Press Conference Monday

Anything and everything that is UMass Minutemen Basketball.
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Rocks22
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Post by Rocks22 » Sat Mar 13, 2004 5:55 pm

All this grand touting of Lappas' remarkable success at Nova would carry a lot more weight if he hadn't been run out of town by a fanbase who had exactly the same complaints about him as we do. Do you think Lappas just got unlucky by getting jobs at the two schools where fans see basketball differently than anyone else and aren't able to recognize his brilliance or do you think maybe he's just not that good of a coach? You make the call.

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Post by vanmeter » Sat Mar 13, 2004 6:06 pm

Miagi, you fool. When you learn what Lappas had to do to keep his job, you will realize that he only did this because once Umass canned him he couldn't get another head coaching job in Divsion 1.

If he was confident he could have landed another job he would have let Umass fire him and take his 600,000. He knew once he was canned here, like he should have been, he would never get another Division 1 job.

Wait and see when it comes out.

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UmassGirl
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Post by UmassGirl » Sat Mar 13, 2004 6:08 pm

What I'm wondering is why vanmeter has all of this info...

how is it that you know all?
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Orange Julius
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Post by Orange Julius » Sat Mar 13, 2004 6:13 pm

MrMiagi wrote:
In 3 years at Nova, he put the most exciting teams Nova ever had on the floor
Bull crapola Miagi. I used to watch the Big East when it first started and the most exciting teams were with Rollie Massimino hands down. Most people would agree that programs make their mark in March. I remember watching John Pinone, Harold Pressley, Eddie Pinckney, etc. If I'm not mistaken compare the best four years under each coach

Massimino:

1982 - Regional Finals
1983 - Regional Finals
1984 - Second Round
1985 National Champs

Lappas:

1995 - 1st round
1996 2nd round
1997 2nd round
1999 1st round

Nova under Massimino was much more exciting and productive then the EVER were under Lappas. I wasn't around Philly in the 80's but I can imagine the Wildcat fans were extremely pleased with those teams in the early and mid 80s' much more so than they were with the Lappas ones. Watch CBS next Thursday and Friday - that's excitement and Lappas' teams at Nova were never around very long.

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chuff
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Post by chuff » Sat Mar 13, 2004 6:18 pm

UMassGirl wrote:What I'm wondering is why vanmeter has all of this info...

how is it that you know all?
Many of us have a tendency to put stuff up as gospel that isn't. That, in fact, was the start of this thread. I haven't any idea what the source of vanmeter's info is, but the people who I most trust have told me that they don't know what will happen. For all I know, vanmeter is an assistant AD, but absent any source info, I'd suggest it's all conjecture.
Last edited by chuff on Sat Mar 13, 2004 6:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

MrMiagi

Post by MrMiagi » Sat Mar 13, 2004 6:26 pm

Vanmeter,

Wow, how insightful.

Never thought about the fact that Lap wants to keep his job because one won't fall at his feet next year. Never thought about the fact that finding a head job in his profession is one of the toughest jobs to find in ALL PROFESSIONS.

Thanks captain obvious.

MrMiagi

Post by MrMiagi » Sat Mar 13, 2004 6:37 pm

We are talking about EXCITING, not most successful in March.

Rollie was a successful coach before the shot clock when he could absolutely dictate the pace of the game. When the shot clock came in, Nova fans couldn't wait for him to leave and cheered at this press conference when he announced he was leaving.

The Kittles teams scored a ton of points and pounded on people. I'm not talking about NCAA success, I'm talking about from November to March, pure entertainment value.

Aside from 85 title, beating top 5 UCONN team by 20 points in the BET Final is one the top moments in the school's history.

Rollie was a great coach in March, one of the best ever. The guy lost one first round NCAA tournament game his entire career.

That's maybe the biggest reason why the fans were so hard on Lappas, because Nova in the 70's and 80's was a fixture in the Elite 8. Villanova had real sustained success for a long time, so Laps failures in the NCAA's were that much more glaring.

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Post by fbiman » Sat Mar 13, 2004 7:06 pm

MrMiagi wrote:We are talking about EXCITING, not most successful in March
Oh, now I get it. A team that doesn't win in March isn't exciting, a team with guys that can dunk from the foul line and act like a bunch of hot dogs but don't win s*&t when it matters most is?

I guess style points count for a lot in your world.
That's not an MP, that's a YP. Not My Problem, Your Problem.

MrMiagi

Post by MrMiagi » Sat Mar 13, 2004 7:13 pm

Don't win?

Laps first recruiting class that he brought in to this day is the WINNING FOUR YEAR CLASS IN VILLANOVA HISTORY.

They won a lot.

If NCAA success is what it was all about all the time, Memphis would be looking for a new coach next year since Memphis has as many NCAA wins under Cal as UMass has under Lappas.

Don't bother with regular season success since it's all about March according to you guys.

Didn't the Lou Roe team lose in the second round to a bunch of Maryland freshman?

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Post by vanmeter » Sat Mar 13, 2004 7:14 pm

Umass girl, I got this info from a very reliable source.
I really hope its wrong, unfortunately I am quite sure it is not. It ruined my day because the university has made it clear that they are willing to keep a coach it would very much like to be rid of just because of the money.
Of course the real villain here is Bob Marcum who made the disastrous mistake to hire Lappas in the first place and then gave him 6 years. Hiring a coach who was on his way out at Villanova and then giving him 6 years. Of course Marcum is now failing at Marshall. At least he is consistent.
I hope the info I received is wrong, but I think not.
As far as Miagi is concerned the bottom line is 34-53. Each year worse than the prior. Attendance average of 3196 in a building that seats 9700.

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Orange Julius
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Post by Orange Julius » Sat Mar 13, 2004 7:14 pm

fbiman wrote:
MrMiagi wrote:We are talking about EXCITING, not most successful in March
Oh, now I get it. A team that doesn't win in March isn't exciting, a team with guys that can dunk from the foul line and act like a bunch of hot dogs but don't win s*&t when it matters most is?

I guess style points count for a lot in your world.
Amen FBIMAN. Let Miagi take the exciting teams. I'll take the ones that win in March when it is on the line. He said Massimino only lost in the first round once. Lappas only WON in the first round twice I believe.

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Post by vanmeter » Sat Mar 13, 2004 7:15 pm

Chuff, believe me my friend I hope I'm wrong.

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Post by harbo » Sat Mar 13, 2004 7:23 pm

Give me a choice between UMass winning a game 43-37 in early April and UMass beating UConn, BC, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Duke and Temple in one season by an average margin of 21 points and I will take the April victory, thank you.

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Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Sat Mar 13, 2004 7:25 pm

vanmeter wrote:Umass girl, I got this info from a very reliable source.
I really hope its wrong, unfortunately I am quite sure it is not.

just like i got mine on friday from a very reliable source from within the athletic department.................. yet, our two sources are telling us different things.... i have a bad feeling that your source is right and mine is wrong on this occasion, but we wont know until monday.... we will see i guess
Stop waiting for UMass to do something big and help UMass do something big. - Shades

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Gene Frenkle
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Post by Gene Frenkle » Sat Mar 13, 2004 7:43 pm

78 wrote:I can't wait until this time next year. The great Coach Lappas and all of his talent will have just finished limping to the finish line with a 15-15 record. Carrier will be too young, Deli is a project that needs at least another year. Lamoreaux, because he is Canadian, will need another year against better competition because what he played against in Canada does not compare to high school ball in the U.S.

At the same time, Freeman will appear to have regressed slightly, while either Max, Bowers, or both will be transferring out of the program. Anderson will stil be playing the point even though he should be the 2-guard, and will be chuking up 10 threes per game and never driving to the hoop. And, none of the problems will be the coach's fault.

But, the Lappas suck-ups -- VoxPop and Miagi -- will be all over the board touting Lappas for coach of the year. I can see their comments already. "look at how far he took the team this year." "The almost had a .500 record in the A10." "They still have a long of young players and Lappas deserves one more year with them."

You guys are truly a joke thinking that the man who has brought UMass close to its all time low in mens hoops deserves one more year. If he gets one, it will be a sad day in Amherst.
Absolutely right on the mark.

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