Disastrous outing for Women's BBall
February 19th, 2017 at 3:58 PM ^
Let's take it easy.
We're 21-7 with one win needed to clinch a double bye. Next game is against last place Nebraska at home.
Today was a bad game. Our first one of the season.
February 19th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 4:06 PM ^
Casual fans like winning.
You build a fanbase by winning games consistently. Not just one-off games that are promoted like crazy.
Then people will show up for more than just games against one team.
February 19th, 2017 at 4:25 PM ^
What, exactly, is your experience in building a program? As a coach who actually rebuilt a program, I can tell you that winning against rivals in front of a large home crowd goes an extremely long way to ensure that you get those casual fans back for the less hyped games.
But hey, what do I know, I just turned around a program that didn't have a winning season in nearly two decades and was nearly cut from lack of interest. They're now one of the most succesful teams of their size and routinely outdraw everyone aside from the basketball and football teams. I don't have 100,000+ MGoPoints or an absurd fetishization of Michigan apparel, so I guess I'll just bow to your expertise.
February 19th, 2017 at 4:37 PM ^
So go ahead and have a meltdown.
Forgive me for not cutting myself over one bad loss in a season where we will break the program win total and go to the NCAA Tournament.
There will be more opportunities because we're recruiting at a historic level here and the results are coming.
Appreciate the personal shot, though. Stay classy, "Coach".
February 19th, 2017 at 5:08 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 5:29 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 7:33 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 6:07 PM ^
At what point did I have a meltdown? I simply pointed out that you have no idea what you're talking about. Grow up a little bit, gain some experience, and then get back to me.
February 19th, 2017 at 4:57 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 5:01 PM ^
Congratulations on turning around a D-2 tennis team.
I assume you are more reasonable and kind to the players and people that you work with than you are online, because you're coming across quite harshly here; you look far worse than WD does in this exchange. You might want to consider some consistency, too--you're bagging on WD for commenting on something that he doesn't have much experience with, but you have bagged on the proprietors of this site extensively, and I doubt you have produced a website that has sustained this level of profitability or tenure.
February 19th, 2017 at 6:11 PM ^
Does it hurt when you fall off your high horse?
February 19th, 2017 at 6:24 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 9:32 PM ^
I am a high school tennis coach, have been for 30+ years. While I am under no illusion as to the place my sport has compared to football, don't appreciate the throwaway line. I think players in any sport deserve respect for their dedication and commitment. That's why we have threads about softball, lacrosse, soccer, etc.
February 20th, 2017 at 1:19 AM ^
Not a shot at tennis, AB, a sport I respect and enjoy watching. My post was a response to a poster who claims to be a coach that turned around a sport. A little research into his posting history reveals that he has, in the past, claimed to be the coach of a D-2 tennis team.
So I am simply addressing that claim at face value. If that seems to undermine the credibility of the post I am responding to, well, that wound is self-inflicted.
February 20th, 2017 at 10:10 AM ^
I didn't know that bit of his background, my mistake. Carry on, with your 2 million glitchy mgo points. Can you cash those in for free coffee, or even free tennis balls? :)
February 19th, 2017 at 5:21 PM ^
good sir (or madame). WD was asking for a little bit of proportion from the OP, who made it sound like the sky had fallen. I hope Kim Barnes Arico, the women's coach, is soothing her players with just the kind of notions WD offered. I think they can take care of feeling lousy about the outcome on their own.
February 19th, 2017 at 6:15 PM ^
I don't disagree that the OP went too far, but people like WD pontificating on subject matter they have no experience or knowledge in sticks in my craw. There are several people here, two of whom have replied to me, who fall into that category. Every now and then, it touches something I am familiar with, and I feel the need to respond.
February 19th, 2017 at 11:38 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 7:40 PM ^
You can provide your input without personally insulting others. Do you act this way with people you disagree with in person?
February 19th, 2017 at 5:23 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 11:08 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 5:51 PM ^
Or it didn't happen
February 19th, 2017 at 9:55 PM ^
I'd argue he had a decent part of rebuilding the football program in the fact that his aunt's emails to Brandon was the spark that kicked off quite the series of events....
February 19th, 2017 at 4:36 PM ^
This is not true, thousands of people at this game will probably not consider going to another one for years. If the score was flipped they would probably be looking to get back to a game as soon as their schedule allowed.
February 19th, 2017 at 4:48 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
I think the concern isn't so much the state of the team overall.
Many thousands of fans watched their first Michigan women's basketball game ever, and the team had their worst performance of the season. So this was a missed opportunity to gain a lot of new fans and increase the attendance in the long run.
February 19th, 2017 at 4:10 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 6:13 PM ^
Bongo. Your point exactly was that it was "disastrous." It was nothing of the sort.
February 19th, 2017 at 4:15 PM ^
That settles it. Time to fold up the program and go home.
February 19th, 2017 at 4:20 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 4:34 PM ^
Getting blown out 2 games in a row at the end of the season is not good no matter how you slice it. They don't have quality wins so they are back on the bubble.
February 19th, 2017 at 9:18 PM ^
I think they're still safely above the bubble, which is very weak this year (not an unusual occurrence in WBB). They have three top 50 wins, and their RPI (after the loss today) is at 37, which is third best in the Big Ten.
The problem with these two losses is that they've probably now dropped back to an 8 or 9 seed in the NCAA tourney, making a run to the Sweet 16 highly unlikely.
February 19th, 2017 at 4:36 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 5:39 PM ^
I agree, important game tonight. Don't get the negging unless the mention of MBB on WBB thread. Touchy crowd today! Here's to not shitting the bed tonight though.
February 19th, 2017 at 4:55 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 5:02 PM ^
Flaherty has been great for us. Unfortunately she had a rough game in this game.
Basketball seasons contain peaks and valleys unless you're UConn WBB. People were on the ledge here when we lost to PSU in MBB in 2012-13 and had the rough patch. It happens when you play a lot of games.
What matters is how you respond. One win clinches a double bye.
February 19th, 2017 at 5:10 PM ^
This OP is way harsh. Yes, it's disappointing. This is also a program that has no history of success to speak of, they're building. If they continue to build toward success, they'll be fine. This post approaches my "Ignominious Desolation" post about the hockey program in harshness and despair (and it is arguably harder on the players) despite the program coming from a much less significant place with less history and far fewer expectations.
It's just plain not fair.
Honestly this sounds like sour grapes from a fly-by-night fan who feels entitled to watching a win. I might be wrong, but I don't think a dedicated fan of the WBB program would be quite so mean about it.
PS: By the way, that hockey post is a post of a person who has followed Michigan hockey closely enough to attend road or neutral games in at least 16 venues in my younger days, paid way too much money to take my entire family to games four hours away, write a comprehensive summary of the Molly game weekend, etc etc. What was my first Michigan Hockey game?
A home blowout loss to Michigan State in the late 80s.
I still warmed to the team just fine.
February 19th, 2017 at 5:14 PM ^
Just got back from the game. It was brutal. Flaherty couldn't hit the broad side of a barn and had multiple travelling violations. Sierra Thompson couldn't get anything going. Thome and Munger were really the only 2 who could get anything to drop. Add in the fact that MSU seemed to be hitting every shot they took, it was a disaster from the beginning. Just awful.
February 19th, 2017 at 5:16 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 5:30 PM ^
Bummer but the ladies will bounce back just like the guys have. Hate to see this kind of loss, especially to sparty, but it's college sports. Happens. We move on.
GO BLUE!!
February 19th, 2017 at 5:32 PM ^
I would bet the last time you got laid (I'm sure $$$ was involved), it was infinitely more disastrous. We have a good team...got beat. Don't wax with hyperbole just because you are a loser....and you are a loser.
February 19th, 2017 at 6:48 PM ^
most of your posts end up with some form of ad hominem attack on some other mgoposter. go take a look in the mirror. a little grace to your mgobretheren (and sisteren, a new word i just made up) might not be the worst thing you ever exercised.
February 19th, 2017 at 7:55 PM ^
I had to look it up or it was going to bug the hell out of me.
But whatever the spelling, a little grace to both ain't a bad idea.
February 19th, 2017 at 5:32 PM ^
February 19th, 2017 at 5:50 PM ^
More importantly, what shape does Flaherty believe the world is?
February 19th, 2017 at 6:08 PM ^
That is two ugly losses in a row. Perhaps they have peaked already.
February 19th, 2017 at 6:27 PM ^