Let stop with the Brad Underwood for world supremacy. Let's try to be rationale and look at this, not from passion, hate, or love, but from a perspective of reason.
I love the fact that Brad Underwood is a Cat...through and through...student, player, coach, and alumni!
But why does everyone assume he is the panacea? And to figure out if he has potential to be, we should also study the basic reasoning of this argument.
We all kill Bruce for inheriting players (Illinois and KSU) and that he can only guide teams that are not his.
But Brad did the same thing. He inherited a program that was already built. SFA averaged 23 wins a season before Brad showed up. Brad inherited Thomas Walkup, a beast of a player and will be a highly paid professional in basketball somewhere in the world. My first point is that NO ONE knows for sure as to his success at a Power 5 program. Can he recruit at the Power 5 level? He never was involved in Beasley or Sutton; that was Huggy. And as for Jacob Pullen; that was Frank and Dalonte Hill. As for Rodney McGruder; well that was also Dalonte. Who did Brad recruit at SFA that makes him a great recruiter? Do you think that Brad will walk in to a living-rooms of a 4* or 5* and beat out Self, Shaka, Krueger, or even Jamie Dixon? I have my doubts.
Okay, what about the success of Mid-Major coaches at Power 5 level, my second point of reason. Well, let's look at who Brad is replacing, Travis Ford. He was brought in as savant from two mid-majors. He did wonders at Eastern Kentucky. Actually he turned that program around and at Umass he did a similar job. So OSU hires Ford, considering his pedigree from Kentucky and his coaching at both those mid-majors. How did he do at Power 5, in the Big12, and even with big name recruits. Oh, that's right...he was fired and replaced by another mid-major savant.
So, do I love Bruce. No. But to assume that Brad will forever change OSU is a stretch. Let's all just be reasonable.
I love the fact that Brad Underwood is a Cat...through and through...student, player, coach, and alumni!
But why does everyone assume he is the panacea? And to figure out if he has potential to be, we should also study the basic reasoning of this argument.
We all kill Bruce for inheriting players (Illinois and KSU) and that he can only guide teams that are not his.
But Brad did the same thing. He inherited a program that was already built. SFA averaged 23 wins a season before Brad showed up. Brad inherited Thomas Walkup, a beast of a player and will be a highly paid professional in basketball somewhere in the world. My first point is that NO ONE knows for sure as to his success at a Power 5 program. Can he recruit at the Power 5 level? He never was involved in Beasley or Sutton; that was Huggy. And as for Jacob Pullen; that was Frank and Dalonte Hill. As for Rodney McGruder; well that was also Dalonte. Who did Brad recruit at SFA that makes him a great recruiter? Do you think that Brad will walk in to a living-rooms of a 4* or 5* and beat out Self, Shaka, Krueger, or even Jamie Dixon? I have my doubts.
Okay, what about the success of Mid-Major coaches at Power 5 level, my second point of reason. Well, let's look at who Brad is replacing, Travis Ford. He was brought in as savant from two mid-majors. He did wonders at Eastern Kentucky. Actually he turned that program around and at Umass he did a similar job. So OSU hires Ford, considering his pedigree from Kentucky and his coaching at both those mid-majors. How did he do at Power 5, in the Big12, and even with big name recruits. Oh, that's right...he was fired and replaced by another mid-major savant.
So, do I love Bruce. No. But to assume that Brad will forever change OSU is a stretch. Let's all just be reasonable.
