[NU Sports] BB Coaching Change? (fwd)

[johnadeg at comcast.net]

The Harrisburg, PA newspaper has a long article by a Pittsburgh newspaper sportswriter  lamenting Penn State's lousy basketball program despite having a top notch facility.  This guy calls Penn State's and NU's programs a joke in so many words.  He attributes Penn State's problems to its being out in the country, i.e. west of the Hudson River,  making it an unattractive location for the players out of NYC, New Jersey and not playing "Big Least" teams instead of Big Ten schools.  NU doesn't have the problem of its location , but I also think that when Penn State joined the Big Ten it had to jack up its admissions standards. I'm still at a loss as to why NU's program has been so bad for so many years.

John DeGroat
-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: s.fridley at comcast.net 

> The timing of some of your comments is interesting. I share your views on 
> Carmody - that he is a great representative of NU and what it stands for. I 
> also share your frustration with our recruiting. 
> 
> Re: no "leapers" - I agree these are in short supply. Interestingly, Capocci, 
> one of our freshmen next year, is apparently a terrific jumper. I spoke briefly 
> with his high school coach, who told me he "absolutely jumps out of the gym." 
> I've heard similar elsewhere, but we'll see next November. Michael Thompson, 
> our other recruit for next year, is very speedy. 
> 
> It has taken some time, but we are starting to get players out of the Chicago 
> Public League after a long, long dry spell that far outstripped Carmody's 
> tenure. Previously, Carmody had some pyrrhic recruiting victories with Brandon 
> Lee out of another talent hotbed, Peoria, and Gary Lee, from Flint, MI. 
> Unfortunately, while they signed on the bottom line they didn't last very long 
> for reasons we already know. 
> 
> The addition to the staff of Tavaras Hardy is apparently already reaping some 
> benefits with regard to our recruiting visibility locally. His knowledge of 
> what it's like to be a student-athlete at NU combined with his winning 
> personality will, I think, prove a big help to our efforts. 
> 
> If you haven't been present when Carmody talks about recruiting I thought you 
> might find this interesting: I've heard Carmody talk about this quite a bit, 
> and he is definitely not using our academic requirements as a crutch. When 
> asked, he sort of perfunctorily acknowledges that our academic standards make 
> our net a little bit narrower and the job a little more challenging, but also 
> disavows that as a big part of the problem. He has consistently said that his 
> biggest obstacle is the program's history, or lack thereof. I also remember 
> something Jitim said that I found interesting. It's not just about our choice 
> who to recruit based on academics. Jitim played with everybody in Chicago over 
> the summers, and he frequently heard from others something like, "Oh, man, why 
> do you want to go to Northwestern and have to study so hard. You have to be a 
> superbrain to go there." Jitim essentially said, no, you just have to go to 
> class and do your work. It's not all that big a de! 
> al. Bu 
> t the perception's out there. (Another reason I think Tavaras can help here - 
> he can provide first hand info about what student work at NU is like.) Some of 
> the recent articles in the Daily Herald about NU recruiting and the CPL were 
> illuminating. It's clear that NU is quite flexible in its admissions 
> requirements for athletes, as long as they have decent grades which indicate a 
> likelihood of college graduation. 
> 
> All things considered, I think our basketball job is the single toughest job in 
> all of college sports. Not as high-pressured as some of the superelite 
> football programs, but the toughest job in which to have real success. 
> Carmody's doing as well so far as anybody has, but if he can't do it, it might 
> take an out-of-the-box solution like Kareem to get it done. It's a shame that 
> Kareem has never been offered an opportunity, and it's a further shame that for 
> NU to be the school that offered would be appropriately seen as the very lowest 
> rung on the ladder. 
> 
> -------------- Original message ---------------------- 
> From: NEONRye at aol.com 
> > While it would be great to have a new venue for 'Cat Hoops, I don't really 
> > think that is the problem. I have never been to Cameron Indoor Arena, but 
> > certainly, it is not state-of-the-art in any way, shape of form--except for 
> (a) 
> > the undergraduate talent wearing the "Blue Devils" jersey, (b) the fanatic 
> > undergraduates in the seats, and (c) Coach "K". 
> > 
> > I have been reluctant to join in this discussion, and have held back all 
> > season, because I think Bill Carmody is an excellent representative of NU and 
> > what it stands for. However, if the goal is not only to have a "clean" 
> > program, but to qualify for the NCAA Tournament some time in the next 
> century, 
> > then 
> > we just have to be able to recruit better players. We are too slow, too 
> > small and too un-athletic (i.e., no "leapers"). Thus, defensively and on the 
> > boards we are generally pathetic, and occasionally rise to mediocre. 
> > 
> > I think we need to go after somebody like a Kareem Abdul Jabbar, a 
> > nationally-recognized figure, who also stands for academic excellence and 
> > integrity, 
> > and an individual who clearly wants to become a Head Coach. I think Kareem 
> > has been mentioned before by others on the List. Obviously, as a legend of 
> the 
> > game and a man of unquestioned principles, he should be able to recruit 
> > successfully in the African-American community, which IMHO is a sine qua non 
> > for 
> > significant progress with our program. Frankly, I think we have avoided this 
> > issue out of a sense of political correctness, but it is inescapable. All 
> > you have to do is turn on the tube or go to a game. We are a predominantly 
> > Caucasian team in a sport in which African-Americans have excelled, for a 
> > variety of reasons. And, if anything, that trend has intensified during the 
> > Carmody Era, as he has shown some recruiting prowess in Eastern Europe, but 
> not 
> > East Chicago or Gary or St. Louis. 
> > 
> > What I am saying is that President Bienen and Mark Murphy need to think "out 
> > of the box" here. We have a virtually-unmatched record of futility in terms 
> > of the NCAA Tournament. I believe that our failure to ever make the 
> > Tournament is more of an embarassment than our record-setting losing streak on 
> > the 
> > gridiron in the 1980's. It's just that we have somehow flown under the radar 
> > with it. And we can't use "academics" as a crutch forever. When I see 
> > Vanderbilt beat Florida, I know that the canard of "We can't recruit 
> basketball 
> > players because they don't have the grades or the SAT's" is a lame excuse 
> that 
> > has outlived its useful life. 
> > 
> > I would never say that we should take junior college transfers or players 
> > who can't cut it in the classroom, but by the same token, other "pseudo-Ivy" 
> > schools manage to hire coaches and recruit players who generate the "critical 
> > mass" of talent and instruction which enables them to make the Tournament. 
> > And I haven't heard anyone say that Vandy or Stanford or Duke have somehow 
> > depreciated their reputations as top-class institutions of learning by 
> fielding 
> > competitive (and, in some cases, championship-caliber) hoops teams. Why 
> can't 
> > we? I am not asking for the "Final Four:" here; in fact, I probably would 
> > be happy making the "Play-In Game".:-) 
> > 
> > Paul Levinson 
> > 
> > 
> > 


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