The Solution

[champion110]

OK, this is somewhat tongue in cheek, but think about it:

We got Spoon. I say we bring back Sonja Hogg. Yeah, I know she couldn't do it at Baylor, but she was in the wrong role. Put her in front as the face and to recruit. We would have Long as HC, Spoon as Associate Head, and Sonja Hogg as a recruiter. It would bring the crowds back.

Then, if successful, we keep going. If not, Long leaves and Spoon becomes HC. Then, we bring in Barmore. D.R. will be retiring at some point. At that point, Barmore returns with his head back in the game.

Yeah, I am reaching.....

The truth is that I feel much better than I did last night and this morning. My Techster print is still turned backwards, but I peeked under it again this afternoon.

For the person that said Barmore won't help recruiting (don't know if this was in this part of the board or the recruiting section), they are DEAD WRONG. In Women's Basketball, Barmore is the Bobby Knight, John Wooden. That is the truth. Girls know who he is and who he was.

To the person that stated this really doesn't hurt us, you are somewhat correct. We didn't have Barmore in the program last week and we don't this week. The problem is that his image is ours - not Baylor's. This is not unheard of. It is very similar to Karl Malone finishing his career with the Lakers to try to get that elusive ring. Didn't work and rarely does.

Barmore loves Tech- we know that. I am angry with him for doing this and have the right to be angry, but it is not world ending for Tech. We have to put our faith in Spoon now. It will be interesting who else will come join the staff. It would be good to get a big name, but just a name would help.

I will mourne this weekend and be ready to cheer again next week. Spoon will do her job to pump up the crowds. Once that happens, recruits will want to come here once again.

Barmore will last about one year at Baylor - maybe 2. He will then move on to the WNBA or come back here and relax again.

So, STILL no one has answered - Can he still be our "Coach Imeritus"? I don't think he can be if he has gone back to coaching.

Yes, this is D.R.'s fault. He is leaving his legacy and must be MUCH more arrogant than even I thought he was.

I can't switch alliances like so many have to Baylor. I hope they fall on their faces, but that is just me. I hope SPOON does what is needed and we can once again be a competitor. It won't be so easy for our fair weather fans to switch who they cheer for when that happens.

So, heads up everyone. Let's beat the odds and do what needs to be done. GO LADY TECHSTERS!!!!

[Mean Gene]

Champ - Glad to see that U're still w/us!! Based on the true definition of the word emer·i·tus Leon can't have that title since he's no longer retired.
I'd love to see Sonja come back & handle recruiting & selling the university. She was outstanding at that!!
STILL can justify anyone being "angry" at LB for this move. Disappointed, sure ( as I am ) but why angry?? What does he owe Tech after all these years?? He gave his blood, sweat & tears to the program for 20+ years & has been nothing but pure class in remaining quiet while CL tears his "baby" down!!
Am I jumping ship to Baylor? No, as I am Tech blue through & through!! However, I was already a fan of Baylor as my second team due to Kim being the HC. Now w/LB there - they've moved up to #1-A!!

[champion110]

Champ - Glad to see that U're still w/us!! Based on the true definition of the word emer·i·tus Leon can't have that title since he's no longer retired.
I'd love to see Sonja come back & handle recruiting & selling the university. She was outstanding at that!!
STILL can justify anyone being "angry" at LB for this move. Disappointed, sure ( as I am ) but why angry?? What does he owe Tech after all these years?? He gave his blood, sweat & tears to the program for 20+ years & has been nothing but pure class in remaining quiet while CL tears his "baby" down!!
Am I jumping ship to Baylor? No, as I am Tech blue through & through!! However, I was already a fan of Baylor as my second team due to Kim being the HC. Now w/LB there - they've moved up to #1-A!!

Because Barmore could have forced his way back into Tech - he didn't. He chose to leave after we have been faithful to him, as he has to us. Don't get me wrong, I am angrier with D.R. than Barmore, but still have some anger toward Barmore.

OK, I am just taking a break by working in the yard. I am taking my frustrations out by weed eating. I think I chopped off a couple of things growing out there that I shouldn't have.

Later dude,

[Mean Gene]

Because Barmore could have forced his way back into Tech - he didn't. He chose to leave after we have been faithful to him, as he has to us. Don't get me wrong, I am angrier with D.R. than Barmore, but still have some anger toward Barmore.

OK, I am just taking a break by working in the yard. I am taking my frustrations out by weed eating. I think I chopped off a couple of things growing out there that I shouldn't have.

Later dude,

OK, Lorena Bobbitt!!! :icon_wink:

Gene

[Brian96]

Yes, it absolutely hurts the program, in two main ways. 1) As you said, the Techster legacy and Barmore's legacy are basically one and the same. The mantle is gone now. 2) We were already having to recruit against KM to some extent; now we have to recruit against KM AND Barmore. Hiring Spoon would have helped level the field a bit, but with Barmore taking his legacy elsewhere, that pretty well negates much of that benefit. Especially since Barmore basically said that he would have considered coming out of retirement for Tech.

The fact though, short of Barmore returning to be Spoon's associate head coach (which might have been an option at one time, but is much less likely now--since instead of luring him out of retirement we'd have to lure him away from his protege and a big fat paycheck [probably higher than what he made as HC at Tech]), we were facing an incredibly steep uphill battle to ever be competitive again at a national level. Now it is steep and has been greased.

As I see it, "back door" pathways back to the national limelight in WBB are now pretty much completely gone (and were iffy to begin with, once KM left). Our ability to trade on our historic reputation has been delivered a potentially fatal blow. So, if we are going to be competitive in WBB again, we are going to have to do it like everyone else: by raising tons of money from ALL possible revenue sources, and investing in infrastructure that will help us win recruiting battles.

[hookdown]

We were already having to recruit against KM to some extent; now we have to recruit against KM AND Barmore.

So what happens when BU and Tech are both going after the same girl, she is a difference maker and could return Tech to elite status, and she asks LB why she should go to BU instead of Tech? If he gets her, it further hurts Tech. May never happen, but I suspect that we will bump up against him on occasion.

[Mean Gene]

About the ONLY thing that gives me some hope is that there ARE still some HS girls out there who look for the challenge to either build up a non-existent/unsuccessful to that point program ( much like the girls @ Rutgers & Budke's babes :icon_wink: ) or RESTORE a once-mighty program ( perhaps like ODU has done ). The problem w/this is that we need to have a "name" HC like Stringer; Budke; etc to draw the recruits and/or sell them on the idea that it can be done. Mr. Personality himself CL ( and ya'll thought KB was dull & emotionless!! ) has only the name as the man who brought the Techster program to DEPTHS they've never seen before!!
Can the draw of 'Spoon help? Most certainly but as Hook said - whatcha gonna do ( who am I now - Hulk Hogan?? ) when TWO Hall of Fame personalities visit your living room & talk about what they did together @ a certain small university in Ruston??

MG

[Mean Gene]

Because Barmore could have forced his way back into Tech - he didn't. He chose to leave after we have been faithful to him, as he has to us. Don't get me wrong, I am angrier with D.R. than Barmore, but still have some anger toward Barmore.

OK, I am just taking a break by working in the yard. I am taking my frustrations out by weed eating. I think I chopped off a couple of things growing out there that I shouldn't have.

Later dude,

And just how much respect would we have given LB if he HAD "forced" CL either out the door or back to the end of the bench ( where he belongs, IMHO )? Talk about a power play & we've seen where the one that Dumba** DR pulled years ago w/KM got us!! Oh, yeah. RIGHT WHERE WE R RIGHT NOW!!!