Best in the league?

[96' Alum]

Re: Best in the league?

Wow, not sure even where to start here. What in the Holy Hell is wrong with angling for your next job?!?!? The players are "using" Mac, or whatever coach and school, for a free education and a chance to make money playing their sport. In that regard, it's a perfect symbiotic relationship. To think otherwise means the person holding that opinion lives in a utopia that doesn't exist. The same line of thinking says you choose the school first and foremost, not the coach or his system. "Your loyalty lies with the school", says that crowd. That's utopia style thinking too, IMO. '96, I assume you don't have a problem with someone pursuing upward mobility, but that's kind of what you're arguing with statements like the one above.

Also, to the Mac bashers...did you really think that he was going to stay at UNI forever after successfully rebuilding the program? He could've left for Timbuktu State or Iowa State, I could care less, because it's logically irrelevant. It may be emotionally relevant to some, and that's fine. But, if he left then or now, or for whatever destination - it doesn't matter. Come to think of it, you could make a good case for Iowa State and Timbuktu State being the same school, but that's another thread.

Mac stuck around long enough at both spots to cover his bases, IMO. He didn't pull a Chizek, although you can't fault him too much if a job like Auburn comes up when comparing it to ISU.

No, I would never have expected Mac to stay forever. Of course when his last team here was 21-5 he was a pretty hot commodity....then when they tanked down the stretch, he wasn't so hot....

The worst part is how shady he has been about each move.

And what bases did he cover? He had 4 scholarship players when he left.

He couldn't get away from his "dream job" fast enough.....Then he failed miserably at the job that he ran to, taking ZERO responsibilty, blaming the players, and previous coaches for the fact that he was in WAY over his head on the sidelines of a major conference.....So after proclaiming that he was going to finish the job (I assume that means blow up Hilton, but might have meant "win), he takes the first opportunity to get away......Which is fine, BUT in the process, he steps on a lifelong friendship, to try to save what is left of his reputation......THAT speaks to the character of the "man."

[UNIMIS2001]

Re: Best in the league?

I wish wish Mac all of the Luck in the world.........BAD luck. He is a piece of _____.

You fill in the blanks. He is PATHETIC.

[96' Alum]

Re: Best in the league?

I wish wish Mac all of the Luck in the world.........BAD luck. He is a piece of _____.

You fill in the blanks. He is PATHETIC.

Oh apparently you need to stop....He is the greatest thing since sliced bread to some of these people.

Forget how many times he outcoached Mac these last four years, we just need to "hope" that Jake can keep the program at a strong level. Remember, Mac is responsible for all that Jake built.

[SteinPizza]

Re: Best in the league?

Oh apparently you need to stop....He is the greatest thing since sliced bread to some of these people.

Forget how many times he outcoached Mac these last four years, we just need to "hope" that Jake can keep the program at a strong level. Remember, Mac is responsible for all that Jake built.

Jake's had players that better fit his system. Or, by one definition, better players period. Take your pick, but I don't think either has outcoached (X's and O's) the other. I'm not a Mac fan club member; I've just never understood the hatred and personal attacks, nor the anti upward mobility attitude of some here.

I also don't understand the sudden "Jake built this" mindset either. He deserves credit, as do the other assistants. Does Hayden Fry rebuild Iowa, Gary Barnett rebuild Northwestern, Johnny Orr turn around Iowa State, etc., without quality assistants? HELL NO. You can't win without great assistants at any level. However, the buck starts and stops with the top guy, good or bad.

'96, you and I and several others just see this whole thing differently. It is what it is. I also think some on the anti-Mac side are showing some of their political views (calling him McMoney, etc.). Again, I disagree with that world view - so it's just an agree to disagree situation.

[MnPantherFan]

Re: Best in the league?

SP, I agree some of the emotion is over the top but I think it is less of an "anti upward mobility attitude" and more of an anti 'stab your friends in the back' attitude.

[Panther-Sheik]

Re: Best in the league?

I'm not a Mac lover or hater...I simply appreciate what he accomplished while here at UNI as a player and coach. Whether you want to assign him 10% or 100% credit, UNI hit the national map in basketball under his watch and that is good enough for me. I have questioned his coaching and recruiting (both during and after his UNI days). I have also been critical of his stated rationale for not recruiting his son while at ISU. He will be the enemy every time he steps foot on the hardwood against UNI, and I will have a hard time ever wishing his teams well since he is now at the school I despise most in the MVC. But, I also don't see where or when he ever "stabbed any friends in the back".

[SteinPizza]

Re: Best in the league?

SP, I agree some of the emotion is over the top but I think it is less of an "anti upward mobility attitude" and more of an anti 'stab your friends in the back' attitude.

I understand that, but I don't buy that one either. Going to CU was "stabbing Jake in the back?" I don't think so, IMO. The CU opening was pure dumb luck for Mac, and he had to do it for the sake of his career. It's a step down, but it's the best possible move he could've made given the circumstances. Also, taking DMac away was hugely mitigated by one factor - it's his son. Now, I was one who called for the 2 year sit rule to be enforced, and I still think TD and Jake should've held firm on that based on principal. But, the son thing still has me seeing both sides of it.

The anti upward mobility thing is more directed at the folks who are still bitter Mac left for ISU. They're also some of the same people who refer to him as "McMoney". If you're begrudging someone for doing something totally legit, but based in part on money, that smells of class warfare. Or at least they buy into the class warfare arguments of the left. They're entitled to their opinions, even if I disagree or take issue.

[Marc Wigim]

Re: Best in the league?

Jake's had players that better fit his system. Or, by one definition, better players period. Take your pick, but I don't think either has outcoached (X's and O's) the other. I'm not a Mac fan club member; I've just never understood the hatred and personal attacks, nor the anti upward mobility attitude of some here.

I also don't understand the sudden "Jake built this" mindset either. He deserves credit, as do the other assistants. Does Hayden Fry rebuild Iowa, Gary Barnett rebuild Northwestern, Johnny Orr turn around Iowa State, etc., without quality assistants? HELL NO. You can't win without great assistants at any level. However, the buck starts and stops with the top guy, good or bad.

'96, you and I and several others just see this whole thing differently. It is what it is. I also think some on the anti-Mac side are showing some of their political views (calling him McMoney, etc.). Again, I disagree with that world view - so it's just an agree to disagree situation.

I'm not saying I disagree with you... but, well, here goes...

In my own opinion, it's becoming more and more apparent to me that Ben Jacobson was a big reason for McDermott's success while he was here at UNI. I believe firmly that while Greg McDermott is clearly a gifted basketball coach, Ben Jacobson is better.

And, at the end of all of this, I think people will remember Ben Jacobson (especially nationally) as the reason UNI suddenly appeared out of nowhere as a basketball power starting in the '00s.

*braces for impact*

[ubuntuCAT]

Re: Best in the league?

Coach Mac is by far the Best Division 1 Mens Basketball coach in the country.

[MnPantherFan]

Re: Best in the league?

I know this is rehashing but he could have had his son playing for him. It wasn't until he needed his son as a bargining chip to get a new job that he wanted him. Anyway you are being way too logical, it's time to start hating him for a good reason, he's the head basketball coach at CU!

[ubuntuCAT]

Re: Best in the league?

It wasn't until he needed his son as a bargining chip to get a new job that he wanted him.

Do you seriously believe this? If so, WOW

[96' Alum]

Re: Best in the league?

I'm not saying I disagree with you... but, well, here goes...

In my own opinion, it's becoming more and more apparent to me that Ben Jacobson was a big reason for McDermott's success while he was here at UNI. I believe firmly that while Greg McDermott is clearly a gifted basketball coach, Ben Jacobson is better.

And, at the end of all of this, I think people will remember Ben Jacobson (especially nationally) as the reason UNI suddenly appeared out of nowhere as a basketball power starting in the '00s.

*braces for impact*

This does have a lot of a Boise State football feel to it, doesn't it? It's funny what Jake did for Mac the destroyer was stop him from overcoaching the game the way he did at Iowa State. When they were hiring Nick nurse, one of Mac's cronies thought it would be good to have someone to stop Mac from himself....Jake not only did that, but he was able to calm the players down after a dose of bi-polar Shrek.

The other thing that I dislike is that Rich Glas gets little to no credit for shaping Jake's coaching style. I would contend that Rich, and normal growth into the position, had as much to Jake's success as Mac ever did....

As far as coaching goes, Mac's greatest strength as a coach is his ability to come up with a game plan that allows his team to be competitive against the other team's original game plan....Now this strength is completely negated by his greatest weakness the inability to adjust to what the other team is doing, and a steadfast refusal to take a timeout to stop other teams when they get a bit of a spurt....

SP I don't think that there is any question that he was going to leave at some point. The problem was that as his "best" team faltered down the stretch losing 6 of their last 8 including a home loss to the last place Indiana State, and a 22 point loss on Senior night, he wasn't the shiny new penny anymore...It's like he didn't really have any faith in himself, he started chasing jobs at that point.

I don't even care that he left, but to stop in Chicago, and not fly home with your team, and chase Pollard down to beg for the job.....Well that isn't the way that you treat the people that gave a D3 coach a chance at his dream job....Plus Kansas State was still holding out for Huggins, and he may have said that he was offered the job, but there is no proof.

I know that it is the way of the world....But I would have thought that those seniors, and his "best friend, best man at his wedding AD" would have deserved more in this "great" guys mind.

[ubuntuCAT]

Re: Best in the league?

I don't even care that he left, but to stop in Chicago, and not fly home with your team, and chase Pollard down to beg for the job.....Well that isn't the way that you treat the people that gave a D3 coach a chance at his dream job....Plus Kansas State was still holding out for Huggins, and he may have said that he was offered the job, but there is no proof.

I suppose there's proof that he begged Pollard for the job. He was hired at ISU like 10 days after they fired Morgan. You make it sound like ISU was desperate for a coach and would have taken anyone.

If I'm on a business trip and get called for an interview at a company that will triple my salary and I don't even have to move out of state, you can bet your ass I'm changing my flight and not going back with my co-workers.

[96' Alum]

Re: Best in the league?

I suppose there's proof that he begged Pollard for the job. He was hired at ISU like 10 days after they fired Morgan. You make it sound like ISU was desperate for a coach and would have taken anyone.

If I'm on a business trip and get called for an interview at a company that will triple my salary and I don't even have to move out of state, you can bet your ass I'm changing my flight and not going back with my co-workers.

Really??? It is a matter of fact that he wasn't going to get the Kansas State job the second Huggy Bear expressed any interest....So when he saw that he wasn't going to get that job, he called Pollard right away.

The problem on the Iowa State end was that Pollard ****ed up the search like nobody's business. He was all set to hire Jeter from UW-Milwaukee, because he sucks at the teet of Bo Ryan, and Jeter was an assistant for Bo for many years...In fact the interview was conducted at Bo's house.

But to really understand the lack of thought that went into hiring the ogre, you have to remember that Pollard has raised most of the money he has through very simple increases in ticket prices, and increased required donation levels....But, he has also raised money by pissing Hawk fans off...There had rumors for a couple years that mac was going to be the next coach at Iowa....That was a BIG selling point to Pollard's hiring of McShrek...Which is why he is a clown that should never be in charge of hiring anyone....Then he gives that horrible contract to a coach that had, and has proven NOTHING, and you get the nuclear wasteland that is Iowa State basketball right now....As a Panther fan, I thank Mac for his incompetence. I look forward to four years of it at Creighton.

[ubuntuCAT]

Re: Best in the league?

Really??? It is a matter of fact that he wasn't going to get the Kansas State job the second Huggy Bear expressed any interest....So when he saw that he wasn't going to get that job, he called Pollard right away.

The problem on the Iowa State end was that Pollard ****ed up the search like nobody's business. He was all set to hire Jeter from UW-Milwaukee, because he sucks at the teet of Bo Ryan, and Jeter was an assistant for Bo for many years...In fact the interview was conducted at Bo's house.

But to really understand the lack of thought that went into hiring the ogre, you have to remember that Pollard has raised most of the money he has through very simple increases in ticket prices, and increased required donation levels....But, he has also raised money by pissing Hawk fans off...There had rumors for a couple years that mac was going to be the next coach at Iowa....That was a BIG selling point to Pollard's hiring of McShrek...Which is why he is a clown that should never be in charge of hiring anyone....Then he gives that horrible contract to a coach that had, and has proven NOTHING, and you get the nuclear wasteland that is Iowa State basketball right now....As a Panther fan, I thank Mac for his incompetence. I look forward to four years of it at Creighton.

Just when I thought your posts about Mac couldn't get any more idiotic you pull it off yet again.