POLL: Is CKK our HC next year?
- Thread starter Rebel_Luv
- Start date
I’m going to go with that we make the NCAA Tournament and, therefore, he will earn a contract extension.
I think that, like with football, the media will be way off. Or at least I hope they are.
If we finish 6th and get an alphabet soup pay to play scrub tournament, my guess is he’s gone.
Becomes more iffy with a 4th/5th place finish and the NIT.
But I think we will make the NCAAT.
What’s kind of sad is that the bar for an extension might well be an NIT (top 70-100 team).
Which would bring up something different. There’s only so much money … hell bent on keeping Odom and the staff? That might eat a dent into hoops.
I've not been a fan of the hire. However, I need to see some games this year with the talent he has brought in to judge whether he should stay or go. With that being said I think the talent recruited should see us to a Tourney game. If he can't do that then he doesn't belong here.
He has more talent on paper than he's had - that deserves credit. But New Mexico, Boise, Reno and CSU also added more talent than they lost. SDSU stayed the same. In order for us to get to the dance two things have to happen. (1) The Conference needs 4 teams in. (2) We need to have not more than 7 losses in conference. ( Traditionally, 4th place is usually 6 or 7 conference losses) KK's teams usually manage to lose a couple of games they should win and I have not seen a reason to think that isn't the standard. That means we'll need to beat each of those top teams at home and sweep one of them. Anything can happen but.............
Here is the schedule:
sports.yahoo.com
I would love to see everyone inputs where the wins and losses are on this schedule?
UNLV Runnin' Rebels 2023 Team Schedule - Yahoo Sports
Sports News, Scores, Fantasy Games
I would love to see everyone inputs where the wins and losses are on this schedule?
He’s a young coach, but yeah; it’s logical to believe it will be this way … until it isn’t … when it’s always been that way.
I have more rope with him as a UNLV grad, I know he’s a competitor … highly competitive, actually, hates losing … has strong family resources, etc, etc, etc.
If he was a young guy who played at Illinois State and he had no strong background … I’d be more skeptical, I think.
That said, no, I haven’t seen anything on the floor that gives me a ton of confidence yet.
Part of it is I don’t want to go through another exhausting search. But then again, it appears Harp hit it out of the park with Odom. Under some past ADs, a coaching search is scarier than playing at Kansas with our starters all out with mono.
If Coach Kruger, makes the NCAA Tournament, he will return next year.
That, is a no-brainer.
But, if KK makes the NIT or a lower post season game.
Or, no post season at all.
He, needs to be fired. No, second chances anymore.
That, is a no-brainer.
But, if KK makes the NIT or a lower post season game.
Or, no post season at all.
He, needs to be fired. No, second chances anymore.
Here is my Guess
We do NOT make the NCAA tourney and he still keeps his job
We win 20 games plus - but we go into MWC Tourney week finishing 4th - but we are improving & HOT and we get to the Championship game and lose last second to SDSU by only 1 point - OUCH - So close
SDSU goes to Final 8
however we create some noise- some think we might get a bid and there is talk - we are on the bubble for once
NIT - its progress - we have a good team we win a game or two - ho hum - NO big news either way
We do NOT make the NCAA tourney and he still keeps his job
We win 20 games plus - but we go into MWC Tourney week finishing 4th - but we are improving & HOT and we get to the Championship game and lose last second to SDSU by only 1 point - OUCH - So close
SDSU goes to Final 8
however we create some noise- some think we might get a bid and there is talk - we are on the bubble for once
NIT - its progress - we have a good team we win a game or two - ho hum - NO big news either way
I think it will break down like this:
We see legit postseason OR significant improvement in conference - Extension
We get more of the same but not worse - Hot, Hot Seat but not gone given his incoming class.
We get worse - Gone.
Though I think Harper has the intestinal fortitude to fire KK, I think that with his ties to LK, and the ability to use some of those to help with the Rebel Up Initiative, I think that ends up being the deciding factor in a treading water season.
We see legit postseason OR significant improvement in conference - Extension
We get more of the same but not worse - Hot, Hot Seat but not gone given his incoming class.
We get worse - Gone.
Though I think Harper has the intestinal fortitude to fire KK, I think that with his ties to LK, and the ability to use some of those to help with the Rebel Up Initiative, I think that ends up being the deciding factor in a treading water season.
Wouldn't the NIT show clear progress ? AFter all we haven't played in the NIT since 2009 ? (we played in the NCAA in subsequent years 2011-2012-2013) Its a stepping stone to the NCAA.
Are we maybe expecting too much too soon ?
I would love to see UNLV in ANY post season ? WHY would we fire a couch for improving a team and taking them somewhere they haven't been in a LOOOOONG LOOOOOOONG time ? Sounds harsh after 2 years
Ask, that to UNLV Lady Rebels Head Coach Lindy La Rocque.
If you want an example of how to build a program.
Just go 100 yards, to the Cox Pavillion.
She, is similar to KK.
In that, she was never a head coach before.
She made the NCAA Tournament, in Year 2!
That, is hard to do. Yes, the MWC tournament is at the Mack. There, is an advantage there for sure.
But, so is the men's tournament. KK, can't even make the semi-finals of the MWC tournament!
I guess, an NIT post season, is an improvement. But, I don't like the slow build of programs.
Keylan Boone, if he were to play and we still underachieve and finish with no NIT, KK should be fired. If no Keylan and we finish in NIT and win a few status quo for another year!
Exactly. UNLV fans have been so beaten down that an NIT is just groovy. That’s what happens when you allow bad hires followed by a slow growth philosophy to take hold. They lower expectations so much so they can respond with, “gosh oh golly oh gee”, we finished right around where they were supposed to instead of “what in the hell is this garbage I have to sit through with no fans beside me?”
Lindy stepped in and showed progress from day 1. With substance. It was not only measurable, it was easy to see and nobody could disagree unless they had a personal grudge against her.
Well, it would be three. Menzies didn’t do anything in his three and he didn’t actually earn a third. But got it. Kevin deserves the third. If we are finishing where the media predicted … my guess is the guy that is red hot for making a great hire with Odom might be chomping at the bit that he can do the same with the flagship program … then he writes his own salary at a bigger school. ADs never say it publicly, but it’s widely accepted that their bones are made with hires and fires and they want their own guys in there. TMK came in with her hatchet already showing. DRF wasn’t going to hold Menzies (she shouldn’t have), the Otz thing was pre-written but it was her hire.
Do I think it’s healthy or good? No, I hate coaching changes. Because typically for UNLV, they’re disaster. We finally nabbed a really good hire.
It is really hard for the women's program to make the NCAA Tournament, because they only take 1 team
from the conference.
And, that is the winner of the MWC Tournament. If you make the final game and lose. You don't get invited.
It's not, like the men's. Where they take, 4 teams almost every year.
That's why, it is even more impressive, what the women's program has done instead of the men's.
Noted that most of the predictions had UNLV football around 8th, Boise State 1st, Air Force 2nd, and San Diego/Fresno State 3rd/4th. Both SDSU and Boise State crashed and burned while UNLV was way above their expectations. https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...nish-bold-predictions-championship-favorites/
What? Men and Women both have 32 Auto Bid Qualifiers for winning their respective tournament championship. The remaining teams are selected by committee based on the various statistical categories they use in the selection process. If, big if, the MWC ever had more than one women's team ranked in the top 25 there would be a good chance the MWC Women could have more than one selection. And, I say top 25 because more than likely we would have to be ranked to offset the selection committees love for those Big10 or Pac12 or other conference women's teams. For example there were 6 women's teams from the Pac12 selected at last years Tournament with 5 of those selected "At Large".
Maybe last year, would have been the exception for the MWC.
The Lady Rebels had 30 wins, going into the MWC final game.
IF they would have lost to Wyoming. Would, they have gone in?
UNLV's RPI was 51, and would have probably dropped to like 60, because Wyoming's RPI was 100.
The NCAA committie, has never ommitted a team with 27 wins or more, regardless of conference.
It would have been close, if the Mountain West would have gotten 2 teams to the dance, last year.
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This is Vegas, nothing is impossible. CKK need to get this sh!t going or whatever.........
UNLV played Michigan 22-9 and lost by 12 in a game that was never close! Michigan was 5th in the Big 10 conference with an 11-7 record, and obviously a better team than UNLV. The same Michigan team lost by 24 to LSU in the next round. Having a great record doesn't help when the rest of the conference is bad! Until more teams in the conference step up, the MWC will continue to be a 1 bid conference. If Cal and Stanford ended up joining with the MWC since the ACC looks like it may fall apart, then they could quickly move up to a multi bid conference since Stanford year in and year out is a top level program.
Shoot, give me Oregon St and Washington St.
Their, women' s programs would be first or second. Along, with the Lady Rebels.
Then, it would be a multi league bid conference.
I have no clue how good their programs are, I just remember how often Stanford has been at the top of women's basketball, and that is where Lindy La Rocque played.
I think incoming class or current carries far less weight than before because both are far more tenuous than before. There's zero loyalty either way.
Wazzu, won the Pac 12 Tournament last year, in Vegas.
They have made, the NCAA Tournament 3 years in a row.
Ranked, #24 in the Preseason poll.
Oregon St, always has tall post players.
Something, the Mountain West lacks.
I have made my opinion known. Last year's team was unable to run Kruger's offense. It was reduced to a one dimensional player, sometimes two, because the interior post men were AWOL. The other guards couldn't guard their mother in law at times. It will amaze most of you what real interior players do to the opposing defenses. We have Brooklyn and DJ and Whaley and our new freshman big learning from these transfers. The future is bright. Pack the Mack.
So I don't think you're wrong, especially in the modern game/culture. But I do think that because of the way Kevin has constructed this roster, it will leave the cupboard especially bare if he's fired. Boone x 2 (assuming Keylan gets eligibility after fall semester), Hill, Rodriguez, JJ3, JWeb, and Karl Jones are all out of eligibility after this year. If Krugs gets fired you're almost assuredly going to lose Whaley, Hicks, and DJT. I also believe Nowell will be able to graduate transfer and probably would. I don't know what Cottrell's stance would be, but he would almost assuredly be graduated at that point given the 2 injury redshirts so he's not set in stone. That leaves Bannarbie as the only schollie I haven't figured out, but if all your friends left why on earth would you stay?
We've been limping along with 60-70% roster turnover, but 100% might be something that's a little tougher to get immediate results from unless we signed a home run coach to replace him. Maybe a good coach could get a few of those guys to stay, but the volatility of that roster is part of th reason that I think the AD gives KK a season as long as he doesn't get worse.
Perhaps … I just don’t think a roster or recruiting class is a strong enough reason anymore, don’t know if it ever was. And recouping from that type of loss is easier than it’s been previously.
You really may be right, I think I disagree based on what I've seen from empirical data and where our NIL and athletic budget is currently, but I'm not convinced I'm 100% right. Probably with a home run hire coach you are right. I just don't think you are with a 1.1 million a year coach if that makes sense.
You can't compare men's and women's basketball. Women's is a much easier league, showing how we could go undefeated in league play then get beat bad by a mid power team.
I don't want to poo poo what Lindy has done. She is dominating this conference is short order. That is amazing.
But MW men's is a different animal. Multi bid league most years, especially recently.
NIT would be progress. We haven't qualified for that in 15 years. You don't get fired for that.
Now that still would be a little disappointing, since I think we are more loaded as a team this year. At least with quality experienced players.
Anything less than the NIT is a possibility for dismissal. I do think he will be more difficult to fire vs Arroyo or Menzies just because of his lineage. Especially if we are competitive this year with close losses against quality teams.
I don't want to poo poo what Lindy has done. She is dominating this conference is short order. That is amazing.
But MW men's is a different animal. Multi bid league most years, especially recently.
NIT would be progress. We haven't qualified for that in 15 years. You don't get fired for that.
Now that still would be a little disappointing, since I think we are more loaded as a team this year. At least with quality experienced players.
Anything less than the NIT is a possibility for dismissal. I do think he will be more difficult to fire vs Arroyo or Menzies just because of his lineage. Especially if we are competitive this year with close losses against quality teams.
The NIT will be more difficult to enter this year. They are putting more emphasis on lower level P4 teams rather than teams with unfamiliar names but better records.
Well it is a little tougher when a regular season champion from a one bid conference gets an autobid into the NIT, so that eats up spots.
As for P4? maybe. It really is meant to be the next 32 teams after the NCAAT selection. Or whatever is left after the autobids. The system is biased towards P4-5 but, the MW has been getting a lot of love the past few years with multiple bids in the big dance, so we could/should be right there.
I think the schedule should line up nicely for us this season with much more potential for some Q1 wins. Of course we have to win them for them to count.
"Well it is a little tougher when a regular season champion from a one bid conference gets an autobid into the NIT, so that eats up spots."
The NIT was upset last year with the two finalists. They were considered No Names and didn't draw ratings. There was a fear there would be no TV coverage going forward and the NIT would be disbanded. This year in a response, the rules have changed. No auto-bid for conference winners. Replaced by 12 guaranteed bids to large conference teams that didn't make the NCAA. Those teams will all host games in the first round. The NIT is hoping this will get a final with two teams that have some National recognition and better ratings.
I think smaller teams will jump at a chance to go because they want to keep playing and it doesn't happen very often.
Well the only thing exciting about UNLV Basketball in the last. Fifteen plus years is the coaching search.
If he doesn't make the NCAA tournament, Harper will move on. There will be a HC or 2 that would find the job attractive(its not Marvin Menzies days anymore) and its time just like football to go get one of those types and even if they're only here for a 2-3 year stretch to turn program completely around and get a better job, I don't care. I don't need a lifetime coach, I need wins, preferably now, but whatever it takes to make UNLV the most attractive diamond in the rough for the last round of expansions. If we miss that next move window, sports as we know it is probably over. Yeah that's drastic, but thats the reality. Theres a lot of pressure
