New Season

[Boonan 0]

I know most ignore basketball during football season, or ignore it all together, but I figured I'd try to pay a little attention and see what people think this year will be like. I just finished listening to Lebo talk on Mid-days with Matt, and forgot we have 4 sophomores and a junior for the starting lineup. What kind of expectations are there on this years squad?

[saniflush 0]

I am really stoked about this season! I think we are starting to build some character within our program. I am a BIG Jeff Lebo fan and believe that if left alone he will end up being very good hire.

All that being said I am looking for us to hover around .500 this year. We are still not deep and not very experienced but we were really close to getting over the hump on some games last year IMO.

[Draven 0]

Depth is lacking but Lebo and Co. have brought in some skill. We finally have someone over 6-6" to play inside with two guys in the 6-9" area which will help. But with 11 of 15 on the roster being FR & SO we will have growing pains. Like Sani said .500 or just about is where we will end up, with an upset of a very good team along the way maybe an LSU or Kentucky.

[Boonan 0]

I tend to think this year will improve on last, same guys, just now with a little experience. Over the next couple years as they grow up and as he brings in a few more players to fit his style, i think they'll start getting back in the mix again. Right now, it doesn't help that 1) AU is in rebuild mode, and 2) the SEC is peaking and is really good at the moment.

I like Lebo, too, and think that once he gets his kind of players in with some experience and gets thenew facilities up and running that AU basketball will be in good shape again.

Now if we can get some butts in the seats... I can't complain too much since I usually don't have any chances to get down and catch a game, but I am bound and determined to get down there this year for some weekend game. Hopefully I can make it to some of those good out of conference games they have lined up.

[DCWarEagle 0]

I hope to see some improvement over last year. I'm honestly not expecting a whole lot, but hopefully we will be competitive. I hope for a winning record overall, and around .500 (or just under) in SEC play. We were 12-16 last year, but only 4-12 SEC

I think we made a big mistake firing Cliff Ellis, but I also think that Lebo is a good coach and will eventually get the program in decent shape. Maybe once the new facilities are underway that will show recruits that Auburn is serious about having a decent team.

[AU alum 2]

I don't know much about basketball. I heard that pre-season Auburn was picked #5 in the West, ahead of Ole Miss. I am an Auburn fan, and I love Auburn, but I know how good we were not last year. Did all of Ole Miss' players die or graduate or something? This is an honest question, not a gripe.

[Tigerbait2010 0]

If you look on an article on the tigerrant, it said that Lebo was rated the worst bball coach in the SEC. any truth to this?

[Boonan 0]

If it is being based off his record at Auburn, then no way. Not even coach K would win championships with the players we've had the last couple of years. He may not be elite, but I think he is a good coach and we'll see it when his young guys grow up and he gets a couple mroe recruiting classes in.

[80Tiger 899]

How long are we going to be young? I mean this is his 3rd year. Shouldn't we have a few juniors and seniors. I know a lot of players left when Lebo first got here, but there have been plenty to leave since, many of which were his own recruits. I don't know. I haven't been impressed. To me, basketball is the one sport where coaching, schemes, etc can offset talent to some degree. Espicially during the course of a game. I mean during the last few years, who have we upset. Have we beaten anybody that we really were not suppose to. I don't know just aksing. Has any team tried to hire Lebo away? I hope I am wrong but I am not seeing a blueprint for very much improvement.

[nimsjus 0]

How long are we going to be young? I mean this is his 3rd year. Shouldn't we have a few juniors and seniors. I know a lot of players left when Lebo first got here, but there have been plenty to leave since, many of which were his own recruits. I don't know. I haven't been impressed. To me, basketball is the one sport where coaching, schemes, etc can offset talent to some degree. Espicially during the course of a game. I mean during the last few years, who have we upset. Have we beaten anybody that we really were not suppose to. I don't know just aksing. Has any team tried to hire Lebo away? I hope I am wrong but I am not seeing a blueprint for very much improvement.

Well Kvortney and crew were Lebo's first real recruiting class of his own. They are sophomores. I think it is really unfair to judge Lebo until those guys are seniors. Considering what Ellis left him with, it is a wonder we have won a game. The reason Ellis always seemed to have an experienced team was because he recruited more JUCO players than HS guys. That is not a way to build a program and is the reason we would be good for a year or two and then average for five. Lebo is building from the ground up with HS guys and he is trying to build program, not win just enough to keep the job using JUCO's. He's recruited pretty well considering we are one of the worst teams. His first class had a McDonalds all american in Barber along with Dollard and Quantez. We got two more good G/F this year. I think this year will be .500ish and next year more like .750. If you havent watched them play you should. They play hard(not always smart/efficient), but Lebo has them giving maximum effort every week.

[80Tiger 899]

How long are we going to be young? I mean this is his 3rd year. Shouldn't we have a few juniors and seniors. I know a lot of players left when Lebo first got here, but there have been plenty to leave since, many of which were his own recruits. I don't know. I haven't been impressed. To me, basketball is the one sport where coaching, schemes, etc can offset talent to some degree. Espicially during the course of a game. I mean during the last few years, who have we upset. Have we beaten anybody that we really were not suppose to. I don't know just aksing. Has any team tried to hire Lebo away? I hope I am wrong but I am not seeing a blueprint for very much improvement.

Well Kvortney and crew were Lebo's first real recruiting class of his own. They are sophomores. I think it is really unfair to judge Lebo until those guys are seniors. Considering what Ellis left him with, it is a wonder we have won a game. The reason Ellis always seemed to have an experienced team was because he recruited more JUCO players than HS guys. That is not a way to build a program and is the reason we would be good for a year or two and then average for five. Lebo is building from the ground up with HS guys and he is trying to build program, not win just enough to keep the job using JUCO's. He's recruited pretty well considering we are one of the worst teams. His first class had a McDonalds all american in Barber along with Dollard and Quantez. We got two more good G/F this year. I think this year will be .500ish and next year more like .750. If you havent watched them play you should. They play hard(not always smart/efficient), but Lebo has them giving maximum effort every week.

If you have a cupcake pre-season, which AU does, you grap 7 or 8 wins. That means you only have to win 4 or 5 in the SEC to be 500. I don't think that is improvement. Play hard? Everyone plays hard. To paraphrase a football coach, "if hardwork and discipline won you games, then Army-Navy would play for the NC every year".

[saniflush 0]

If you have a cupcake pre-season, which AU does, you grap 7 or 8 wins. That means you only have to win 4 or 5 in the SEC to be 500. I don't think that is improvement. Play hard? Everyone plays hard. To paraphrase a football coach, "if hardwork and discipline won you games, then Army-Navy would play for the NC every year".

Gonna have to call BS on this one with one word......

PRINCETON

[tigerfan1234 0]

I don't see much improvement either. Until we get a new arena, a better schedule, and a fanbase that actually gives a rip, Auburn basketball will continue to be a joke.

[DCWarEagle 0]

Considering what Ellis left him with, it is a wonder we have won a game. The reason Ellis always seemed to have an experienced team was because he recruited more JUCO players than HS guys. That is not a way to build a program and is the reason we would be good for a year or two and then average for five.

Why is it whenever a coach is no longer at a program, everyone always says he left the program in shambles? Cliff Ellis coached at Auburn for ten years. You know how many losing seasons he had? One. 2001-2002. He had one .500 season (his last one) and eight winning seasons. At Auburn I think that is pretty darn good.

We had good players in Ellis' last year. We would have had good talent in Lebo's first year, but they all left. I'm not on the team, and I have no idea whether they just left b/c Ellis was fired or if they left b/c they didn't like Lebo, but in either event, it is NOT Cliff Ellis' fault that we suck now.

Like I said in my earlier post, I support Lebo. I hope he does well. I hear he is a good coach, even though I haven't really seen that yet.

I think Auburn firing Ellis was about as dumb as Ole Miss firing Cutcliffe. Different sports, but both coaches fielded teams that were competitive at places where that alone is a victory. Both coaches were fired after having down years, and both programs have been MUCH worse since the new staffs have come on board.

[Boonan 0]

Considering what Ellis left him with, it is a wonder we have won a game. The reason Ellis always seemed to have an experienced team was because he recruited more JUCO players than HS guys. That is not a way to build a program and is the reason we would be good for a year or two and then average for five.

Why is it whenever a coach is no longer at a program, everyone always says he left the program in shambles? Cliff Ellis coached at Auburn for ten years. You know how many losing seasons he had? One. 2001-2002. He had one .500 season (his last one) and eight winning seasons. At Auburn I think that is pretty darn good.

We had good players in Ellis' last year. We would have had good talent in Lebo's first year, but they all left. I'm not on the team, and I have no idea whether they just left b/c Ellis was fired or if they left b/c they didn't like Lebo, but in either event, it is NOT Cliff Ellis' fault that we suck now.

Like I said in my earlier post, I support Lebo. I hope he does well. I hear he is a good coach, even though I haven't really seen that yet.

I think Auburn firing Ellis was about as dumb as Ole Miss firing Cutcliffe. Different sports, but both coaches fielded teams that were competitive at places where that alone is a victory. Both coaches were fired after having down years, and both programs have been MUCH worse since the new staffs have come on board.

Well Ellis did leave the AU program with probation, which didn't help either.

[DCWarEagle 0]

Well Ellis did leave the AU program with probation, which didn't help either.

It is certainly true that being on probation has not helped the situation the last two years, but I think (and I could be wrong on this, so please tell me if you know otherwise) that (1) Ellis was fired before the probation hit, (2) that Ellis was cleared of any wrongdoing, and (3) we only lost one scholarship...

But you are right, being on probation has certainly hurt us.

I'm not arguing that Lebo is not a good coach, I'm just saying I think Ellis got a raw deal, and the current problems w/ the program can't be blamed on him.

But to end on a positive note, hopefully w/ us going off the probation and the promise of new facilities we can start rebuilding the program and moving in the right direction.

[nimsjus 0]

Well Ellis did leave the AU program with probation, which didn't help either.

It is certainly true that being on probation has not helped the situation the last two years, but I think (and I could be wrong on this, so please tell me if you know otherwise) that (1) Ellis was fired before the probation hit, (2) that Ellis was cleared of any wrongdoing, and (3) we only lost one scholarship...

But you are right, being on probation has certainly hurt us.

I'm not arguing that Lebo is not a good coach, I'm just saying I think Ellis got a raw deal, and the current problems w/ the program can't be blamed on him.

But to end on a positive note, hopefully w/ us going off the probation and the promise of new facilities we can start rebuilding the program and moving in the right direction.

[TexasTiger 12,800]

Final Four, baby! Move over George Mason!