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Talk about no concept of history. This team is comparable to two years in your glory five. You talk about kenpom 138 and 122 rankings like they are so great and 148 like it was horrible. This year’s team could very well beat Oats first and second year teams. This year’s team had more regular season wins and also beat their local rivals. Let’s be honest here. You only care about that MAC auto bid. You would be fine with being a worse team if they won the MAC and got to play in the tournament. But I don’t want to be an Iona or a Winthrop who only makes the tournament because you win a weak conference tournament. I want to actually be a good program. I would rather be St Mary’s and miss the tournament due to a selection committee decision after an upset loss than be pretending to be good simply because I beat Regional Great Lakes State University.

This. Absolutely this. Add in the fact that he recruited in only one month because the old staff told all the recruits that UB invested in signing to bolt from the program. He took a rebuilding team which would be expected to have a big drop off, removed the recruiting class, and put one together in a month. And at the end of the season had 20 wins and went 7-4 in games against top-150 teams and beat our rival Bonas. The inconsistency was frustrating at times but this season was very positive overall.

I agree with most of what you said. All good on the rant, that’s what this place is for. Specifically on Whitesell, I also have questioned some of his decisions but I also admit that he knows way more about basketball than me. I think he definitely has a couple of major pros/cons that stood out after the first season. Pro: The players seem to really like him, I think it is a good look for our program to have no outgoing transfers at this point (not counting Bivens because I think he was non-scholarship) Con: the energy level is just not there. Maybe we are just used to Oats and Hurley who are firecrackers, but he is too quiet. Pro: In a year where we lost 5 of our top 7 players, we still came out with 20 wins and tied for the 3rd best record in conference. If this is our floor, that isn’t too shabby. Con: we supposedly had the most talent in the MAC this season if you go strictly off rankings. But our team didn’t play like it. Pro: He initially pulled in Chanse and Josiah who are highly rated. Josiah decommitted but based on leaving his high school it sounds like there might be other stuff going on. Con: I think we still haven’t replaced Hunter, not sure what they are waiting for on that front.

Rants are okay but I look at it like they are are opinions and we all have opinions and whether right or wrong they are our opinions. When you say we make our observations and comments based on what you see in reality is a good thought. But all different opinions are based on what we see as reality in our own thoughts and life styles. Again we are not going to see things the same and that does not make your opinions or mine right or wrong. That is the beauty of sports and in many cases shows the passion of so many fans. I just try to keep it in perspective that it is sports and not life and death. I truly try to listen to all opinions and try to keep an open mind. Still will look forward to next season and hope for more success and more important health for all and some return to normal lifetime experiences. Go Bulls!!!!

When the players have great games or make the winning plays the coach is a genius or knows what he is doing and when they lose the coach can get all the criticism and does not know what he is doing. Like I have said before wonder how the Duke coach, the Calipari’s and other great coaches would do with this UB lineup??? The beauty of sports and all us fans being armchair quarterbacks. Go Bulls!!!

I hate the fantasy scenarios where oh if coach K or Calipari coached UB last season bla bla bla. Stop it. They aren’t coaching us. And if they were, we would be a top 10 team. Why? Bc they would recruit the best players in the country. So where does it begin or end? Oh if coach K starting coaching us when Oats left? At the beginning of the season? Middle of the season? Enough with the hypothetical fantasy scenarios. I make my observations and comments based on what I see in reality. Reality was there was enough fault to go around from players to coaches as to why we weren’t more consistent. Hopefully all parties involved grow and pinpoint how, where and when they can be better. For better or worse Whitesell is our coach. He has my support, I’ve never called for his head, just have questioned some of his decision making. And at the end of the game watch and said, did he put the players in the best position to win the game? If he did then it’s on the players. And if he didn’t then it’s on him. And there was both last season. Sorry for the rant.

I’m just saying blame can go all around. Just as we say the players need to improve in the off season....coaching staff needs to as well. If Whitesell puts the team in the best position to win then it falls on the players. If he doesn’t then he bares the responsibility.

Yea how’d that work out?

Or he was playing what he felt was a better lineup against different opponents strengths.