"I come to bury [Stallings], not to praise him."
-Marc Antony in Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
I'm here neither to glorify Stallings' tenure nor to rewrite history. I am here to make sure I have an accurate accounting of what was going on behind the scenes during the final few years of his tenure. In light of how little the administration supports sports, was Stallings the best we could do? Was it still worth it to fire him?
Following the 2011-12 season which featured three 3 NBA draft picks (2 in the 1st round) and an SEC Tournament Championship, Stallings' teams fell from the sky into a black hole. It took several lean years before he righted the ship and was heading in the right direction. He got us back to the NCAA tournament (by the skin of our teeth) following a frankly disappointing 19-win season on a team which featured 2 NBA 1st round picks including a lottery pick. That team arguably should have contended for an SEC regular season title and a top 25 ranking. But a shocking inability to mentally finish games sunk the season.
So, we know that Stallings was a giant jerk with the press and with his own players. That made it easier to fire him. But knowing what Bryce Drew would do to the program, and knowing how little the administration supports basketball, one could argue that Stallings got the most out of the program during his 17 years in Memorial Gym. I'm not sure where I stand on the matter. What say you, VandySports community?
-Marc Antony in Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
I'm here neither to glorify Stallings' tenure nor to rewrite history. I am here to make sure I have an accurate accounting of what was going on behind the scenes during the final few years of his tenure. In light of how little the administration supports sports, was Stallings the best we could do? Was it still worth it to fire him?
Following the 2011-12 season which featured three 3 NBA draft picks (2 in the 1st round) and an SEC Tournament Championship, Stallings' teams fell from the sky into a black hole. It took several lean years before he righted the ship and was heading in the right direction. He got us back to the NCAA tournament (by the skin of our teeth) following a frankly disappointing 19-win season on a team which featured 2 NBA 1st round picks including a lottery pick. That team arguably should have contended for an SEC regular season title and a top 25 ranking. But a shocking inability to mentally finish games sunk the season.
So, we know that Stallings was a giant jerk with the press and with his own players. That made it easier to fire him. But knowing what Bryce Drew would do to the program, and knowing how little the administration supports basketball, one could argue that Stallings got the most out of the program during his 17 years in Memorial Gym. I'm not sure where I stand on the matter. What say you, VandySports community?
