I know this thread will be controversial and will result in some of you bashing me, but...
Obviously, none of us have enjoyed the 0-5 start. There has been a lot of discussion about HCBU inheriting Ford players with bad habits who are so accustomed to losing that they have almost no chance of winning a close game.
But, let's look back to what Ford did when he took over for Sean. He came in and turned an NIT team into an NCAA tourny team. 4 players (Moses, Eaton, Harris and Obi) showed significant immediate improvement. Some others showed less significant improvement. At the time, I think a lot of people expected the turnaround to take 2-3 years, but it took less than a full season. I thought it was a significant accomplishment, and Holder agreed. He was so impressed that he ended up offering the 10 year contract (ended up being a big mistake)
I understand that there are a lot of factors at play here. Many will argue that Ford inherited more talent that HCBU. Many will point out that the Big 12 is much stronger than it was when Ford took over. Many will state that having such a young roster is a huge part of the problem. The true answer might be that Sean was just that bad. He had an amazing level of talent and just wasn't able to do anything with it.
But, my overall point is that what Ford did was extremely impressive, and looks like more of an accomplishment now that we are seeing HCBU struggle. Of course, he then proved, over the next 6-7 years that he is an awful coach and year 1 was the exception to the rule.
I still believe that HCBU is an excellent coach and will get OSU back to the level that will make most of us happy (probably not Clarkgeo). But, I also believe that maybe many of us were unrealistic with expectations this season. Maybe the hot start in non-conference played a role in that. Maybe we remembered Ford doing it in his first season, and figured that a superior coach would have no problem doing the same. But, a 1 year turnaround is just not very common in college basketball. It usually takes 2 or 3 seasons. I still believe we will get there.
Obviously, none of us have enjoyed the 0-5 start. There has been a lot of discussion about HCBU inheriting Ford players with bad habits who are so accustomed to losing that they have almost no chance of winning a close game.
But, let's look back to what Ford did when he took over for Sean. He came in and turned an NIT team into an NCAA tourny team. 4 players (Moses, Eaton, Harris and Obi) showed significant immediate improvement. Some others showed less significant improvement. At the time, I think a lot of people expected the turnaround to take 2-3 years, but it took less than a full season. I thought it was a significant accomplishment, and Holder agreed. He was so impressed that he ended up offering the 10 year contract (ended up being a big mistake)
I understand that there are a lot of factors at play here. Many will argue that Ford inherited more talent that HCBU. Many will point out that the Big 12 is much stronger than it was when Ford took over. Many will state that having such a young roster is a huge part of the problem. The true answer might be that Sean was just that bad. He had an amazing level of talent and just wasn't able to do anything with it.
But, my overall point is that what Ford did was extremely impressive, and looks like more of an accomplishment now that we are seeing HCBU struggle. Of course, he then proved, over the next 6-7 years that he is an awful coach and year 1 was the exception to the rule.
I still believe that HCBU is an excellent coach and will get OSU back to the level that will make most of us happy (probably not Clarkgeo). But, I also believe that maybe many of us were unrealistic with expectations this season. Maybe the hot start in non-conference played a role in that. Maybe we remembered Ford doing it in his first season, and figured that a superior coach would have no problem doing the same. But, a 1 year turnaround is just not very common in college basketball. It usually takes 2 or 3 seasons. I still believe we will get there.
