Enough with the Lebo

[Guest mtn_tgr]

Give me a break. Look at Florida they are starting 3 Freshman this year who have only high school b-ball experience and they're winning.

We got a bunch of players that can't slow down and just throw up a shot and call it giving it their all. I could do that and they don't even have to give me a scholarship to do it.

No, you give me a break. Florida was not and has not been in the mess we've been. They haven't been on probation recently. They started with a higher talent level than Lebo did. They are coming off back to back national titles so the average talent level of their freshmen is going to be a tad higher than someone coming off the Cliff Ellis years and the Killingsworth, Monroe, Curtis backstabbing.

If you honestly think that what we're doing out there is just throwing up shots I question whether you can tell a basketball hoop from a mop bucket.

I guess 9-35 from behind the arc isn't throwing up shots?

We aren't just throwing up shots, probably 70 or 80 percent of our shots are open looks, and when you have to inside prescence you have to tak those shots when they come. Just b/c we are 9-35, doesn't mean they were bad shots it just means the shots werent falling.

[Ranger12 46]

I am in the group that thinks we need to scrutinize Lebo a little more next year. The bad luck Lebo had this year with losing players could not be helped. That is like being the manager and half your department catches the flu, so your efficiency is shot to hell for a week. Nothing you can do but try to make up as much of the difference that you can.

[tgr4lfe 220]

Give me a break. Look at Florida they are starting 3 Freshman this year who have only high school b-ball experience and they're winning.

We got a bunch of players that can't slow down and just throw up a shot and call it giving it their all. I could do that and they don't even have to give me a scholarship to do it.

No, you give me a break. Florida was not and has not been in the mess we've been. They haven't been on probation recently. They started with a higher talent level than Lebo did. They are coming off back to back national titles so the average talent level of their freshmen is going to be a tad higher than someone coming off the Cliff Ellis years and the Killingsworth, Monroe, Curtis backstabbing.

If you honestly think that what we're doing out there is just throwing up shots I question whether you can tell a basketball hoop from a mop bucket.

I guess 9-35 from behind the arc isn't throwing up shots?

No..that is just poor shooting. AU has not had a good pure shooter since before Lebo. Probably since Wesley Person or Lance Weems. That and a lack of a good big man inside has been the biggest hinderance to getting over the hump.

[TitanTiger 20,472]

Andy Kennedy is a very good coach, but Lebo out coached him today. Only 6 scholarship players available and Auburn pulls out a huge 80-77 win.

[weglchamp 0]

If certain other teams in the SEC west (who will remain nameless) played as hard as Auburn they would be a powerhouse. Conversely if Auburn the talent of that team with Lebo coaching they would be a powerhouse. Lebo is getting alot out of a little, let's see if he can get more talent or at least depth and then judge him. If he can't then it will be clear that he has to go.

[WarTiger 3,901]

great game today. Tigers make their first 6 3-pointers, hit key free throws down the stretch and tigers WIN. Lebo took over a terrible situation here and he's had nothing but bad things happen since he got here with players leaving (or being released, what ever the case was) and now with all the injuries piling up. I, for one, hope Lebo is here for many years to come.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

Okay. I'm off the bandwagon. Won't be getting back on. And here's why: Ole Miss.

Are you seriously going to tell me that Auburn was a bigger basketball wasteland than Ole Miss? The Rebels sucked at roundball since Jonah rode the whale. It was a desert over there. They play in the "Tad Pad" for Buddha's sake.

Kennedy showed up in 2006 to take over that dreadful Ole Miss program. Where are the Rebels today?

Basketball should not be a five or ten year building process. And AU is going to invest $100 katrillion dollars in an arena when only 11 fans show up for a home SEC game? Yeah, Catch-22 blah, blah, blah. This isn't Field of Dreams. If you build it, they still won't come. You should have a program that WINS before you invest in it.

I'm just curious....how long did it take to get the egg off your face?

[kickinwang 0]

Okay. I'm off the bandwagon. Won't be getting back on. And here's why: Ole Miss.

Are you seriously going to tell me that Auburn was a bigger basketball wasteland than Ole Miss? The Rebels sucked at roundball since Jonah rode the whale. It was a desert over there. They play in the "Tad Pad" for Buddha's sake.

Kennedy showed up in 2006 to take over that dreadful Ole Miss program. Where are the Rebels today?

Basketball should not be a five or ten year building process. And AU is going to invest $100 katrillion dollars in an arena when only 11 fans show up for a home SEC game? Yeah, Catch-22 blah, blah, blah. This isn't Field of Dreams. If you build it, they still won't come. You should have a program that WINS before you invest in it.

I'm just curious....how long did it take to get the egg off your face?

this should be good....

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

Okay. I'm off the bandwagon. Won't be getting back on. And here's why: Ole Miss.

Are you seriously going to tell me that Auburn was a bigger basketball wasteland than Ole Miss? The Rebels sucked at roundball since Jonah rode the whale. It was a desert over there. They play in the "Tad Pad" for Buddha's sake.

Kennedy showed up in 2006 to take over that dreadful Ole Miss program. Where are the Rebels today?

Basketball should not be a five or ten year building process. And AU is going to invest $100 katrillion dollars in an arena when only 11 fans show up for a home SEC game? Yeah, Catch-22 blah, blah, blah. This isn't Field of Dreams. If you build it, they still won't come. You should have a program that WINS before you invest in it.

I'm just curious....how long did it take to get the egg off your face?

Wow, they beat Ole Miss how many times? 1

The key to success is to win consisent.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

Okay. I'm off the bandwagon. Won't be getting back on. And here's why: Ole Miss.

Are you seriously going to tell me that Auburn was a bigger basketball wasteland than Ole Miss? The Rebels sucked at roundball since Jonah rode the whale. It was a desert over there. They play in the "Tad Pad" for Buddha's sake.

Kennedy showed up in 2006 to take over that dreadful Ole Miss program. Where are the Rebels today?

Basketball should not be a five or ten year building process. And AU is going to invest $100 katrillion dollars in an arena when only 11 fans show up for a home SEC game? Yeah, Catch-22 blah, blah, blah. This isn't Field of Dreams. If you build it, they still won't come. You should have a program that WINS before you invest in it.

I'm just curious....how long did it take to get the egg off your face?

Wow, they beat Ole Miss how many times? 1

The key to success is to win consisent.

You mean like the #1 team getting knocked of today by an unranked team?

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

Okay. I'm off the bandwagon. Won't be getting back on. And here's why: Ole Miss.

Are you seriously going to tell me that Auburn was a bigger basketball wasteland than Ole Miss? The Rebels sucked at roundball since Jonah rode the whale. It was a desert over there. They play in the "Tad Pad" for Buddha's sake.

Kennedy showed up in 2006 to take over that dreadful Ole Miss program. Where are the Rebels today?

Basketball should not be a five or ten year building process. And AU is going to invest $100 katrillion dollars in an arena when only 11 fans show up for a home SEC game? Yeah, Catch-22 blah, blah, blah. This isn't Field of Dreams. If you build it, they still won't come. You should have a program that WINS before you invest in it.

I'm just curious....how long did it take to get the egg off your face?

Wow, they beat Ole Miss how many times? 1

The key to success is to win consisent.

You mean like the #1 team getting knocked of today by an unranked team?

Right. But my point to you is that North Carolina loss 1 game. But they have won 18. Is that not winning consistently?

[TitanTiger 20,472]

Tell you what, smart guy. Go up to Chapel Hill. Kneecap their best big man, their leading scorer and anyone else over 6-7 until you leave them with only six scholarship players and force them to start 4 guards and a small forward every game. Then let's see how "consistent" they are.

Lebo had turned the corner last year and everyone had good reason to feel like this would be the year we'd make some noise. But the description I gave you above for what to do to UNC happened to us, only without someone pulling a Mafia hit on them. And we don't have the built-in advantages that a UNC has in basketball and never have. But this team is fighting its ass off. Other than Matt Heramb's two minutes, six players did all the playing for us. Dewayne Reed never came out. Quantez Robertson only came out for the final five seconds after getting hit in the nose. And we just won our 4th out of our last 5 games against ranked opponents.

Stop being so stubborn. You could combine the coaches from UNC, Duke and Kansas all into one and they wouldn't fare much better with this lineup and these circumstances.

[autigeremt 6,600]

Damn right! Lebo is AUsome, and I can't wait til he get's a full roster on the floor. This team plays with fire, and I like what I see!

I have been to all but two games the Tigers have played in the state of Alabama this year so far. The way this team has responded to adversity is a testiment to their coach!

War Damn Eagle!

[WarTiger 3,901]

Tell you what, smart guy. Go up to Chapel Hill. Kneecap their best big man, their leading scorer and anyone else over 6-7 until you leave them with only six scholarship players and force them to start 4 guards and a small forward every game. Then let's see how "consistent" they are.

Lebo had turned the corner last year and everyone had good reason to feel like this would be the year we'd make some noise. But the description I gave you above for what to do to UNC happened to us, only without someone pulling a Mafia hit on them. And we don't have the built-in advantages that a UNC has in basketball and never have. But this team is fighting its ass off. Other than Matt Heramb's two minutes, six players did all the playing for us. Dewayne Reed never came out. Quantez Robertson only came out for the final five seconds after getting hit in the nose. And we just won our 4th out of our last 5 games against ranked opponents.

Stop being so stubborn. You could combine the coaches from UNC, Duke and Kansas all into one and they wouldn't fare much better with this lineup and these circumstances.

great post. Anybody that's followed this team should know the difficulty this program has faced in recent years. We barely have enough players to put on the floor. Yet the ones that are out there are busting their tails. Tolbert was all over the floor last night. He shot 9-11 from the floor (2-2 from 3-point range), 9-12 from the FT line. 7 rebounds, 2 steals and finished with 29 points. Ole Miss had no answer for him or Reed all day. Even the announcers said that Reed gave their freshman phenom guard the toughest game of the season (and his worst in the stat sheet) If everyone would stop being so critical and get behind this team, imagine what they could do with actual support. I'm unable to get to the games right now, but I damn sure watch every game when they are on TV (just like football) and if there is no tv I turn on the gamecast and keep up with that. This team is busting their asses every game and they just beat the #18 team in the country. Why some people can't see the whole picture that surrounds this program is beyond me.

What's the latest on some of our guys that are injured. How long till we get some of them back? Barker, Sylla?

Lebo is awesome and I hope he stays for many years to come.

[autkidd 0]

Sylla dressed last night and went the pre-game warm ups. He looked good and wasn't limping at all. Expect for him to play against Presbyterian.

Barber... I have no clue.

[TitanTiger 20,472]

Barber will be out at least 2-3 more weeks. It was a broken wrist. In football you could probably wear a brace and tape a big pad around it like Pat Sims had early this year. You can't play b'ball that way.

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

Tell you what, smart guy. Go up to Chapel Hill. Kneecap their best big man, their leading scorer and anyone else over 6-7 until you leave them with only six scholarship players and force them to start 4 guards and a small forward every game. Then let's see how "consistent" they are.

Lebo had turned the corner last year and everyone had good reason to feel like this would be the year we'd make some noise. But the description I gave you above for what to do to UNC happened to us, only without someone pulling a Mafia hit on them. And we don't have the built-in advantages that a UNC has in basketball and never have. But this team is fighting its ass off. Other than Matt Heramb's two minutes, six players did all the playing for us. Dewayne Reed never came out. Quantez Robertson only came out for the final five seconds after getting hit in the nose. And we just won our 4th out of our last 5 games against ranked opponents.

Stop being so stubborn. You could combine the coaches from UNC, Duke and Kansas all into one and they wouldn't fare much better with this lineup and these circumstances.

I tell you what I already know what most coaches would do. They would do the same that Lebo is doing. They would tell their players to shoot alot of 3's and then only shoot 2 point shots if they're open.

Auburn lives and dies by the 3's. Auburn won yesterday because we were able to shoot the 3's more consistent. I doubt we can do it every game. We shot more 2 point shots then I had seen in any other game I've watched Auburn play this year.

Auburn started out 6-6 on 3 pt FG and then went 4-13 for the rest of the game. I think had we shot some more 2 point shots instead of just throwing up a 3pt shot then we probably wouldn't have lost our big lead.

I'm glad we won but I live in reality and don't go throwing out hypothetical stuff. Anyone with common sense could figure out why Auburn shoots so many 3's and anyone with common sense coaching would probably do the same thing Lebo is doing and tell them to shoot alot o 3's.

I mean if we lose is it coaching or is it another excuse about us not having enough players?

You can't have it both ways

[TitanTiger 20,472]

We're not trying to have it both ways. What we're trying to get through that cast iron skull of yours is that there is no way you can reasonably say that the reason we're struggling is because Lebo isn't a good coach. He's doing a pretty amazing job right now given the hand he's been dealt. And frankly, I've never seen a guy run into more sorry, out-of-his-control luck than CJL has. So the fact that we will likely lose more games than we hoped this year should not be seen as a reason to jettison him and go find someone else.

He's done an excellent job under the circumstances. He's got them in top-notch condition, he does a good job of teaching them defense and mixing up looks to keep the other team off balance. When that quick little PG of theirs was giving us trouble, he started double teaming and trapping him and effectively shut him down the rest of the way. Ole Miss was never able to adjust to us taking him out of the flow of the game, even though they outsized us under the boards. They killed us on the boards in the first half and he made good adjustments to neutralize that in the 2nd, drastically cutting down on 2nd chance points for the Rebels.

If you can't see that he's doing a good job, you're just determined to be a sourpuss and aren't operating in reality.

[GalensGhost 0]

Okay. I'm off the bandwagon. Won't be getting back on. And here's why: Ole Miss.

Are you seriously going to tell me that Auburn was a bigger basketball wasteland than Ole Miss? The Rebels sucked at roundball since Jonah rode the whale. It was a desert over there. They play in the "Tad Pad" for Buddha's sake.

Kennedy showed up in 2006 to take over that dreadful Ole Miss program. Where are the Rebels today?

Basketball should not be a five or ten year building process. And AU is going to invest $100 katrillion dollars in an arena when only 11 fans show up for a home SEC game? Yeah, Catch-22 blah, blah, blah. This isn't Field of Dreams. If you build it, they still won't come. You should have a program that WINS before you invest in it.

I'm just curious....how long did it take to get the egg off your face?

Are you really this dumb?

One game (good or bad) doesn't change anything. Ole Miss will be in the NCAA tourney this season. Auburn won't.

And if you want further evidence, I present Tennessee. They sucked. S.U.C.K.E.D. Bruce Pearl turned that program around immediately.

You can make all the excuses you want -- and there seems to be a flurry of new ones every season -- but the fact remains that you shouldn't be struggling with having enough players four years into the tenure of a coach. It just doesn't take that long in basketball, I don't care HOW dire the situation inherited might be.

[TitanTiger 20,472]

Has Tennessee experienced the kind of injury situations we have? And if I recall correctly, UTs problem wasn't that Buzz Peterson couldn't recruit, it's that he couldn't coach. So Pearl actually inherited a fairly talented squad and hasn't had much, if any, problem with injuries, transfers from malcontents or academic casualties.

All I know is that we got an SEC road win on Wednesday and just outcoached and outhustled a 15-1 Ole Miss squad on Saturday. So Lebo can't suck that bad.

[WarTiger 3,901]

Okay. I'm off the bandwagon. Won't be getting back on. And here's why: Ole Miss.

Are you seriously going to tell me that Auburn was a bigger basketball wasteland than Ole Miss? The Rebels sucked at roundball since Jonah rode the whale. It was a desert over there. They play in the "Tad Pad" for Buddha's sake.

Kennedy showed up in 2006 to take over that dreadful Ole Miss program. Where are the Rebels today?

Basketball should not be a five or ten year building process. And AU is going to invest $100 katrillion dollars in an arena when only 11 fans show up for a home SEC game? Yeah, Catch-22 blah, blah, blah. This isn't Field of Dreams. If you build it, they still won't come. You should have a program that WINS before you invest in it.

I'm just curious....how long did it take to get the egg off your face?

Are you really this dumb?

One game (good or bad) doesn't change anything. Ole Miss will be in the NCAA tourney this season. Auburn won't.

And if you want further evidence, I present Tennessee. They sucked. S.U.C.K.E.D. Bruce Pearl turned that program around immediately.

You can make all the excuses you want -- and there seems to be a flurry of new ones every season -- but the fact remains that you shouldn't be struggling with having enough players four years into the tenure of a coach. It just doesn't take that long in basketball, I don't care HOW dire the situation inherited might be.

I'd like to hear what you would have done differently. Of those players that left, how many would you have kept or tried to keep? That limited him in his first year already. Whether they left because they didn't want to play for lebo or lebo elminated them because of their attitudes I don't really know cause I'm not part of the program. What would you have done to eliminate or prevent the injuries that happened in previous years and now this year? I trust that lebo knows what he's doing and if those players that left were released, then they , very likely, weren't willing to buy into the system that lebo was going to implement.

This was the first season since he's been here that he actually had a full roster of returning players only to be absolutely KILLED with injuries. How exactly is all this Lebo's fault? His job is to build the program, and he might as well come to a school without a program at all with what he's faced since he's been here. He had a responsibility to clean up the program and he's done it... Not sure how the blame gets layed at the feet of Lebo here. Just doesn't make sense when so much of this was and is beyond his control.

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

Lets give Lebo a medal and a contract extension for being able to field a team and maybe win a couple of games against some good teams but not go to the NIT or anything.

[TitanTiger 20,472]

Lets give Lebo a medal and a contract extension for being able to field a team and maybe win a couple of games against some good teams but not go to the NIT or anything.

What would help you to make a half ounce of sense is if you could point out what Lebo should have done differently. Or how about which coach we could have gotten or should go get that could do better with these exact same circumstances. Because otherwise, you just look like a whiny ass that doesn't know basketball from Chinese checkers.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

Okay. I'm off the bandwagon. Won't be getting back on. And here's why: Ole Miss.

Are you seriously going to tell me that Auburn was a bigger basketball wasteland than Ole Miss? The Rebels sucked at roundball since Jonah rode the whale. It was a desert over there. They play in the "Tad Pad" for Buddha's sake.

Kennedy showed up in 2006 to take over that dreadful Ole Miss program. Where are the Rebels today?

Basketball should not be a five or ten year building process. And AU is going to invest $100 katrillion dollars in an arena when only 11 fans show up for a home SEC game? Yeah, Catch-22 blah, blah, blah. This isn't Field of Dreams. If you build it, they still won't come. You should have a program that WINS before you invest in it.

I'm just curious....how long did it take to get the egg off your face?

Are you really this dumb? --nope. What would you suggest maestro? Who do you think we could get any better than Lebo. Point was you compared us with Ole Miss. Fact is we beat them even as a heavy underdog. Sounds like you were kind of the dumb one.

One game (good or bad) doesn't change anything. Ole Miss will be in the NCAA tourney this season. Auburn won't.

And if you want further evidence, I present Tennessee. They sucked. S.U.C.K.E.D. Bruce Pearl turned that program around immediately.

You can make all the excuses you want -- and there seems to be a flurry of new ones every season -- but the fact remains that you shouldn't be struggling with having enough players four years into the tenure of a coach. It just doesn't take that long in basketball, I don't care HOW dire the situation inherited might be.

[GalensGhost 0]

Okay. I'm off the bandwagon. Won't be getting back on. And here's why: Ole Miss.

Are you seriously going to tell me that Auburn was a bigger basketball wasteland than Ole Miss? The Rebels sucked at roundball since Jonah rode the whale. It was a desert over there. They play in the "Tad Pad" for Buddha's sake.

Kennedy showed up in 2006 to take over that dreadful Ole Miss program. Where are the Rebels today?

Basketball should not be a five or ten year building process. And AU is going to invest $100 katrillion dollars in an arena when only 11 fans show up for a home SEC game? Yeah, Catch-22 blah, blah, blah. This isn't Field of Dreams. If you build it, they still won't come. You should have a program that WINS before you invest in it.

I'm just curious....how long did it take to get the egg off your face?

Are you really this dumb? --nope. What would you suggest maestro? Who do you think we could get any better than Lebo. Point was you compared us with Ole Miss. Fact is we beat them even as a heavy underdog. Sounds like you were kind of the dumb one.

One game (good or bad) doesn't change anything. Ole Miss will be in the NCAA tourney this season. Auburn won't.

And if you want further evidence, I present Tennessee. They sucked. S.U.C.K.E.D. Bruce Pearl turned that program around immediately.

You can make all the excuses you want -- and there seems to be a flurry of new ones every season -- but the fact remains that you shouldn't be struggling with having enough players four years into the tenure of a coach. It just doesn't take that long in basketball, I don't care HOW dire the situation inherited might be.

Fact is, the Ole Miss program is in better shape than Auburn's. Ole Miss will get a tournament invite. Can't say the same about AU right now. You'd have to be really dumb to ignore that fact and hang your hat on a single game. As your helpful pals pointed out, any rag-tag team can slip up and pull an upset in basketball. Thanks for validating my point.

The whole "what would you have done differently" argument is asinine. You don't have to be a supermodel to recognize beauty. You don't have to be a chef to recognize when something tastes bad. You don't have to be a singer to realize that Ashley Simpson can't sing. The fact that you know she can't sing doesn't mean you have any particular insight into what surgical procedures or training she might need in order to be able to carry a tune in a bucket.

As for who would be better, how the hell do we know? For all you know, I WOULD be better than Lebo. You might, too. How long do you accept this excuse and that excuse, this justification and that rationale? Is it too much to expect the coach of your SEC-caliber team to -- in FOUR years -- bring in SEC-level talent? To be considered one of the best 96 teams in the country? TOP 96?? (64 NCAA + 32 NIT). Spare me all the rationalizations and excuses. Valid or not, they bear no weight.

It's easy to make excuse after excuse after excuse and say AU will be good "if and when". The fact is that other coaches -- Kennedy, Pearl, for example -- don't need to make them. When is immediately and there are no "ifs"

For the record, I don't actively root for Lebo to fail. In fact, I think he's a decent guy -- maybe a better assistant coach than a head coach, but -- and I wish him all the success in the world. I'd love for the basketball program to be a national force (so long as it doesn't detract from football's strength). But that's not what we've got right now and instead of progress, we get a different excuse every year.