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Last Login: 11/23/2009 12:43:47 PM
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| My wife, who is an XU alum, sent me this article from SI which talks about XU basketball and how a small school (very similar size to Drake and in a big city) has seen its basketball team raise to the national level. Not saying that Drake should follow this exactly, but just proves the point that you can win with a small school and why spending the money is a good idea.
SI Xavier University Basketball Link |
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Supreme Being
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| Sounds like it took Xavier 15 years to get where they are now:
"Xavier just hums: Nine NCAA tournaments in the last 10 years, a couple Elite Eights, a No. 20 ranking in Forbes magazine's list of most valuable college basketball programs. Six players drafted in the last decade. All 76 seniors have graduated since 1986. Xavier has reached program status in basketball. It's not that hiring the right coach doesn't matter. "We could turn this thing upside down in a hurry with the wrong person,'' says athletic director Mike Bobinski. It's that the machinery is in place, regardless. Xavier decided 25 years ago that it would dance to the beat of a basketball.
I like the path Drake is on:
1. 2002 hired Dr. Tom to rescue program. Produced first winning season in forever in 2006-07.
2. 2007-08 Out of the blue NCAA appearance.
3. 2008 No. 1 recruiting class in the MVC.
4. 2009 No. 1 recruiting class in the MVC.
3 in a Row: 2007, 2008, 2009. Let's make it 4! |
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Last Login: 11/23/2009 12:43:47 PM
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| Agreed that on paper Drake is headed in the right direction, but I think we can all agree that the current admin (Maxwell) does not have a long history of pushing for hardwood success. How long was Maxwell president until "K" was pushed out, how hard did they fight to keep Keno, did they even look to the boosters to pay part of Keno's salary, does Maxwell still refuse to pay make a coach the highest paid school employee, etc.? Of course things and visions may change over time but I have a nagging feeling that over the past few years the admin did not have a 180 degree shift in their approach to sport. With that said, I truly hope that they prove me wrong.
Side note, the XU point was just to illustrate the fact that if the school (trustees, president, etc) support obtaining a winning national program it is possible to see a drastic shift. I looked their NCAA stats and in the past 25 years (when they decided to win at MBB), they have appeared in the NCAA tourney 18 times. Prior to 1983 they did not appear since 1961. That is the type of shift I hope we see from Drake and see it soon. |
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Forum Member
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Last Login: Today @ 6:37:26 PM
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| Don't EVEN get me started on the Keno thing.
I think we're on our way. It's a slow start. These things don't come quickly. I have to keep reminding people how many (how few) winning seasons we've had and how many of those have been in the last 3 years.
I <3 2 H8 CR8TN |
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