Obituary

[champion110]

The good and the bad?

Emotion and tactician. It could turn out very well. The roles were reversed, but do you remember Sonja and Leon together. Sonja pumped them up and got them ready to play (and was an excellent recruiter), while Leon ran the x and o's. Later on, Leon picked up the intensity and became an all in one coach.

Regardless, we have Spoon to help out and balance out Long. It is going to be an interesting and exciting ride next year.

I am going to start a new thread to talk about Spoon. Enough theatrics from Kim.

[LT]

I would be okay with a Sonja/Leon type arrangement for a year. That would allow Teresa to run the team, and it would buy CL a little time to find another job.

[Cal&Ken]

Why do you think Chris Long is still the coach? Lack of money to pay him and get a new one.

No, lack of money is not the problem- it is the apathy behind the lack of money.

[Cal&Ken]

Leon has a sweet deal at Baylor. He doesn't have to travel, if he doesn't wish to do that. He only has to be there during the season - no off season work. No recruiting. Hiring him would have taken up the money (a lot) that we need to hire a full time person (a couple of full time persons).

My opinion is that Leon wanted back in coaching, but not full time. He has a part time gig and will do it for a year or two. Puts another notch in his belt and then returns to be a part of our program, as he wishes.

Remember, Spoon and Leon are very close. He knew we needed the money to lure Spoon back.

The first few days of this I was angry, then in denial, and now I accept it. (for those that don't know Kubler-Ross, that was in reference to the title of this thread).

Leon loves the Lady Techsters. Look at my signature line which is a qoute of his just over the past couple of days. We need to move on from the Leon talk. He will be back when he is ready. Kim can pulled another theatric moment and it worked. Sure took the emphasis off Spoon being hired, didn't it?

Time to look forward to seeing Spoon on the sidelines. I think she and Chris will compliment each other's styles very well. I am ready!

First, though, let's get to football!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only if he sits back and lets her take charge like Sonja did. Clearly he is no inspiration, motivation, or anything productive. I hope Spoon can move them forward.

[DFWDawg]

Only if he sits back and lets her take charge like Sonja did. Clearly he is no inspiration, motivation, or anything productive. I hope Spoon can move them forward.

I am thinking simalarly. CL could literally save himself if he stayed out of the way and let Teresa take control. If she is anything like she was as a player we are looking at high tempo, enthusiasm, and expectation to dominate and win. CL is supposed to be good with x/o and if he could handle the analysis of the competition and work with Spoon on matchups and strategy it could work. Whatever the circumstance I see Teresa pushing players to their limits and giving them the self confidence and mentoring/backing to excel on the court. This has been missing for the last two years.

[sharky]

It appears to me that Leon Barmore is now an assistant coach at Baylor because of money. His seasonal salary at Baylor may well exceed anything that he ever got at Tech.

Leon is never coming back to the Techsters as the head coach. He knew when to get out and maintain his record. Also, he was afraid of flying and the WAC travel demands became more than he could tolerate.

Some of you appear to be ready to bet the ranch on an unknown. The unknown is TSpoon as a coach. I hope that your elation about her on the sidelines is justified, but I choose to wait and see. She has to accept the role of assistant coach and work to make CL look good as long as he is the head coach or it isn't going to work. I have some doubts that she can accept the role of assistant coach. The players cannot serve two masters.

Techster fans must decide what the current definition of success is. Is it winning the conference title, the conference tournament and an appearance in the NCAA? Then how far would we need to go into the NCAA to be considered successful? A final four appearance, even though remotely possible, isn't very probable. One can name the mid-major schools in recent years that have made it to the final four on one hand and still have digits left over.

Successful coaching begins with the ability to kiss the right eighteen year old butts and lure them to your program. This is true for any sport. Mid-majors are at a distinct disadvantage in this effort in todays collegiate sports climate. A mid-major may be able to attract some nationally competitive talent, but usually not enough to provide the depth required to have a chance to go all the way.

Regardless of how distasteful some of you may find some of the above, it appears to me to be real.

[champion110]

It appears to me that Leon Barmore is now an assistant coach at Baylor because of money. His seasonal salary at Baylor may well exceed anything that he ever got at Tech.

Leon is never coming back to the Techsters as the head coach. He knew when to get out and maintain his record. Also, he was afraid of flying and the WAC travel demands became more than he could tolerate.

Some of you appear to be ready to bet the ranch on an unknown. The unknown is TSpoon as a coach. I hope that your elation about her on the sidelines is justified, but I choose to wait and see. She has to accept the role of assistant coach and work to make CL look good as long as he is the head coach or it isn't going to work. I have some doubts that she can accept the role of assistant coach. The players cannot serve two masters.

Techster fans must decide what the current definition of success is. Is it winning the conference title, the conference tournament and an appearance in the NCAA? Then how far would we need to go into the NCAA to be considered successful? A final four appearance, even though remotely possible, isn't very probable. One can name the mid-major schools in recent years that have made it to the final four on one hand and still have digits left over.

Successful coaching begins with the ability to kiss the right eighteen year old butts and lure them to your program. This is true for any sport. Mid-majors are at a distinct disadvantage in this effort in todays collegiate sports climate. A mid-major may be able to attract some nationally competitive talent, but usually not enough to provide the depth required to have a chance to go all the way.

Regardless of how distasteful some of you may find some of the above, it appears to me to be real.

My goal for this year is IMPROVEMENT. It may take a few steps to get to where we want to be again, but I want to see fight and energy from the team. TSPoon is going to have the energy and it is contageous. I don't want to measure the season by where we end up. I want to see the greatness start to re-appear and the players hyped up and ready to roll in each and every game. The rest will come, if we can start there.

[Cal&Ken]

It appears to me that Leon Barmore is now an assistant coach at Baylor because of money. His seasonal salary at Baylor may well exceed anything that he ever got at Tech.

Leon is never coming back to the Techsters as the head coach. He knew when to get out and maintain his record. Also, he was afraid of flying and the WAC travel demands became more than he could tolerate.

Some of you appear to be ready to bet the ranch on an unknown. The unknown is TSpoon as a coach. I hope that your elation about her on the sidelines is justified, but I choose to wait and see. She has to accept the role of assistant coach and work to make CL look good as long as he is the head coach or it isn't going to work. I have some doubts that she can accept the role of assistant coach. The players cannot serve two masters.

Techster fans must decide what the current definition of success is. Is it winning the conference title, the conference tournament and an appearance in the NCAA? Then how far would we need to go into the NCAA to be considered successful? A final four appearance, even though remotely possible, isn't very probable. One can name the mid-major schools in recent years that have made it to the final four on one hand and still have digits left over.

Successful coaching begins with the ability to kiss the right eighteen year old butts and lure them to your program. This is true for any sport. Mid-majors are at a distinct disadvantage in this effort in todays collegiate sports climate. A mid-major may be able to attract some nationally competitive talent, but usually not enough to provide the depth required to have a chance to go all the way.

Regardless of how distasteful some of you may find some of the above, it appears to me to be real.

Any coach out kissing players butts will NEVER be successful regardless of what you may think. That is not how to get the team to play together. The coach must have and demand respect for themselves and the other team members. We have already had a taste of the coach letting the players demands run the team- didn't work. Luring to the program is one thing- kissing butt is something far different and very distatseful.

As far as having two masters, we already had that with Sonja and Leon and I would have to say it was Very successful. As long as the players understand the roles there is not issue.

[champion110]

As far as having two masters, we already had that with Sonja and Leon and I would have to say it was Very successful. As long as the players understand the roles there is not issue.

AMEN!

[sharky]

When Leon set foot on the court as the assistant or associate head coach or whatever, he was the boss on the floor. Sonja granted this authority to him. Sonja knew her limitations and accepted them for as long as the situation would allow. But soon the time came for her to bow-out because there is never room for two masters. Leon became the master and she had to leave. She ensured her own eventual departure.

Chris Long is to young and has ambitions of his own. He is not going to agree to relinquish the title of boss to TSpoon or anyone else during the coming season. He is the head coach until further notice. TSpoon must understand this or there will be a heap of trouble in the locker room, on the practice floor and during the games.

My reference to kissing the right 18-year old butts was referring only to the recruiting phase. Once they have signed the letter of intent, the butt kissing ceases. It is then that the recruit begins to fully comprehend to what extent they have sold their soul to the company store. No coach can be successful without commanding discipline and respect from the players. Discipline can be demanded while respect must be earned and maintained.

[Cal&Ken]

When Leon set foot on the court as the assistant or associate head coach or whatever, he was the boss on the floor. Sonja granted this authority to him. Sonja knew her limitations and accepted them for as long as the situation would allow. But soon the time came for her to bow-out because there is never room for two masters. Leon became the master and she had to leave. She ensured her own eventual departure.

Chris Long is to young and has ambitions of his own. He is not going to agree to relinquish the title of boss to TSpoon or anyone else during the coming season. He is the head coach until further notice. TSpoon must understand this or there will be a heap of trouble in the locker room, on the practice floor and during the games.

My reference to kissing the right 18-year old butts was referring only to the recruiting phase. Once they have signed the letter of intent, the butt kissing ceases. It is then that the recruit begins to fully comprehend to what extent they have sold their soul to the company store. No coach can be successful without commanding discipline and respect from the players. Discipline can be demanded while respect must be earned and maintained.

There was a lot to the story of Sonja "bowing out" that had nothing to do with the Techsters. She did not leave because it wasn't "working" for her or anyone else.

[champion110]

There was a lot to the story of Sonja "bowing out" that had nothing to do with the Techsters. She did not leave because it wasn't "working" for her or anyone else.

Sonja was a great lady and I hope we keep her in high esteem for starting something wonderful at our school. It was a hard time for everyone when she left. Luckily, Leon was there and carried on the tradition (and added on to it).

I respect Sonja and everything she did to start this program.

[longtimetechsterfan]

When Leon set foot on the court as the assistant or associate head coach or whatever, he was the boss on the floor. Sonja granted this authority to him. Sonja knew her limitations and accepted them for as long as the situation would allow. But soon the time came for her to bow-out because there is never room for two masters. Leon became the master and she had to leave. She ensured her own eventual departure.

Chris Long is to young and has ambitions of his own. He is not going to agree to relinquish the title of boss to TSpoon or anyone else during the coming season. He is the head coach until further notice. TSpoon must understand this or there will be a heap of trouble in the locker room, on the practice floor and during the games.

My reference to kissing the right 18-year old butts was referring only to the recruiting phase. Once they have signed the letter of intent, the butt kissing ceases. It is then that the recruit begins to fully comprehend to what extent they have sold their soul to the company store. No coach can be successful without commanding discipline and respect from the players. Discipline can be demanded while respect must be earned and maintained.

you make it sound like tspoon is just dying to throw long overboard and take over as head coach. not to sound harsh, but we're not exactly the most coveted job in women's college basketball. the reality of the situation is that if tech improves, tspoon is instantly more likely to be leading a program of her own in a couple of years than she is to be taking over for long. at the end of the day, tech is still in the wac and is not doling out salaries typical of bigger conferences. there's also always the possibility of her going back to the pros given her connections around the league. it's not as if louisiana is the big metropolis that she's grown used to either. tech is a resume builder. tspoon getting us back on the national stage means tspoon being on the national stage, which is a gift and a curse for tech. we should enjoy it while it lasts and hope that she helps build the program back up while she's here. tspoon's got way more options than tech and long. if anything, chris long is in the perfect position to keep his job at tech. in everything i've seen, tspoon's been deferring to long.

[champion110]

you make it sound like tspoon is just dying to throw long overboard and take over as head coach. not to sound harsh, but we're not exactly the most coveted job in women's college basketball. the reality of the situation is that if tech improves, tspoon is instantly more likely to be leading a program of her own in a couple of years than she is to be taking over for long. at the end of the day, tech is still in the wac and is not doling out salaries typical of bigger conferences. there's also always the possibility of her going back to the pros given her connections around the league. it's not as if louisiana is the big metropolis that she's grown used to either. tech is a resume builder. tspoon getting us back on the national stage means tspoon being on the national stage, which is a gift and a curse for tech. we should enjoy it while it lasts and hope that she helps build the program back up while she's here. tspoon's got way more options than tech and long. if anything, chris long is in the perfect position to keep his job at tech. in everything i've seen, tspoon's been deferring to long.

You would have a point if we didn't have our rich history to fall back upon. There are so many people from Tech that think we are a stepping stone. Yes, we have been at times, but go back and look and you will see that many times we are a great long term solution to some GREAT coaches. No, Ruston is not a metropolis, but some people think it is a wonderful place to live - long term and retire.

Let's stop thinking of ourselves as a stepping stone and start thinking of ourselves as a destination. We used to be that for WBB and we CAN be that again in WBB AND MBB and FB. We have to believe and stop the self deprication. We ARE what we believe we ARE. Check out Dooley's statement at the bottom of my signature for reference.

[Cal&Ken]

Sonja was a great lady and I hope we keep her in high esteem for starting something wonderful at our school. It was a hard time for everyone when she left. Luckily, Leon was there and carried on the tradition (and added on to it).

I respect Sonja and everything she did to start this program.

I am not saying anything different in my post- simply pointing out that it was not a basketball issue that made her leave TECH as the poster said- it was to pursue another opportunity. It can work- we have seen it work at TECH.