If we can get to .500 next year, this program is in good shape. Why do I say this? Think about it, that will mean we will have improved a ton with the players we have: SR (Cole) JR (Gatens, Archie, Fuller, & Brommer) SO (Payne, May, Cougil) FR (Larsen, Brust, Marble, & McCabe).
That in turn means we return all the players but Cole, and I would expect us to make the NCAA's in year 5 then. I think even if you fire Lick after year 4 then, whoever comes into the program should be expect to win right away with those players, seeing that kind of improvement.
Listen I get the argument that is shouldn't have taken this long, and getting back to .500 shouldn't be the goal, etc. I agree with that myself, yet the facts are the fact, and the fact is the team is not good this year. If they bounce back to .500 after the year they will have this year, that IS improvement, and is a sign we may have turned the corner finally.
Exactly. People that are so ready to fire Lick do not understand the state of the program. This program has so many problems, and we haven't hit the bottom of the hole yet. This season (with probably zero Big Ten wins) is probably, and hopefully, the bottom.
But, to mix metaphors, there is light at the end of the tunnel. It's a looooonnnnnngggggg tunnel, and you had better get used to it.
Are you expecting another coach to come in and magically turn everything around? You are dreaming. Even if we got a magician for a coach, he would probably bring with him lots of NCAA violations, players in trouble with the law, etc.
Lick is a good guy. Give him as much time as you gave Alford. Actually, give him more.