I agree. LUC doesn't need to feed into his ego now that he is in the big time, which he wanted all along. You're either committed to the success of a mid-major program like LUC that does things the right way, or you're in only as a stepping stone. We now know where his loyalty lied. No need to give him a curtain call here.

First of all "hate" is too strong a term. I really don't think that anyone really hates him. That would be stupid.

There is, however, a natural reaction to being rejected. AND LOYOLA WAS REJECTED. Resentment is a natural reaction to rejection.
My big concern is not him leaving. After the Final Four he was wooed and has seen greener pastures. Bigger lawns and bigger weeds too.

I personally would not want any employee regardless of business or sport who did not want to be there. If you have something better go for it.
But in reality there was NOTHING , I MEAN NOTHNG, that Loyola could have done. Was it money? Or was it other things?
I keep hearing it was not money it was the scheduling and NCAA one bid league that thwarted his ability to achieve. Fine, I did not hear that when he took a Horizon League job. Instead Loyola gave him extensions, a better league that we did not dominate, raises in salary, more charter flights, a bigger budget, an AD who supported him, a new practice facility.

The coaching graveyards are full of mid major coaches who thought they could achieve greater fame and notoriety.
I hope Porter does not suffer the same fate. He is a good person and did a lot here BUT
As someone said, it is the nature of the profession where they all have egos. Ok I get that. But lets not wrap the closing argument in
if only Loyola could do this or that. Unless that is "all in" and don't run from happiness. The whole culture schtick.

Keep in mind, resentment is a way of getting over it. The OU video with the OU colors and talking about culture seemed rather hypocritical. But the Loyola body had not been put into the ground for 24 hours. So I guess he has moved on and then decided to post a thank you. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN a press conference saying good bye. We were owed that! Not some post on Ramblermania.

I would have preferred the standard break up line: "it wasn't you, it was me!" That would have been more accurate.

The truth of the matter is - depending on what happens in the next few weeks - Loyola may very well be sitting in a better position than Porter Moser. We all feel so bad about him leaving, that we have forgotten to stay excited about what we still have. The wheels have not come off the bus yet.

If everyone stays (or most stays) we are still a REALLY Good basketball program.

Gentile stays, the practice facilities stay, the championships stay, the budget stays (and actually has some flexibility with Porter gone), the AD is still here, Kennedy, Norris, Anderson and Welch haven’t went into the portal yet (along with the ivys) which is a good sign, and nobody knows what Krutwig, Williamson, Uguak, Hall and Clemons are going to do. With Valentine in place, we aren’t going to reinvent the wheel and change who we have been.

Until we hear otherwise, we are the No. 17 team in the country and reigning conference champs, with the ability to bring everybody back, go to Atlantis, and compete for another title and NCAA birth.

My hope and prayer is that Valentine is doing everything he can to bring as much of the gang back as he can to win NOW for Loyola and keep this momentum going.

Even if Krutwig left and everyone else stayed - with Hutson and Welch, I still think we would be unbelievably good.

Porter on the other hand - he’s got a lot of work to do and he’s staring down a murderers row of conference opponents.

I agree. I think the core of Kennedy, Norris, Anderson, Welch, and Hutson, could be real good. I'd love to see Kennedy in a more free flowing offense to use his considerable offensive and athletic talent. I'm actually looking forward to a new chapter (no offense, of course, to the considerable contributions of the seniors).

Let’s be clear about something, as much as we don’t want it to be, Loyola is a stepping stone job. Either on the way up or on the way down.

Gonzaga has the 28th largest budget in men’s bball. Loyola is at 105. Unless\Until that number gets towards 60 in the country, forget it he dream about a loony tenure.

Do you think Drew Valentine will leave if he gets to the tourney back to back years and wins a game in each of those? You bet he will.

As for the PM smack down — my goodness. Final Four, Sweet 16. Those banners ain’t coming down and they ain’t gonna be seen again in the next several years.

LU was real close to firing him and Watson deserves a TON of credit for not pulling the trigger. We were all REWARDED beyond our wildest hopes.

Let’s not forget that he was the one that saw something in Krut and Lucas, that HIS system of culture helped them become better. Custer was a bust out P5 guard that became a final 4 starter and on and on.

Man deserves a tip of the cap.

PM does deserve a tip of the cap. And for anyone who did not see it, this is Steve Watson's statement:

“It is impossible to properly thank Porter for all he’s done for our basketball program and University,” Watson said. “His vision and leadership brought Loyola to new heights and Ramblers everywhere will be eternally grateful. A huge thank you and best wishes, from all Ramblers, are rightfully being extended to Porter and his family as they embark on their next journey.”

The Porter bashing is a bit over the top. I understand that hurt feelings exist. I am bummed to see him go. I also appreciate his amazing accomplishments at Loyola. The team, coaching staff, and Porter should be celebrated and recognized. Porter has left Loyola in a position to continue relevant success. We have an exciting young and hungry coach. I am hearing that Valentine is ready for prime time and is a tireless worker. There is a bright future ahead. Porter's decision to leave was not personal nor selfish. I wish him well.

_________________
Loyola '86
St. Bona '83

The odds that he schedules Loyola next season are slim, unless his contract has a clause that requires him to schedule us if he left prior to the conclusion of his contract. I wouldn't be surprised if he does schedule us 2 or 3 or years down the road though (when he has a decent team and we're in rebuilding mode).

In regards to some of the anti-Porter sentiment on here, I was admittedly feeling a bit resentful of Porter leaving too, but I still wish him well.
The resentment doesn't come from the fact that he left...that was probably inevitable. The man has been working his ass off at Loyola for the last 10 years! It's not like he was here for 1 or 2 seasons and just bolted at the first opportunity. Personally - and I think that may be the case for some of you, too- the issue is with the fact that the move feels a bit hypocritical. He gave us all a lot of lip service about being "All In" and "Not running away from happy," and talking about sustaining the culture of the program for years to come. It just felt a bit disingenuous that he was ready to actively entertain any option that was perceptually considered a better job.

Nonetheless, his accomplishments at Loyola will undoubtedly have a lasting impact. He helped transition the program into a much better conference, substantially elevated the level of our program (final 4, sweet 16, CBI championship. etc), and helped the university garner well over $300M worth of national media coverage and exposure. More importantly, he always represented the university with class and recruited high character individuals that will be Ramblers for life. I don't think we should just sweep those accomplishments under the rug simply because he made a decision to go somewhere that he thought would give him the opportunity to consistently compete at the highest level while also making a lot more money.

Im not particularly in the mindset to be told how to be a Rambler fan by about 99% of the accounts on this board, with very few exceptions. If folks have an issue with me or anyone else making fun of All In and Don't Run From Happiness, perhaps we take issue with the actions that lead to those phrases being mock-able and not the people doing the mocking. Nobody hates Porter, he did what was best for himself so he could maximize his happiness. He did it when he titled his book All In and got Sister Jean to write the forward and he did it when he took the OU job. It is what it is, he's a fantastic coach and was a good employee with great results for the University. But he's not our coach anymore and making fun of the competition is a part of the game, and to be clear that's what he is now. He is our competition, he is a Sooner, he is not a Rambler and won't be for many years until he retires and comes home for old timers day.