So now what?

[Udforever1]

Will be an interesting week or so to see if MI is back. Most of this season, especially after the loss to Wilmington, I thought it was a no brainer that he would and should be gone. Watching these guys the last two to three weeks though, I’ve shifted my tune a bit. MI absolutely had these guys playing hard in a season where they could have easily quit.

I know it’s the easy way out, but I’d honestly be fine with either direction. I’m leaning giving MI one more year with him having to be near the top of CUSA next year or else he’s gone. If, and as always a big if in this day and age, Bliss and Fernandez come back, you certainly have something to start with in piecing together a team for next year. But I also think, as with really any position that opens up at UD, that we should be a very attractive opening.

[UD '01 grad]

These options (and more) are available in the progress poll posted elsewhere on thread list.

Let your voice be heard.

[Hens79]

Playing hard at the end, and not loosing the team in tough circumstances doesn’t erase two 20 loss seasons in a row and loosing to Wilmington and Del State. It depends on what goals UD has for the basketball program. If they really, really care, they will get another coach. If they only kinda care, they will let the last 10 years be a good predictor of the future.

Also, it is utter nonsense for folks to think there isn’t much UD can do because of life as a mid major in the times of NIL.

[Fightinghens2025]

I think they will give him another year, mostly because the move to the new conference and injuries. Also I really don’t think they can afford to buy him out, too many years left on the contract. The way I’m seeing conference USA is nobody’s really great. There’s some decent teams but top to the bottom I think teams are more closely matched than in the CAA. Not making the conference tourney is pretty lame. They really should let all teams in conf tourney but you know it is what it is with UTEP leaving and probably LA Tech. Would that then lead to all 10 remaining teams making the tournament moving forward??

[finpxz1]

Reposting from a different thread…

What an incredibly frustrating season. I’ve seen a lot over the past 40 years following UD Hoops, but nothing quite like this. No doubt we could have competed for a conference championship this season with a full roster.

I have admittedly been in the “it’s time for a change” camp for the past few years, but the way MI and staff have been able to get these kids to compete under such challenging circumstances is nothing short of incredible. This easily could have been a +25 loss season. Given that, and the fact that UD apparently has significant budget challenges, I highly doubt there will be a coaching change. I feel like we say this after every season, but MI must be in the running for a CUSA championship next year.

[UDan]

Stay the course. Remember what was built before Houser went down.

[UDHoops]

In the poll, I would state that the text following the “yes” option can still be believed without saying that there was progress

[Heeper]

Stay the course. Remember what was built before Houser went down.

THis is an interesting take Dan. We were 9-17 when Houser went down and we lost to WIlmington & Del St playing 9 and 8 scholarship players, respectively. Del St finished 7-22

[Hens79]

Stay the course. Remember what was built before Houser went down.

THis is an interesting take Dan. We were 9-17 when Houser went down and we lost to WIlmington & Del St playing 9 and 8 scholarship players, respectively. Del St finished 7-22

For sure. I hope Dan was kidding. The 5-10 home season was bookended by a horrific loss to Wilmington and 43 point loss to LA Tech. Fitting end to a forgettable season.

[UDan]

Stay the course. Remember what was built before Houser went down.

THis is an interesting take Dan. We were 9-17 when Houser went down and we lost to WIlmington & Del St playing 9 and 8 scholarship players, respectively. Del St finished 7-22

Entering the (controversial-ending-marred) WKU game night on which Houser went down late, Delaware had won 3 of its last 3, 4 of its last 6. Things were turning for the better. Obviously, it's not good to show a penchant for dropping close games, but being in battles with the progressively worse availability situation was saluted.

I take this in segments:

Jan 10 at Louisiana Tech: L, 70-68 OT
Jan 15 vs. UTEP: L, 70-69
Jan 17 vs. New Mexico State: L, 97-68
Jan 24 at Liberty: L, 67-51

No one wants to skid, and after quite narrow decisions against LA Tech and UTEP, it was highly troubling to fall out of games against NMSU and Liberty.

But

Jan 28 at New Mexico State: W, 73-64

They halt the skid after schlepping out to Las Cruces. This starts the upswing.

Jan 31 at UTEP: L, 70-55 (notwithstanding this one, I grant it)
Feb 4 vs. Liberty: L, 75-69 (good game against conf leader)
Feb 7 vs. Middle Tennessee: W, 89-88 OT
Feb 12 at FIU: W, 68-66
Feb 14 at Missouri State: W, 76-67
Feb 18 vs. Western Kentucky: L, 88-87 OT

The team was on track to beat WKU (stay with me now.) You saw an identity forming with Houser in there. Taking him out for the remainder, it forced yet another reinvention, but the wheels only fell off/gas expired today. It was seeding-relevant basketball up to and including the last game of the regular season despite having half a team on avail. report.

I'm just seeing leadership when times are trying. With the nonconference results mentioned, of course that pair in-state is undeniably dire and unwelcome. Noncons don't decide the fate of seasons, though. February was a month of improvement while being the hardest stretch yet in the accumulation of injuries/holdout questions.

In the rev-share era, having set all that aside, I think there's reason to be skittish about paying someone to go away and then looking at your books for the roster. There are a bunch of players I think the board, and I know I, would love to see back. Making a change of leadership doesn't make that effort any easier or less expensive.

I'm also not throwing aside the conference championship game appearances. I'm looking at someone who has guided Delaware in the pressure of March. It's a shame we didn't get to see that this year (a chance in March). But I'd prefer spinning the health wheel again -- knowing chances are it has to be better this coming campaign than last -- rather than run off the guy who identified Bliss (should be RoY) and oversaw Houser's bloom and Fernandez' ascent this year.

[hoopster]

MI is back 100%. Too many years left on his contract for a buyout. The win/loss record and how hard the team played for him isn’t as big a factor as to how much money we would have to pay him to leave. UD won’t do it.

[finpxz1]

I agree MI is likely back, but his career numbers are sobering:

All-time record: 157 and 158 (.498)
All-time Division I record: 145 and 157 (.480)
All-time Conference record: 74 and 99 (.428)

Those are Monte Ross numbers (possibly worse in conference). I do like Martin as a human being, but winning does matter at this level. If he does get another year we need to see significant improvement next season. Unfortunately, I have to think Bliss and Fernandez are likely gone.

[UDJoe]

The primary reason I continue to think UD is currently best served by keeping MI and his staff around is that there are numerous examples of how guys have become better players while at UD. Houser and Macon Emory are the most recent examples, but the same can be said about Pasha and Camden last year and Andrew Carr, Zyare Davis, Jammer Nelson Jr and others in the not-too-distant past. In short, if UD ever has a chance at winning championships, it will be because whatever staff is steering the ship can mold developmental prospects into something more. It will not be because we can recruit four and five star prospects out of high school or outbid other schools for guys from the portal. At the mid-major level, some of our competitors for talent in the mid-Atlantic region are schools without football programs. If you want UD to reduce its NIL monies devoted to football so that we can hang with VCU, George Mason, St. Joe's, LaSalle, George Washington etc. in basketball, good luck with that. So while the current environment in college sports is what it is, having a staff that focuses on developing the available talent is not a bad thing. Basketball schools that have poached some of our best players (e.g., Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, and California) seem to understand what happens at UD. Just MHO.

[rooneyguy]

To add insult to injury, Tresolini hints that Houser's knee injury might keep him out all of next year. Ouch.

[hoopster]

I think many of us commented when Houser when down last month that it was likely going to keep him out most if not all of next year if it was an ACL and meniscus injury, so no surprise reading Tresolini’s statement about Houser’s future.