FIRE Mike Dunleavy the worst of the worst in Tulane history

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mbawavefan12
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cajunfanatico wrote: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:55 am One wonders what Dannen was thinking when he made this hire.
In TD’s defense, there was a basis for the hire


cajunfanatico
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mbawavefan12 wrote: Tue Jan 22, 2019 11:57 pm
cajunfanatico wrote: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:55 am One wonders what Dannen was thinking when he made this hire.
In TD’s defense, there was a basis for the hire
Okay, guess I'm just missing it. Could you expand on that?
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cajunfanatico wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 9:36 am
mbawavefan12 wrote: Tue Jan 22, 2019 11:57 pm
cajunfanatico wrote: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:55 am One wonders what Dannen was thinking when he made this hire.
In TD’s defense, there was a basis for the hire
Okay, guess I'm just missing it. Could you expand on that?
I already listed "The Basis"....MD's wife is the sister of a former local Tulane Football Player and Green Wave Donor.....all the story ya need to know
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mbawavefan12
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golfnut69 wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:06 am
cajunfanatico wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 9:36 am
mbawavefan12 wrote: Tue Jan 22, 2019 11:57 pm
cajunfanatico wrote: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:55 am One wonders what Dannen was thinking when he made this hire.
In TD’s defense, there was a basis for the hire
Okay, guess I'm just missing it. Could you expand on that?
I already listed "The Basis"....MD's wife is the sister of a former local Tulane Football Player and Green Wave Donor.....all the story ya need to know
I would add. The program wasn't in the greatest shape and in comes a former NBA coach of the year saying all the right things. He had seen his kids go through the NCAA process with one son being a long time assistant for a very successful NOVA program (private school). Most pundits and TU fans were happy with the initial hire, but clearly either the game has passed MD by or he just was not prepared to be a college coach. or did not have the energy. Sure TU Bball has obstacles but there is definitely enough in place to be better. Solid practice gym, commitment from the admin and a borderline P6 conference with all its members investing big in their Bball programs. Our gym is hilariously small but could be a real asset if we win (loud with fans on top of you). Not to mention the Smoothie King Center is always an option with Benson on the board.
Also ALL games are telivised, which is huge.
Last edited by mbawavefan12 on Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
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golfnut69 wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:06 am
cajunfanatico wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 9:36 am
mbawavefan12 wrote: Tue Jan 22, 2019 11:57 pm
cajunfanatico wrote: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:55 am One wonders what Dannen was thinking when he made this hire.
In TD’s defense, there was a basis for the hire
Okay, guess I'm just missing it. Could you expand on that?
I already listed "The Basis"....MD's wife is the sister of a former local Tulane Football Player and Green Wave Donor.....all the story ya need to know
The money, GolfNut. Don't forget the money. It was a large enough amount to give hope to us dinosaur old-timers by attracting a candidate who had a recognizable name and some credible experience. On the other hand, it was probably too small to land the individual who could quickly turn our program around (think Penny Hardaway). Sometimes I wish we had a one-armed AD to free us from those 'on-the-other-hand’ arguments.

I was a fan of the Dunleavy hire. That was then (before Southeastern, South Alabama, and Alabama A&M). This is me in the now.
WavyHoops
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mbawavefan12 wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:23 am
golfnut69 wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:06 am
cajunfanatico wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 9:36 am
mbawavefan12 wrote: Tue Jan 22, 2019 11:57 pm
cajunfanatico wrote: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:55 am One wonders what Dannen was thinking when he made this hire.
In TD’s defense, there was a basis for the hire
Okay, guess I'm just missing it. Could you expand on that?
I already listed "The Basis"....MD's wife is the sister of a former local Tulane Football Player and Green Wave Donor.....all the story ya need to know
I would add. The program wasn't in the greatest shape and in comes a former NBA coach of the year saying all the right things. He had seen his kids go through the NCAA process with one son being a long time assistant for a very successful NOVA program (private school). Most pundits and TU fans were happy with the initial hire, but clearly either the game has passed MD by or he just was not prepared to be a college coach. or did not have the energy. Sure TU Bball has obstacles but there is definitely enough in place to be better. Solid practice gym, commitment from the admin and a borderline P6 conference with all its members investing big in their Bball programs. Our gym is hilariously small but could be a real asset if we win (loud with fans on top of you). Not to mention the Smoothie King Center is always an option with Benson on the board.
Also ALL games are telivised, which is huge.
There were legit reasons to be excited about the Dunleavy hiring. But 2.5 seasons have left no doubt that MD is not up to any aspect of the job other than impressing a handful of older national media types who are barely paying attention. He is the laughingstock of knowledgeable hoops minds and Dannen must know that the writing is on the wall.

And the potential upside of Tulane hoops is still there. A higher upside, frankly, than football. But it's nothing but a dream at the moment.
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Low tide do you remember Frazier and Reynolds were not that good until Dunleavey help to fine tune their skills!!!
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gbgreenie wrote: Tue Jan 22, 2019 2:42 am Darn wins and losses doesn't tell the whole story, Out recruiting teams that usually kick our butts in recruiting, Getting international big men into the program that has always lacked height will help. The only thing we are lacking is a playmaker that can blend the team together. I have seen the program since the days of Johnny Arthur and Terry Habig, I really like the players Dunleavy is bringing into the program. Be patient!!! I am also a personal friend of Dickie Longo we run many races together.
Yea. That new recruit that is averaging 2 points per game should get MD and his program over the hump 🤪🤪. Vance has returned.
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gbgreenie wrote: Tue Jan 22, 2019 2:42 am Darn wins and losses doesn't tell the whole story,
You, sir, are a worthy successor to the polemics of Vance W. Green. I shall resume my retirement knowing that this board is in good hands.
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I’m getting dizzy keeping up with who’ s for real and who’s pulling our appendages.
mbawavefan12
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gbgreenie wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 3:38 pm Low tide do you remember Frazier and Reynolds were not that good until Dunleavey help to fine tune their skills!!!
With them:

14-17 (5-13)

Seriously what is ur deal? Last time I reply to this nonsense.
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In the meantime, UCF has almost doubled our score at half. Another Dunleavy disaster unfolding as we post here in the board.
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cajunfanatico
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mbawavefan12 wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:23 am

I would add. The program wasn't in the greatest shape and in comes a former NBA coach of the year saying all the right things. He had seen his kids go through the NCAA process with one son being a long time assistant for a very successful NOVA program (private school). Most pundits and TU fans were happy with the initial hire, but clearly either the game has passed MD by or he just was not prepared to be a college coach. or did not have the energy. Sure TU Bball has obstacles but there is definitely enough in place to be better. Solid practice gym, commitment from the admin and a borderline P6 conference with all its members investing big in their Bball programs. Our gym is hilariously small but could be a real asset if we win (loud with fans on top of you). Not to mention the Smoothie King Center is always an option with Benson on the board.
Also ALL games are telivised, which is huge.
If memory serves, the man hadn't coached a game for something like 10 years, and had never coached at the college level. With most any coaching hire meaning a committment of at least 3 years, again, I don't know what Dannen was thinking unless he was just star-struck.
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The beat goes on Wave down at home 71-37 6mins left. We can only hope Dunleavy calls it quits at the end of this season.
Be proactive, being reactive is for losers..
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I will admit I was a fan of the hire. It was splash, and former NBA Coach of the Year. But it hasn't worked out and it's time to part ways. It doesn't mean we don't still respect Mike Dunleavy, we just don't think he deserves another year in his job.
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Not having Players is one thing....but when the players U do have, have no idea of what they are doing...that's a whole different matter...... There is "zero systems" in place to even make your less talented players get open for a shot, this team looks devoid of any knowledge of the basics of defense....foot work is terrible, that is a direct result of trying to "cut corners' when defending,, crossing ones feet may work on the dance floor, but not on a basketball court
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I can understand that turning TU into a program that year in and year out is a consistent tourney threat is a long process. Of course, if that did occur I would imagine the coach would quickly be swept away to a bigger program but hopefully a foundation would be established, but that is a discussion for another day. My concern is that MD has not shown any progress. In fact, things seem to be regressing in year three. The shooting is worse, the defense is worse. Recruiting remains about the same as there does seem to be a bit of an uptick in talent but it disjointed (no bigs no PGs).
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Dunleavy was hired to generate fan interest and wins for the program. Fan attendance and actual wins have been few and far between. Since everyone but GB and Vance want this career loser to stay on then maybe they should start a Fund Me account to refund season ticket holder money for the last 3 years and get MD to work for free from now on until he gets over .500. The fans have been way too patient for something good to happen and have spent hard money and time waiting plus are expected to fork over a seat license to watch this nonsense continue. I understand that he has an ironclad contract so I expect people to continue pound him until that contract is bought out or he starts winning meaningful games. We can’t afford to wait 5 years to hope this career loser gets over .500.
The AAC will not put up with our horrible RPI dragging down the rest of the league.
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I tell you what: TD has backed himself into a tough spot about either firing/hiring a "name" or "up and coming " coach versus the seat licenses. I like TD, but also hope Mike Dunleavy does the right thing and steps down at season's end. I don't know that we get to 6 wins this year. You can't ask season ticket holders (which I am not) to pony up for seat licenses when we're putting this product on the floor for three years now. If they do so, walk up tickets will outsell season tickets, unless they continue to be a bad team, in which case empty seats will outnumber fans by a 3-1 margin or worse.

Another poster (that I think is off his rocker) asked me how many games I've been to in the Dunleavy era, and the answer is not many. And the few that I went to my tickets were given to me by friends that live locally who were happy to have someone to go to the games with! Those games were never the reason I was in New Orleans, which wasn't the case in the 90s under Perry Clark. Winning basketball would draw me into town for a game a year. This latest product struggles to gain my attention on TV or streaming.
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Just as in the CJ firing the call will be made by President Fitts . TD will have imput but the decision will come from Gibson Hall, not Ben Weiner Drive .
President Fitts , B of A , it's put up or forever hold your peace time . Make Tulane ATHLETICS relevant and top 30 again .
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D- If he's brought back there will be very few season tickets sold but there will be virtually no walk up sales for this crap. Also at most games empty seats already outnumber fans by more than 3-1.
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gbgreenie wrote: Tue Jan 22, 2019 2:42 am Darn wins and losses doesn't tell the whole story, Out recruiting teams that usually kick our butts in recruiting, Getting international big men into the program that has always lacked height will help. The only thing we are lacking is a playmaker that can blend the team together. I have seen the program since the days of Johnny Arthur and Terry Habig, I really like the players Dunleavy is bringing into the program. Be patient!!!
Damn, I would like to believe this guy is right. I'm a gullible fellow and I have bought a lot of snake oil in my time. Whenever someone states their position with such conviction as gbgreenie, it gives me pause. Case in point, I voted for Richard Nixon. Twice.

Then that little voice we call reason returns to warn me: "Put a lot of stock in what you see as well as what you believe". I get it: it took Coach D some time to recruit his guys. Now he has attracted the best committment ever for Tulane. Can't argue with that. More on this in a moment.

But the voice returns. It reminds me that Coach Fritz inherited a program that was arguably more decimated than basketball. He arrived far too late in his first season to recruit effectively. Football is a tougher program to ressurect. Yet beginning our fourth year, we have something we seldom enjoy at Tulane: hope. We have celebrated an event that is college football's equivalent to the Big Dance: A Bowl Win!

And here's where we find ourselves midway in Coach D's third chapter: No conference wins. Hardly a momentary game lead. A ranking that is historically low and near the bottom of NCAA basketball. Embarassing losses to teams that should not come close to our talent. Little hope that things will improve for the season. When Elijah Wood plays his first minute with Tulane, will he be an immediate game-changer? Or will we be told to be patient and wait a couple more years for him to mature and grow with the coaching? If so, that will put us into year 6 or year 7 for Coach D. Is this reasonable? gbgreenie certainly thinks so. I'm not so sure. But that's just me.
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At this point we couldn’t fill the stands at Bright Playground. This was a bizarre hire from the beginning that was clearly steered Dannens way from donors. I think Dannens main focus was fixing football first and foremost and everything else was an afterthought. I think football is on a little more stable ground and now would be the right time to end this Dunleavy debacle and focus wholeheartedly on fixing basketball.
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There's a funny twist in the thread about MD on the YOGWF board. One guy suggests they hire Baker Dunleavy as an assistant HC and let him run the defense. There's a few posts that follow that act as if that would be great, we'd turn a corner and so on.

The fatal flaw to that logic is that Baker Dunleavy is not leaving his first HC job to take a step (or two or three to be accurate) to be an assistant for his dad. He's on record saying that he's always been tempted to work with his father, but decided to forge his own path. He didn't leave a much better assistant job at Villanova when his father became Tulane's HC; he sure as hell isn't leaving his first HC job to kill his career at Tulane.
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WavyHoops wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:50 am
mbawavefan12 wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:23 am
golfnut69 wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:06 am
cajunfanatico wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 9:36 am
mbawavefan12 wrote: Tue Jan 22, 2019 11:57 pm
cajunfanatico wrote: Mon Jan 21, 2019 7:55 am One wonders what Dannen was thinking when he made this hire.
In TD’s defense, there was a basis for the hire
Okay, guess I'm just missing it. Could you expand on that?
I already listed "The Basis"....MD's wife is the sister of a former local Tulane Football Player and Green Wave Donor.....all the story ya need to know
I would add. The program wasn't in the greatest shape and in comes a former NBA coach of the year saying all the right things. He had seen his kids go through the NCAA process with one son being a long time assistant for a very successful NOVA program (private school). Most pundits and TU fans were happy with the initial hire, but clearly either the game has passed MD by or he just was not prepared to be a college coach. or did not have the energy. Sure TU Bball has obstacles but there is definitely enough in place to be better. Solid practice gym, commitment from the admin and a borderline P6 conference with all its members investing big in their Bball programs. Our gym is hilariously small but could be a real asset if we win (loud with fans on top of you). Not to mention the Smoothie King Center is always an option with Benson on the board.
Also ALL games are telivised, which is huge.
There were legit reasons to be excited about the Dunleavy hiring. But 2.5 seasons have left no doubt that MD is not up to any aspect of the job other than impressing a handful of older national media types who are barely paying attention. He is the laughingstock of knowledgeable hoops minds and Dannen must know that the writing is on the wall.

And the potential upside of Tulane hoops is still there. A higher upside, frankly, than football. But it's nothing but a dream at the moment.
+1,000. I don’t fault the hiring of Dunleavy, but it’s time to cut bait—we’re getting no bites at all. In addition to not knowing how to coach college basketball, he hasn’t recruited well—we have a dearth of talent. And I’m not buying into the notion that he has “saviors” waiting in the wings to salvage our program. MD was an OK hire, but he’ll be a better fire.
Tulane is the University of Louisiana
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