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Post by efg72 on Mar 1, 2022 22:39:04 GMT -5
I think most coaches would look at how many back door cuts we gave up and perfectly understand why he got fired. He can’t coach KenPom offensive efficiency for American tonight: 104.9 That was their 8th best performance in 19 pL games this year. If you were just reading the posts from the #CancelNelson crew, you would have thought they scored 150 points and didn't miss a shot tonight. BBC appreciate your point of view, but this has never been about anything but winning and can we get back to some level of respectability-- he got us to a level of bad from horrible We now need to move to good/very good and he isn't the answer. I wish him well in his future, but if he returns to HC for another year we will be equally miserable this time next year Hope you and the family have a special Lent and a wonderful Easter
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 1, 2022 22:44:11 GMT -5
CCC has a good point. Especially at a place like HC, recruits want a coach who will be with them for their 4 years. You're asking them to take an even bigger gamble, knowing how the last few years have gone, that there's a decent chance the coach who recruited them will be gone. That's why a great hire -- as hockey did with Riga, as football did with Chesney, and as I believe women's hockey did with Katie -- can turn a program around. Only one of those three coaches has turned a program around. Couldn't a recruit feel better knowing he won't be stuck with a losing coach, that the school is unencumbered and capable of hiring the best coach available at the upcoming end of the contract? Total respect for Katie Lachapelle the women's hockey coach, but what is the benefit to anyone of her saying to a recruit "I finished 3-30 this year and you'll have me for several more years." Give coaches their full contract to perform and save buy out money to reward and retain winning coaches and attract good new coaches when a change is necessary at the conclusion of contracts. I'd like to see coaches in special circumstances like a division change in women's hockey continue at the end of a contract with one year extensions where it makes sense for Holy Cross. I think recruits are too smart to think that any type of contract guarantees job security for a losing coach, so why pay for extra dead years on a contract to pretend it does?
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Post by southernsader on Mar 1, 2022 22:53:34 GMT -5
Agree on one more make or break year. We'll then also no longer have a rookie AD with no experience and even less cultural familiarity with HC.
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Post by efg72 on Mar 1, 2022 23:01:17 GMT -5
The beauty of Crossports is we all have an opportunity to express our views and opinions
Just want the best for the team, the program, the school and the Worcester community and hope the women get it done
See you all in April
Peace and blessings
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Post by Ray on Mar 1, 2022 23:04:03 GMT -5
I'm not at all optimistic, but I still lean toward giving him another year, with clearly-defined expectations (for instance: over .500 overall, top-4 in the league, advance to PL final). I think the rookie AD is a huge issue. Give Kit a full year to evaluate the program, build a list of possible candidates and mine his network about them.
Basically, it's a lesser evil to give Nelson another year and the chance to prove me wrong by taking a step forward, than to make yet another bad hire now, and sentence us to another half-decade lost in the wilderness.
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Post by HC92 on Mar 1, 2022 23:09:39 GMT -5
I don’t think Nelson is a special coach. I think we need a special coach to be consistently among the top teams in the league. I would move on.
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 1, 2022 23:19:25 GMT -5
The beauty of Crossports is we all have an opportunity to express our views and opinions Just want the best for the team, the program, the school and the Worcester community and hope the women get it done See you all in April Peace and blessings Thanks for all your contributions.
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Post by hc87 on Mar 1, 2022 23:32:50 GMT -5
I'm not at all optimistic, but I still lean toward giving him another year, with clearly-defined expectations (for instance: over .500 overall, top-4 in the league, advance to PL final). I think the rookie AD is a huge issue. Give Kit a full year to evaluate the program, build a list of possible candidates and mine his network about them. Basically, it's a lesser evil to give Nelson another year and the chance to prove me wrong by taking a step forward, than to make yet another bad hire now, and sentence us to another half-decade lost in the wilderness. This will happen, guaranteed....maybe Nelson will surprise us next year.....thank God for football
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Post by bfoley82 on Mar 1, 2022 23:37:58 GMT -5
For those who've followed the team closely: In order, what are the strongest arguments to move on from BN? It really shouldn't take much -- with the right coach -- to be competitive in the PL, reasonably quickly. Can offer players who can have an impact on this level playing time and a great education. Just remember to show recruits a few clips from Hart Center rockin' during RW's tenure, so they don't think it's always been like this. Current recruits re too young to remember!! An incoming freshman was 3 years old during Willard's last season. Why not show them Cousy/Heinsohn/Perry videos then?
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Post by hchoops on Mar 1, 2022 23:40:26 GMT -5
I'm not at all optimistic, but I still lean toward giving him another year, with clearly-defined expectations (for instance: over .500 overall, top-4 in the league, advance to PL final). I think the rookie AD is a huge issue. Give Kit a full year to evaluate the program, build a list of possible candidates and mine his network about them. Basically, it's a lesser evil to give Nelson another year and the chance to prove me wrong by taking a step forward, than to make yet another bad hire now, and sentence us to another half-decade lost in the wilderness. This presumes that we will make another bad hire . Couldn’t the presumption be a good/ very good coach ? We did it in football.
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Post by hc87 on Mar 1, 2022 23:45:20 GMT -5
HC basketball is probably forevah in the last 50-100 or so D1 programs....we made our bed when we (Fr Brooks) created this league.....to think we'd be a legit D1 program in this league is absolute folly...the college hoop world has changed significantly even since Willard was coaching here....it's a great league for football for us, death for basketball...it is, sadly ,is what it is....
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Post by crusader1970 on Mar 1, 2022 23:47:38 GMT -5
Like many of you, I have watched every game this year.
Nelson is at best a below average coach.
As someone else on this Board said recently, he is Milan Brown without the personality.
The players deserve better. They want to win.
Time to move on.
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Post by hc87 on Mar 1, 2022 23:59:54 GMT -5
Nelson is the classic example of a very good player who can't coach.....he's also a terrible fit at HC....it really is time to move on, but he'll get another year....we shall see.
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Post by Sader Fan on Mar 2, 2022 0:13:19 GMT -5
I voted to keep Nelson for another year as I have seen progress against all PL teams except American. However, my opinion is based upon the players returning next year. If they make a mad dash for the transfer portal now that the season is over . . .? Then we would need a new coach.
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 2, 2022 0:51:21 GMT -5
I voted to keep Nelson for another year as I have seen progress against all PL teams except American. However, my opinion is based upon the players returning next year. If they make a mad dash for the transfer portal now that the season is over . . .? Then we would need a new coach. For the next three years. there will be 20% more scholarship level talent chasing the same number of scholarship slots because of the extra Covid year of eligibility. That should limit the transfer options of low producing players on losing teams from weak leagues, I would think. BN now has three years of head coach/player relations experience. For those reasons I don't expect much portal departures. What's interesting is BN lost his last PL ROY (Joe P) to transfer. I hope he has been working closely with this year's ROY to retain him at HC. KL would seem to be the player most at risk of transfer.
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Post by hc87 on Mar 2, 2022 1:12:39 GMT -5
This team/program, if we're being honest, has been an unmitigated disaster the last 3 years. Yeah, covid etc etc....but this has been a bad program overall for the bettah pahht of the last 3 years. I think Coach BN will be given another year, but it's waste of time imo.....as a Coach myself, I feel his pain but it was just a bad fit for him at HC from the get-go.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Mar 2, 2022 5:47:31 GMT -5
If BN gets canned, does GG decide to leave? Should it matter to KH? No. Decision should not be made because of one player. I think HC should honor the final year of Nelson's contract as opposed to paying 2 head coach's for the 3rd time in 11 years. Seeing Brennan run circles around Nelson last night absolutely numbed any "good feelings" left over from our nice little run in the middle of the PL season. However, I'll give Nelson this -- somehow, he was able to get this team to the point where they could compete with some of the top teams in the league after a non-conference that left us wondering if we were even capable of beating any DI opponent. We DID manage to defeat 2 of the top 3 teams in the league, on the road. I am far from convinced that Nelson is "the guy". But I'd air on the side of giving him his contract year. My benchmark for an extension would be the following: nothing short of Patriot League title contention, both in regular season and post-season tournament. It's Year 4 -- time for the rubber to hit the road.
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Mar 2, 2022 5:52:17 GMT -5
I voted to keep Nelson for another year as I have seen progress against all PL teams except American. However, my opinion is based upon the players returning next year. If they make a mad dash for the transfer portal now that the season is over . . .? Then we would need a new coach.100%. Hope that doesn't take place. That would be a scenario where cutting ties now and initiating an immediate search is the only option. I hope all of our guys stick around. From what I saw at the more recent games I attended, we seem to have a cohesive group. The elated team I saw running off the court together at West Point is the group I hope to see next year, in addition to RJJ and our incoming recruits/transfers. Maybe Gates moves on, maybe he stays (if he even can academically at liberal arts Holy Cross) -- wish him the best either way.
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Post by sader81 on Mar 2, 2022 6:29:03 GMT -5
What should happen? Nelson gets another year; takes the team on an amazing run, wins the PL, makes it to Sweet Sixteen, and gets a Big East gig in April of next year. We get a new coach, and everyone is happy!!
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Post by newfieguy74 on Mar 2, 2022 7:51:32 GMT -5
I'm not at all optimistic, but I still lean toward giving him another year, with clearly-defined expectations (for instance: over .500 overall, top-4 in the league, advance to PL final). I think the rookie AD is a huge issue. Give Kit a full year to evaluate the program, build a list of possible candidates and mine his network about them. Basically, it's a lesser evil to give Nelson another year and the chance to prove me wrong by taking a step forward, than to make yet another bad hire now, and sentence us to another half-decade lost in the wilderness. I think this post nails it. The team played hard all year , which means to me that Nelson never lost the team. Apart from Gates this was a very young and inexperienced team. When I watched them play teams like Colgate and BU I thought: these teams are not more talented than HC, but teams loaded with seniors and grad students have a huge advantage. I'm not a big fan of Nelson as a coach but I think he will, and probably should, get another year.
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Post by thecrossisback on Mar 2, 2022 7:57:26 GMT -5
This team/program, if we're being honest, has been an unmitigated disaster the last 3 years. Yeah, covid etc etc....but this has been a bad program overall for the bettah pahht of the last 3 years. I think Coach BN will be given another year, but it's waste of time imo.....as a Coach myself, I feel his pain but it was just a bad fit for him at HC from the get-go. I agree I don't see how you can go over 500 with that roster and style of play. No adjustments on defense. I question his motivating each year stats of slow. Yesterday was a do or die game and we couldn't get a rebound on a missed free throw. He has lost roster talent (Lowder, Pridgen) but if he stays he has to recruit better. Or get some transfers that can play. This could save him. I would fire him because why wait another year to show he can't coach here. Playing a 2 man game yesterday with Gates and Luc while everybody else watches. Plus Nelson can't win out of conference games. The games he has won are in a very weak PL. 28 out of 32.
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Post by HC92 on Mar 2, 2022 7:58:54 GMT -5
Not sure whether it helps or hurts BN’s case to stay but we will only have one scholarship to recruit for in the high school class of 2023 unless we lose some to the portal. If we give him another year, the new guy is going to be way behind schedule in April 2023 filling a massive class entering HC in 2024.
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Post by alum on Mar 2, 2022 8:08:55 GMT -5
A couple of days ago, I said I wanted to let BN finish the contract. Last night, watching his team once again fail to to defend against the Princeton offense, I was moving in the other direction. Now, reluctantly, I say he ought to get another year. I have my fingers crossed. That said, if KH (with Pres.VR's approval) decide to let him go, I'll trust their judgment.
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Post by Non Alum Dave on Mar 2, 2022 8:13:25 GMT -5
0-3 against AU; 7-9 against everyone else. And the thing is, it's not like AU is some veteran team; they have a lot of young players as well. So what's the game plan to beat them next year? Tough to win the league when one of your opponents absolutely has your number.
Lots of comparisons to FCMB, but he at least can say he coached a team to the NCAA tournament.
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Post by Ignutz on Mar 2, 2022 8:13:26 GMT -5
CoVID is not an excuse, unless someone can convince me that there was no virus in upstate NY or at the eastern end of the Mass Pike.
Based on what we've seen, and what can objectively be described as YTY improvement, would we just be hoping for a jump to a 13-18 record next year? That doesn't cut it for me. I'd rather have a "real deal" new coach next year who can really turn things around in the years that follow, as opposed to continuing on the present course toward "better mediocrity".
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