NU has had 2 winning B1G Ten seasons in 60 years! Process that. The current coach has managed one of them. It’s astonishing that he has got the recruits he has gotten the last 3 years. Try to recruit with that history. How about all the NBA players NU has produced in those 60 years? How about the student, alumni and general fan support? I am sure there is a BMOC vibe on campus for the players. so now we get a new half empty arena and B1G money ( which btw every team gets) and we expect consistent winning year in and year out? This is a developmental program. NU does not reload. Sorry, but you would need to raise John Wooden from the grave for consistent championships.
There is one reason and one reason only we have an outside chance with PBJ and Christie. Family connections. Neither would even glance at NU without that. They should build a statue of CCC outside of WR if CCC lands them. CCC went to the tourney with one player that was an acceptable recruit to the majority of B1G teams. He has to have some clue.
No one disputes NU has to be much better the next 3 years. Great, but I see these calls for CCC’s Head next year like we have had some stellar history of success or because we are sinking so much cash in the program that winning should be a given. Sorry, but the only real chance that NU has to not be the half assed embarrassing program of the Carmody era is to let this play out with CCC. At the rate we are going, I will be 120 years old and still be able to count B1G ten winning seasons on one hand. Maybe CCC won’t or can’t turn the program around to some power, but I have some serious doubts anyone can. This isn’t rec league players/programs NU goes against. There are major challenges in this job.
I agree with a lot of this. Already it's gotten to the point that in any other Big Ten program, Collins would be fired. From the NCAA to the bottom of the conference in three years....Adios.
But everyone in the administration, in basketball, in the NU donor community have clarity on why NU bball is impossible, admissions and history. Some of us put it at 90% admissions and 10% history, and others weigh the history more heavily.
Here's the thing (as Joe Biden might say), during Carmody's last three or so years Collins was always hanging out there. Collins was the project that the good doctor wanted to try to turn around the program. (one could argue...NCAA...facilities and stadium....he did ok for NU). But there was a plan, an avenue that was very different from where the program was (at the time experiencing a modicum of NIT success).
What would a change today buy NU? Better recruiting? Better O and D schemes? Better understanding of the NU culture? (admissions will not change) Better in game coaching? So much so that the new coach and squad will do that much better than last year's Law, Pardon, Gaines, AJ, Taylor, Kopp squad? C'mon.
Admissions has ensured that NU basketball in the Big Ten will the majority of the time be Deon Thomas in an upper level NU bio class.
