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Sentinel-Tribune 8/14/04
Dakich reacts to players leaving BG by Jack Carle

College basketball has become a transient sport.
Inwstead of staying in one place and attempting to be part of a team and work out any problems, the easy solution is to leave.
The Falcons have been hit hard with player defections in recent years, Including issac Rosefelt, Chris Hobson, and Ron Lewis, who have left the program since the end of last season.
"A lot of what happens in the NBA trickles into college basketball," BG head coach Dan Dakich said Friday evening. "Whether it's rule changes the way guys act on the bench and with free agency, guys jumping around every year.
"Guys all over the country are leaving far more. Instea of working through (problems) or if you wan to play more--OK, work hard over the summer so next year you can play more, the answer is " Coach I want to leave."
What we've done is help them leave." Dakich added. "We had a kid leave this year and he sat in my office and I called three Ivy League schools for him."
Dakich said there are numerous reasons players decide to leave school.
"We've had kids leave because of tragedies in the family, homesickness; we've had kids leave because of academics; we've had kids leave because they haven't been able to play; we had a kid leave because he wanted to play with his brother," Dakich said. "In terms of kids that have played and played a lot, Ron and Crawford would be about the only two that played alot." The Falcons have 12 players on their roster for the coming season, including.................................
Dakichsaid he and his staff are still able to recruit good players to BG.
"I don't know if it is right or wrong, but today, kids almost look for their opportunity and whatever happened to somebody else, that's their problem," Dakich said.
Of the players that have stayed with the FAlcons through a senior season with Dakich as the head coach, 14 of 17 have graduated, he said. Current seniors Almanson, Eyink and Reimold are also on pace to graduate.
"If you're going to come to BG as a basketball player, you're going to graduate, if you stay adn do the things we ask you to do," Dakich said. "I just want guys that want to do the things the weight coaches, the trainer, the academic people, myself, that we want them to do. If everybody doesn't want to do that, then fine.
"When we have been successful, we've had guys who have simple been about, "let's win."
In addition, 12 of the 17 have signed a contract to play professional basketball, including Kevin Netter, who was a senior last year. Netter has signed to play in Finland.
"In terms of kids having graduated and kids having signed professional basketball contracts after they've left here, I would put our record against anybody int he country," Dakich said. "We've done pretty well."
Dakich palns to get his team current team ready for the upcoming season. The Falcons were 14-17 a year ago.
"I made up my mind after the season that I was going to get back to how I used to do it, which is just put guys in positions where they will work really hard and they do the things we need for them to do for us to be successful," Dakich said. "The guys have responed really well all summer. Nobodywant to win more than I do and I think I know how to go about it in Bowling Green.

Fair enough, I guess. A couple things.

1. "Get back" to what he used to do...I didn't realize he stopped.
2. I don't recall hearing of other schools in our conference having these kind of problems. Maybe they are just beneath the radar.
3. Are we recruiting too many of the wrong kind of player.
4. I think he does know how to win, and I look forward to seeing him do it. Addition by subtraction only works so long. Sooner or later, you need players to win the games.

Orangeandbrown. ..

Good things to bring up and well put.. not just Dakich bashing or aimless rambling. . .

So, it's the kid's fault that they left. Since the kids that have stayed graduated at a high rate, I guess we shoud infer that they were smarter than the ones who left?

I think the entire article was a bit self-serving and short on introspection.

Yeah, I am with Flipper on that one. He really seems to tip toe around the answers that we want.

Oh well, gotta move on and support the team. They are still wearing the orange and brown and it still says Falcons.

orangeandbrown wrote:Fair enough, I guess. A couple things.

3. Are we recruiting too many of the wrong kind of player.

I have thought this all along. If I am the coach, I know what kind of program I run and what kind of kids I need to succeed. Why do we have so many kids that don't seem to fit the mold after they are here a year or two?

when dan's contract is up he should be a politician....lots of direct answers

Honestly, how could Dakich know who the right and wrong type of kid to recruit is. He just simply recruits off of pure talent, you never know what will happen with a recruit untill they are thrown into the college atmosphere.

kamman wrote:Dakich just simply recruits off of pure talent, you never know what will happen with a recruit untill they are thrown into the college atmosphere.

That's why you recruit players who are not just talented, but also get along with past high-school & sometimes juco coaches, teammates and have the goal of winning first in college. Career aspirations are great but players and coaches like Dakich need to go for winning first, the rest will take care of itself.

Dakich has always seemed to be a proficient coach, somtime even brilliant, but he seems to have the same problems that some of these players who are leaving have. They look at BG as a stepping stone to something else, and don't realize what a great opportunity they have currently at BG. I mean really, Ron Lewis could have stayed and really showcased his talent, instead he lost sight of that and decided to pursue what's best for himself.

The basketball program as a whole really needs to do some soul searching and figure out what they are about. And that should be winning the MAC each and every year.

Career aspirations are great but players and coaches like Dakich need to go for winning first, the rest will take care of itself.

Well winning ultimately comes at a price for many athletic programs. Coaches many times have to be willing to take a chance on a star recruit that has a sketchy backround in order to win. There have been many examples of coaches taking chances on star players that have worked brilliantly. For example Marshall and Randy Moss, Moss came from a slew of backround problems but Marshall still took a chance on him and came out a lot better for doing so. If you want to field a team with nice polite kids thats fine, but just be prepared for a lot of losing seasons. Fans don't want to wait for their team to win next year and thats why coaches like Dakich take chances on players that they know ownt be in college long for immediate success.

"thats why coaches like Dakich take chances on players that they know ownt be in college long for immediate success."

I'm not going to say you're completely wrong because I don't know what goes through his head during recruiting, but I have a really hard time believing Dakich would take someone KNOWING that they would not stay long. Isn't this exactly why he has always leaned away from juco players until this year? Taking a chance and trying to work with a recruit that may need some academic help? Sure, but to say he would take someone he knows will not stay in college very long....? What's Dakich's graduation rate again?

I won't comment on DD's recruiting practices, but generally, coaches are well aware of the backgrounds of the recruits they pursue (academically, personally, etc...).

As for recruiting nice polite kids vs. the Marshall/Moss idea, I would rather avoid being compared to Marshall in every way possible. No NCAA violations for us thanks. Personally, I would take .500 seasons every year over taking recruits that are loaded with potential problems. I, for one, am much more frustrated with all of these off season player issues than I am about last seasons record.
I say, recruit players who want to play and will stick around and get the best you can out of them. I would take 5 Reimolds that give you everything they have all the time over all of these distractions we've had lately. Don't take that too literally. Hopefully you get what I meant.
Basically what I'm getting at is that while winning and improving the program is the goal, keeping it clean and graduating good student athletes is even more important.

able, I'm with you. Don't compare any part of our university with Marshall. They should leave the MAC for what's left of Conference USA as they fit better with the East Carolinas and Memphiss and Tulsas of the world (what Rice is doing there I have no idea). I wish them well.

I simply want to compare our bball prgram with the MAC's best. Why/how can Kent win 20 plus under three coaches (all familiar names to the program granted) for many years with a much less than stellar arena, with an overall sports program that excels at golf only on a regular basis and a similiar budget?

And still do a good job with graduation.

How do they do that? What is the difference in these two similar institutions as far as men's basketball goes?

Perhaps someone can enlighten me. I will always cheer our Falcons and coaches, but I just don't know why they "can" and we "can't".

Go Falcons!

able, I'm with you. Don't compare any part of our university with Marshall. They should leave the MAC for what's left of Conference USA as they fit better with the East Carolinas and Memphiss and Tulsas of the world (what Rice is doing there I have no idea). I wish them well.

I simply want to compare our bball prgram with the MAC's best. Why/how can Kent win 20 plus under three coaches (all familiar names to the program granted) for many years with a much less than stellar arena, with an overall sports program that excels at golf only on a regular basis and a similiar budget?

And still do a good job with graduation.

How do they do that? What is the difference in these two similar institutions as far as men's basketball goes?

Perhaps someone can enlighten me. I will always cheer our Falcons and coaches, but I just don't know why they "can" and we "can't".

Go Falcons!

falconfan1 wrote: How do they do that? What is the difference in these two similar institutions as far as men's basketball goes?

Perhaps someone can enlighten me. I will always cheer our Falcons and coaches, but I just don't know why they "can" and we "can't".

Go Falcons!

Well said. DD's graduation rate (for players who finish their years) is a quality.

falconfan1 wrote:How do they do that? What is the difference in these two similar institutions as far as men's basketball goes?

Maybe they are asking the same question about Football?

We definently have the edge in stadium there though...and fans. I remember being at the BG-Kent game in 2002 and there was more orange than anything in the stands.