Time machine: how would you PREvent the Lady Techster's decline?

[BruisedOrange]

This is a retrospective question, one that I understand few will have time or inclination to address, and one asked for selfish reasons as my "other team" currently appears to have one foot in 20th place and the other nike on a banana peel.

If you could go back in time knowing what you know now, when would you intervene, and what would you change to prevent the Lady Techster program's fall from national prominence?

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If you don't feel like tackling the history question, entertain yourself with the time travel poll.
What's the best* way to go back in time:

? - machine (H.G.Wells)
? - tunnel (Irwin Allen)
? - portal (TimeSplitters)
? - TARDIS (Dr.Who)
? - DeLorian (Dr. Emmett Brown)

.* no cheating by researching Consumer Reports

[Beaver-Dog]

I would have given Mulkey,anything she wanted.

[TYLERTECHSAS]

I would have given Mulkey,anything she wanted.

Yes indeed.

DR, "Five year contract you say??? OK I'll do it and push it through the state."

[PawDawg]

Title IX ended up working against the program that best exemplified women's sports and what they should be about. Yes, Title IX was in place, but the P5 guys didn't realize how much WBB could help offset the costs of Title IX for them until later.

So, ironically, repeal of Title IX in the late 80's would be my fix.

Keeping Mulkey would have been a temporary fix only.

[champion110]

I believe that for a non P5 to remain at the top. you can't have a slip. You have to remain there in order to keep the recruits coming and crowds showing up. Once you slide, it is VERY difficult to climb back. Recruits play for national attention and big crowds. One feeds off the other. The KMR was definitely a problem. Budke was not the answer and was, actually, the beginning of the decline - although few see it that way. He used it as a stepping stone and I still believe threw the S16 game to jump for OSU.

Going back, a better job of vetting coaches was needed. KMR possibly, but the main part was getting Dan Reneau to continue investing in the program. He never saw the importance of it and that showed in other sports, as well.

I think our current President does see the importance, but it is extremely tough to get back to true national prominence once the slide began. I do believe we could get back to top 25 again on a consistent basis with Tyler, if he will stay and continue to work toward getting us there. We need a break out moment and get the crowds and recruits coming back. Tough job!

[johnnylightnin]

Title IX ended up working against the program that best exemplified women's sports and what they should be about. Yes, Title IX was in place, but the P5 guys didn't realize how much WBB could help offset the costs of Title IX for them until later.

So, ironically, repeal of Title IX in the late 80's would be my fix.

Keeping Mulkey would have been a temporary fix only.

Exactly right

[sportdawg]

I'd go with the DeLorian.

[sportdawg]

You left out Hot Tub Time Machine!

[sportdawg]

[BruisedOrange]

retardis?

[I guess the shout-filter wouldn't let me put that in all caps]

[BruceWillisDawg]

I would have given Mulkey,anything she wanted.

THIS and continue to invest in the woman's program financially

[Cool Hand Clyde]

THIS and continue to invest in the woman's program financially

Never stopped investing

[BruceWillisDawg]

Also, let's remind ourselves that the decline did not happen overnight. It happened slowly over the course of 3 head coaches. Final fours became sweet 16s which became just making the field, to not making the field every year, to not competing for conference championship to not being relevant. It was a slow demise and one that certainly could have been turned around in mid-stream, perhaps not to the highest level of program history but certainly back to winning conference and competing in the tournament routinely. NOW, I question if winning the conference and competing in the tournament routinely is a realistic goal - I certainly hope so.
Hiring Kim to lead our program imo would have kept us at the top of women's basketball - I dont think not being a P5 would have mattered back then but it does now in terms of our ceiling for rebuilding. In two more years we should know if the new normal has been elevated or not - fingers crossed.

[dawg80]

Tch, tch... you poor saps.

Pigtails....oh, yeah, pigtails. Let's see....offered a standard Louisiana coaching maximum term of 4 years, and, which at that time, made her the highest paid coach at Tech. The contract included a provision to extend the term after the first year. But, no, that wasn't good enough for Madame Benedict Arnold, no ma'am! After one year, she gets an extension and whalloh! a 5-year deal. Imagine that.

Budke was a good coach. Better than anyone we've had, 'cept Leon, of course. A helluva lot better than this little turd we have now. Oh, he wanted to move up, make more money....wow! what a novel concept in coaching. That never happens anywhere else, or in any other sports.....er, right?

Spoon....? Love her as a player...one of the best in the history of women's basketball, and THE BEST to ever don the Techster uniform, and it's not even a close second. But, as a coach....well, bless her heart, a dismal failure.

In the meantime, from pigtails' evil betrayal, to Leon coming back temporarily, to Budke, Long, Spoon, and now TS, the world of BIG TIME WCB changed. UCONN burst onto the scene, and others like Tennessee, Notre Dame, Stanford all have tried to keep pace in the arm's race. WCB (women's college basketball) does generate revenue and excitement (not saying the programs are self-funded). The same thing that attracts impressionable 18-yr-olds to the bright lights in football, MBB, etc... does so in WBB too. The rich schools can show off spectacular facilities and woooh (attract) the best players.

It is done. Tech is a MID-MAJOR!!! sorry if that term offends you. But, it's true. The only way to return to national prominence, and only then, for a year or two, because we can't possibly sustain it, is to have a great coach who gets lucky with some hidden gems recruits. Then, we could be a flash in the pan and make some noise for a couple of seasons.

Move on....the train has left the station.

[Blue Dawg]

Chris Long began the decline. Something happened after his first year that broke the Techsters. I don't know enough about what went on at that time to answer what it was, but something happened.