Offseason 2024

[guest44]

It’s the Wild Wild West. In one sense you have no idea what your own players are doing, but you also have access to size and talent you would never ever sniff in any other form of recruiting. The question becomes can you find better talent in this years portal than what you found or retained in last years portal? I would guess Simon believes he can upgrade.

I think that's why I'm not convinced the new landscape is the death knell of MAC hoops. I believe that coaches knowing how to play this game will be able to build more talented teams than we've seen in the MAC over the past 20 years.

That said, coaching them is going to be a royal pain in the ass. Remember when 1 & done first hit coach Cal built some mega rosters, but they often didn't gel to play as well as the talent would dictate. That will certainly be the fear here, but there's nothing we can do about it.

One thing that is very clear is if you don't have a coach who can play this game, it's going to be a disaster.

Couldn't agree more. Simon has been kind of playing this game for parts of his entire career. The game of I help you, you help me, on a year to year basis. Imagine being sold what the Buffalo coach was selling last year. Rebuilding with freshman and doing it the old way.

[hammb]

It’s the Wild Wild West. In one sense you have no idea what your own players are doing, but you also have access to size and talent you would never ever sniff in any other form of recruiting. The question becomes can you find better talent in this years portal than what you found or retained in last years portal? I would guess Simon believes he can upgrade.

I think that's why I'm not convinced the new landscape is the death knell of MAC hoops. I believe that coaches knowing how to play this game will be able to build more talented teams than we've seen in the MAC over the past 20 years.

That said, coaching them is going to be a royal pain in the ass. Remember when 1 & done first hit coach Cal built some mega rosters, but they often didn't gel to play as well as the talent would dictate. That will certainly be the fear here, but there's nothing we can do about it.

One thing that is very clear is if you don't have a coach who can play this game, it's going to be a disaster.

Couldn't agree more. Simon has been kind of playing this game for parts of his entire career. The game of I help you, you help me, on a year to year basis. Imagine being sold what the Buffalo coach was selling last year. Rebuilding with freshman and doing it the old way.

Yeah that worked well for them over there.

Building a class of HS guys feels insane at this point. You're going to be sacrificing talent AND experience against your MAC peers for some pipedream that you can develop and retain the talent (which won't happen). You'll find yourself locked in for 4yrs of the guys that you don't want and likely will only get the development years (not the ceiling) of the guys that can move on.

[BGSU33]

It’s the Wild Wild West. In one sense you have no idea what your own players are doing, but you also have access to size and talent you would never ever sniff in any other form of recruiting. The question becomes can you find better talent in this years portal than what you found or retained in last years portal? I would guess Simon believes he can upgrade.

I think that's why I'm not convinced the new landscape is the death knell of MAC hoops. I believe that coaches knowing how to play this game will be able to build more talented teams than we've seen in the MAC over the past 20 years.

That said, coaching them is going to be a royal pain in the ass. Remember when 1 & done first hit coach Cal built some mega rosters, but they often didn't gel to play as well as the talent would dictate. That will certainly be the fear here, but there's nothing we can do about it.

One thing that is very clear is if you don't have a coach who can play this game, it's going to be a disaster.

I'm on the fence about the death knell of MAC hoops, but leaning towards it's going to be very difficult to ever stand on two feet again. While I do agree some coaches are able to nab some guys through the portal they'd likely otherwise not be able to land out of high school, (this is an absolute must nowadays), I witnessed first-hand how good the MAC was in hoops (particularly in the mid to late 1990's) when MAC rosters had upperclassmen who had played together for 3-4 years, several first round NBA players on half of the league's team, and Sweet 16 runs were not uncommon (the MAC had 4 different teams make the Sweet 16 - including an Elite 8 appearance - in just over a decade alone between 1989-2002). I do not ever expect to see anything like that again. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt that I will be.

These days in the MAC (as in the last few years), you need to hang onto the guys that you can on you roster (which in many cases, end up being guys who are not your best players), and you need to add the best talent possible in the portal and consider it a one-year rental. If you get anything more out of them than that, you're fortunate and consider yourself lucky. There's no more waiting around, redshirting and developing at this level. Many teams don't even recruit many high school kids anymore and you can't blame them. Aside from the sure-fire guys coming out, it's much easier to assess what a kid in college can do vs college players by seeing the proof on tape than to watch what a high school kid did vs other high school kids and wonder how that might translate to the next level. The transfer portal removes a lot of that guess work for coaches.

The key element to this is to also try and find a diamond in rough like we did with Marcus Hill last year. You need that difference maker. For an example, I think back to the pre-portal days like when Ohio brought in Indiana transfer guard Armon Bassett. He was a guy OU was never going to land out of high school. He transferred to Ohio and as the season wore on, he exploded. In the MAC Tournament, he destroyed people. In the MAC Tournament (it was 4 rounds then), he scored 25 vs Ball State to advance the Bobcats to Cleveland and then ripped through the top seeds in Cleveland by exploding for 38 vs Kent State, 28 vs Miami and 25 vs Akron in 3 consecutive days to win Tournament MVP and send Ohio to the NCAA Tournament. In OU's game against #3 seed Georgetown, Bassett went off for 32 as Ohio routed the Hoyas by 15. This is an example of the type of guy you need in today's game. He was a one-year rental that was added to a good team and he helped them excel when they needed it the most - at the end of the year in the postseason (MAC Tournament & NCAA Tournament). If BG ever wants to win a MAC Tournament and finally get to the NCAA Tournament, they're going to need to find their version of an Armon Bassett-type player. This is an example of the power of a key transfer before the portal even existed.

[hammb]

It’s the Wild Wild West. In one sense you have no idea what your own players are doing, but you also have access to size and talent you would never ever sniff in any other form of recruiting. The question becomes can you find better talent in this years portal than what you found or retained in last years portal? I would guess Simon believes he can upgrade.

I think that's why I'm not convinced the new landscape is the death knell of MAC hoops. I believe that coaches knowing how to play this game will be able to build more talented teams than we've seen in the MAC over the past 20 years.

That said, coaching them is going to be a royal pain in the ass. Remember when 1 & done first hit coach Cal built some mega rosters, but they often didn't gel to play as well as the talent would dictate. That will certainly be the fear here, but there's nothing we can do about it.

One thing that is very clear is if you don't have a coach who can play this game, it's going to be a disaster.

I'm on the fence about the death knell of MAC hoops, but leaning towards it's going to be very difficult to ever stand on two feet again. While I do agree some coaches are able to nab some guys through the portal they'd likely otherwise not be able to land out of high school, (this is an absolute must nowadays), I witnessed first-hand how good the MAC was in hoops (particularly in the mid to late 1990's) when MAC rosters had upperclassmen who had played together for 3-4 years, several first round NBA players on half of the league's team, and Sweet 16 runs were not uncommon (the MAC had 4 different teams make the Sweet 16 - including an Elite 8 appearance - in just over a decade alone between 1989-2002). I do not ever expect to see anything like that again. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt that I will be.

Don't mistake my comment for how things have been now and for the last 20 years to what was going on in the 90s. There is no way in hell I foresee the MAC ever getting back to what it was 20 years ago. I'm sure we all have our theories/beliefs for what happened. I'll forever be convinced that the MAC thought the BCS offered them a [mostly fools gold] shot at larger revenues and overly invested in football. They took basketball for granted and while we ramped up football expenditures other "mid-major" conferences lapped us.

Interestingly, it wasn't THAT long ago (although still pre-NIL) that Buffalo had an elite mid-major squad and the conference was again near the top of the non-power groups. With NIL I suspect the MAC doesn't have the ability to get back to that with any regularity, but if the conference as a whole would commit to coaching and schedules they could return to a reasonable level of mid-major hoops.

I may also be too optimistic (not sure I've ever been thought that before), but I think in some respects the MAC is in better position to hire coaches who will excel in this new era than some of the top conferences. i.e. I think Todd Simon's personality/approach is tailor made for this current world of hoops, but larger programs simply won't look all the way to SUU for a former HS coach until he's had success at BG (or likely more success at another stop above BG). If given the choice there is no way in hell I'd prefer Diebler over Simon, for instance.

[mbenecke]

Players in an Instagram post from the official MBB Instagram account, who were “practicing” today at the Stroh:

Jamai Felt
Trey Thomas
Greg Spurgin
Sam Towns

It’s at least interesting to see TT and Sam still around.

[BGSU33]

Players in an Instagram post from the official MBB Instagram account, who were “practicing” today at the Stroh:

Jamai Felt
Trey Thomas
Greg Spurgin
Sam Towns

It’s at least interesting to see TT and Sam still around.

I was just about to mention that as well. I loved seeing Thomas and Towns in those pics. I hope that’s a sign that both will be back. I think both could be much better next season if healthy. Remember, both guys were coming off injuries last year during that set them back during the beginning of the season.

[BleedOrange]

Felt will take over inside

[Globetrotter]

Felt will take over inside

His presence will be Felt

[BGSU33]

It’s the Wild Wild West. In one sense you have no idea what your own players are doing, but you also have access to size and talent you would never ever sniff in any other form of recruiting. The question becomes can you find better talent in this years portal than what you found or retained in last years portal? I would guess Simon believes he can upgrade.

I think that's why I'm not convinced the new landscape is the death knell of MAC hoops. I believe that coaches knowing how to play this game will be able to build more talented teams than we've seen in the MAC over the past 20 years.

That said, coaching them is going to be a royal pain in the ass. Remember when 1 & done first hit coach Cal built some mega rosters, but they often didn't gel to play as well as the talent would dictate. That will certainly be the fear here, but there's nothing we can do about it.

One thing that is very clear is if you don't have a coach who can play this game, it's going to be a disaster.

I'm on the fence about the death knell of MAC hoops, but leaning towards it's going to be very difficult to ever stand on two feet again. While I do agree some coaches are able to nab some guys through the portal they'd likely otherwise not be able to land out of high school, (this is an absolute must nowadays), I witnessed first-hand how good the MAC was in hoops (particularly in the mid to late 1990's) when MAC rosters had upperclassmen who had played together for 3-4 years, several first round NBA players on half of the league's team, and Sweet 16 runs were not uncommon (the MAC had 4 different teams make the Sweet 16 - including an Elite 8 appearance - in just over a decade alone between 1989-2002). I do not ever expect to see anything like that again. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt that I will be.

Don't mistake my comment for how things have been now and for the last 20 years to what was going on in the 90s. There is no way in hell I foresee the MAC ever getting back to what it was 20 years ago. I'm sure we all have our theories/beliefs for what happened. I'll forever be convinced that the MAC thought the BCS offered them a [mostly fools gold] shot at larger revenues and overly invested in football. They took basketball for granted and while we ramped up football expenditures other "mid-major" conferences lapped us.

Interestingly, it wasn't THAT long ago (although still pre-NIL) that Buffalo had an elite mid-major squad and the conference was again near the top of the non-power groups. With NIL I suspect the MAC doesn't have the ability to get back to that with any regularity, but if the conference as a whole would commit to coaching and schedules they could return to a reasonable level of mid-major hoops.

I may also be too optimistic (not sure I've ever been thought that before), but I think in some respects the MAC is in better position to hire coaches who will excel in this new era than some of the top conferences. i.e. I think Todd Simon's personality/approach is tailor made for this current world of hoops, but larger programs simply won't look all the way to SUU for a former HS coach until he's had success at BG (or likely more success at another stop above BG). If given the choice there is no way in hell I'd prefer Diebler over Simon, for instance.

It’s true that Buffalo team wasn’t that long ago. But keep in mind - it was before the NIL and portal explosion. That Buffalo team and the Elite-8 Kent State team were two of the best I’ve seen in the MAC in the past 30 years. In a stroke of bad luck and irony, they were also the two teams that BG played in the only two MAC Championship games that BG has made and played in over the past two decades-plus. If BG plays any other team those seasons besides those two, BG probably wins one, if not both. Instead, we’re still the only team never to win the MAC.

I think that’s the part that has me most worried is that many of us on here may never see BG win the MAC Tournament and get to the NCAA Tournament in our lifetimes. It sounds overdramatic to say it, until you analyze it. First off, BG is the only MAC school to never win the MAC Tournament. That sets things back 45 years right there. And BG isn’t getting back to the NCAA Tournament again until it wins an event that its never won. That takes things back to 1968. Factor in that BG has had MAC Player of the Year selection and NBA guys like Antonio Daniels, Anthony Stacey, Keith McLead and Richaun Holmes that couldn’t help get it done, as well as some good coaches like Jim Larranaga, Chris Jans and pre-WVU Dan Dakich, and then you add in the next layer of trying to keep your top guys with the NIL and transfer portal running wild. So yeah, I have major serious doubts of it happening.

BG has a storied basketball history (players, coaches, wins, etc) but if also owns a putrid history of postseason play in basketball as well. NIL and the portal have made it tougher, not easier, for BG. Just look at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd All-MAC teams this year alone. Only AJ Clayton of Ohio is returning to his school of those with eligibility. The rest jumped into the portal including BG’s 1st and 2nd teamers.

It’s going to take a coach who can navigate the portal waters (which I think Simon can), and a coach who can work the portal (which I also think Simon can). It also takes being able to keep a coach that can do those things (which I worry that BG can). In a perfect world, I’d love to see a coach and players come here to be THE team that breaks BG through - win the MAC Tournament and go dancing again. But with carrots being dangled in front of coaches and players like they are now, that’s scenario is nothing more than a delusional dream of mine.

Every year I’m hopefully that BG will end its futility. But every year it’s the same old sad story for Falcon nation. And I’m beyond sick of that ending. But I just don’t see a different ending in sight either.

[Hammer]

We just have to embrace the one and done era NIL has created. Find guys that are overlooked and sell them on the fact we can get them where they want to go. ‘Come spend a year at BG and together we will prove you belong on a bigger stage.” This is the only possible solution until contracts will eventually be introduced in college sports.

[mbenecke]

Not to raise the usual worry levels around here, but BYU’s Mark Pope took the Kentucky job last night. So the BYU job is open, and their AD has previously said that he will only hire a Mormon head coach.

Todd Simon is (according to Twitter) one of just 3 active head coaches that are Mormon.

[guest44]

I have no idea regarding Simon and his religious beliefs, but that job seems like a big stretch for him to land. It would take several turn downs.

I do feel confident that Trey Thomas is going to be back next year.

[mbenecke]

I do feel confident that Trey Thomas is going to be back next year.

Based on intel or gut feeling? I've been curious him returning or not.

[Flipper]

Kentucky is hiring BYU's Pope to replace Calipari...would/could Simon be a candidate for BYU?

Does it amuse anyone else that a Pope was coaching BYU?

[BleedOrange]

I do feel confident that Trey Thomas is going to be back next year.

Based on intel or gut feeling? I've been curious him returning or not.

I'd love to see that scholarship open up. He's a short, mediocre guard and a bad shooter.