Women's BB Problems

[aucanucktiger 1,794]

Nell is a proven quality coach and person but this stunningly bad season w/ talented players suggests IMO she may be suffering from Tubberville-itis (i.e. a good coach burning out). Not the end of the world, Mike Krzyzewski came back strong from a periodic burn out. It's a brutal profession. Nell has certainly earned another full season and everybody's benefit of a doubt.

[Mikey 16,597]

Nell is a proven quality coach and person but this stunningly bad season w/ talented players suggests IMO she may be suffering from Tubberville-itis (i.e. a good coach burning out). Not the end of the world, Mike Krzyzewski came back strong from a periodic burn out. It's a brutal profession. Nell has certainly earned another full season and everybody's benefit of a doubt.

Nell had not only the benefit of a doubt, but my enthusiastic support when she took over the job. Watching her teams several times a year every year since she's been here has convinced me that she won't win at Auburn. Her "talented team" is talented with respect to the Mississippi States and bammer's of the world, it is not talented with regard to Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky, teams Auburn has to beat to get anywhere.

Note, in particular, Kentucky. That team was way behind Auburn in history, talent level and support when Nell took over at Auburn. They have since passed us on their way to the upper echelon of SEC basketball.

Fortner's "young team" this year started off ok, then fell to pieces. The opposite should be expected if youth on the team is a problem. I don't think there's enough support to get Nell fired this year so I'm hoping that she'll have the good grace to resign and return to announcing games.

As I said earlier, three big mistakes were made in the interim between Housel and JJ's terms as Athletic directors. Baseball's Slater and men's basketball's Lebo are gone. Two down, Nell Fortner to go and we'll be in good shape.

[au 15 0]

You can either give her one more year or fire her. Knowing how Jay Jacob is he will probably fire her. He did not give Lebo one more year with the new arena. And he did not give Tubberville one more year after the terrible 5-7 season.

[AUslug 1]

I like and respect Nell but I think it is time for her to go and look for a different approach.

[Mikey 16,597]

The work below is mine. If you see this elsewhere, I posted it on another Auburn message board as well as this one.

Recent results, AU Women's basketball:

Season ending in: overall record, SEC record:~~~ Note, '04 was Joe Ciampi's last season, the season ending in '05 was Nell Fortner's first year. I put the '04 record there to indicate that Fortner did not inherit a helpless outfit that didn't know how to win. Notice that in only one season has a Fortner coached team won more SEC games than they lost.

2004 22-9, 9-5

'05~~16-13, 6-8

'06~~14-15, 4-10

'07~~21-13, 6-8

'08~~20-12, 7-7

'09~~30-4, 12-2

'10~~15-16, 5-11

'11~~15-16, 8-9

Totals for Fortner's years: Overall 131-89, Conference: 48-55

Link: http://auburntigers.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/archive/aub-w-baskbl-archive.html

You have to navigate the site year by year. Any mistakes are mine in transferal, though I tried very hard to be accurate. To summarize, Nell Fortner has had only one year that her record was better than the team's record the year before she came. Without the three teams that featured Bonner and Boddie, this record would be entirely unacceptable. While it's true that one cannot take the Bonner/Boddie teams away from her, there are no such players currently on the squad. To assume that some of similar talent will be recruited is, in my opinion, quite a leap.

Here, in an excerpt from an article on Scout.com, is what this program was like when Coach Ciampi stepped down after the '04 season: "Ciampi produced a record of 568-203 at Auburn with 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, including trips to the Final Four in 1988, 1989 and 1990 where the Tigers were the runnerup for the national title each time. Last year, Auburn entered the WNIT for the first time and won that title. In his final season, Auburn finished 22-9."