For You Negative Basketball Fans

[gonefhin 8]

The arena isn't finished and JJ promised CTB that it would be done a long time ago and it still isn't.

Good point, I heard that they are putting new Nacho machines in, should be ready mid season.

[Mikey 16,633]

The arena isn't finished and JJ promised CTB that it would be done a long time ago and it still isn't.

What's not finished? Looks finished to me. Hiring Barbee in itself demonstrated support for the program, let alone sinking nearly $100 million into the Arena.

As far as anyone can tell, Barbee has received all the support any coach could expect.

[johnjacob 44]

It would be in the best interests of AU bball if we the fans would be patient and realize it is going to take a few years for Barbee to build a program at AU. Going from coach to coach will not help and will continue the lack of wins much like Tenn, football the last 5-6 years. We are not going to get those players that can turn around a program overnight at this point, because the fans simply don't support bball enough to attract the elite players. Barbee will have to get pretty good players and develop them-that seems to be what he is doing with this recent class and the current commits.

[AuburnBasketball 0]

Yeah the stuff the fans see is finished, but not the stuff the players and recruits see. The players lounge and all that is no where near as nice as it should be.

[AUnMS 120]

How do you guys see the Illinois game playing out? Obviously if we win then... and if we don't then . In any case, I would like to see us competitive on a national stage. Thoughts?

[jwmboom7 0]

How do you guys see the Illinois game playing out? Obviously if we win then... and if we don't then . In any case, I would like to see us competitive on a national stage. Thoughts?

Obviously, if it is actually a game, then most of us will be extremely satisfied, but I'm not certain it will be...

[danno 2]

I hope the players are not coming to AU based on the players lounge. I have not seen the entire complex, so I can't speak to the statement that it is not finished. The practice and weight facilities are second to none. I hope that TB does not have the attitude that we cannot recruit the elite players, if so he needs to move on. I don't think that is his thought process and I am not advocating we get a new coach. For some reason he has not been able to recruit players that are coming and staying long enough to turn the program around. The only times I have seen AU fans support BB is when they have a decent product on the court. So that you know that I am not just someone who comes on a board like this and does not support the program you should know that I have season tickets (scholarship ) and drive 1hr. 45min to attend the games. I personally think we should all expect the program to compete at a higher level.

[johnjacob 44]

I hope the players are not coming to AU based on the players lounge. I have not seen the entire complex, so I can't speak to the statement that it is not finished. The practice and weight facilities are second to none. I hope that TB does not have the attitude that we cannot recruit the elite players, if so he needs to move on. I don't think that is his thought process and I am not advocating we get a new coach. For some reason he has not been able to recruit players that are coming and staying long enough to turn the program around. The only times I have seen AU fans support BB is when they have a decent product on the court. So that you know that I am not just someone who comes on a board like this and does not support the program you should know that I have season tickets (scholarship ) and drive 1hr. 45min to attend the games. I personally think we should all expect the program to compete at a higher level.

You can recruit elite players all you want, but given a choice between Duke, UNC, Kentucky 99% of the time those recruits are going to pick the elite programs. Just like in football we rarely lose a recruit to Ball State, those programs are rarely going to lose a recruit to AU. It is smarter to go after the kids that are just under the elite status, but are pretty darn good players. If you do that every year sooner than later you have a top 25 team, but those kids aren't going to come in as freshmen and turn the program around over night like the players that go to Kentucky are able to do. Barbee's the best AU will do at this point and it is best for us fans to be patient. He is bringing in solid players unlike the last coach and he will get it turned around more than likely.

[AuburnBasketball 0]

We just have to be patient, with some of the setbacks we have had, turning our program around is a couple years behind schedule.

[AUBourne 425]

I hope the players are not coming to AU based on the players lounge. I have not seen the entire complex, so I can't speak to the statement that it is not finished. The practice and weight facilities are second to none. I hope that TB does not have the attitude that we cannot recruit the elite players, if so he needs to move on. I don't think that is his thought process and I am not advocating we get a new coach. For some reason he has not been able to recruit players that are coming and staying long enough to turn the program around. The only times I have seen AU fans support BB is when they have a decent product on the court. So that you know that I am not just someone who comes on a board like this and does not support the program you should know that I have season tickets (scholarship ) and drive 1hr. 45min to attend the games. I personally think we should all expect the program to compete at a higher level.

You can recruit elite players all you want, but given a choice between Duke, UNC, Kentucky 99% of the time those recruits are going to pick the elite programs. Just like in football we rarely lose a recruit to Ball State, those programs are rarely going to lose a recruit to AU. It is smarter to go after the kids that are just under the elite status, but are pretty darn good players. If you do that every year sooner than later you have a top 25 team, but those kids aren't going to come in as freshmen and turn the program around over night like the players that go to Kentucky are able to do. Barbee's the best AU will do at this point and it is best for us fans to be patient. He is bringing in solid players unlike the last coach and he will get it turned around more than likely.

We might not beat teams like UNC and Duke for recruits but we should be getting better players than San Diego State, New Mexico, Creighton, St Mary's etc. Yet we are probably wouldn't be very competitive against any of them.

[Aubie791 0]

By my calculations, approximately 25% of those who attend the games have posted, on this thread, regarding their frustration with Jacobs, Barbee and the AU basketball team. I say this feeling quite certain that all negative comments posted on this thread are based on first hand, viewing knowledge!

I see improvement and feel positive about the future assuming the team gets a modicum of support. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I have mine.

As mentioned in the Illinois game thread, see you on the plains Wed. Don't be late as game time was moved from 7 to 6. On a personal note, that makes it tough for me to get there from my office in Montgomery but it does get me to bed earlier after my 1 1/4 hour post game drive!

WDE

[johnjacob 44]

I hope the players are not coming to AU based on the players lounge. I have not seen the entire complex, so I can't speak to the statement that it is not finished. The practice and weight facilities are second to none. I hope that TB does not have the attitude that we cannot recruit the elite players, if so he needs to move on. I don't think that is his thought process and I am not advocating we get a new coach. For some reason he has not been able to recruit players that are coming and staying long enough to turn the program around. The only times I have seen AU fans support BB is when they have a decent product on the court. So that you know that I am not just someone who comes on a board like this and does not support the program you should know that I have season tickets (scholarship ) and drive 1hr. 45min to attend the games. I personally think we should all expect the program to compete at a higher level.

You can recruit elite players all you want, but given a choice between Duke, UNC, Kentucky 99% of the time those recruits are going to pick the elite programs. Just like in football we rarely lose a recruit to Ball State, those programs are rarely going to lose a recruit to AU. It is smarter to go after the kids that are just under the elite status, but are pretty darn good players. If you do that every year sooner than later you have a top 25 team, but those kids aren't going to come in as freshmen and turn the program around over night like the players that go to Kentucky are able to do. Barbee's the best AU will do at this point and it is best for us fans to be patient. He is bringing in solid players unlike the last coach and he will get it turned around more than likely.

We might not beat teams like UNC and Duke for recruits but we should be getting better players than San Diego State, New Mexico, Creighton, St Mary's etc. Yet we are probably wouldn't be very competitive against any of them.

All programs in a different geographic area. San Diego State is a nice school and has been very good lately and is in a very talent rich state. Barbee did a very good job recruiting the past few years. AU had some setbacks with some of the players not working out, but that happens especially with BBall players. From the look of today's it appears the team is starting to gel. Illinois is ranked for a reason.

[WarAJEagle 5]

I hope the players are not coming to AU based on the players lounge. I have not seen the entire complex, so I can't speak to the statement that it is not finished. The practice and weight facilities are second to none. I hope that TB does not have the attitude that we cannot recruit the elite players, if so he needs to move on. I don't think that is his thought process and I am not advocating we get a new coach. For some reason he has not been able to recruit players that are coming and staying long enough to turn the program around. The only times I have seen AU fans support BB is when they have a decent product on the court. So that you know that I am not just someone who comes on a board like this and does not support the program you should know that I have season tickets (scholarship ) and drive 1hr. 45min to attend the games. I personally think we should all expect the program to compete at a higher level.

You can recruit elite players all you want, but given a choice between Duke, UNC, Kentucky 99% of the time those recruits are going to pick the elite programs. Just like in football we rarely lose a recruit to Ball State, those programs are rarely going to lose a recruit to AU. It is smarter to go after the kids that are just under the elite status, but are pretty darn good players. If you do that every year sooner than later you have a top 25 team, but those kids aren't going to come in as freshmen and turn the program around over night like the players that go to Kentucky are able to do. Barbee's the best AU will do at this point and it is best for us fans to be patient. He is bringing in solid players unlike the last coach and he will get it turned around more than likely.

We might not beat teams like UNC and Duke for recruits but we should be getting better players than San Diego State, New Mexico, Creighton, St Mary's etc. Yet we are probably wouldn't be very competitive against any of them.

I agree. We should have significantly better talent than teams we lost to, including DePaul, Winthrop, Dayton, Rhode Island, and yes.. even Murray State.

[johnjacob 44]

I hope the players are not coming to AU based on the players lounge. I have not seen the entire complex, so I can't speak to the statement that it is not finished. The practice and weight facilities are second to none. I hope that TB does not have the attitude that we cannot recruit the elite players, if so he needs to move on. I don't think that is his thought process and I am not advocating we get a new coach. For some reason he has not been able to recruit players that are coming and staying long enough to turn the program around. The only times I have seen AU fans support BB is when they have a decent product on the court. So that you know that I am not just someone who comes on a board like this and does not support the program you should know that I have season tickets (scholarship ) and drive 1hr. 45min to attend the games. I personally think we should all expect the program to compete at a higher level.

You can recruit elite players all you want, but given a choice between Duke, UNC, Kentucky 99% of the time those recruits are going to pick the elite programs. Just like in football we rarely lose a recruit to Ball State, those programs are rarely going to lose a recruit to AU. It is smarter to go after the kids that are just under the elite status, but are pretty darn good players. If you do that every year sooner than later you have a top 25 team, but those kids aren't going to come in as freshmen and turn the program around over night like the players that go to Kentucky are able to do. Barbee's the best AU will do at this point and it is best for us fans to be patient. He is bringing in solid players unlike the last coach and he will get it turned around more than likely.

We might not beat teams like UNC and Duke for recruits but we should be getting better players than San Diego State, New Mexico, Creighton, St Mary's etc. Yet we are probably wouldn't be very competitive against any of them.

I agree. We should have significantly better talent than teams we lost to, including DePaul, Winthrop, Dayton, Rhode Island, and yes.. even Murray State.

DePaul is in Chicago and a bball talent rich city and is in the Big East a basketball conference. Dayton has been a solid bball program going back to at least the 90's and is in Ohio another talent rich state and highly populated. AU is big time in football, but no where near that in bball. How many fans do we average per game? Hmm the fans will come when we win, but the recruits will come when the fans come and it is hard to get wins without good recruits. Sounds like the joke about why the chicken crossed the road. Keep being impatient and firing coaches and let's see how that works out. You want to talk about a school that should be good in bball look at UGA. The state is loaded with elite talent, but like AU they don't support bball anywhere near as much as football. If they showed half the interest in bball as they do football they could be a annual power just by signing only kids from the Atlanta area. (although the rest of the state has produced elite players too in the past especially Macon. The Macon Southwest team I played against in the late 80's had two future NBA players one being a lottery pick #3 overall pick as well as several other players that signed with Div 1 schools like UNLV-not a one signed with UGA)

[Auburnfan91 1,407]

DePaul is in Chicago and a bball talent rich city and is in the Big East a basketball conference. Dayton has been a solid bball program going back to at least the 90's and is in Ohio another talent rich state and highly populated. AU is big time in football, but no where near that in bball. How many fans do we average per game? Hmm the fans will come when we win, but the recruits will come when the fans come and it is hard to get wins without good recruits. Sounds like the joke about why the chicken crossed the road. Keep being impatient and firing coaches and let's see how that works out. You want to talk about a school that should be good in bball look at UGA. The state is loaded with elite talent, but like AU they don't support bball anywhere near as much as football. If they showed half the interest in bball as they do football they could be a annual power just by signing only kids from the Atlanta area. (although the rest of the state has produced elite players too in the past especially Macon. The Macon Southwest team I played against in the late 80's had two future NBA players one being a lottery pick #3 overall pick as well as several other players that signed with Div 1 schools like UNLV-not a one signed with UGA)

Explain how Ole Miss can make it to the NIT on a consistent basis and we can't? I'm not expecting Auburn to make the NCAA Tournament very often but we should at least be able to make it to the NIT every 3 years. It's not like the SEC West is super tough in basketball like it is in football. LSU went 18-14(SEC 7-9) and went to the NIT last year. You don't have to be great to make it to the NIT.

We've only made the NIT one time in the last 9 years. We gave Lebo 6 years and he only got us to the NIT once. Even for a football school with a basketball program, that's ridiculous. Auburn has the 2nd longest NCAA Tournament drought in the SEC. We last made the NCAA Tournament in 2003. Only Ole Miss hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament longer than we have. They last went to the NCAA Tournament in 2002. But at least Ole Miss has been the NIT a lot the last few years.

[AU64 10,122]

If I recall, Lebo inherited a team that was on NCAA probation and had reduced scholarships...and he never recovered from that. I agree that he did not deliver the goods but folks need to remember that he had the worst arena in the SEC and recruiting limitations on top of that. Look at the Rivals 150 and there are nly about a dozen kids from SEC territory, none from Alabama and a couple from Georgia.

Basically we have a bunch of SEC teams and more from the ACC recruiting the same geography for a handful of 4* players. That means that schools like AU have to go up north, often to the large urban areas and convince these city kids to come to a southern school in a rural area...where football is king...or they have to take some chances on players who are marginal academic prospects.

JMO but I think some of those commenting on AU boards really under-estimate the task that TB has to make AU competitive...even in the SEC. Again, this is just my opinion but I thought the Ill. game was a big step forward and the quality of recruits seems to be improving. I can't imagine any coach that we could hire that would do any better...and I sure don't look forward to starting the program over again....with all the problems that a turnover in coaches entails.

[johnjacob 44]

AU has not been allowed to recruit from one of the top AAU teams in AL and doesn't seem to have a relationship with the AAU teams in ATL. In bball relationships with AAU coaches is as if not more important than relationships with H.S. coaches. UCLA went and hired the asst. coach from the Celtics. I knew the guy when he was in middle school-why didn't AU hire this guy? He is a good recruiter and has ATL connections, which when AU has had success in the past they recruited ATL as well as AL and FL.

[WarEagle10 77]

I like the fact we have played two teams from Chicago this season. Hopefully we will continue to play teams from the larger northern cities. It will pay dividends, as far as recruiting goes, in the future IMO. Very very smart move IMO.

[AU64 10,122]

AU has not been allowed to recruit from one of the top AAU teams in AL and doesn't seem to have a relationship with the AAU teams in ATL. In bball relationships with AAU coaches is as if not more important than relationships with H.S. coaches. UCLA went and hired the asst. coach from the Celtics. I knew the guy when he was in middle school-why didn't AU hire this guy? He is a good recruiter and has ATL connections, which when AU has had success in the past they recruited ATL as well as AL and FL.

I think the guy in Huntsville was/is named Kamura or something like that and it was him that got AU into problems with NCAA and basically NCAA '"suggested" that AU cut any contacts with him. AAU programs are suspect in too many large cities and personally I have no problems with AU staying away from them.

On the other hand, if you or someone can point out some really good players that might have attended AU .....without any questions about their motivation or rewards to their AAU coaches..... then I might think different.

Until then, the idea of any of these "mentors, guardians, talent scouts, etc. etc.....getting between Auburn and a HS kid is repugnant to me. The idea of these guys acting as a marketing agent for an 18 year old sounds sleezy and there is no reason for AU to get involved with them. I don't see our avoidance of the AAU programs as having hampered our program. IMO, to some extent we are still paying the price for our last dalliance with an AAU basketball coach.

[AuburnBasketball 0]

saying Auburn doesnt have AAU connections is completely false. Right now we have the most AAU connections with CTB then Auburn has ever had! And we did go hire somebody like UCLA did, Ryan Miller brother of Mike Miller owner of the best AAU team in Memphis and cousin(or brother in law i cant remember which one) to the head coach of that team. The problem right now is that coming to AU all of Barbee's AAU connections were mostly Nike. He is starting to change that with Under Armour starting to become a major player in the AAU circuit. Auburn will continue to recruit better and better each year under Barbee with the more connections that he makes each year and the hire of Ryan Miller.

[AU64 10,122]

Right now we have the most AAU connections with CTB then Auburn has ever had!

I'm really sorry to hear this. Dealing with guys who own amateur teams and trying to recruit their players is dangerous business and I hate that AU is engaged in that...and won't be surprised the next time that gets us in trouble with the NCAA. I guess those programs must be where many of our "one year wonders" came from. Meanwhile we have no idea what these third party contacts are doing, what money they are giving their players...and yet they can bring down our program if we are not exceedingly careful.

I agree that recruiting seems to be getting better and there is a higher liklihood that these guys will stay around long enough to become juniors and seniors and develop into a solid team. I'm optimistic about what TB can accomplish but I worry that he might be trying to follow the Calipari "model" which can be dangerous. NCAA is reluctant to bring down their "poster children" like UK , etc..but they would have no qualms about lowering the boom on AU.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/story/2012-07-20/ncaa-investigating-more-aau-teams/56370470/1

[Mikey 16,633]

They'll nail us anyway if they get a notion. We got in trouble over the Kamara guy in Huntsville and Auburn never signed a single player that he had coached! Figure that one out if you can. He sent numerous kids to bammer and MSU, yet he was named a "representative of Auburn's athletic interests". Crazy!

[jwmboom7 0]

I believe Kamara has a terrible relationship with Auburn now because Barbee allowed his kid to walk on here, but then the administration ended up not allowing him to walk on or something similar to that

[AuburnBasketball 0]

Ok do you realize that if we didnt recruit kids on the AAU circuit that we would field a team that would be a below average JUCO team. EVERY D1 basketball prospect plays AAU. It's not as shady as you think. Everybody recruits AAU and you don't see that many people getting in trouble.

[johnjacob 44]

I like the fact we have played two teams from Chicago this season. Hopefully we will continue to play teams from the larger northern cities. It will pay dividends, as far as recruiting goes, in the future IMO. Very very smart move IMO.

U. Illinois is in Champain-Urbana not Chicago, but same state.