Recent Comments
"A lot was missing. A lot was missing, just call it what it is. They are great kids and a pleasure to work with. We have to get more talented and we are going to quick, all right?"
Did they change the quote, because that's quite a bit different.
Sounds like CMY had some tough conversations.
This is how college basketball works these days. We performed up to expectations with the resources we had (We were ass but we weren't that bad). Now, the NIL coffers are starting to get filled and it's time to go shopping for better players.
Sucks there's no loyalty in college basketball but at least it goes both ways now and you get a "severance package".
At this point should we just do away with basketball altogether and just make Cassell a wrestling shrine? We're a wrestling school now after all
He was a guy who showed flashes...definitely could have developed with a couple more years.
But that's not what the current system is designed to do.
The system is designed to pluck players from non-P2 teams to be depth pieces at middling P2 programs.
Young will be in South Carolina, Penn State, or Rutgers jersey next year and VT will be left scouring far-flung conferences to try to piece together a roster.
This is what unregulated NIL and unregulated transfers were always designed to do. You don't go from "Basketball is an afterthought" as a Conference to 14 MM bids by accident.
The program now has six players on the roster who will likely not be on the roster next year; 3 graduates, 3 transfers.
They equate to 85.5 minutes per game, 30.9 ppg, 13.5 rpg, and 4.5 apg.
If we can find 4 new players, counting the incoming freshmen, to average 21 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist, each, we would have replaced their production with 2 fewer bodies.
Did he actually say that? I haven't really been keeping up with the BBall teams lately
Here we go again ...
I also think the athletic department kicks back a significant chunk of money each year to the academic side, sort of budgeted in as an annual operating expense. Which seems really strange to me considering the Football Enhancement Fund gave more money from the academic side to the AD. Just passing money back and forth across funds. If the University is intent on taking a cut off of athletics instead of treating athletics funding as a marketing budget, then I can understand why VT is institutionally frugal with athletics spending. The priority isn't to win, it's to run in the black.
by end of year jayden was starting to look pretty solid
tbf, when your coach is saying in the post season presser that "we have to get more talent or I am going to quit" ..... it means you have to have roster space to do so.
I've said this before but I think the most important pieces to keep and build around are Lawal, Hammond, and Johnson. Schutt would be nice to keep in the fold. I'm okay if Rech walks, but if he improves his ball security and defense, he's worth keeping around as another option in the backcourt.
Lawal, Hammond, Schutt, and perhaps Rech... and the 3 incoming freshman.
At this point, who are we hoping to keep besides Lawal? Rechsteiner?
Slightly more than a stiff. But not an ACC starting big.
He might have been a sophomore but wasn't this his third year in the program? While he was better than last year, that doesn't say much.
Two men walk into a bar.....you think the second one would have seen it.
I can think of a variety of possible factors:
- Maybe it's because VT donors are cheap or unwilling to give (relative to their peers at other institutions)
- Maybe it's because Whit's hit his ceiling when it comes to fundraising - his initial efforts were strong, and he got us over our first hump, but our growth isn't keeping up with our competitors.
- Maybe Whit is saving money until the House settlement passes (he's been talking about preparing to pay players directly for a few years now)
- Maybe he's had to change course from 'win at most sports' to 'all in on football' due to how far behind the ACC is relative to schools we (used to) consider our peers
I just don't have great insight into how our athletic depart runs. I see the published data, and I know that VT isn't pulling in enough cash to fund a modern top 25 athletic department (we're top 35-40). I don't know what Whit could be doing better from a fundraising standpoint.
I don't think Whit is incompetent. I don't think he's perfect by any stretch.
Oddly enough, not all that different from his predecessor
Lawal was right, this team was ass. Cut the fat, keep the good stuff and reload.
Young blows, we can do better with the money we was giving him.
0-11 3pts vs. Cal. I think we'll find a way to replace his production.
I didn't like him, but he was an extremely talented writer and wrote good books. Definitely gone too soon.
Good luck to him, but it was frustrating watching him post up and someone 9inches shorter could push him around. He was not ACC caliber, especially after being developed for 3 years.