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Cliff Ellis Question


tigeraddikt

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I was just thinking back to Cliff's tenure at Auburn. By referencing his wiki page, I was kinda charting his rise and fall at AU. It looks as though he built the program toward the famous run of 1998-1999 (my senior year of HS), and then the following season we faltered in league play (lacked the same chemistry). Then the following year, it was another step in the wrong direction, going 18-14 after the senior-heavy 2000 team lineup moved on. Then he had a bad season, going 4-12 in league play, before bouncing back Marquis Daniels' senior year (2002-2003) to go on that NCAA tourney run to the Sweet 16. The next season was a sharp drop-off after which he got canned.

My question is this: can someone help me remember what the administration's biggest issue was with CCE and why they fired him when they did? I know the program seemed to be trending downward from its peak during the 1998-1999 season, but Ellis was recorded as saying that he thought his next season's team (2004-2005) was going to be better than 1998-1999. The next year would've featured Lewis Monroe, Marco Killingsworth, Toney Douglas, Brandon Robinson, Nathan Watson, Dwayne Baby Curtis, et. al. But he wasn't given the chance. I do remember the offensive production steadily tanking in league play following the 98-99 campaign, but man that would have been an awesome roster to see play in 2004-2005 had Ellis been retained. I recall Monroe and Killingsworth transferring to IU where they eventually helped Mike Davis make that NCAA tourney championship game run.

Was it Ed Richardson trying to clean up the SACS/JetGate mess that led to CCE's departure, or was it purely from a league W/L record angle? TIA.

Oh, and FWIW, I'm so excited about the quality of product that Bruce and the guys are putting on the court this season. There's something special about this team, and I couldn't be more thrilled. Quality AU basketball has been a long time coming, and now that it's here, it is a flattering sight to behold.

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6 minutes ago, tigeraddikt said:

I was just thinking back to Cliff's tenure at Auburn. By referencing his wiki page, I was kinda charting his rise and fall at AU. It looks as though he built the program toward the famous run of 1998-1999 (my senior year of HS), and then the following season we faltered in league play (lacked the same chemistry). Then the following year, it was another step in the wrong direction, going 18-14 after the senior-heavy 2000 team lineup moved on. Then he had a bad season, going 4-12 in league play, before bouncing back Marquis Daniels' senior year (2002-2003) to go on that NCAA tourney run to the Sweet 16. The next season was a sharp drop-off after which he got canned.

My question is this: can someone help me remember what the administration's biggest issue was with CCE and why they fired him when they did? I know the program seemed to be trending downward from its peak during the 1998-1999 season, but Ellis was recorded as saying that he thought his next season's team (2004-2005) was going to be better than 1998-1999. The next year would've featured Lewis Monroe, Marco Killingsworth, Toney Douglas, Brandon Robinson, Nathan Watson, Dwayne Baby Curtis, et. al. But he wasn't given the chance. I do remember the offensive production steadily tanking in league play following the 98-99 campaign, but man that would have been an awesome roster to see play in 2004-2005 had Ellis been retained. I recall Monroe and Killingsworth transferring to IU where they eventually helped Mike Davis make that NCAA tourney championship game run.

Was it Ed Richardson trying to clean up the SACS/JetGate mess that led to CCE's departure, or was it purely from a league W/L record angle? TIA.

Oh, and FWIW, I'm so excited about the quality of product that Bruce and the guys are putting on the court this season. There's something special about this team, and I couldn't be more thrilled. Quality AU basketball has been a long time coming, and now that it's here, it is a flattering sight to behold.

Weren't there probation implications he got the program caught up in at the end of his tenure?

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19 minutes ago, AUTigersfan89 said:

Weren't there probation implications he got the program caught up in at the end of his tenure

messing with the damned AAU coaches, who were steering players to schools for a price....he got a raw deal, because the player ( i can't remember who) ended up at kentucky and they got ZERO, NADA, ZIP punishment and cliff lost his job and we went on probation.....i believe the AAU coach was named kamora.... williams and stansbury at mississippi state were the two dirtiest coaches in the league at that time,and they never got one thing done to them....you know how i know?....they had a guard signed from right here where i live....his grandpa is a friend of mine,90 years old, and he comes over and i give him stuff out of the garden, and we shoot the bull.....i know what his grandson got from moo state, and i know that cliff got screwed

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yep, it was the AAU team here in alabama, if i recall.  i'm not sure that ellis technically did anything wrong.  i think the ncaa stated the aau coach was considered a booster (i dont think he went to auburn, but had financially donated to auburn and therefore considered a booster) ... auburn had dealings with that coach and players on that aau team ... therefore the ncaa smacked auburn around some.  i believe we had the inside track on some talented players and lost them due to this mess.

there may be some backroom things, but i dont think auburn was ever officially accused of anything other than dealing with the aau coach.  after that, auburn put the kabosh on auburn coaches dealing with aau coaches - or something like that.

i remember thinking we fans and coach ellis got jobbed.

EDIT:  @doverstutts, i didnt read your post before i posted mine.  much better info than what i put, but similar in auburn falling on its sword without reason.  i guess that is one of the reasons i am so bothered by the current situation.

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http://onlineathens.com/stories/042804/dog_20040428069.shtml#.WlPT90xFzwo

Looks like one of those situations about what people thought and what they could prove....the AAU ban lasted for quite a while after that if I recall.

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i hated to read that info again.  there is no problem with komara doing things for those kids.  when the ncaa decided we called komara too many times, then he becomes a "rep" of auburn?  then we get thumped for it?  2 auburn assistants were cleared of wrongdoing and ellis was never implicated ... but we end up on probation ... mainly because we made to many phone calls to a coach?

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37 minutes ago, mustache eagle said:

i hated to read that info again.  there is no problem with komara doing things for those kids.  when the ncaa decided we called komara too many times, then he becomes a "rep" of auburn?  then we get thumped for it?  2 auburn assistants were cleared of wrongdoing and ellis was never implicated ... but we end up on probation ... mainly because we made to many phone calls to a coach?

I think the problem was that the NCAA had adopted a new rule regarding AAU coaches influence and they wanted to crack down on them.

And unfortunately they used it first on AU, since the 2 most serious allegations were removed bc the NCAA could not verify those violations. 

And a Miss agent is who first blew the whistle on Komara. And since they proved he had provided something to parent/player, then they could use that new rule against us.

what's weird too is these players were ONLY sophomores in HS, and AU had not even offered them a scholarship! 

I don't think we were sneaky clean, but it was a stretch connecting Komara a rep for AU...

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Yeah, they had labeled Mark as a representative of AU and that he had paid $$ to a couple kids, one was Chadd Moore I remember and the other was a kid from Mississippi. Seems like an assistant provided a car as well. Too much for Cliff to overcome. 

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On ‎1‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 6:21 PM, NoALtiger said:

Yeah, they had labeled Mark as a representative of AU and that he had paid $$ to a couple kids, one was Chadd Moore I remember and the other was a kid from Mississippi. Seems like an assistant provided a car as well. Too much for Cliff to overcome. 

Plus he left behind some issues at Clemson....had a reputation that did not help the situation.   AU had a reputation too with Pat Dye.....didn't need anything else for the NCAA to go after. .

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  • 2 weeks later...

ol Uncle Cliff who I love dearly because he is such a easy to like fella is honestly probaly overrated because of the 99 season and to a lesser extent 03. Besides South Alabama he has never really had sustained success at any program he has been to once he got to D-1 basketball. At Auburn and Clemson he reaches a crescendo and then steadily drops after that. At clemson he was 26-9 in 1990. Reached the sweet 16. Went 11-17, 14-14, 17-13 and 18-16 after that never reaching the ncaa tourney again at clemson. At Auburn he actually had 2 high water mark seasons but again he fell off after both of those seasons. 29-4 in 99 and made the sweet 16. Then went 24-10, 18-14, 12-15 and THEN the suprise team that went 22-12 and made the sweet 16 but then went 14-14 and he got the boot. Coach Ellis is simply not a great coach or even a really good one BUT he is a good coach. I mean you HAVE to be to get 4 different teams to the ncaa tourney. Just has a ceiling capped on his success it seems. Could never maintain success. SOUND FAMILIAR?! lol. Still love the man dearly. My fondest bball memories growing up are from him as coach. WAR DAMN CLIFF ELLIS!

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Yep Cliff was a charming guy...met him at some alumni function during his time at AU.   He was funny and also had a good singing voice  which he would show off with a group that he performed with on occasion.    I don't know that he was devious .....seemed he just did not care much for following the NCAA rules,  though he did manage to see that the dirt fell on someone else's shoes. .   

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