Time for a new coach

[ZooMass84]

Buffalo had no business winning that game but then again they had no business winning the football game last fall. Our O line couldn't get a first down and that was that. All Frank has done was condone mediocrity and they kids don't give a shit. Coach Cal was once in a lifetime and like catching lightning in a bottle. "Refuse to lose"..........now it's "Refuse to win". Funny how Carvel makes the least of Frank and Coach Joe and is the only one with a decent program.

[69MG]

Many are starting to see the light on this roster as well. Is Frank a good recruiter??? I say no he is not.

Part of the problem with this team is a sub-80 Baskeetball IQ. That is part of what Frank is recruiting and he sucks at that. Last year's team was not socring high in the IQ ratings either.


Clearly when you are making the same mistakes now that you were making in December, there is as much of a coaching issue as there is a player understanding issue. Low IQ player + stubborn coach = 2025-2026 results.

I feel the same way. Low BB IQ combined with baffling lineups is a recipe for disaster and has cost us probably 5 or 6 wins this year. If we had just flipped 3 MAC games that we gave away (OT loss to BGU, NIU and the Buffalo game), we would feel a lot better at 9-6 in conference and 18-10 overall. There were more winnable games, both in conference and out of conference, but these 3 were awful losses. 9-6 isn't where we hoped we would be, but it isn't the disaster we now have.

[NilesGold]

Hate to say this but having grown up in Mass and lived here most of my life, it's so obvious: bluest of blue Mass and a governor who is a total lefty I can tell you that Bamford nor Frank are not going ANYWHERE.

What does the political leanings of the state’s leaders and residents have to do with Frank and Bamford being fired or not?

[PreecherJenkins]

What is franks buyout? Anyone seen his contract?

[InnervisionsUMASS]

Time for a new AD

[69MG]

We are in need of a generous, wealthy donor who loves UMass and is willing to fork over enough to make things happen. I can't imagine the athletic dept. getting anywhere near their goal in the 2026 fundraising campaign.

[Floyd]

Time for a change

[fenway617]

What is franks buyout? Anyone seen his contract?

Frank Martin is signed through the 2028/2029 season and has huge buyout money if he is fired without cause. They will owe him his full salary $1.6M per year plus a buyout on his bonuses which would be in the $2-$3M range alone. Add that to the salary buyout, roughly it would cost UMass $7m-$8M if they fired him after this season in a buyout.

[MikeUMA]

Time for a new AD

It's time for both.

I've been on the New AD train for a few months now.

I've resisted being on the New MBB Coach train simply because of the buyout we have ahead of us, but are we really just going to endure another 3 seasons of this? Not qualifying for the MAC Tourney, watching Frank sulk in his chair on the bench, then get up only to scream his lungs out at his players?

Frank's style will only work in the Portal Era if we have massive NIL, where mercenary players can get their check, endure being screamed at for a season, then go somewhere else. We downgraded leagues, there's less of a chance to make the NCAA Tournament, why is a good player coming here to get verbally abused if we can't throw money at them?

And holy hell, Bamford should have been fired already. There's already a high degree of dereliction of duty from Reyes and Meehan on the state UM Amherst Athletics. To retain Bamford and let him make yet another major coaching hire would be absolutely ludicrous.

[Sheck]

^
Yeah, whatever the cost to get rid of Bamford and Martin the school has to do it. There's just no hope for next year if Martin is retained as coach (and obviously Bamford cannot stick around to make the next hire). He quit on the team. Not calling timeout at the end and hanging Placide out to dry should be the last straw. I wonder if the school would even have a case to fire him for cause for dereliction of duty.

But if you have to pay these two bozos off to go away, make up the buyout money somewhere else. We don't need to pay the next coach $2m per year; we may not need to pay $1m per year. Also we don't need a $1m roster to be competitive in the MAC. Find a coach at a smaller school who will bring some of his players and this thing can be turned around pretty quickly. Joe Gallo from Merrimack would be a good hire.

As far as the AD situation you just hand Thorr the reigns at least on an interim basis and let him lead the search.

[MikeUMA]

As far as the AD situation you just hand Thorr the reigns at least on an interim basis and let him lead the search.

No, you give Thorr the lead job from day one. I still believe that his head of football or whatever role is a smokescreen. (I don't mean that as a slight on Thorr. I just refuse to believe that UM leadership is so fucking inept that they're letting Bamford retain his job any longer.)

[stevemaz]

What is franks buyout? Anyone seen his contract?

Frank Martin is signed through the 2028/2029 season and has huge buyout money if he is fired without cause. They will owe him his full salary $1.6M per year plus a buyout on his bonuses which would be in the $2-$3M range alone. Add that to the salary buyout, roughly it would cost UMass $7m-$8M if they fired him after this season in a buyout.

We have cause..fire him cuz he sucks.. I think we can find the money easily plus the next coach will be in the $800-900K range. The next guy needs to be a guy whom we worry about losing to the big guys.. Also, look at the positive side.. a change in the right direction could brind in upwards of $500K+ per year in ticket revenue. No doubt there will be less tickets sold next year if they keep him

[eldonabe]

^
Yeah, whatever the cost to get rid of Bamford and Martin the school has to do it. There's just no hope for next year if Martin is retained as coach (and obviously Bamford cannot stick around to make the next hire). He quit on the team. Not calling timeout at the end and hanging Placide out to dry should be the last straw. I wonder if the school would even have a case to fire him for cause for dereliction of duty.

But if you have to pay these two bozos off to go away, make up the buyout money somewhere else. We don't need to pay the next coach $2m per year; we may not need to pay $1m per year. Also we don't need a $1m roster to be competitive in the MAC. Find a coach at a smaller school who will bring some of his players and this thing can be turned around pretty quickly. Joe Gallo from Merrimack would be a good hire.

As far as the AD situation you just hand Thorr the reigns at least on an interim basis and let him lead the search.

Oh no - if we pay them off, that may not allow us to plant 20M worth of trees and bushes, or hang the banners and paint around McGuirk? The external appeal "upgrades" will have to wait.....

[InnervisionsUMASS]

It's time for both.

That's fine, but it needs to be Ryan first and foremost.

[Floyd]

Wonder what would happen if Frank got tossed in a game and Brian Steele or another assistant took over.
Would the players respond & play better? Would the game patterns change? Substitution patterns?