Anthony Stacey

[Falconwriter]

Sad to see Anthony Stacey go. To say this now needs to be a good hire by Huger is an understatement. We've now lost our top two assistants and this could very well be a make-or-break hire. This upcoming season - if there even is one - could be one that either thrusts us to uncharted waters (winning the MAC Championship) and springboard us ahead in years to come, or it could send us in a downward spiral, again (falling to win the elusive MAC Championship). I truly believe this season is going to carry a ton of weight, and if we can't win this MAC Championship now - with what we have coming back again - then we may never in many of our lifetimes because it's already been a 40-year drought without a single tournament title. It sure would be nice to see us hire a good coach with a proven post player grad transfer follow him to BG.

I wish 40 years was the worst of the droughts BG is mired in...but alas, no.

It'll be 53 years if BG doesn't win the MAC tournament title and get the NCAA bid next season. There are only 5 schools in the country with droughts as bad or worse than BG.

[mbenecke]

Jordan Strack reporting that Coach Stacey is leaving to become head coach at Toledo Whitmer.

Brandon Watkins has been tapped to join the staff and replace Stacey.

He was an assistant at Northern Illinois from 2017-2020, and he played at Penn State in college and professionally overseas for 10 years after that. He also served as NIU's video coordinator and grad assistant from 2013-2015. In 2016, he was HC at Morton Community College in Illinois, and he went 38-9 in 2 seasons as a high school JV head coach in 2011 and 2012.

He's known for his defensive strategy. Seems like a pretty solid hire.

[Schadenfreude]

There are only 5 schools in the country with droughts as bad or worse than BG.

I count nine: Columbia, Tennessee Tech, Maine, New Hampshire, Dartmouth, Army, the Citadel, St. Francis of Brooklyn, and William & Mary.

[BGSU33]

Sad to see Anthony Stacey go. To say this now needs to be a good hire by Huger is an understatement. We've now lost our top two assistants and this could very well be a make-or-break hire. This upcoming season - if there even is one - could be one that either thrusts us to uncharted waters (winning the MAC Championship) and springboard us ahead in years to come, or it could send us in a downward spiral, again (falling to win the elusive MAC Championship). I truly believe this season is going to carry a ton of weight, and if we can't win this MAC Championship now - with what we have coming back again - then we may never in many of our lifetimes because it's already been a 40-year drought without a single tournament title. It sure would be nice to see us hire a good coach with a proven post player grad transfer follow him to BG.

I wish 40 years was the worst of the droughts BG is mired in...but alas, no.

It'll be 53 years if BG doesn't win the MAC tournament title and get the NCAA bid next season. There are only 5 schools in the country with droughts as bad or worse than BG.

Exactly. Both droughts are beyond embarrassing, and are amplified even more went stacked up against our MAC peers. Each and every MAC school - aside from BG - has won the MAC Tournament at least once (some as many as 6 and 7 times), and BG hasn't done it one measly time. What's more, by winning the MAC Tournament, all those school have also gone on to the NCAA Tournament and have been there more recently than BG has too. When I think of all the great players and good teams BG has had over that time, it's extremely frustrating and hard to swallow. The NCAA Tournament drought used to bother me most. But now the fact we've never won the MAC Tournament does more because it has never been done. While BG's last NCAA Tournament appearance happened before many of us on here were even born, we at least made it, several times actually. But the fact we've never accomplished something (winning the MAC Tournament) over doing something it's been a long time since we accomplished something (NCAA Tournament) propels the void of a MAC Tournament title as my most sought after wish for any BG athletics program. Which might sound almost silly because it's not like I'm holding out hope for a NCAA title, or even a Final Four, Elite 8 or Sweet 16 appearance. I'm simply talking about a MAC Tournament title - but with BG - it's seems as impossible as chasing a National title.

[Falconwriter]

Sad to see Anthony Stacey go. To say this now needs to be a good hire by Huger is an understatement. We've now lost our top two assistants and this could very well be a make-or-break hire. This upcoming season - if there even is one - could be one that either thrusts us to uncharted waters (winning the MAC Championship) and springboard us ahead in years to come, or it could send us in a downward spiral, again (falling to win the elusive MAC Championship). I truly believe this season is going to carry a ton of weight, and if we can't win this MAC Championship now - with what we have coming back again - then we may never in many of our lifetimes because it's already been a 40-year drought without a single tournament title. It sure would be nice to see us hire a good coach with a proven post player grad transfer follow him to BG.

I wish 40 years was the worst of the droughts BG is mired in...but alas, no.

It'll be 53 years if BG doesn't win the MAC tournament title and get the NCAA bid next season. There are only 5 schools in the country with droughts as bad or worse than BG.

Exactly. Both droughts are beyond embarrassing, and are amplified even more went stacked up against our MAC peers. Each and every MAC school - aside from BG - has won the MAC Tournament at least once (some as many as 6 and 7 times), and BG hasn't done it one measly time. What's more, by winning the MAC Tournament, all those school have also gone on to the NCAA Tournament and have been there more recently than BG has too. When I think of all the great players and good teams BG has had over that time, it's extremely frustrating and hard to swallow. The NCAA Tournament drought used to bother me most. But now the fact we've never won the MAC Tournament does more because it has never been done. While BG's last NCAA Tournament appearance happened before many of us on here were even born, we at least made it, several times actually. But the fact we've never accomplished something (winning the MAC Tournament) over doing something it's been a long time since we accomplished something (NCAA Tournament) propels the void of a MAC Tournament title as my most sought after wish for any BG athletics program. Which might sound almost silly because it's not like I'm holding out hope for a NCAA title, or even a Final Four, Elite 8 or Sweet 16 appearance. I'm simply talking about a MAC Tournament title - but with BG - it's seems as impossible as chasing a National title.

I've never really felt the league tournaments were a good idea, especially for mid majors. I'm really old school. To me, winning a league title over the course of a season is far more impressive than getting hot in a tourney for a couple days. It's why I've always hated that tourney teams get the automatic bid. For most P5 schools, it doesn't make a difference because they would likely be an at-large team, anyway. But for smaller schools like BG, it makes all the difference. If there were no tournament, BG would have probably been in the NCAA somewhere around 4 times since 1968.

[mbenecke]

We've won the MAC Regular Season Championship 5 times since 1968, with the most recent being in 2009.

[BleedOrange]

I've never really felt the league tournaments were a good idea, especially for mid majors. I'm really old school. To me, winning a league title over the course of a season is far more impressive than getting hot in a tourney for a couple days. It's why I've always hated that tourney teams get the automatic bid. For most P5 schools, it doesn't make a difference because they would likely be an at-large team, anyway. But for smaller schools like BG, it makes all the difference. If there were no tournament, BG would have probably been in the NCAA somewhere around 4 times since 1968.

THIS! I've always objected to conference tournaments. You play an entire season just to override its outcome with a 3-day single elimination tournament? Where's the principle?

[Schadenfreude]

I've never really felt the league tournaments were a good idea, especially for mid majors. I'm really old school. To me, winning a league title over the course of a season is far more impressive than getting hot in a tourney for a couple days. It's why I've always hated that tourney teams get the automatic bid. For most P5 schools, it doesn't make a difference because they would likely be an at-large team, anyway. But for smaller schools like BG, it makes all the difference. If there were no tournament, BG would have probably been in the NCAA somewhere around 4 times since 1968.

THIS! I've always objected to conference tournaments. You play an entire season just to override its outcome with a 3-day single elimination tournament? Where's the principle?

I feel the same way. I get why the MAC plays a tournament, but I don't love it.

In my mind, it would be better to just match up the winners of the East and West Division in a one game finale in Cleveland. That would put a whole lot more meaning in the regular season, and on division titles. But that's just me.