Bit of Rambler perspective

[Ramblerguy]

Porters first year was 2012 Horizon League
Ken Pom final rank. W/L record
2012. 288. 7-23
2013. 166. 15-16
Onto the Valley:
2014. 246. 10-22
2015. 132. 24-13
2016. 184. 15-17
2017. 97. 18-14
2018. 31. 32-6
2019. 131. 20-14
2020. 101. 21-11
2021. 10. 26-5
Drew arrives:
2022. 29. 25-8
So far in A10 season
2023. 250. 8-15
Thoughts? Need 2 wins to match 2014.
Been quite a ride..

[natetheskate]

The key for me since Porter came and now with Drew...is that I feel like the University is trying to win and support the team...and that fans are coming to games...Ws and Ls will come and go and will be effected by things that can be controlled and cant be controlled..but if the U is supporting the team, the students and fans are coming to games and creating a ruckus I am ok and not too concerned about Kenpom ...and enjoying the ride.

[Ramblerguy]

Nate, I agree. I only used the KP to show inevitable ebb and flow, as well as the scary similarities between coaching changes and changing conferences.. Also sometimes we forget where we used to be. LU has a long bball history and occasional excellent results.
I know I’m not alone in wanting that level of competition and success to continue.
I know every other school in A10 wants the same. I think Rambler fans just want it a little bit more.
On to next game.
Go Ramblers
PS talk about tradition,
How about that awesome Hawk? Gotta love it.
No sleight to Lou Wolf…

[goramblers2011]

Nate, I agree. I only used the KP to show inevitable ebb and flow, as well as the scary similarities between coaching changes and changing conferences.. Also sometimes we forget where we used to be. LU has a long bball history and occasional excellent results.
I know I’m not alone in wanting that level of competition and success to continue.
I know every other school in A10 wants the same. I think Rambler fans just want it a little bit more.
On to next game.
Go Ramblers
PS talk about tradition,
How about that awesome Hawk? Gotta love it.
No sleight to Lou Wolf…

The Hawk is a cool tradition. But something about that dumb ugly bird walking out to midcourt on the Loyola name after the game ended and flapping its dumb wings while staring at the Loyola student section...would have loved to run out to center court and tackle that bird. A la what the Cowboys did to Terrell Owens in 2000: https://youtu.be/cshHg_sWyVo?t=9

[JCT]

There is a LOT more trash talking from players in the A10 than any league I've seen up close (Horizon had some, but nothing like A-10). Ace Baldwin (VCU) came out on the court after the win to run up and taunt a fan who called him a mosquito, a couple of the George Washington players were pretty sassy, Greer and Reynolds were very vocal after every made basket, plus the chanting and disruptive visiting fans are not just ""yea!, go our team!"", they're ""In your face, Loyola! We are now your dominant masters and you must obey when you smell our scent!!"" There's a mean streak and a curled, cruel lip in this league that I guess is the East Coast way of doing things that we have to get used to.

I wasn't expecting it to be as cut-throat near the bottom. When George Washington (picked last, sporting a 6-7 record, and having just lost to Seattle by 18 points on a neutral court) is taunting and trash-talking you in your first A-10 game, you've got to re-assess your notions of "spirited competition." Maybe we need to get a hard-ass dose of taunting, really bad calls, trash talk, beat-downs, and smash-mouth street ball to wake up to the level we're into now.

[Boooom!]

Definitely different. When Drew took the timeout in the second half against St Joes when they took the lead one of the second/third guards was mid court taunting Drew and our whole team and the refs just turned away!
Would’ve been a T in the Valley.

[Cruyff]

Having lived through the 1984-2018 Valley-of-Death / Moses-wandering-the-desert like era of no NCAA appearances, I can understand how some of us have fear of back sliding into irrelevance and obscurity. Porter’s last couple seasons, and Drew’s first, finally cleansed me of the trauma that began with the Will Rey regime. So, I understand the paranoia and panic that a poor season may trigger— not arguing it’s rational, just asking for a friend of mine who may harbor some of those irrational feelings.

Thank you for putting this all in perspective. As someone pointed out, the University is making an unprecedented amount of investment in the program. Attending games has become an event. We have a wonderful facility. We’re arguably in the best conference in school history, and the program is on national broadcasts on CBS sports regularly. We’re in better shape in many ways in 2023 than at any other time since the early 60s when we caught lightning in a bottle. Thank you for your analysis, I’ll share it with that friend I mentioned above. He needs to remember to be thankful for what we have.