How likeable is Dakich?

[Dayons_Den]

And another thing on transferring...I think the players that transfer out of a university should pay the school back for their education because they did not live up to their end of the deal of playing four years.

I don't think they necessarily do agree to a 4 year commitment. Neither does the university. I'm 90% sure that all athletic schollies are actually 5 year renewable.

Actually, I am pretty sure that athletic scholarships are renewed year to year. That is why there is the threat of "having your scholarship pulled" if you don't perform (never happens because there would be legal implications). I am 80% certain that is what I learned in my sport law class.

As far as the players like / disdain for Coach Dakich I know two former Falcon players, who stayed four years and graduated under Dakich pretty well. One likes him very much despite being Dan's whipping boy for 3/4 of the time he was in a Falcon unifrom. The other does not like him and disagrees with his style of offense and overall attitude. Just thought I'd throw that out for ya schad.

[transfer2BGSU]

There is no such thing as an athletic scholarship (even the NCAA does not use the term athletic scholarship). It is called an Athletic Grant-In-Aid and it is for one year. The grant-in-aid may be renewed.

[ZiggyZoomba]

Lenny asked me to post the following response on his behalf....

I think that anyone that knows anything about coach Dakich and Bowling Green Basketball knows what he has meant to his players, community and the team. He has helped more players become more than they could possibly ever be, basketball-wise along with off the court stuff. Our guys graduate and get jobs. Some even play pro-ball (and thats not a bad gig!) I'm sure as a fan some guys would love for us to have a different type of player/style sometimes but why compromise the integrity of the school, community and coach Dak by bringing in players who dont go to class, who don't graduate and get into trouble more often than you can imagine. Now that I am finished playing in college I know how dirty some schools are. Talking to about 80% of pro players overseas, who played D1 college, they all were paid something somehow. Even in our beloved MAC! At BG no rules have been broken since coach has been there and I know he never would. Would you be as proud of a winning team with graduation rates and players personalities of say Cincy or an Ohio St. even? How much do you enjoy coming to a game watching our players bust their ass working for everything they get, and thats just on the court.

And about the transfers. If they dont want to be there, let them go. F-them! Erik Crawford left cause he was a 2 faced baby. Yeah he went on to have a decent career but he never turned into the player he would have under Dak.

Ron Lewis- Compare this year and last year. That should be enough said right there! How stupid can he really be thinking he has a better shot at the NBA at O. State. There he will be another guy fighting for min. Oh by the way, have you ever heard of KEITH MCLEOD? Pretty good MAC player starting all season for an NBA team. Please, some common sense.

The rest of the guys who left are guys who didn't want to work to be their best. A lot of people settle for mediocrity. Coach Dak doesn't. I bet 75% of people reading this couldn't play for Coach but does that mean he is an ass or a bad coach? No that means that some people don't want to work out of their comfort zone; they want to settle on being average instead of good, or good instead of great.

Just one former player's opinion.

Len Matela

[falconfan1]

Ziggy, thanks for sharing that post from Len Matela. This young man obviously is a better person, better player, and so on having played for Coach at BG.

It just reinforces my opinions.

Now, having said that, you still must have enough Matela's, McLeod's etc in uniform and in your program for four years to win in our league and get to post season play. I LOVE the way we conduct our program; I just hope there are enough Len Matela's etc out there willing to do what I saw him do for four years. And that we attract them to BG.

Thanks and I wish Len all the best in the future. What a player. And, obviously, a true Falcon.

Go Falcons!

[Warthog]

I think Lenny puts out some great points. But I would also say that kids like Crawford, Montgomery, Rosefelt, Moss, etc are probably good kids too, but Dakich drives them away. Dakich will treat you like a son if you do what he says. If you ever try to be an individual, he treat you like crap. It's the Dakich way or the highway. I think he could grow a lot as a coach if he wasn't so stubborn like that. Just my opinion.

[Falconboy]

Dakich does have his own "special" system that he doesn't want to change. My beef with DD happens more to be with the way he coaches the team throughout. I don't mind a coach being very tough. To win games you need to be tough. But I think DD takes this to the extreme. Just like Warthog said, its DD's way or the highway. Its almost like he's trying to mold the players into Indiana robots that all play and pass exactly the same with no appearance of personal talent whatsoever. If you've been watching the Tourney you'll see alot of guys playing loose, with their coaches not throwing a fit for a player using his skills to take over a game if necessasy. Our offense is mindboggleing to watch , as our players too many times pass the ball around 30 times or more trying to find the absolute "perfect" shot which there hardly is. Players I'm seeing in this Tourney are taking so called "high risk" shots for high reward with a very uptempo style. DD would never stand for that kind of free-wheeling play hence our chances of making the NCAA's a so extremely slim. Our players you can just tell by watching them, that their are just scared stiff of making the wrong play that will warrant them being yanked. Every play seems like its pulling teeth to run. You get my drift? :-\

[Schadenfreude]

I appreciate that Len thought enough to offer his opinion for us.

In particular, it means a lot that he is able to be so emphatic about what a clean program Bowling Green is running. That's huge for me.

There have been a lot of thoughtful replies in this thread.

I wish I had more to add. I just don't have many insights. That's why I started this thread -- to get a better idea what others thought.

[Metz]

Dakich will treat you like a son if you do what he says. If you ever try to be an individual, he treat you like crap. It's the Dakich way or the highway.

Just curious, but have you ever been one of his players to actually know this? I just think it may seem like that on the outside to us as fans but really I'm sure it goes a lot deeper and is nothing like we all think it is. Sure he has strict rules that we all see and hear about but if you look at those players on senior day, you can tell they look up to him like a 2nd father. I believe that if a kid really wants to play basketball at BG, he will stay his 4 years. In that 4 years, he won't be FORCED to adapt to DD's style, but he will want to adapt to it because it is beneficial not just on the court, but in real life. DD is probably teaching these kids life lessons through the game of basketball which we as fans will never get to see or understand.

[Rightupinthere]

Lenny asked me to post the following response on his behalf....

I think that anyone that knows anything about coach Dakich and Bowling Green Basketball knows what he has meant to his players, community and the team. He has helped more players become more than they could possibly ever be, basketball-wise along with off the court stuff. Our guys graduate and get jobs. Some even play pro-ball (and thats not a bad gig!) I'm sure as a fan some guys would love for us to have a different type of player/style sometimes but why compromise the integrity of the school, community and coach Dak by bringing in players who dont go to class, who don't graduate and get into trouble more often than you can imagine. Now that I am finished playing in college I know how dirty some schools are. Talking to about 80% of pro players overseas, who played D1 college, they all were paid something somehow. Even in our beloved MAC! At BG no rules have been broken since coach has been there and I know he never would. Would you be as proud of a winning team with graduation rates and players personalities of say Cincy or an Ohio St. even? How much do you enjoy coming to a game watching our players bust their ass working for everything they get, and thats just on the court.

And about the transfers. If they dont want to be there, let them go. F-them! Erik Crawford left cause he was a 2 faced baby. Yeah he went on to have a decent career but he never turned into the player he would have under Dak.

Ron Lewis- Compare this year and last year. That should be enough said right there! How stupid can he really be thinking he has a better shot at the NBA at O. State. There he will be another guy fighting for min. Oh by the way, have you ever heard of KEITH MCLEOD? Pretty good MAC player starting all season for an NBA team. Please, some common sense.

The rest of the guys who left are guys who didn't want to work to be their best. A lot of people settle for mediocrity. Coach Dak doesn't. I bet 75% of people reading this couldn't play for Coach but does that mean he is an ass or a bad coach? No that means that some people don't want to work out of their comfort zone; they want to settle on being average instead of good, or good instead of great.

Just one former player's opinion.

Len Matela

This speaks volumes to me.

I've never met the coach and I doubt I will ever have the pleasure. But, there is quite a bit in this post which makes me like the man as a man and as a coach.

Screw the W/L column.

[Flipper]

Thanks Len and Grant....it's good to get an insider's perspective on what it's like to play for DD. I'm glad to hear we're clean too, although I'd be shocked to have heard otherwise

[Warthog]

Dakich will treat you like a son if you do what he says. If you ever try to be an individual, he treat you like crap. It's the Dakich way or the highway.

but if you look at those players on senior day, you can tell they look up to him like a 2nd father.

The only ones that make it to Senior Day are the ones that fall in line with Dakich's system. Anybody that is not in synch with that transfers before getting to Senior Day.

And no, I have not been a player for Coach Dakich and all of the things I state are just my opinion.

[Rightupinthere]

The only ones that make it to Senior Day are the ones that fall in line with Dakich's system. Anybody that is not in synch with that transfers before getting to Senior Day.

I have a problem with this theme which has been repeat ad nauseum.

If I work for a specific company, I do what the company wants me to do and how they want me to do it. There are instances when I don't agree with the company line, but I still do it. And yes, some of my recent bosses have been first rate @ssholes at times. My previous boss was a high maintenance d!ckhead some of the times - he was also one of the best managers I've ever had.

I know that's a difficult concept for some on this board, but if these transfer gent found the temperature too high in Dan's kitchen, then I don't want them wearing the orange a brown. I want kids who want to work. I don't want a bunch of kids in the BBall program that want their individual egos stroked. I wonder what they would do if they had a boss like DD.

Just my view of the world.

[hammb]

This speaks volumes to me.

I've never met the coach and I doubt I will ever have the pleasure. But, there is quite a bit in this post which makes me like the man as a man and as a coach.

Screw the W/L column.

I have questioned his schemes at times.

I have questioned his talent evaluation at times.

But when it comes to the words of that post there is no way that anyone who has ever met Dan could question Dan Dakich the man. Dan is a great guy who has given his all to BG and the community.

[transfer2BGSU]

The only ones that make it to Senior Day are the ones that fall in line with Dakich's system. Anybody that is not in synch with that transfers before getting to Senior Day.

Welcome to the real world.

When you get a job, if you don't follow the company line - you'll soon find yourself unemployed (the company way or the highway).

Some people are going to be extremely surprised to see how things are done after they graduate or leave school.

I compare Dakich to an Army Drill Seargeant -- you hate the SOB every single day until after you graduate from Basic Training. Then you realize what he made you do and you respect him.

[Flipper]

Having run a few employees off in my day, I can empathize. If you have someone who is not willing to get on the same page as the rest of your team, you need to get rid of that person ASAP.

Sometimes, you hire people (or I guess in a coach's situation, recruit them) knowing that they might not fit, but you hope that once they see how the system works and have a chance to work within it, they'll wise up.

They almost never do.

You also hire people who'll tell you 150 different ways that they completely understand what you're asking them to do and what they'll have to sacrifice to be successful. Inevitably, you get a few who lied to you or thought they understood what you were talking about, but they didn't. Those people usually quit before you can fire them.

I guess the moral of the story is, life sucks if you aren't doing something that makes you happy or that you see the point of doing...