Originally Posted by UDTradition
Thanks for your kind advice. But...I did see it coming.
Archibald's farewell was classless. His timing was worse. He took much too long to praise UD. Anyone on this forum could have written him a script which would have significantly lessened the blow to his rabid fans. His very first, second and third communication should have been related only to his fan-base (which does not include IU). We are the ones that supported him while he developed his resume.
Unlike AM, we feel that UD is the destination. Telling me that I am second fiddle does not make me feel good.
The core of my anger is that Archibald left the cupboard bare. He realized that next year (which is his doing) is an obvious rebuilding year and he would have a 50% record team (if the freshman stay). He was the President of the UD Fanatic Fan Company and chose to sell his stock at it's peak...with insider information.
Wait till next year (if UD loses their blue-chip players)...I respectfully predict that your pleasant song will be out of tune.
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No..."We" don't see UD as destination job. UD may be a destination job for a 51 year old head coach. Not a 32 year old, aspiring for banners, head coach. When your mid-major university hires a hot coach...anyone with a clue knows you are the stepping stone. You don't have to like it, but anyone that understands UD's position and the nature of college basketball, gets it. You are second fiddle to P5 schools that have the ability to compete for E8 spots on a regular basis. Like it or not, there is a ceiling here and if you think that ceiling competes with the likes of UNC, Duke, Kansas, IU, etc...year after year, decade after decade...you are kidding yourself. Can and should UD compete for these E8 positions from time to time? Yes. But to expect it year after year with the regularity of the P5 schools that do it regularly, you are setting yourself up for failure.
Ok...so a couple recruits bounce. Cupboard bare? Hardly. It is laughable that some think that this team was going to be "cupboard bare" "rebuilding" even with Archie at the helm nest year...come on. St. Louis is rebuilding. UD was and will be dealing with some adversity. The guys on the roster now aren't bums and will be able to hold their own.
Archie owes you, me, us, UD nothing. He was hired to coach the game, mentor young men, and be an ambassador to UD. Nothing more, nothing less. He did that and he did it well.
The level of butthurt over losing a coach is something else. If you didn't see this coming, you weren't paying attention. This year. Next year. Three years from now. It doesn't matter. AM leaving at any time is going to be a tough pill to swallow and a hurdle that UD hoops has to get over and one they were going to have to get over. AM wasn't staying here for 30 years and retiring from UD. He had a short list of schools, most likely 3 of them...and one of the 3 came up. Had one of those 3 not opened up this year, he would still be here IMO. He wasn't shopping around and looking to get out when the first school came calling.
