Originally Posted by
Mean Gene
I guess "here we go again!!". As far as Kim goes, all she wanted was the same "level playing field" that other coaches get. A 5 year contract is generally the industry standard so why did Tech offer her a 4 year one w/an OPTION for 1 more?? U're correct that she didn't need security because she already had almost 20 years in the system. She wanted respect. Sure, she'd probably have little to gain & MUCH to lose as she'd always hear that "she inherited Barmore's program" so certainly Baylor gave her the chance to establish her own identity & legacy ( but only AFTER Tech blew it - IMHO ). She's emotional?? Hell, yes BUT I'd kill to see some emotion on our sidelines this season!!!!!!!!! I do agree w/Brian that there's more to the story than we'll ever know & certainly at least 2 sides to this one.
Typically there's the small town "politics" of Ruston & Tech. I played football under Coach Lambright & Larry Bechtal & saw firsthand how much influence the local alumni have. If ya'll R old enough to remember, Coach Beck got run off in his FIRST year ( & w/one game remaining ) because he "wasn't producing the desired results". BS!!!! He didn't play the little games ( like pacifying the big $$ alumni like Davidson, Russell, et al ). He told them that this was HIS program & they were to keep their ideas to themselves!! Saw how long he stayed after that, huh??!! Can't blame that one on DR - that was F. Jay!!!
Concerning the local ( LA ) players mentioned, notice the era they played in. I stated in an earlier thread that in the late 70's to early 80's that Tech was one of the few options high school girls had to continue to play WBB at the next level where there was any support/interest so OF COURSE they came here. Then Tennessee, UConn, etc, caught on. Cheryl was the lone exception & that's only because of her father's legacy @ Tech. Don't get me wrong - all these ladies would excel wherever they played but, at the time, Tech was THE place to play.
Lastly, I'll give Coach Long more time to produce results but I'm not buying into this "rebuilding" crap I keep hearing on here! He's got 4 seniors on the roster ( three w/3 letters ) plus the #1 & #3 rated JC transfer forwards ( Nixon & Sneed, respectively ) so I don't believe that he has neither any talent to work with nor players unfamiliar w/his system. Granted, I didn't expect to compete w/the Lady Vols nor LSU this season but losing to ULM?????? BTW - if ya'll wonder why I make reference to Tennessee so often, it's not just because of their excellence. My wife is from Knoxville & it's getting rough around the house with all these a** whippings they keep giving us!!!!
Yes, I'm scheduled to be in New Orleans on the 30th ( I work for Shell ) so I'll be at that slaughter, er, I mean "game" so I DO still support the team. I'm sure that Champion will come back w/something about my "negative attitude & outlook" but maybe if our current roster would take a good look at the name "Lady Techsters" on the front of their jerseys then gaze skyward at the banners hanging from the TAC, perhaps carrying on the tradition of winning & representing Tech w/class might wake some of them out of their funk!