"Missouri State fires Hinson after nine seasons" according to ESPN

[Khan4Cats]

Re: "Missouri State fires Hinson after nine seasons" according to ESPN

I had a couple of discussions with Barry after games at UNI..............a very very nice guy. He was willing to stop and just talk. The league is going to miss him!! This mess includes Ben Miller, son of Eldon. I hope all ends well for all involved.

While Barry coming here as an assistant would be interesting, I would be just as interested in Ben Miller. He was the one responsible for much of the up-tempo (Kansas) style of basketball that Missouri State employed at times. He might be someone in the mix for that job if the administration doesn't consider him somehow tarnished because he was on Hinson's staff. As if there is somehow shame to be associated with that.

But I don't know of any openings on our staff at the moment and would be fine if there are none either, I think we have a good staff in place.

[BCPanther]

Re: "Missouri State fires Hinson after nine seasons" according to ESPN

Each one of our assistants offers knowledge of a certain area that aides us in recruiting. Kyle Green- Chicago, PJ Hogan- Minneapolis, Chris Foster- St. Louis which gives us a nice advantage...

The only way a spot would come open is if Rich Glas were to get the UND AD job and they would shift Foster back to the director of operations role...

[Bob-Cat]

Re: "Missouri State fires Hinson after nine seasons" according to ESPN

Living in the Springfield area the past nine years (Barry's complete tenure), I thought I'd add some personal thoughts and reflections to this thread:
Hinson's antics during his first few years (foot stomping, playing the crowd, etc) fired up the SMS fans and made him a crowd favorite - but really turned me off. I thought he acted like an idiot and was an embarrassment to the MVC and basketball in general. During the past 3-4 years, though, I have developed a great deal of respect for the way he has handled the pressure of uncertainty over his job. He has always been a "player's coach" and did a good job of keeping the criticism and negativity off the players. He has consistently accepted full responsibility for the team's success - or lack thereof - and has not whined or tried to place the blame on anyone else. His player's were "his kids" and he guided them through their basketball and college careers with a firm, but loving hand.

SMS/MSU fans were spoiled by expectations. They were used to being a top-tier team in the Valley and their NCAA run in Alford's last year was a benchmark that many fans felt should be repeated consistently. Fans were already grousing about Hinson's "failure" before the 2004 tourney loss to UNI and the NCAA snubs. However, the MVC is a much stronger conference than it was in the 1990s. Sure MSU lost some conference games they probably should have won, but Hinson's overall record and his MVC record are both very respectable. Hinson has his supporters, but most people I talk to down here are not unhappy to see him go.

MSUs attendance has fallen steadily over the past 2-3 years and they are building a new 11,000+ seat arena. Fan disappointment and disillusionment with Hinson required that he had to go. A large number of season ticket holders + others have stated that they will not attend as long as Barry was coach. Do the math.

Barry's news conference was a class act - much like the man. He let the MSU administration and athletic director off the hook. However, the fans I talked to today felt that he was whiney and self-serving. He's in a no-win situation here.

I hope the parallels between MSU/Hinson's history and UNI/Jacobson's history will not be repeated. However, I am concerned about some of the posts I have read on PN this year as our BB team has struggled. Be careful not to let recent successes lead to unrealistic expectations. We had a good season this year. Eighteen victories and an outside chance for post-season play. I remember when 10 wins in a season was cause for celebration.

[Coachdags]

Re: "Missouri State fires Hinson after nine seasons" according to ESPN

Each one of our assistants offers knowledge of a certain area that aides us in recruiting. Kyle Green- Chicago, PJ Hogan- Minneapolis, Chris Foster- St. Louis which gives us a nice advantage...

The only way a spot would come open is if Rich Glas were to get the UND AD job and they would shift Foster back to the director of operations role...

Rich will not becoming back to UND....His name unfournately was not on the list of 5 finalist.....which had to have D1 experience in athletic administration as part of the criteria

[Jonsoup]

Re: "Missouri State fires Hinson after nine seasons" according to ESPN

According to today's Columbus Dispatch here in town they are rumor to be talking with the top assistant coach at Ohio State for the Head Coach position at Missouri State.

[06panther10]

Re: "Missouri State fires Hinson after nine seasons" according to ESPN

I thought Bob-cat made some excellent points. Its easy for us to say he was a good coach and got the shaft by getting fired when we dont see him all the time as MSU fans did. Some of the fans probably did have unfair expectaitons, but as he said with a new arena next year they need a change in the status quo.

[BCPanther]

Re: "Missouri State fires Hinson after nine seasons" according to ESPN

Groce is a 37 year old top assistant that has been with Matta for 7 years and never been a head coach?? Sound familiar...

The difference is that MSU fans are not going to be willing to be patient for the 2-3 years it takes for a first time head coach to pull it all together. Also, MSU is not going to be anywhere near as good as we were when Jake took over here...

My prediction is that MSU hires Groce and 4-5 years from now they are doing another coaching search. They will be drawing 5000 fans in their brand spanking new 11000 seat building and hoping and praying they can find a coach that would have been as loyal as Barry Hinson was...

[UNIChippewa]

Re: "Missouri State fires Hinson after nine seasons" according to ESPN

I thought he was a decent coach, but then again I've never coached a game in my life, so what the h@ll do I know?

He has always struck me as a very good, maybe even great, individual. In addition to the above stories about him contacting Mac when his wife was sick and Grant Stout with his heart trouble, I also remember a story about him taking his whole team to go see an assistant coach at Drake (back in the Kanaskie era, I beleive) who was in the hospital with a life-threatening illness.

It bothers me that a fair number of Missouri State fans are apparently kicking him while he is down and taking issue with him even after he was fired. I think that's a real lack of class on their part. Of course, it is southern Missouri, so what else can I expect from those toothless rednecks? It would still tickle me pink to see them become the bottom-feeder of the MVC. They deserve it.