I was ecstatic about the hire when Rice came here....finally, somebody that knew our pain, knew what we wanted and how we wanted it.
Four years later, I think he still knows our pain....but there has, absolutely, been a failure to deliver on the things he knows we want here.
Now, I did want Rice back. I do feel that this year was a rebuilding year, and I am HOPING that lessons have been learned and this latest crop of players is a testament to the coaching staff's growth.
That said, put me firmly in the "fool me twice, shame on me" camp. I have to leery about the coach. Without our die hard Rebel goggles on, you ALL know that we'd be pushing Rice out the door right now. If he didn't have the connections that he has to the school, recruiting aside, he'd be a very unpopular coach.
I cannot ignore the reality of the situation, no matter how much I like Rice, and how much I want him to succeed here. In fact, because he's an alum, is the only reason I'm okay with him being back.
Dave, simply put, MUST get us to the dance next year. I won't even put the ultimatum of winning the league...we need to be in the tournament.....I'm not going to get crazy and make a list of things that have to change.....all I want is the dance.
Now...I do think Dave is a smart guy, and a great "coach".....I just want him to translate the tools he has into being a great "head coach". I'll remain leery, but I'll also put faith in him to get it done....even if that sounds contradictory, what I mean is, I haven't seen it yet, but I know he has the knowledge and has been mentored by the great coaches....
Four years later, I think he still knows our pain....but there has, absolutely, been a failure to deliver on the things he knows we want here.
Now, I did want Rice back. I do feel that this year was a rebuilding year, and I am HOPING that lessons have been learned and this latest crop of players is a testament to the coaching staff's growth.
That said, put me firmly in the "fool me twice, shame on me" camp. I have to leery about the coach. Without our die hard Rebel goggles on, you ALL know that we'd be pushing Rice out the door right now. If he didn't have the connections that he has to the school, recruiting aside, he'd be a very unpopular coach.
I cannot ignore the reality of the situation, no matter how much I like Rice, and how much I want him to succeed here. In fact, because he's an alum, is the only reason I'm okay with him being back.
Dave, simply put, MUST get us to the dance next year. I won't even put the ultimatum of winning the league...we need to be in the tournament.....I'm not going to get crazy and make a list of things that have to change.....all I want is the dance.
Now...I do think Dave is a smart guy, and a great "coach".....I just want him to translate the tools he has into being a great "head coach". I'll remain leery, but I'll also put faith in him to get it done....even if that sounds contradictory, what I mean is, I haven't seen it yet, but I know he has the knowledge and has been mentored by the great coaches....
