[NU Sports] Dump Carmody - Name Hardy Interim

[Jonathan Hodges]

I am usually last in line to call for firing of coaches but I completely
agree with this assessment.  In fact, I agreed back in 2008 (and again in
2009) as documented at HTP:

2008 article: http://hailtopurple.com/jhodges/comment8c16.html

2009 article: http://hailtopurple.com/jhodges/comment9c20.html

I was hopeful last year which was possibly the closes that NU has come to
making the tourney and featured NU's 2nd consecutive trip to the NIT (the
only time ever that NU has gone to consecutive postseason tournaments) and
their first appearance in the rankings in forever.  And last year NU had
some guys that looked good/promising with eligibility remaining (Shurna,
Thompson, Crawford) plus an incoming guy that looked as though he may be
able to play right away (Cobb).  Plus, with Coble coming back 2010-2011
definitely looked to be the year.

That was then, this is now.  Coble was essentially run off by Carmody.  The
team still completely lacks any inside presence and therefore can be
dominated when a team makes a point of getting the ball inside, and they get
outrebounded against any respectable opponent.  The offense looked good
early but it is completely dependent on Shurna as demonstrated during their
current losing streak to start Big Ten play when he's been hampered with an
ankle sprain.  Nobody else has really stepped up despite some having
potential (Crawford, in particular).

In any case, it would be unwise to continue calling out players because
their performance is pretty clearly a symptom of the greater problem which
goes up to the program and coach level.  We've seen it time and time again
and the ceiling for NU MBB under Carmody is a season where NU can beat up on
the little guys, get close to mediocrity in Big Ten play, and head to the
NIT.

Carmody was given more than enough time to make that NCAA berth happen - 3
years ago.  It has to be beyond time now and while NU does rarely fire a
head coach, as others have noted, I believe Phillips would be willing to
make a move (I believe Carmody has 1 year left on his current contract after
this season, which was apparently purposefully not renewed going into this
year).

Also, I am almost always opposed to firing head coaches mid-season, but I
think NU is getting close to the breaking point.  Continue the current
downward trend and NU would be better off pulling the trigger and seeing if
Tavaras can be the guy and if not there will be plenty of time to find
someone who can give it a shot.

Jonathan

On Fri, Jan 7, 2011 at 12:02 PM, Peter C. Warner <pcw at warnerpatents.com>wrote:

> I thought Carmody should have been dumped 5 years ago when the team
> consisted of all his own recruits and couldn't perform.  Nothing has
> changed.  I've kept quiet because I've seen over the past 40 years that
> telling the NU administration that is should do something obvious is a
> sure-fire way to make sure it won't happen.  However, I can no longer take
> it.
>
>
>
> After all of the build-up for the past year that this was finally going to
> be the year we'd make it to the Dance (and in previous years of telling
> ourselves that the future looked better each year), last night's fiasco was
> the final straw (of many straws that have been building of the years).
>  Dump
> Carmody, sooner rather than later.
>
>
>
> Hardy is the one who has been getting credit for the recruiting in-roads we
> supposedly have been making.  Let him get some coaching credibility as
> well.
> Name Hardy interim by mid-season.  He can't do worse than Carmody.  If
> Hardy
> does well enough through the rest of the season, it might warrant removing
> the "interim" label.
>
>
>
> The problem, of course, is that the NU admin rarely, if ever, fires
> anybody.
> (Even Francis Peay wasn't fired; his contract was simply allowed to run out
> and GB was hired.)  It would be nice if Morty and Jim could shake some of
> the NU "warm and fuzzies" and just dump Carmody now.  This is an
> opportunity
> for Morty and Jim to show us what they are made of.  We'll see.
>
>
>
> As for Carmody, he'll land on his feet.  The Big Ten Network has had
> success
> with its former (less than successful) Big Ten football coaches (DiNardo
> and
> Mason) as football analysts.  However, the BTN doesn't have comparable
> analysts on the basketball side.  Carmody can get a job there.
>
>
>
> Peter
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nwu-sports site list
> nwu-sports at tssi.com
> http://romaine.tssi.com/mailman/listinfo/nwu-sports
>