I like many of us this year have been more than frustrated at our basketball team. Thank goodness we have a true War-Room (Thank you Chris Lee) where we can all come and vent. But as I read thru the opinions, I have come to learn we all have one. I wanted to take a peel back the onion based on facts and historical data to see what I could find. I will say doing this digging and the time to it takes, I have come to appreciate Chris, Justin, Joey, and Sean for all of the time and effort they put into this site for us fans. I will say for $9.99 a month, you are underpaid and under-valued.
Over the years of Vanderbilt basketball, we have come to appreciate Memorial Gym and all of its magic. I am 60 years old and still remember my dad taking me to watch some really good and bad basketball. I remember fans yelling and screaming, fans were mad we lost but never to the extreme we see today. I was a fan then and will be until the LORD calls me home.
Over the years, Vanderbilt has been to 15 NCAA tournaments. Wikipedia has 15 but I counted 16. My math may be off.
Van Brda Kolff - 1
Fogler - 2
CM Newton 2
Dobbs - 2
Skinner - 2
Stallings - 7
Back in the day, the NCAA was only 32 teams which were mostly conference champions. We don't have many of those on our resume either. Here are some coaches who we probably wished could have been here as our coach:
Dean Smith - took 6 years to get there
Mike Krzyzeski - took 4 years at Duke and the 7 at Army never made the tournament
John Calipari - 3 years at UMASS, 3 at Memphis and 1 at Kentucky
Billy Donovan - 3 years at Florida
John Wooden - went only 3 times in his first 13 years
Would you be calling for either of these names to be at a tournament by year 2 or let's say be fired by year 4 if they did not make it?
Now look at what I call the intangibles:
Can anyone remember players from the coaches listed above that faced their top players leaving for the draft in their first 5 seasons?
Can anyone name their top players who suffered year ending injuries in their first 5 seasons?
Can anyone name their top players who transferred to other teams in their first 5 years?
Can anyone put the price tag on what it has cost the university to fully fund and support the named coaches in their first 5 years?
Did any of the above coaches have to face Covid or some other obstacle where for 1 year I believe there was only virtual recruiting done in their first 2 years?
I do understand that back then, the obstacles were rotary dial phones, no war boards to post our opinions, no internet, no social media and no NIL
Attendance:
What SEC teams have to compete with NFL and NHL in their backyard for a fan base?
What universities above are committed to winning, provided the resources needed and took the risk at supporting the coach they hired?
What top newspapers (the media) fully support that team then and still do today?
Fans on social media hoping we lose so we can start over again
Boycotting games to try to show the university us fans mean business
Does Vanderbilt even care if we show up?
Now to Coack Stackhouse:
I cannot remember many of our coaches losing top players by either transferring or season ending injuries. I sure there have been a few before Stack.
When reading the Nashville media, Vanderbilt is not promoted much anymore. It used to be front page, 2nd page and more. Now its the Titans, Vols, and Predators
We have lost to season ending injuries, Dort, Robbins, Clevon Brown, Tyrin Lawrence, Nesmith, Garland, Disu
We have lost by transfer - Disu
We have lost to the draft - Pippin Jr, Sabin Lee, Nesmith, Garland
I am in no way taking up for any coach, but I have coached high school basketball several years in my previous life and I look at coaching differently than others. It is a hard life and it is not easy, especially when you lose. So I ask everyone on this board, based on the facts, not opinions from above, is this really the coach for all of the losing, the media support for the attendance, the university support for not being all in on sports, the intangibles I noted, or is it we have not been patient enough just yet looking at other success storied coaches.
Vanderbilt has a BIG decision to make. Its not up to us. If its Stack, then give him the investment he needs, the patience for success, provide media support and the NIL to compete. As fans, we need to show support and provide where we can help.
If its a fresh start, do the right thing and provide support, money, resources and patience or we are back to SOV. Its the players who really suffer reading all of the negatives and not hearing us cheering in the stands.
Over the years of Vanderbilt basketball, we have come to appreciate Memorial Gym and all of its magic. I am 60 years old and still remember my dad taking me to watch some really good and bad basketball. I remember fans yelling and screaming, fans were mad we lost but never to the extreme we see today. I was a fan then and will be until the LORD calls me home.
Over the years, Vanderbilt has been to 15 NCAA tournaments. Wikipedia has 15 but I counted 16. My math may be off.
Van Brda Kolff - 1
Fogler - 2
CM Newton 2
Dobbs - 2
Skinner - 2
Stallings - 7
Back in the day, the NCAA was only 32 teams which were mostly conference champions. We don't have many of those on our resume either. Here are some coaches who we probably wished could have been here as our coach:
Dean Smith - took 6 years to get there
Mike Krzyzeski - took 4 years at Duke and the 7 at Army never made the tournament
John Calipari - 3 years at UMASS, 3 at Memphis and 1 at Kentucky
Billy Donovan - 3 years at Florida
John Wooden - went only 3 times in his first 13 years
Would you be calling for either of these names to be at a tournament by year 2 or let's say be fired by year 4 if they did not make it?
Now look at what I call the intangibles:
Can anyone remember players from the coaches listed above that faced their top players leaving for the draft in their first 5 seasons?
Can anyone name their top players who suffered year ending injuries in their first 5 seasons?
Can anyone name their top players who transferred to other teams in their first 5 years?
Can anyone put the price tag on what it has cost the university to fully fund and support the named coaches in their first 5 years?
Did any of the above coaches have to face Covid or some other obstacle where for 1 year I believe there was only virtual recruiting done in their first 2 years?
I do understand that back then, the obstacles were rotary dial phones, no war boards to post our opinions, no internet, no social media and no NIL
Attendance:
What SEC teams have to compete with NFL and NHL in their backyard for a fan base?
What universities above are committed to winning, provided the resources needed and took the risk at supporting the coach they hired?
What top newspapers (the media) fully support that team then and still do today?
Fans on social media hoping we lose so we can start over again
Boycotting games to try to show the university us fans mean business
Does Vanderbilt even care if we show up?
Now to Coack Stackhouse:
I cannot remember many of our coaches losing top players by either transferring or season ending injuries. I sure there have been a few before Stack.
When reading the Nashville media, Vanderbilt is not promoted much anymore. It used to be front page, 2nd page and more. Now its the Titans, Vols, and Predators
We have lost to season ending injuries, Dort, Robbins, Clevon Brown, Tyrin Lawrence, Nesmith, Garland, Disu
We have lost by transfer - Disu
We have lost to the draft - Pippin Jr, Sabin Lee, Nesmith, Garland
I am in no way taking up for any coach, but I have coached high school basketball several years in my previous life and I look at coaching differently than others. It is a hard life and it is not easy, especially when you lose. So I ask everyone on this board, based on the facts, not opinions from above, is this really the coach for all of the losing, the media support for the attendance, the university support for not being all in on sports, the intangibles I noted, or is it we have not been patient enough just yet looking at other success storied coaches.
Vanderbilt has a BIG decision to make. Its not up to us. If its Stack, then give him the investment he needs, the patience for success, provide media support and the NIL to compete. As fans, we need to show support and provide where we can help.
If its a fresh start, do the right thing and provide support, money, resources and patience or we are back to SOV. Its the players who really suffer reading all of the negatives and not hearing us cheering in the stands.
