This is going to be the most honest post many of you have ever read. I’ve read the boards for years but don’t comment... not worth it, but after reading Tim’s post I will - not that it deserves any amount of time, because it doesn’t.
Conference tournaments come down to 1 game... 1 game. These guys played their heart out for four years and I GUARANTEE they are way more crushed than any of us. Do you really think the coaches didn’t put their heart and soul into this?!?! Momentum is real... we had a bad night, they had a good night. It happens. It hurts. We can split hairs over the details of why etc and place blame and be downtrodden... it doesn’t help.
Now, this is the honest part. Many of you say... just recruit players like ETSU or fill in the blank team. We need length (try finding someone w length that can catch the ball - if you so they aren’t playing at a low-major school). Many ETSU players can’t get into Furman! We can’t take the transfers and kids (behavior wise) that are at ETSU and many of the other schools we play against. Those players are more talented and athletic than players at Furman a lot of times becauSe we can’t recruit those kids... plus it hard to take many transfers academically at Furman. ETSU gets them bc they can take kids with ‘baggage’. If they didn’t have baggage many would be at a power 5 school. Now, look at Mercer... they are ‘all in’ from a financial standpoint... Wofford, UNCG, the same. Bottom line is many want to get on here and complain about this and that and many don’t give the money it takes to stay competitive when other schools in the conference are committed when it comes to basketball. Wofford has a new arena. ETSU is paying their coach $600k. Furman has a record number of sports and tries to be good at everything. The schools that are most successful have the most money to be successful and/or pool resources for their top tier sports. That’s how the business works. Furman doesn’t have the money. Period. Furman invests in ALL sports to the detriment of sports that could make an impact nationally (from a visibility stand point). Investments in football, baseball, lacrosse... thats all great and Furman student athletes are amazing and deserve a great experience and support. But when you look at the business side of it, it isn’t feasible to be great at everything.
Now, hats off to the team and staff for all they’ve done on the floor and off in raising the awareness of the program and giving it everything they have! The university doesn’t have the money to compete with the Jones’. And if you say: “well, we’re furman, we should get the best of the best because of who we are...”, then get a grip ... Furman can’t take kids other schools can take so you have a smaller recruiting base to begin with... The last 5 years have been great and can continue to be great but you can only do so much with less. If Furman really wants to be good at basketball then more resources are needed or resources will have to be cut from somewhere else. Now, despite all these challenges (and don’t argue against any of it because it is the truth) you have to realize that the job they’re doing is excellent. And they’re doing it with great kids you’d want your grandkids to look up to. If you want to say Furman has made investments, etc, they have and it’s great. But, realize that it’s just brought the program up to par with others. It isn’t leaping Furman over other top conference programs. Moreover, much of the money has come from a very small group of donors and the buyout. Furman is not all in at all costs like etsu (and I wouldn’t want them to be)... and we don’t have a jerry richardson. End of post... the coaches and team have done a phenomenal job and should be commended. Negativity toward them is completely ridiculous and has no place.... however upset we may feel is so insignificant compared to the pain they have in their hearts right now.
Conference tournaments come down to 1 game... 1 game. These guys played their heart out for four years and I GUARANTEE they are way more crushed than any of us. Do you really think the coaches didn’t put their heart and soul into this?!?! Momentum is real... we had a bad night, they had a good night. It happens. It hurts. We can split hairs over the details of why etc and place blame and be downtrodden... it doesn’t help.
Now, this is the honest part. Many of you say... just recruit players like ETSU or fill in the blank team. We need length (try finding someone w length that can catch the ball - if you so they aren’t playing at a low-major school). Many ETSU players can’t get into Furman! We can’t take the transfers and kids (behavior wise) that are at ETSU and many of the other schools we play against. Those players are more talented and athletic than players at Furman a lot of times becauSe we can’t recruit those kids... plus it hard to take many transfers academically at Furman. ETSU gets them bc they can take kids with ‘baggage’. If they didn’t have baggage many would be at a power 5 school. Now, look at Mercer... they are ‘all in’ from a financial standpoint... Wofford, UNCG, the same. Bottom line is many want to get on here and complain about this and that and many don’t give the money it takes to stay competitive when other schools in the conference are committed when it comes to basketball. Wofford has a new arena. ETSU is paying their coach $600k. Furman has a record number of sports and tries to be good at everything. The schools that are most successful have the most money to be successful and/or pool resources for their top tier sports. That’s how the business works. Furman doesn’t have the money. Period. Furman invests in ALL sports to the detriment of sports that could make an impact nationally (from a visibility stand point). Investments in football, baseball, lacrosse... thats all great and Furman student athletes are amazing and deserve a great experience and support. But when you look at the business side of it, it isn’t feasible to be great at everything.
Now, hats off to the team and staff for all they’ve done on the floor and off in raising the awareness of the program and giving it everything they have! The university doesn’t have the money to compete with the Jones’. And if you say: “well, we’re furman, we should get the best of the best because of who we are...”, then get a grip ... Furman can’t take kids other schools can take so you have a smaller recruiting base to begin with... The last 5 years have been great and can continue to be great but you can only do so much with less. If Furman really wants to be good at basketball then more resources are needed or resources will have to be cut from somewhere else. Now, despite all these challenges (and don’t argue against any of it because it is the truth) you have to realize that the job they’re doing is excellent. And they’re doing it with great kids you’d want your grandkids to look up to. If you want to say Furman has made investments, etc, they have and it’s great. But, realize that it’s just brought the program up to par with others. It isn’t leaping Furman over other top conference programs. Moreover, much of the money has come from a very small group of donors and the buyout. Furman is not all in at all costs like etsu (and I wouldn’t want them to be)... and we don’t have a jerry richardson. End of post... the coaches and team have done a phenomenal job and should be commended. Negativity toward them is completely ridiculous and has no place.... however upset we may feel is so insignificant compared to the pain they have in their hearts right now.
