Why can’t UNLV hire a coach

[renoskier]

16 minutes ago, wolfan8431 said:

I like him too.  But our oly sports are abysmal.  If you're well liked, the kids stay out of trouble & mostly graduate you can spend your career coaching at Nevada regardless of your record.  That is, as long as you're not always in the basement. 

To be fair budget probably has a lot to do with it. 

Baseball and Swimming/Diving have done well during Knuth's tenure; others not so much.

[battle.borne]

4 hours ago, renoskier said:

He's not?

He is in my opinion.

Then your opinion is not informed.  

[renoskier]

17 minutes ago, battle.borne said:

Then your opinion is not informed.  

Fill me in. I'm not a donor and have only met Knuth on a few occasions.

Seems like he's done a good job, certainly much better than his predecessor. 

[ph90702]

UNLV has a good head coach in TJ Otzelberger.  Give him time.  Second year is rough for a lot of coaches because they are bringing in their recruits and reshaping the roster in their own image.

This team should take a step forward next year since they’ll have an offseason and should be able to do a foreign tour.

[renoskier]

46 minutes ago, ph90702 said:

UNLV has a good head coach in TJ Otzelberger.  Give him time. 

Ummm....weren't you a huge Dave Rice sycophant and apologist?

[VincentVegaBond]

2 hours ago, ph90702 said:

UNLV has a good head coach in TJ Otzelberger.  Give him time.  Second year is rough for a lot of coaches because they are bringing in their recruits and reshaping the roster in their own image.

This team should take a step forward next year since they’ll have an offseason and should be able to do a foreign tour.

I tend to agree, but "next year" is something you have a tendancy to tout quite often.

[ph90702]

35 minutes ago, VincentVegaBond said:

I tend to agree, but "next year" is something you have a tendancy to tout quite often.

This year is especially true.  The best teams this year are the ones with the most continuity.  Go look at KenPom, and you’ll see that they have most everyone returning.

[ph90702]

2 hours ago, renoskier said:

Ummm....weren't you a huge Dave Rice sycophant and apologist?

TJ Otzelberger got last year’s team exponentially better over the course of the season.  He will get this year’s team better as well.

PS - Reno is only ranked 15 sports higher in KenPom and would have a losing record if they played UNLV’s schedule.

[NevadaFan]

16 minutes ago, ph90702 said:

TJ Otzelberger got last year’s team exponentially better over the course of the season.  He will get this year’s team better as well.

PS - Reno is only ranked 15 sports higher in KenPom and would have a losing record if they played UNLV’s schedule.

What does Nevada’s situation have to do with the situation in Vegas? Or at any other MWC program for that matter?

If your aunt had balls she’d be your uncle?!

[Rebels18]

4 hours ago, renoskier said:

Ummm....weren't you a huge Dave Rice sycophant and apologist?

And I spoke out against the Rice hire from the very beginning (and the middle, the end, and every once and awhile just to reminisce on my borderline-obsessive disdain for UNLV hiring him over the one true , Reggie Theus, baby.

But I agree with pH that the Otzelberger hire will pan out. He exceeded expectations in Year 1 as that team was running 8-deep and depending on walk-ons and benchwarmer transfers. It's only Year 2 during rona' land and I think this team would be improving greatly game-to-game like they did at the tail end of 2019 *if* they could only F*CKING play! (F*ck da rona') He's got the #15 recruiting class in the country rolling in to reinforce these guys in 2021. So future could be bright...we could be like Reno w/ Alford and suck but only have the 117th ranked recruiting class rolling in 2021.

 

 

If we aren't at-large worthy by 2021/22 big dance we riot tho.

 

 

[ph90702]

12 minutes ago, Rebels18 said:

And I spoke out against the Rice hire from the very beginning (and the middle, the end, and every once and awhile just to reminisce on my borderline-obsessive disdain for UNLV hiring him over the one true , Reggie Theus, baby.

But I agree with pH that the Otzelberger hire will pan out. He exceeded expectations in Year 1 as that team was running 8-deep and depending on walk-ons and benchwarmer transfers. It's only Year 2 doing rona' land and I think this team would be improving greatly game-to-game like they did at the tail end of 2019 *if* they could only F*CKING play! (F*ck da rona') He's got the #15 recruiting class in the country rolling in to reinforce these guys in 2021. So future could be bright...we could be like Reno w/ Alford and suck but only have the 117th ranked recruiting class rolling in 2021.

 

 

If we aren't at-large worthy by 2021/22 big dance we riot tho.

 

 

I agree that we should make the NCAA Tournament in 2022.  We will have a junior/senior laden team with talent and continuity.

I don’t know a lot of the basketball terminology, but I watch with my two eyes, and Otzelberger is a brilliant offensive mind.  He is very creative at finding ways to get good shots.  He learned A LOT from Greg McDermott and Fred Hoiberg.  Defensively, I think they need more emphasis on that end as well as better athletes.

Not once did I mention that we would be an at-large lock or top 25 team this year.

[ph90702]

 

[4UNLV]

I thought Knuth was good until he hired Alford and gave him a 10 year contract.  

So, maybe you better keep him, since I’m not thrilled with with Norvell, either, he’s lucky he got Carson Strong and that receiver to save his butt. 

[Cowboy]

UNLV caught “lightning in a bottle” with Jerry Tarkanian...

 

and Chris Beard...

 

These other ‘guys’ like Marvin and TJ are more their norm.

[Jersey Rebels]

18 hours ago, Cowboy said:

UNLV caught “lightning in a bottle” with Jerry Tarkanian...

 

and Chris Beard...

 

These other ‘guys’ like Marvin and TJ are more their norm.

Nah, UNLV had four chances from my count to get a coach that was above board, but due to either ego or incompetence, it never happened, unfortunately. 

[quickdraw]

Let me just state the obvious... This year is not or ever will be considered a normal year in sports of any kind. I call it a throwaway. The only reason anything is being played at all is money. It has been and continues to be cobbled together. Nothing has been run with any sense of normalcy or equality from day one and won’t even on the last day. Collect whatever money is available, give us sports junkies a fix and let’s just get on with it. Everything restarts again next summer.

All I want at this point is as many practice sessions, called games, as possible and something to watch on TV would also be nice.

[Slapdad]

On 12/16/2020 at 3:51 PM, renoskier said:

Baseball and Swimming/Diving have done well during Knuth's tenure; others not so much.

Swimming and Diving have been great. Baseball hasn't impressed me at all outside of Jay Johnson, who bolted to Arizona as soon as he started winning. I want to like TJ Bruce, but even the years that we do well during the regular season, we get bounced from the tournament. Last year's 2-12 start was horrific and if ever there was a season to be ended due to a pandemic, that was the one. I'm rooting for him to succeed....I hope he can fix whatever was wrong with the Pack last year.  

[boisewitha-s]

On 12/2/2020 at 8:58 PM, fbpack said:

I honestly hate to say this but I want you to be good rebels. This is on your administration you guys got Vegas the hot bed of recruiting the shinny pedigree. What the hell???

Because they have the dumbest fan base in America. 

[battle.borne]

On 12/16/2020 at 2:31 PM, renoskier said:

Fill me in. I'm not a donor and have only met Knuth on a few occasions.

Seems like he's done a good job, certainly much better than his predecessor. 

I actually don't have a negative or positive opinion on Knuth.  What I've heard is that is negative is mostly from the rank and file who don't think he manages personnel effectively.  He's also lost some goodwill among big donors for various reasons.  Nobody in his position will have unanimous support but his has eroded in recent years.  That's the bigger point.

[renoskier]

3 hours ago, battle.borne said:

I actually don't have a negative or positive opinion on Knuth.  What I've heard is that is negative is mostly from the rank and file who don't think he manages personnel effectively.  He's also lost some goodwill among big donors for various reasons.  Nobody in his position will have unanimous support but his has eroded in recent years.  That's the bigger point.

I wondered if some of the negative judgement/feelings are because of issues in his personal life. Hope not because that's not really anyone's business and doesn't have any impact on his job.