Nova in trouble
- Thread starter Halldan1
- Start date
I’d say Neptune is in serious trouble. He ain’t in Rose Hill anymore. Can’t lose to Columbia
Nova culture is gone. Maybe inevitable and Wright may have seen this coming, but Neptune appears to have totally abandoned the HS recruit foundation and has heavied up on Transfers who just happen to be primarily motivated by $. That’s now how Nova built their Natty teams.
Neptune will likely lose the job after this year if they don’t make the NCAAs again, but whoever takes over the program from there needs to get back to the Nova culture which was primarily built on talented HS players who wanted to get developed and play into the Nova way so to speak.
Neptune will likely lose the job after this year if they don’t make the NCAAs again, but whoever takes over the program from there needs to get back to the Nova culture which was primarily built on talented HS players who wanted to get developed and play into the Nova way so to speak.
You know the old saying you don't want be the guy who follows a legend. You want to be the guy who follows the guy who follows the legend.
A good Villanova is good for the big east.
I don’t know if it’s culture, that Neptune isn’t a good coach, or both. I hate rushing to judgment, but he massively underachieved last year with talent. If this isn’t an early season “hiccup” and Nova massively underachieves again, I can see them looking to make a change.
The one area of disagreement I have with your post is the view that the Nova transfers are “primarily motivated by $”. How are their kids any different than ours or anyone else for that matter?
Dixon and Longino are from the old Wright model and they have a number of freshman who were good recruits like Hodge. So I’m not sure if they have fully abandoned the continuity and development route, and they had guys last year who fit that mold as well.
I just think Neptune may be a problem.
Wow, turns out that KenPom ranking Villanova no. 21 based on last year's numbers without having seen the team actually practice or play didn't turn out so well. Who could have seen that coming?
I am not sure the Nova/Jay Wright culture can exist anymore with NIL. You are not going to develop kids and keep them for 3-4 years. It is just not going to happen. With that said, Neptune does appear "in over his head". I don't see him surviving after this year.
And this is why Jay stepped down. Saw this coming.
Divergent views at Nova on Neptune hire. Many thought that they were in a position to hire the best available coach at the time, and it was a mistake to limit the search to a Nova guy. Nova will always be attractive but not as shiny by the end of this year. I disagree as following Neptune is better than following Wright so the candidate pool should be rich.
He needs to make the NCAA.
There is mention of the transfer issue with Nova and how it isn’t different from other programs, but I think it is different.
They have the coffers to pay for kids they want to keep. And I can see donors paying to retain kids for 3 years if they create a winning program again with a coach that’s successful and wants to stay. Similar to how Creighton retains their players and how McDermott has turned down other gigs to stay in Omaha.
There are still a number of schools that can’t retain players. Cough, cough like Seton Hall.
They have the coffers to pay for kids they want to keep. And I can see donors paying to retain kids for 3 years if they create a winning program again with a coach that’s successful and wants to stay. Similar to how Creighton retains their players and how McDermott has turned down other gigs to stay in Omaha.
There are still a number of schools that can’t retain players. Cough, cough like Seton Hall.
Not excusing the loss but Columbia's top 8 players are all in their 3rd or 4th year with the team. That continuity is valuable for player and team development in the transfer/NIL era.
Especially this early in the season when the so called better teams, with so many new portal pieces, have zero cohesion and chemistry yet.
That is what the fb P5s are counting on. Seeing so many BB onlies at the top of Hoops turns their stomach.
Jay was an exceptional coach. When you played his teams he always had 5 guys on the court who could shoot, pass , rebound, play team defense and just play smart basketball.
Wright was worth 5 points or more before every game started. No one was better at intimidating the refs. He would start from the opening tip until the 1 minute mark when he would empty his bench with a 30 point lead.
Well, Big East (and Nova) may indeed be in trouble with transfer portal & NIL....SHU being an accelerated microcosm of the Big East.
If it was not for my 50+ years of invested SHU Pirate loyalty, fandom and pride, I could easily walk away from college sports in general. The main reason I loved NCAA hoops was the development of players, the 4 years of commitment, and the slow change over the course of time.
Now it's worse than the NBA, at least they have multi-year contracts to maintain consistency.
Listen, I am all for players getting paid, they earn it, but the real world application of this simply does not work!
Particularly for the Big East.
If it was not for my 50+ years of invested SHU Pirate loyalty, fandom and pride, I could easily walk away from college sports in general. The main reason I loved NCAA hoops was the development of players, the 4 years of commitment, and the slow change over the course of time.
Now it's worse than the NBA, at least they have multi-year contracts to maintain consistency.
Listen, I am all for players getting paid, they earn it, but the real world application of this simply does not work!
Particularly for the Big East.
This is a MAJOR factor early in the season. Columbia’s continuity and the trend they’ve been on was on display last night. They play real well.
It’s also coaching at Villanova. They look totally unorganized. Culture is excellence. They have not played defense or done the little things Wright harped on since he left. Then without the conveyor belt of development of the roster it’s even harder. Wright didn’t want to deal with this, he’s a coach first, not a GM, and he made that clear, but if he did want to deal it the team would still be markedly better. He’s a HOF coach for a reason.
There are four football power conferences. The Pac12 no longer is one.
you can't lose to Columbia when you ARE at Rose Hill!
lol
well...maybe you can....but definitely not at Nova....
Nova has money to retain; donors just don’t want to give Neptune an open checkbook. He’s on a short leash.
That is a good point. And you could see low level D1 programs keep their players all 4 years and out play teams that are composed of strangers
This is not a new concept. Think back to any very good mid-major going back a decade or more. They tend to be veteran teams who have had their core together for at least two years and probably three.
Wofford in 2018-19 would be one example but there are many more.
An older example would be our Final Four team. Even in an era where few players transferred and fewer left for the NBA prior to after their junior year, that team was successful in large part due to the continuity among its core players.
I'm not necessarily comparing Columbia to any of those teams. I'm just making the point that continuity has always played a major role in how teams come together.
You are correct. Many mid majors blossomed when they were senior laden. Wichita State in 2006 was a very good team that fit that mold I believe. They certainly “shocked” (pun intended) many of us.
Good example. That was a very good team which went to the Sweet 16 after beating Tennessee.
Their more recent run started with an NIT Championship in 2011 followed by the 2013 Final Four and then starting 35-0 in 2014 before losing to Kentucky in the second round.
That program had a lot of talent and continuity.
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