I'm skeptical that the phenomenon she's describing would happen with any regularity, wouldn't it be outstanding if it happened even a handful of times over the next decade or two. Presuming that we could then retain any of those players that The Curry Aura might attract...

[Acorn]

Has Davidson not been affiliated with Curry for the last fifteen years? It seems like this dynamic has been present (although maybe Steph is interested in being more directly involved going forward) but the big difference is $omething el$e.

[TOK]

I am a little skeptical that Steph is going to help Davidson find the next diamond in the rough.

I believe he is connected to some off season skills clinics, but those kids are invited, so they have already been noticed.

It would seem that he could help with the sales pitch to prospects that the coaching staff or perhaps Under Armor folks have already identified as targets. I am not saying that this isn't valuable, but I would be shocked if he is the one looking at lots of high school video trying to find the guy who hasn't already been recognized on the AAU circuit by someone else.

I always thought that the success of Davidson, at least in the SoCon days, was in finding players with potential that the other schools hadn't recognized and then developing it. Yes there were the occasional players that lots of schools wanted, but that wasn't the norm. Now to compete in the A-10, it seems Davidson needs to get players that everyone thinks is good early on.

[catnhat]

IIRC his “Underated” camps are limited to 3 star recruits (and below).

[graveline]

One of the dark jokes about money ball (book or movie, take your pick) was that Billy beane was completely vindicated in all the other teams that used to scoff adopted his methods. And as such that narrow razor thin advantage the As had was wiped away, and they never won a World Series.
Bob was in on Europe when no one else was. Then he pushed it to some far flung corners that were also completely ignored. Ain’t no stones left unturned now

[jamesdhogan]

One of the dark jokes about money ball (book or movie, take your pick) was that Billy beane was completely vindicated in all the other teams that used to scoff adopted his methods. And as such that narrow razor thin advantage the As had was wiped away, and they never won a World Series.
Bob was in on Europe when no one else was. Then he pushed it to some far flung corners that were also completely ignored. Ain’t no stones left unturned now

This is why it's important for us to go to Mars.

[wildforthecats]

One of the dark jokes about money ball (book or movie, take your pick) was that Billy beane was completely vindicated in all the other teams that used to scoff adopted his methods. And as such that narrow razor thin advantage the As had was wiped away, and they never won a World Series.
Bob was in on Europe when no one else was. Then he pushed it to some far flung corners that were also completely ignored. Ain’t no stones left unturned now

This is why it's important for us to go to Mars.

[quickcat]

Unless Bugs Bunny is 10 feet tall, I'm not sure this guy is going to help us:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_the_Martian

[JustaCatsFan]

I am a little skeptical that Steph is going to help Davidson find the next diamond in the rough.

I believe he is connected to some off season skills clinics, but those kids are invited, so they have already been noticed.

It would seem that he could help with the sales pitch to prospects that the coaching staff or perhaps Under Armor folks have already identified as targets. I am not saying that this isn't valuable, but I would be shocked if he is the one looking at lots of high school video trying to find the guy who hasn't already been recognized on the AAU circuit by someone else.

I always thought that the success of Davidson, at least in the SoCon days, was in finding players with potential that the other schools hadn't recognized and then developing it. Yes there were the occasional players that lots of schools wanted, but that wasn't the norm. Now to compete in the A-10, it seems Davidson needs to get players that everyone thinks is good early on.

If you were a HS junior/senior and you were considering what Steph has to offer... how do you evaluate your options? Fame and fortune fuels many of the young men we see on the D1 courts across America today. But they are also concerned for who is going to coach and lead them toward that fame. Unless Steph is doing more than a sales pitch, and he is indeed and routinely active in talent development... why would a talented young recruit think that the new DC is the D1 destination to fulfill hi$ dream$?