When will AU Bball hit rock bottom?

[BZ770 2]

I have always been an Auburn Men's BBall fan. It is what keeps me going after Football. I have seen some improvements this season. But we still haven't got any inside presence, Terrible FT %, and always come up short when we have an opportunity to score or win a game. I don't want to bash Lebo. We've heard excuses the past few seasons of injuries and players leaving. This year we have shown improvement by beating GW and Virginia, and Bama, but KY is not as good as seaons past and we had an opportunity to win that game. With the success of the Womens program this year, will it make the men's program get under the microscope and push them to strive for more than the Bottom of the SEC west. I don't know what the problem is. Maybe Lebo is a good coach, but can't recruit or get players to play to their potential. Or maybe we have just said that Auburn is a Football school and we're going to give the BBall team a free pass. I don't see us making the NIT or making a good run on the SEC schedule. So the question is has our team hit rock bottom?

[SouthLink02 8]

Want to see rock bottom?

Look at our team

[TitanTiger 20,499]

It's been 15-20 years since we last beat UK at Lexington, no matter how good we were or how mediocre they were. That's not a Lebo problem.

But if we don't at least make the NIT this year and pull out some of those close games, we need to move on.

Honestly, I think rock bottom was a year or two ago. We're on the way up, the question is, are we moving up fast enough.

[DCWarEagle 0]

Here are our results under Lebo:

2004-05: 14-17

2005-06: 12-16

2006-07: 17-15

2007-08: 14-16

2008-09: 12-7 and counting

Obviously , 2005-06 was our worst season under him and it was immediately followed with our best at 17-15. Unless we completely fall apart this year, we should finish with a winning record and our best or second best season under Lebo. I hear he is a good coach, but the results have not been there so far. He has had time to develop a team. We are not at the bottom, but we are not great. I think the general consensus is that if we don't at least make the NIT, he is in trouble.

Auburn does not expect dominance in basketball, but we expect more than an average season of 14-16. If we can usually have a winning season, regularly make the NIT and sometimes make the NCAA, I think fan support will improve and the fans will be pretty happy.

[WarTiger 3,910]

If we were intent on giving the basketball program a free pass then there is no way in hell that the university would be spending nearly $92 MILLION on a new arena.

I see definite progress with the team, and want lebo to stay for a while. With the new arena coming in two years, and the myriad of issues lebo has had to deal with, I'd like to see him stay for a while longer. I really believe he can do the job and get us where we are competing pretty well.

[AU alum 2]

I truly don't think that the problem is coaching. Lebo is a good coach. The problem has been, is, and probably will always be CONSISTENTLY getting good recruits. We are not a basketball school. Sure, he may get 1 or 2 good players a year, and that would get him by with an OK season. But, it is not his fault. It is not that Lebo is not getting the good players. Auburn is not getting the good players. The new arena will help some. But I think we've got to change our perception, and WE HAVE TO GET MORE PEOPLE TO GAMES. That is what will help most. And keep Lebo. I think from watching Alabama's football seasons with a new coach every (what is it, 2.3 years?), that should tell us that change is not always the best option.

[AU Cav 0]

Also you've gotta remember the mass defections he faced when he came on. Shoot, Indiana was 40% Auburn transfers in starters and I believe they won the Big 10 that year. He had nothing left when he got here.