Trouble in Harker's House

[Purplepaladin]

Ben Anderson (Freshman All-American) has left the program. Understand 5 or 6 additional other players are leaving. Bad reflection on coaching staff!!

[apaladin]

Some of us had speculated this by the way the team played at times. This is definitely not good news. The cupboard was already bare/thin for next year and now it looks like its gonna be even worse.

[fufanatic]

Yikes. Not a good look. Especially when you see the men's basketball program lose one guy in about 5+ years and that guy is coming back to graduate eventually. I thought Harker was the game-changing hire post RS?

[MetroMizzy]

Ooooof. Anyone know where he is going?

[Fessor]

Ben Anderson (Freshman All-American) has left the program. Understand 5 or 6 additional other players are leaving. Bad reflection on coaching staff!!

Maybe, maybe not. Soccer has lost big time recruits to transfer. The coach is a great recruiter but the kid gets here and finds out that the school is not a good fit. Doesn't mean the coach isn't a good coach.

Some may find this hard to believe, but a small school in Berea may not be a good fit for everyone.

[apaladin]

Ben Anderson (Freshman All-American) has left the program. Understand 5 or 6 additional other players are leaving. Bad reflection on coaching staff!!

Maybe, maybe not. Soccer has lost big time recruits to transfer. The coach is a great recruiter but the kid gets here and finds out that the school is not a good fit. Doesn't mean the coach isn't a good coach.

Some may find this hard to believe, but a small school in Berea to be a good fit for everyone.

I agree Greenville Tech on White Horse is not for everybody.

[Fessor]

Ben Anderson (Freshman All-American) has left the program. Understand 5 or 6 additional other players are leaving. Bad reflection on coaching staff!!

Maybe, maybe not. Soccer has lost big time recruits to transfer. The coach is a great recruiter but the kid gets here and finds out that the school is not a good fit. Doesn't mean the coach isn't a good coach.

Some may find this hard to believe, but a small school in Berea to be a good fit for everyone.

I agree Greenville Tech on White Horse is not for everybody.

Mature response, as anticipated.

Do you contribute in any meaningful way to make these programs better or do you just bitch and moan?

[apaladin]

You have no sense of humor. BTW Furman is not in Berea.

[fufanatic]

Ben Anderson (Freshman All-American) has left the program. Understand 5 or 6 additional other players are leaving. Bad reflection on coaching staff!!

Maybe, maybe not. Soccer has lost big time recruits to transfer. The coach is a great recruiter but the kid gets here and finds out that the school is not a good fit. Doesn't mean the coach isn't a good coach.

Some may find this hard to believe, but a small school in Berea may not be a good fit for everyone.

Fair points. It stinks that Anderson is leaving, but I understand if he wants to test himself at a higher level. In college baseball, which conference you're in is not super important to getting drafted, but can certainly help you get drafted higher. Although there are always exceptions to the rule RE: Lewis from Mercer in 2017.

I will push back a bit that 5-6 players leaving in one year isn't a big deal. That's a significant percentage of a college baseball roster. Looks like 33 players were on this year's team, you take away 5-6 guys on top of the 6 seniors graduating, and you're replacing a third of the team. Now if you're telling me that the guys leaving batted .100 or had a 9.00 ERA, it might not hurt the team on the field, but it could be an issue in the clubhouse.

[FU69]

You have no sense of humor. BTW Furman is not in Berea.

Almost!!!

[Fessor]

Ben Anderson (Freshman All-American) has left the program. Understand 5 or 6 additional other players are leaving. Bad reflection on coaching staff!!

Maybe, maybe not. Soccer has lost big time recruits to transfer. The coach is a great recruiter but the kid gets here and finds out that the school is not a good fit. Doesn't mean the coach isn't a good coach.

Some may find this hard to believe, but a small school in Berea may not be a good fit for everyone.

Fair points. It stinks that Anderson is leaving, but I understand if he wants to test himself at a higher level. In college baseball, which conference you're in is not super important to getting drafted, but can certainly help you get drafted higher. Although there are always exceptions to the rule RE: Lewis from Mercer in 2017.

I will push back a bit that 5-6 players leaving in one year isn't a big deal. That's a significant percentage of a college baseball roster. Looks like 33 players were on this year's team, you take away 5-6 guys on top of the 6 seniors graduating, and you're replacing a third of the team. Now if you're telling me that the guys leaving batted .100 or had a 9.00 ERA, it might not hurt the team on the field, but it could be an issue in the clubhouse.

Do you know that 5-6 players are leaving?

In the case of Anderson, players transferring from Furman to bigger schools that play on a bigger stage and at a higher level of competition has been going on as long as I've followed Furman. Same reasons as the coaches who do the same, with the exception of the salary considerations. Comes with the territory. If you want to change it, increase salaries to hire top flight coaches, play better competition, and/or upgrade in conferences. Or, just jump on the Clemson or Duke bandwagons.

Does the coach get no credit for recognizing the talent in the first place and recruiting him?

[The Jackal]

Ben Anderson (Freshman All-American) has left the program. Understand 5 or 6 additional other players are leaving. Bad reflection on coaching staff!!

Maybe, maybe not. Soccer has lost big time recruits to transfer. The coach is a great recruiter but the kid gets here and finds out that the school is not a good fit. Doesn't mean the coach isn't a good coach.

Some may find this hard to believe, but a small school in Berea may not be a good fit for everyone.

Fair points. It stinks that Anderson is leaving, but I understand if he wants to test himself at a higher level. In college baseball, which conference you're in is not super important to getting drafted, but can certainly help you get drafted higher. Although there are always exceptions to the rule RE: Lewis from Mercer in 2017.

I will push back a bit that 5-6 players leaving in one year isn't a big deal. That's a significant percentage of a college baseball roster. Looks like 33 players were on this year's team, you take away 5-6 guys on top of the 6 seniors graduating, and you're replacing a third of the team. Now if you're telling me that the guys leaving batted .100 or had a 9.00 ERA, it might not hurt the team on the field, but it could be an issue in the clubhouse.

Do you know that 5-6 players are leaving?

In the case of Anderson, players transferring from Furman to bigger schools that play on a bigger stage and at a higher level of competition has been going on as long as I've followed Furman. Same reasons as the coaches who do the same, with the exception of the salary considerations. Comes with the territory. If you want to change it, increase salaries to hire top flight coaches, play better competition, and/or upgrade in conferences. Or, just jump on the Clemson or Duke bandwagons.

Does the coach get no credit for recognizing the talent in the first place and recruiting him?

Baseball is a bit of a different animal, though. Unlike virtually every other sport, baseball players are not drafted with an eye towards helping out the major league club for the coming season. They are drafted on projectability and talent, and you can satisfy that anywhere. It's not as though Furman does not provide any opportunities to test your mettle against the "big boys."

Also, unlike every other major sport, the little guys can win in baseball. Some of the best baseball programs nationally are schools like Wichita State, Cal-Fullerton, Rice, and Coastal Carolina. You don't necessarily do much better by transferring out of a smaller D1 program. If you are good, you are good and may look that much better by playing at a smaller school.

As fufanatic noted, Mercer's Kyle Lewis was a high first round draft pick just two seasons ago. If you are good and projectable with tools, it doesn't matter where you are playing.

[fufanatic]

Ben Anderson (Freshman All-American) has left the program. Understand 5 or 6 additional other players are leaving. Bad reflection on coaching staff!!

Maybe, maybe not. Soccer has lost big time recruits to transfer. The coach is a great recruiter but the kid gets here and finds out that the school is not a good fit. Doesn't mean the coach isn't a good coach.

Some may find this hard to believe, but a small school in Berea may not be a good fit for everyone.

Fair points. It stinks that Anderson is leaving, but I understand if he wants to test himself at a higher level. In college baseball, which conference you're in is not super important to getting drafted, but can certainly help you get drafted higher. Although there are always exceptions to the rule RE: Lewis from Mercer in 2017.

I will push back a bit that 5-6 players leaving in one year isn't a big deal. That's a significant percentage of a college baseball roster. Looks like 33 players were on this year's team, you take away 5-6 guys on top of the 6 seniors graduating, and you're replacing a third of the team. Now if you're telling me that the guys leaving batted .100 or had a 9.00 ERA, it might not hurt the team on the field, but it could be an issue in the clubhouse.

Do you know that 5-6 players are leaving?

Good point. I don't. I was just going off of the first post, which is hearsay. So hopefully it's wrong. Still a bummer about Anderson though.

[Fessor]

Ben Anderson (Freshman All-American) has left the program. Understand 5 or 6 additional other players are leaving. Bad reflection on coaching staff!!

Maybe, maybe not. Soccer has lost big time recruits to transfer. The coach is a great recruiter but the kid gets here and finds out that the school is not a good fit. Doesn't mean the coach isn't a good coach.

Some may find this hard to believe, but a small school in Berea may not be a good fit for everyone.

Fair points. It stinks that Anderson is leaving, but I understand if he wants to test himself at a higher level. In college baseball, which conference you're in is not super important to getting drafted, but can certainly help you get drafted higher. Although there are always exceptions to the rule RE: Lewis from Mercer in 2017.

I will push back a bit that 5-6 players leaving in one year isn't a big deal. That's a significant percentage of a college baseball roster. Looks like 33 players were on this year's team, you take away 5-6 guys on top of the 6 seniors graduating, and you're replacing a third of the team. Now if you're telling me that the guys leaving batted .100 or had a 9.00 ERA, it might not hurt the team on the field, but it could be an issue in the clubhouse.

Do you know that 5-6 players are leaving?

Good point. I don't. I was just going off of the first post, which is hearsay. So hopefully it's wrong. Still a bummer about Anderson though.

Anderson leaving: Comes with the territory. It's the curse of being a Furman fan.

[Fessor]

Ben Anderson (Freshman All-American) has left the program. Understand 5 or 6 additional other players are leaving. Bad reflection on coaching staff!!

Maybe, maybe not. Soccer has lost big time recruits to transfer. The coach is a great recruiter but the kid gets here and finds out that the school is not a good fit. Doesn't mean the coach isn't a good coach.

Some may find this hard to believe, but a small school in Berea may not be a good fit for everyone.

Fair points. It stinks that Anderson is leaving, but I understand if he wants to test himself at a higher level. In college baseball, which conference you're in is not super important to getting drafted, but can certainly help you get drafted higher. Although there are always exceptions to the rule RE: Lewis from Mercer in 2017.

I will push back a bit that 5-6 players leaving in one year isn't a big deal. That's a significant percentage of a college baseball roster. Looks like 33 players were on this year's team, you take away 5-6 guys on top of the 6 seniors graduating, and you're replacing a third of the team. Now if you're telling me that the guys leaving batted .100 or had a 9.00 ERA, it might not hurt the team on the field, but it could be an issue in the clubhouse.

Do you know that 5-6 players are leaving?

Good point. I don't. I was just going off of the first post, which is hearsay. So hopefully it's wrong. Still a bummer about Anderson though.

Anderson leaving: Comes with the territory. It's the curse of being a Furman fan.

Should instead have said: it's the curse of rooting for a small college. Players or coaches leaving FU scarred my childhood.