Used to enjoy watching them back in the day. They are currently unwatchable and I think the crowds at the BJC reflect that. Poorly coached, lost a pretty decent fan base and have hit rock bottom. I know our AD doesn't care much about hoops but this is a mess. It is past time for a coaching change. When Duquesne comes into the BJC and handles you with ease, you gotta evaluate the state of the program.
Women's Hoops
- Thread starter JDale83
- Start date
The only thing that will turn around the men's and women's PSU BB teams is a new AD.... with the balls to make changes at the top of both programs.
Unlike Chambers, Washington did not have her contract renewed last spring. I'm pretty sure this is the last year of Coquese's contract. The OOC results don't offer much optimism for success in the B1G schedule. Good chance we'll see an announcement about Penn State choosing to not renew her contract a few days after this season ends for Lady Lion basketball.
In Rene Portland's 27 years at Penn State, the team was never more than 2 years removed from an NCAA Tournament bid. Now in her 12th season, Coquese Washington is 4 years removed from the last bid in 2014, and this season appears to be headed for year 5. In the past 4 years she is 55-70 (24-44 Big Ten). The program under her tenure has reached a point where I seldom watch games and when I do, I rarely last more than 10 or 15 minutes before moving on. To be honest, I really don't care if she stays or goes. It appears from the tepid response to this thread, not many others do either.
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Gambit, I agree with everything you point out except the last sentence. I don't believe none here care, but it's been such a long tenure of poor coaching that people are worn down and realize that until a change is made there is really no use getting worked up about it. I believe if PSU would make a change for the better and employ a women's BB coach that can recruit and game day coach, and actually start to build back up the program, the fans will come back to see them play and PSU BB fans here would once again regularly discuss the team....
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Gambit, I agree with everything you point out except the last sentence. I don't believe none here care, but it's been such a long tenure of poor coaching that people are worn down and realize that until a change is made there is really no use getting worked up about it. I believe if PSU would make a change for the better and employ a women's BB coach that can recruit and game day coach the fans will come back to see them play and PSU BB fans here would once again regularly discuss the team....
I think we're on the same page Greg. Perhaps I worded it badly, but I am not saying no one would ever care, because clearly many did when Rene was coach. I agree with you that people are worn down by the poor product and, at this time, don't care. I would expect that to change with a new coach.
Like her or not Rene understood program building. Today's coaches seem less interested in program building. They want to coach. Rene put a lot of work into the community and built a very dedicated fan base. Now there is no investment in the team. Fans will come if they are good and won't if they are bad.
Good for Danny, Frank and the rest of the staff. Played for and coached with and against those guys. Danny used to referee way back in the day and he was one of the best in SWPA.
You, of course, are referring to the Duquesne coaches. I have a fondness for Duquesne University and would like to see them have some sport to rally around. They were once pretty decent in men's basketball, but haven't been to the NCAA's since 1977 and that is a tougher nut to crack. I think if they put a lot of effort into the women's team, they could become a good program and develop a campus and city following. Even with the recent woes of Penn State's team, the win, on the road, is a good omen.
Coquese had a nice resume when hired but she has had plenty of time, it is time to make a change. It should’ve happened already....
Agree. "People" care. AD does not. you get what you pay for.Gambit, I agree with everything you point out except the last sentence. I don't believe none here care, but it's been such a long tenure of poor coaching that people are worn down and realize that until a change is made there is really no use getting worked up about it. I believe if PSU would make a change for the better and employ a women's BB coach that can recruit and game day coach the fans will come back to see them play and PSU BB fans here would once again regularly discuss the team....
I'm curious: how many coaches has Barbour hired during her tenure at PSU and how have they done?
Yep, I'm convinced that Sandy needs to go. Nice experiment but we need an AD that can make the tough decisions when they need to be made......
Head coaches hired during Barbour's tenure:
John Gondak - M&W CC/T&F -- by most accounts, doing very well
Sarah Brown -- W Gymnastics -- 2nd season, too early to tell
Jeff Kampersal -- W Ice Hockey -- 2nd season, too early to tell, lots of program building to do. Had a good record at Princeton.
John Cook -- M Soccer (ooops, overlooked him) -- Just finished first season. Too early to tell.
Excluding retirements or coaches leaving for what they perceive are greener pastures, there could be hires in the late spring/summer for Softball, Baseball, Women's Basketball and Women's Tennis if these struggling programs don't have turnaround seasons.
John Gondak - M&W CC/T&F -- by most accounts, doing very well
Sarah Brown -- W Gymnastics -- 2nd season, too early to tell
Jeff Kampersal -- W Ice Hockey -- 2nd season, too early to tell, lots of program building to do. Had a good record at Princeton.
John Cook -- M Soccer (ooops, overlooked him) -- Just finished first season. Too early to tell.
Excluding retirements or coaches leaving for what they perceive are greener pastures, there could be hires in the late spring/summer for Softball, Baseball, Women's Basketball and Women's Tennis if these struggling programs don't have turnaround seasons.
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Dan Burt, the WBB coach at Duquesne has built them into a winner and they are the favorites to win the A10. I could see him moving on soon.
Washington had success in recruiting after she first arrived which resulted in the Big 10 championships and NCAA tournament bids. Once Lucas graduated, the recruiting has dropped off dramatically, along with poor roster management. I think the coaching has always been a issue; but, when she had those very talented teams, she won at the Big 10 level but the team under performed in the NCAA. I cannot see this team competing for the Big 10 title or getting back to the NCAA unless she gets very lucky with some recruits.
Exactly. She is also a perfect example of why basing a hire/fire decision simply on one criteria, i.e. making the NCAAs or not, is an incredibly foolish one. She may have the banners to hang in the BJC but she is nowhere near the coach nor the recruiter that Chambers is. The women's program has suffered under Washington. The men's program has grown under Chambers.
Chambers record is not statistically better than any of his predecessors. So in what way has the men's program gown? Are there more walk-on's participating in practice or some other measure of "size" that has increased!!
Actually, everything has been kind of flat for the last four years. If there is a trend, it's up somewhat. Without the Big Ten distribution, to which PSU is not a significant contributor, men's BB is significantly underwater.
Recruiting for one. We've established recruiting bases in both Philly and, to a lesser extent, the DMV. The quality of the kids who are visiting and who are signing have both been upgraded considerably. Without looking it up, I'd say that Chambers has probably landed around seven of the ten highest ranked recruits that we've signed in the last 20 years.
Sustained results for another. Chambers hasn't seen any of the yo-yo type results that we've gotten in the past. Things were too much hit and miss from year to year under the prior regimes. Chambers squads have shown continued improvement.
Over the last dozen years (from 247 Sports) - 5 of the top 6, 7 of the top 10, 13 of the top 20 (bold are Chambers)
- Tony Carr Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, PA) Class of 2016
- Lamar Stevens Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, PA) Class of 2016
- Josh Reaves Oak Hill Academy (Mouth Of Wilson, VA) Class of 2015
- Jeff Brooks Doss Magnet Career Academy (Louisville, KY)Class of 2007
- Mike Watkins The Phelps School (Malvern, PA) Class of 2015
- Seth Lundy Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, PA) Class of 2019
- Talor Battle Bishop Maginn (Albany, NY)Class of 2007
- Myles Dread Gonzaga (Washington, DC) Class of 2018
- Taran Buie State College Area (State College, PA)Class of 2010
- Myreon Jones Lincoln Academy (Suwanee, GA) Class of 2018
- Mikeal Brown-Jones IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)Class of 2020
- Tim Frazier Strake Jesuit (Houston, TX) Class of 2009
- Rasir Bolton Massanutten Military Academy (Woodstock, VA) Class of 2018
- Chris Babb The Oakridge School (Arlington, TX)Class of 2008
- Bill Edwards Middletown (Middletown, OH)Class of 2009
- Abdou Tsimbila St Maria Goretti (Hagerstown, MD) Class of 2019
- Shep Garner Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, PA) Class of 2014
- Ross Travis Chaska (Chaska, MN)Class of 2011
- Julian Moore Germantown Academy (Fort Washington, PA) Class of 2013
- Geno Thorpe Shaler Area (Pittsburgh, PA) Class of 2013
Washington heavily benefited from asst coach Fred Chmiel. When he left in 2014 the program began its downward slide. He left to take a lateral at Minnesota. He has since moved to South Carolina where he is part of championship basketball. This is the guy we should target for a head coach. Washington is a terrible coach, only cares about herself and her partying assts. she contributes little to nothing to the university or the community. It is past time for her to go.
When you have high school coaches at a college what do you expect? Both coaches should be fired immediately
if you don't know the answer to your question you do not watch and /or understand basketball
Yes, on paper, recruiting has improved. But a "program" is about wins and losses. If Pat can not win more games than his predecessors with better initial talent (without taking into consideration the ability to develop lesser rated recruits into winning players), then that recruiting process is having no impact or is being cancelled by the other factors within the program (player development, game day coaching, roster management, game strategy,...) and there is no progress.
I also do not believe the program results are any less hit or miss than they were under previous regimes. In fact Pat has yet to make the NCAA tournament whereas some of his predecessors did actually make it.
That's true. But 6 of those 7 guys are either on campus right not (five on this team, four of them underclassmen) or yet to suit up for PSU (one), so the jury is out on how successful Chambers can be with his recruits.
I said the previous programs yo-yo'ed.
Biggest Y-Y win improvements / Y-Y win dropoffs
Dunn = +9 / -11
DeChellis = +12 / -16
Chambers = +11 / -2
Chambers has not yo-yo'ed. Now if he wins 11 or 16 fewer games this year than last, maybe it's time for a change,
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