Fire Muller...now!

91Bird

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I've went from never missing a home game, traveling to away games in Peoria, Carbondale, Terre Haute, Des Moines, and Cedar Falls, and looking forward to going to Arch Madness like no other weekend of the year, to now not even caring when they have a game. I hope ISU basketball is worth
caring about someday again.
 

gobirds85

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I've went from never missing a home game, traveling to away games in Peoria, Carbondale, Terre Haute, Des Moines, and Cedar Falls, and looking forward to going to Arch Madness like no other weekend of the year, to now not even caring when they have a game. I hope ISU basketball is worth
caring about someday again.

By the time the muller shit show ends I'd be surprised if anybody is left to actually give a rat's ass. I've been a fan for 41 years. Tourney games, Cayman, the Lou, various other road games, season ticket holder while starting my business years ago, but I can't keep caring when we know Mr. Thursday night will be a one and done again. Can we bypass the Lou and used the saved $$$ to work on buying out the muller contract?
 

ISU86

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My benchmark for all-time low was 1991 (season following NCAA trip to Long Beach where we lost to Michigan in the first round as a 14 seed). First neutral-site conference tournament. Friday, March 1 (3:00 PM). The Valley had nine teams at the time, so we played in the sole play-in game vs. Drake (this was during DU's run of twenty (20) successive non-winning seasons). #9 Bulldogs (4-12, 7-20) vs. #8 Redbirds (4-12, 5-22). Rudy Washington vs. Bob Bender. No television.

It was Bender's second season. Todd Kagel, Richard Thomas, Charles Barnes, Mike Vandegarde, Scott Taylor were the starters.

The announced crowd was 1,400 ... must have included anyone who wandered near the Kiel Auditorium footprint while the game was going on and the pigeons who were nesting in the rafters. A majority of those who actually were in the building were after-school kids that who came via buses (arrived late, left early).

Sloppy game (fifty (50) turnovers). Jumped out to an early lead, led by eight at halftime, lost by one.

That was stench, and this season appears to be drifting towards that one.
 

ricohill

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My benchmark for all-time low was 1991 (season following NCAA trip to Long Beach where we lost to Michigan in the first round as a 14 seed). First neutral-site conference tournament. Friday, March 1 (3:00 PM). The Valley had nine teams at the time, so we played in the sole play-in game vs. Drake (this was during DU's run of twenty (20) successive non-winning seasons). #9 Bulldogs (4-12, 7-20) vs. #8 Redbirds (4-12, 5-22). Rudy Washington vs. Bob Bender. No television.

It was Bender's second season. Todd Kagel, Richard Thomas, Charles Barnes, Mike Vandegarde, Scott Taylor were the starters.

The announced crowd was 1,400 ... must have included anyone who wandered near the Kiel Auditorium footprint while the game was going on and the pigeons who were nesting in the rafters. A majority of those who actually were in the building were after-school kids that who came via buses (arrived late, left early).

Sloppy game (fifty (50) turnovers). Jumped out to an early lead, led by eight at halftime, lost by one.

That was stench, and this season appears to be drifting towards that one.
The next two years they won MVC Championships. Muller has had 3 straight years of being awful and no hope in sight. Now the Bradley win doesn’t even seem to be a big deal since they are getting destroyed by Loyola.

Bender won 3 MVC titles in 4 years. Muller has one shared title in 9.

In Muller’s best season he got embarrassed in the MVC title game and blew a massive lead to ruin our only chance ever to host Illinois. That’s how his peak season ended. He’s never going to get us to the NCAA Tournament and now he’s taking the program to depths I never thought possible.

I flew to Omaha and Cedar Falls during the Moser era (traveled everywhere in the 80s and 90s) Sadly those were the glory days compared to where Muller has sank the program.
 

CaliRdBrd

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I remember a stat from years ago that ISU was top 5 in the nation, in regard to seasons over .500.

Jesus, how far we have fallen...
 

ISU86

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The next two years they won MVC Championships. Muller has had 3 straight years of being awful and no hope in sight. Now the Bradley win doesn’t even seem to be a big deal since they are getting destroyed by Loyola.

Bender won 3 MVC titles in 4 years. Muller has one shared title in 9.

In Muller’s best season he got embarrassed in the MVC title game and blew a massive lead to ruin our only chance ever to host Illinois. That’s how his peak season ended. He’s never going to get us to the NCAA Tournament and now he’s taking the program to depths I never thought possible.

I flew to Omaha and Cedar Falls during the Moser era (traveled everywhere in the 80s and 90s) Sadly those were the glory days compared to where Muller has sank the program.
I was targeting one particular season, not a series of them. Should have been clearer on that point.

However, there has not been a four year run as poor as Moser's. Only once not playing on Thursday in StL, and that was as a six seed (and he has two of three last place conference teams in the D-I era, the other belonging to Tom Richardson). Never finished .500 in conference play.

Even in this fourth season after the 2017 NIT season, Dan's best season since then is third in conference (worst is nine) and only one sub-.500 in conference play.

You can say all you want about the quality of the conference, but last place is last place.

The only difference is Muller's run is in the here and now.
 

BirdGrad2011

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Redbirdfan76

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I believe this group of players is doing the best they can under the current coaching staff. Unfortunately we are what our record says we are...a mostly undisciplined offensive team. Additionally their are flashes of good defense, but just not consistent enough. They put forth good effort, but are just not fundamentally sound. Whatever the coaching staff is doing is just not working well enough. I have to agree it is time for a change. If the new AD is an experienced fund raiser, it may be time to raise that 1.5 million for a buyout. I really wanted Dan to be successful, but it’s not going to happen.
 

BirdGrad2011

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I like Dan and I want him to succeed. He never shows any of this fight though. He got more mad at what he thought was taunting Bradley than these L’s. Show some damn fight.
 

ISU86

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I believe this group of players is doing the best they can under the current coaching staff. Unfortunately we are what our record says we are...a mostly undisciplined offensive team. Additionally their are flashes of good defense, but just not consistent enough. They put forth good effort, but are just not fundamentally sound. Whatever the coaching staff is doing is just not working well enough. I have to agree it is time for a change. If the new AD is an experienced fund raiser, it may be time to raise that 1.5 million for a buyout. I really wanted Dan to be successful, but it’s not going to happen.
If Dan's salary is too big (at least in the short-term, with limited revenue due to the pandemic), a shake-up of the assistant coach staff is something the AD could insist on. Personally, I like Belcher, so-so on Jones (could be convinced either way), and seen enough of Reese.
 

Redbird60451

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If Dan's salary is too big (at least in the short-term, with limited revenue due to the pandemic), a shake-up of the assistant coach staff is something the AD could insist on. Personally, I like Belcher, so-so on Jones (could be convinced either way), and seen enough of Reese.
I don't disagree. I'm not sure what he brings, there's no connection to the Valley for Reese. Maybe hire the video coordinator out of some school out West that has a pedigree, in his spot. Get us out in a different area. Find us some big men, because these stick figures from Florida aren't cutting it. Maybe get some guys from Montana or Nebraska or somewhere out west where they eat cows and pigs, and then when they are done playing turn from big strong dudes into big fat dudes.
 

IHateWSU

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How about demote him and make Dan a VERY highly paid asst. coach, and hire a new head coach.
 

JHBird

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I don't disagree. I'm not sure what he brings, there's no connection to the Valley for Reese. Maybe hire the video coordinator out of some school out West that has a pedigree, in his spot. Get us out in a different area. Find us some big men, because these stick figures from Florida aren't cutting it. Maybe get some guys from Montana or Nebraska or somewhere out west where they eat cows and pigs, and then when they are done playing turn from big strong dudes into big fat dudes.
In football, I always thought we should target those Wisconsin grain feeding areas for our O-Line. We definitely get pushed around too much. I always wondered what Drew Himmelman would do as a basketball player - 6'10 315lbs. Ah, but he's got a good chance to play in the NFL.
 

WoodlandWarrior

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You know, there is something to be said about our recruiting focus. Is there something fundamentally wrong with going after big Midwestern white guys? It works for Northern Iowa. It’s working for Loyola. Did we make an effort to get Tuttle, Phyfe, Krutwig or Welch? Were we even aware of them as high school players? The recruiting of “athletes” is not providing return on investment. Recruitment strategy is an integral part of coaching. We’re on track to be a 10th Place team and yet do we even attempt to recruit Iowa, Indiana, etc. for solidly coached 6’8” and 6’9”, 220-230 lb. inside players who are physical, can block out, and rebound? Brian Kern provided more value in the day than Abdou and Kotov do now. Rick Lamb came out of tiny and now defunct Illiopolis H.S. and was a key contributor in 81-82 and 82-83.
 

ISU86

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You know, there is something to be said about our recruiting focus. Is there something fundamentally wrong with going after big Midwestern white guys? It works for Northern Iowa. It’s working for Loyola. Did we make an effort to get Tuttle, Phyfe, Krutwig or Welch? Were we even aware of them as high school players? The recruiting of “athletes” is not providing return on investment. Recruitment strategy is an integral part of coaching. We’re on track to be a 10th Place team and yet do we even attempt to recruit Iowa, Indiana, etc. for solidly coached 6’8” and 6’9”, 220-230 lb. inside players who are physical, can block out, and rebound? Brian Kern provided more value in the day than Abdou and Kotov do now. Rick Lamb came out of tiny and now defunct Illiopolis H.S. and was a key contributor in 81-82 and 82-83.
Listening to the telecast of one the ISU squared games, Bob Morris was commenting after a defensive rebound that, a few years back, teams would generally hand the ball to the point guard to run/set-up the offense. Now, they want to race down the court and attempt to fire a quick in-rhythm shot. The problem with us is we have the athletes to push it down the court but are extremely erratic in getting the bucket (or resulting rebound). For every Bradley outing we get four Indiana State/Valparaiso outings. Plus our bigs seem to spend an inordinate amount of time away from the basket.

The "soda machine" approach may not serve us as well once we would get to a Big Dance, but it seems as though it should in-conference (and you can't dance without a bid).
 
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