**** Miami vs. Wake Forest GAME THREAD ****

[AmherstCane]

Just curious, do you remember the record of the team before Coach L took over?
I was trying to figure out if the program was in a better situation when Coach L departed compared to when he arrived.

I went to almost every game over the Haith years. Decent - not great - recruiter, but a terrible, terrible basketball coach. The basketball was just awful. The program also had NO support.

We won some games against a cupcake OOC schedule which favorably skewed the win loss record, but the program was in terrible shape. We were on probation and down scholarships with no fan support, no history, and no momentum.

This year is an abject disaster, and last year was terrible, but the program is in a totally different echelon than it was when L took over.

The program has strong financial support, a recent history of selling out season tickets, and elite 8 and final 4 trips in the last 5 years.

The job is a quick turn for a good coach… and - because of the recent history - success will be met with an immediate increase in engagement and support.

Teams turn over every year in the portal era, and the deep pockets have tasted the sweet taste of playing into April and want more of it.

Comparing the state of the program today to Haith running away from the train wreck he caused (NCAA probation) is just totally disconnected from reality.

 

[AmherstCane]

I get it but how many of us saw George as a first round pick lash season?
Stranger things have happened.

By this point in the season it was clear that George had first round possibility.

Did you watch the game tonight? Bethea is not anywhere close to where George was at this point last year. And the team playing really bad basketball (like way worse than last year) is not going to help his case.

 

[CTCANE]

By this point in the season it was clear that George had first round possibility.

Did you watch the game tonight? Bethea is not anywhere close to where George was at this point last year. And the team playing bad basketball is not going to help his case.

Bethea doesnt have close to the size George has

 

[Gables Canes]

I went to almost every game over the Haith years. Decent - not great - recruiter, but a terrible, terrible basketball coach. The basketball was just awful. The program also had NO support.

We won some games against a cupcake OOC schedule which favorably skewed the win loss record, but the program was in terrible shape. We were on probation and down scholarships with no fan support, no history, and no momentum.

This year is an abject disaster, and last year was terrible, but the program is in a totally different echelon than it was when L took over.

The program has strong financial support, a recent history of selling out season tickets, and elite 8 and final 4 trips in the last 5 years.

The job is a quick turn for a good coach… and - because of the recent history - success will be met with an immediate increase in engagement and support.

Teams turn over every year in the portal era, and the deep pockets have tasted the sweet taste of playing into April and want more of it.

Comparing the state of the program today to Haith running away from the train wreck he caused (NCAA probation) is just totally disconnected from reality.

I get what you're saying, but in today's world, people have a short attention span. The E8 and F4 runs feel like a distant memory to the casual fan. Thing is, Miami basketball fan support still is not very good. We gained a significant amount of fan support during those runs, but we quickly lost all of that goodwill with the ensuing disaster that has followed. This fanbase has and always will be football first. Unless basketball is having a very good to elite season, it has always remained an afterthought to the majority of our fans, alums, etc.

I do think the right coach can turn things around fairly quickly - the portal/NIL era lends itself to that - but I don't agree with the notion that the state of the program is strong. We are in the midst of a historically bad season, and we're in a dying conference to boot.

 

[AmherstCane]

I get what you're saying, but in today's world, people have a short attention span. The E8 and F4 runs feel like a distant memory to the casual fan. Thing is, Miami basketball fan support still is not very good. We gained a significant amount of fan support during those runs, but we quickly lost all of that goodwill with the ensuing disaster that has followed. This fanbase has and always will be football first. Unless basketball is having a very good to elite season, it has always remained an afterthought to the majority of our fans, alums, etc.

I do think the right coach can turn things around fairly quickly - the portal/NIL era lends itself to that - but I don't agree with the notion that the state of the program is strong. We are in the midst of a historically bad season, and we're in a dying conference to boot.

The most important factors (outside pay) for a coach to consider when taking a job are:

1) NIL
2) Program Infrastructure (Facilities, Financial Support, & Resources)
3) Can You Win Here
4) Fan Support


Since NIL didn’t exist at the end of the Haith tenure (although if it did exist we’d be NIL poor, and we’re not NIL poor currently), I’ll break down the rest:

2) The facilities are in a different universe today, as is the financial commitment of the school. No more busses or ticketed commercial flights to games. The admin has largely been giving the program what it needs to win because they saw the success it helped create.

3) Winning at Miami was nothing more than a hope at the end of the Haith era. Our ceiling as a program was ONE SINGLE sweet 16 EVER. Now we have 4 Sweet 16’s in just over the last decade and an elite 8 and final 4 in the last 5 years.

4) It took years to build fan support for the basketball program, culminating in sellouts in consecutive years. Yes losing sets us back, but the fans return quicker when we win because of the recent success. I was surprised at how good the attendance was even after the disastrous start to the year. I’m sure the stadium will be empty the rest of this season, but that’s what happens when you’re awful. Fans will come back as soon as the product improves… as long as it happens in the next year or two.