Willard
- Thread starter Mikemarc
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Nice to see the fans giving a standing ovation just before the half. Meanwhile CC members are giving standing ovations to Jordan for just getting his team not to give up. My....how far we have to go.
Perfect sample of it's about recruiting.
You need guys----not OK complimentary guys. Being a solid X and O coach in the hoops of today is meaningless in a Power league without real talent.
All torched Willard for the Tiny Morton hiring but guess what ?
It worked.
You need guys----not OK complimentary guys. Being a solid X and O coach in the hoops of today is meaningless in a Power league without real talent.
All torched Willard for the Tiny Morton hiring but guess what ?
It worked.
No coach has benefited more from the Mike Rice-RU Hoops meltdown than Willard. Rice was beating him on the floor and on the recruiting trail before all [poop][poop][poop][poop] broke loose.
Good for Willard. It looked like he was going nowhere fast in years 3,4, and 5 but he worked through it. The new Big East is a very good spot for SHU I think they'll continue to benefit. Six years after being hired and they finally have their first over .500 conference record under him.
Willard took 6 years at SHU and is not the type to get us out of this mess anyhow. He did a great job with them this season and hiring assistants for recruiting but the suggestion of him coming here is sort of strange
Jordan isn't even close to Willard as a college coach. His first 3 years at Seton Hall were respectable (including a 21 win season). If we wait 3 more years, we'll be losing those games against RU-Newark and probably be playing them in Newark.
Actually an excellent example of "it's about coaching." Willard has done wonders developing this team. He's had a bunch of big names in the past and failed with them because they were uncoachable. He's got these guys working together. Unless that happens, you don't get anywhere.
this is so true, just because you have some great recruits in the program means little if you cant coach them and handle their egos. You need a lot of both to succeed..coaching and recruiting
It helps a ton. It's almost impossible to move up from the the bottom in a 16 team league. Ask Boston College. Rutgers has a lot more long-term promise than them.
In college basketball, winning more games in a weaker league generally (but not always) makes you better because it attracts more players who want to win during their four-year shot at it. That's one of the unique things about the sport. The Big East split saved Willard even more than that recruiting class.
In college basketball, winning more games in a weaker league generally (but not always) makes you better because it attracts more players who want to win during their four-year shot at it. That's one of the unique things about the sport. The Big East split saved Willard even more than that recruiting class.
He took over a strong roster talent-wise that was expected to go to the NCAAs in his first year.
Still surprised SHU outbid SJU for the Tiny-Whitehead package.
Why is it strange? It is actually quite easy to imagine, whether or not one would agree with it.
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Hir
Hiring seemed too sketchy for me. You can win and still have keep your integrity.It is all recruiting though. Willard is an okay coach. He has his players though.
Hiring seemed too sketchy for me. You can win and still have keep your integrity.It is all recruiting though. Willard is an okay coach. He has his players though.
I wonder when Willard was hired and until this season, how many praising him now were calling him a poor HC that deserved to be fired.
I didn't think he'd last too long after his 2012-13 season , then for the next two years expected him gone after those seasons.
But have to say he wound up looking better than Rice did and I thought it would be the opposite when they both were hired.
I didn't think he'd last too long after his 2012-13 season , then for the next two years expected him gone after those seasons.
But have to say he wound up looking better than Rice did and I thought it would be the opposite when they both were hired.
The key for him now is to sustain it with the momentum they've built. The sophomore class won't be there forever. The follow-up class, even in the fall period before last year's implosion, was underwhelming. Their roster is still dandergously unbalanced class-wise.
Willard is a good Xs and Os Coach, and always has been. He is a terrific defensive coach.
His down fall in the past has been: (1) lack of high level talent (although he had some pockets of talent with Pope, Edwin, Hazell and Theodore); and (2) dealing with headcases, and in some cases, their parents). Apparently, he has changed his personality to become more of a disciplinarian and less of friend to the players. Last year, the two guard transfers and their parents helped to fracture the morale the Team, and also led to ineffective lineups. This year, discipline has been imposed, the two transfers and their parents are gone, and players such as Sonogo, Whitehead, Desi R. are playing at their proper positions.
His down fall in the past has been: (1) lack of high level talent (although he had some pockets of talent with Pope, Edwin, Hazell and Theodore); and (2) dealing with headcases, and in some cases, their parents). Apparently, he has changed his personality to become more of a disciplinarian and less of friend to the players. Last year, the two guard transfers and their parents helped to fracture the morale the Team, and also led to ineffective lineups. This year, discipline has been imposed, the two transfers and their parents are gone, and players such as Sonogo, Whitehead, Desi R. are playing at their proper positions.
This was a make or break year for Willard. His seat was scorching hot when the season started.
He's gonna make the NCAA tournament for the fist time in 9 or 10 seasons as a head coach. Good for him and obviously good for SHU also.
The question now becomes whether Willard can maintain what's been built there. That team has a terrific blend of high end talent and solid role players. I haven't seen them very much this season but in the two games I've seen in full they looked extremely solid. He has to parlay this success into more success on the recruiting trail. I'm sceptical about his ability to do that.
He's gonna make the NCAA tournament for the fist time in 9 or 10 seasons as a head coach. Good for him and obviously good for SHU also.
The question now becomes whether Willard can maintain what's been built there. That team has a terrific blend of high end talent and solid role players. I haven't seen them very much this season but in the two games I've seen in full they looked extremely solid. He has to parlay this success into more success on the recruiting trail. I'm sceptical about his ability to do that.
Thank you, I am a SHU fan. That's kind of you. I've been posting on the RU Message Boards for well over 10 years. I hope you guys do whatever it takes to get the program righted. A strong rivalry is good for both schools.
Did you mean to say I THINK he wouldn't come here, and I THINK he would not be a candidate? Again, you are certainly entitled to your opinions (all 82,000 of them), but speaking in absolutes like that seems silly, unless maybe you have some inside information. One thing I know for certain: the current AD of Rutgers hired him and likes him. I have no opinion on whether he would come to Rutgers, or whether he would be a good fit.
Hobbs is a long time SHU supporter and administrator. It's highly unlikely that he would hire Willard away from SHU unless it was a mutual parting of the ways between SHU and Willard. It doesn't make sense for Hobbs to burn his bridges with SHU. There are plenty of qualified and more affordable Coaches out there for Hobbs to hire.
RU needs much much more than what Willard could bring unless he has patented the star recruit-AAU/high school coach deals.
Absolutely. I am from New York and like how the shu roster is made up of kids from the five boros. Thank you,sir.I hope my alma mater can make a come back as well.
A coach cannot recruit well if he does not win. That much is certain. Whoever comes here must win 15-17 games+, then he will be able to recruit semi well. How do you win those games?Get back to fundamentals. Bring in a guy that has the heart and desire to do it. No nba,please. No nba anywhere on the bench.
Willard showed he could coach at Iona. He is doing well now because SHU has upgraded its recruiting. Give him credit for building a staff behind him who could recruit. FHJ is in a perfect role.
EJ would have had a better chance to succeed at RU with a staff that could complement his weaknesses (defense, recruiting).
EJ would have had a better chance to succeed at RU with a staff that could complement his weaknesses (defense, recruiting).