Ramblermania.net

Whatever we need to do to keep from becoming the flatline program we were between the ending years of Gene Sullivan to the turnaround with Porter I am all for it.

A couple quick thoughts:

(1) I don’t think Drew will be fired, but his seat will be very hot next year

(2) IF Drew were to be fired, whether we’d want Porter to come back isn’t as important as whether Porter would want to come back in that situation. Porter has always expressed sincere feelings on coaches, especially young coaches being fired, how bad of an experience that was for him. Now combine that with the fact that Drew was his guy, probably still is pretty close with him, who he mentored and helped bring up to the head coach position…I just don’t think Porter would take the job it if it meant replacing his guy who was just fired.

Somehow this story from 2 weeks ago got missed.....

Good reading for this week.


As Losses Mount, Loyola Chicago Faces An Uncertain Future
The Ramblers had high hopes for the season but are now in last place in the Atlantic-10, raising questions about the future of coach Drew Valentine

https://www.hoopshq.com/mid-majors/loyo ... ago-crisis

Good find! Obviously, we are slipping.

This program is ambitiously resourced, but after losing three starters from the NIT semifinalists of last season, fifth-year coach Drew Valentine made several miscalculations in the transfer portal, falling into the familiar trap of being tantalized by raw talent instead of cultural fit. Without the flow of developing players a program like Loyola might have been able to rely upon in the past, there was nothing to fall back upon.

“This year’s class, I leaned more into offense and what I thought talent level would help us win, rather than going out and getting guys like Braden Norris,” Valentine said, gesturing across the court to the former Loyola point guard, visiting with the team that morning. “He wasn’t the most talented dude, but he was tough.”

Steve Part 1:

For the time being, the school’s athletic director, Steve Watson, who promoted Valentine to the top job in 2021 after Porter Moser left for Oklahoma following a run to the Sweet 16, is standing firmly by his man. “Unwavering,” Watson told Hoops HQ. “He’s fantastic. He’s what Loyola basketball is all about. He’s the kind of guy you want coaching your kids.”

Steve Part 2:

“We are where we need to be,” Watson said. “The financial commitment to our basketball program has been outstanding. That hasn’t changed and we don’t anticipate that changing. We’re funding it to be at the top of the league.”

Drew 1 Minute:

“I think I feel less pressure,” he told Hoops HQ. “I’ve proven not only that we can win and get a team to the tournament but respond to a tough year and come back and win. I got my job at the craziest time ever. My first year was the first year of immediate eligibility and transfers, and then NIL starts, and then it goes from collectives to rev-share. We change leagues. It’s kind of crazy. I think I’ve done a good job with the help of our administration at putting our program in a position where, sure, we may not have made the NCAA tournament run like before, but we’ve been consistent. Everybody still looks at us.”

Drew the next:

“This is our second time in our four years in the A-10 when it hasn’t been consistent. I think this year is different from previous years because our talent level is enough, and injuries have gotten in the way of that.”

"when it hasn't been consistent" is an interesting way of saying "worst Loyola team, maybe ever". And hard to blame injuries when our non-con was so pathetically awful. Amos wasn't saving us.

Hard to tell if that statement from Watson is an actual vote of confidence or the dreaded "vote of confidence."

goramblers2011 wrote:"when it hasn't been consistent" is an interesting way of saying "worst Loyola team, maybe ever". And hard to blame injuries when our non-con was so pathetically awful. Amos wasn't saving us.

Amos has been pretty good, but since his debut, when he made four threes and helped us keep the Chicago State game to a single-digit loss, he's only shooting about 24% from three.

My theory remains that paying and counting on Dominick Harris ruined our season.

ahunte1 wrote:My theory remains that paying and counting on Dominick Harris ruined our season.

You’re not wrong. Usually all it takes is 1 guy on the roster to go rogue and it can infect the others and the vibing of that roster and drag the rest down. Saint Thomas and Bryce Golden come to mind on other teams of recent memory…..

Rambler nation gives a heartfelt thanks to Dominick Harris for his contributions of 44 grand total minutes and 10 points over 7 games, and requests a refund.

There is a difference between a down year and a year that may end up the worst season in program history. There is absolutely no excuse or justification for the latter, particularly given the resources this program has. We have a large sample size now. He’s 89-71 at Loyola. Take the first year out with Porter’s guys and he’s below .500.

It’s time to move on.

RamblinMan wrote:There is a difference between a down year and a year that may end up the worst season in program history. There is absolutely no excuse or justification for the latter, particularly given the resources this program has. We have a large sample size now. He’s 89-71 at Loyola. Take the first year out with Porter’s guys and he’s below .500.

It’s time to move on.

I don't know if it's time to move on, but a sub 300 ranking is inexcusable for sure. I mean even 200 would be tough.

It's hard to explain to normies that losing games by 20 points is absurd.