New Direction

leathernecks1 · Thu Jan 10, 2019 10:23 pm

Billy is a great guy that makes a great assistant coach, but not a head coach. Time to move on! This is brutal to watch. Tough shots, not very many assists, and getting beat (outcoached) everytime after a break in the action. Teams fire winning coaches all the time. Why is it so difficult to move on from a coach that doesn't know how to win? Anyone else at the helm would win more games.

The season is already lost. Do it now so the new coach can get a jump start on recruiting and start implementing their system.

Fri Jan 11, 2019 8:27 am

leathernecks1 wrote: Thu Jan 10, 2019 10:23 pm Billy is a great guy that makes a great assistant coach, but not a head coach. Time to move on! This is brutal to watch. Tough shots, not very many assists, and getting beat (outcoached) everytime after a break in the action. Teams fire winning coaches all the time. Why is it so difficult to move on from a coach that doesn't know how to win? Anyone else at the helm would win more games.

The season is already lost. Do it now so the new coach can get a jump start on recruiting and start implementing their system.

You guys can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Coach Wright's contract is year-to-year. We still have to pay him for this season whether he's coaching for us or we let him go. If we fire him, then hire someone else, we're paying two coaching salaries. Given the current state of finances, I don't think we can handle that at this point. Also, if they wait and let him go at the end of the season, they will have more options to chose from in terms of coaches being available. I get wanting to move on and get a new guy in who can start working on things early, but I don't think that bringing someone new in now vs in March is going to make a huge difference.

Rocky Swishterson · Fri Jan 11, 2019 9:16 am

How many years in a row do we have to have a joke of a basketball team? Perhaps we need to explore going to Division II. Right now we are a bad team playing in a conference that nobody in Illinois cares about that is never televised. Living in the Chicago area I can see Northern Illinois, Illinois State, Bradley, Loyola, University of Illinois, Evansville, Southern Illinois all fairly regularly on TV.
So why should ANY decent player want to attend a bad basketball school in a conference that is never on TV?
We are fighting a losing battle, and I question whether we are fighting at all.

wiu2013 · Fri Jan 11, 2019 10:03 am

ST_Lawson wrote: Fri Jan 11, 2019 8:27 am
leathernecks1 wrote: Thu Jan 10, 2019 10:23 pm Billy is a great guy that makes a great assistant coach, but not a head coach. Time to move on! This is brutal to watch. Tough shots, not very many assists, and getting beat (outcoached) everytime after a break in the action. Teams fire winning coaches all the time. Why is it so difficult to move on from a coach that doesn't know how to win? Anyone else at the helm would win more games.

The season is already lost. Do it now so the new coach can get a jump start on recruiting and start implementing their system.
You guys can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Coach Wright's contract is year-to-year. We still have to pay him for this season whether he's coaching for us or we let him go. If we fire him, then hire someone else, we're paying two coaching salaries. Given the current state of finances, I don't think we can handle that at this point. Also, if they wait and let him go at the end of the season, they will have more options to chose from in terms of coaches being available. I get wanting to move on and get a new guy in who can start working on things early, but I don't think that bringing someone new in now vs in March is going to make a huge difference.
[/quote

Coach Wright is not on a year to year contract. No head coach in their right mind would sign a year to year contract at any level.
It also amazes me that they win (regardless if it is Denver or whomever) and it is crickets on this board except for the few that still had snide remarks about something. They lose and "we" come out from everywhere to post our 2 cents.

vatusay · Fri Jan 11, 2019 10:33 am

Sorry. I’m not going to get on here and praise a win over Chicago state. He’s not a good head coach. It’s painfully obvious. Can he recruit? Yes. So could Derek Thomas.

sealhall74 · Fri Jan 11, 2019 11:38 am

Road record for last five seasons (including this one) is 8-54. Existing coach or new coach, that has to change. Winning on the road is where you build your mojo.

wiu2017 · Fri Jan 11, 2019 12:04 pm

He is guy that can only coach one way. And that way doesnt work. Its sad that he has talented kids that work hard only to lose , because their coach doesnt know how to use their talent and develop that talent.

leatherneckcountry · Fri Jan 11, 2019 12:28 pm

I know people always make the argument of who you going to find better well maybe you catch lightning in a bottle and get lucky and bring in a coach and he finds a way to have even a little success that could be a nice stepping stone. At a school like WIU you have to be able to develop and get players to improve which is just something you don't see. I would like to see a coach with chicago ties we just aren't getting players from up there. People are afraid we lose KOBE if we lose Billy and Kobe seems like every game he's getting over Billy.

sealhall74 · Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:21 pm

Best way to recruit Chicago kids is to recruit a coach who knows the terrain very well and has a good lineage.

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chi ... l-dynasty/

Neckfansince71 · Fri Jan 11, 2019 4:45 pm

Maybe things get too complicated! How about:

Now, I been watchin'
how you been breakin' the colts.
But, my friend, you cannot play them
all the way man-on-man.
They got no head toppers.
Cedar Knob? A bunch of mites.
Run you off the boards.
You got to squeeze 'em back in the paint.
Make 'em chuck it from the cheap seats.
Watch that purgatory they call a gym.
No drive, 12 foot in.
That'll do.

jc