Excellent profile of Travis DeCuire by Frank Gogola

[grizzlyjournal]

Some straight talk, self-examination and strong opinions regarding the changes in college basketball. Link attached:
https://406mtsports.com/college/big-sky-conference/university-of-montana/travis-decuire-is-reviving-montana-in-new-era-can-he-restore-the-griz-to-greatness/article_d0b9c78a-b8cb-11ed-9584-bfe4f7d5fec3.html#tncms-source=infinity-scroll-summary-siderail-latest

 

[grizonbob]

Thanks for posting this. It is a fascinating article, on a number of levels.

Some folks here have posted on whether DeCuire is still up to the task of dealing with a Division 1 team considering all the challenges the new transfer rules and so on bring. I think he's proven this season that he got the ability to adapt, as needed, to whatever is thrown at him.

But it's interesting to hear him say that, while he once thought he'd coach until he physically he couldn't do it anymore, he's now not so sure because all the things that have motivated him as a coach have become "less existent."

KInda sad to hear that...

 

[mthoopsfan]

I wouldn't want to be a head coach in hoops or football, with all the changes, mostly transfers and perhaps different attitudes and motivations of players due to the money that is out there at the upper levels. I can understand what Travis said. Too much of a revolving door. Lots of extra time and work. Probably lots of frustration. As a fan, I don't like seeing lots of new players every year on a hoops team. Times have changed very much.

About 20 years ago, I remember asking my father in law, who had been a long time coach of college basketball (small school) as well as high school football and basketball, if parents ever talked to him about the playing time of their kids. He hesitated, and then said: "Some...but nobody every talked to me twice." He grew up as a tough Irish kid in Butte. Old school.

 

[mthoopsfan]

"North Carolina was 20 minutes away from winning the NCAA tournament last April when an epic collapse allowed Kansas to claw its way back from a 15-point halftime deficit and win.

Nearly a year later, the Tar Heels’ long slide still isn’t over.

With most of the roster from that magical 2022 NCAA tournament run intact, North Carolina was pegged as the preseason No. 1 team for the 2022-23 campaign. Now, amid a 19-12 season—and a home loss against archrival Duke on Saturday night—they are in seventh place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tar Heels could earn the inglorious honor of becoming the first team since the 1974-75 season to miss the tournament after being ranked No. 1 in the preseason (back then, North Carolina State missed the 32-team field)."

"The schools hit hardest in this season just happen to teams that often dance their way to the Sweet 16, and often well beyond—including Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Syracuse and Villanova. The same sextet that combined to win nine titles and appear in 30 Final Fours in the past 30 years are all in danger of missing the NCAA tournament."

"Several factors are fueling the situation: Bad luck with injuries to top players, promising transfers not panning out and collegiate stars who stuck around to make money on endorsements disrupting development pipelines."

https://www.wsj.com/articles/college-basketball-march-madness-bubble-unc-villanova-syracuse-5d0694df?mod=hp_listc_pos1

Probably behind a pay wall.