Lebo should be our coach next year!

[auburn4ever 1,266]

What will you be saying if he stays and we have another year like this one? I'm sure it will be something along the lines of "why didn't Jay fire Jeff at the end of last year."

[Guest War Eagle 29]

I'm just asking out of curiosity. How many basketball coaches at Auburn have had winning records against SEC teams? Who were they?

Joel Eaves and Ralph "Shug" Jordan. Yes, THAT Shug Jordan.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Don't know about basketball but, in football even Doug Barfield had a winning conference record. 29-25-1 overall and 15-14-1 in SEC play.

[BHDAU1 240]

Sorry but if you say that Lebo is "a good Xs and Os coach" then you immediately lose credibility in my opinion.  Exactly what is he good at when it comes to "Xs and Os"???Not an attack but I cant see how anyone can say that with a straight face.

1. We are the worst or next to worst free throw shooting team in the SEC every single year (we managed to do it this year with the best free throw shooter in the SEC on our team, now that takes work!) A decent coach would recognize that this alone has lost numerous games every single year and actually make the players practice free throw shooting. This aspect alone is un-excusable in my opinion.

2. AU's offense is terrible. They cannot run a set play to save their lives.  This is coaching.  Have you not noticed that whenever Lebo actually uses a timeout to set up an offense that 9 times out of 10 it fails miserably? It usually results in someone chucking up a contested 3 pointer from the NBA line or a turnover. Our offensive sets throughout games are terrible and unorganized and especially in critical situations or at the end of the 1st half if AU has the last possession.  

3. Lebo apparently thinks you can take time outs with you to apply to the next game if you don't use them.

4. Auburn relies on the 3 pt shot to win games.  This is a band-aid for both poor recruiting and poor offensive execution.  Much easier to chuck up a 3 pointer instead of running a play using screens, passing, and dribble driving to create easy 2 point plays.  Its also used because Lebo has failed to recruit enough size to compete in the SEC for 6 straight years now. IN 6 YEARS WE HAVE NOT HAD ONE SINGLE GOOD BIG MAN.  That is horrific

5. Lebo's clock management is horrible.  He doesnt call timeouts when he should, and calls timeouts when he shouldnt.  It seems to all knowledgeable fans that he also doesnt give the players a backup plan or several plays in a row in critical situations.  This is evident by the jungle gym/ playground style basketball that AU reverts to at end of game critical situations.  Its either Lebo or the players he recruits are so stupid that they are incapable of memorizing and following direction.  Im going with Lebo's fault on this.

6. Auburn has been terrible on defense during his time here.  Look at the stats, I think you will be surprised where we rank in defensive categories over his 6 years. ITS BAD...

7. Good Xs and Os coaches WIN games with average players or with players playing teams with superior talent. That's the whole basis for that compliment.  If you cant beat a team physically you beat them with sound and creative play.  An example would be Bobby Johnson 2 years ago at Vandy in football.  They were outclassed on the field physically but they won with smart play and creative play calling.  Everyone talked about what a great Xs and Os coach he was.  Lebo seems to be a nice guy but he is not a good coach at this level.  He hasnt recruited well, he hasnt coached our team to wins, and Auburn is not good in any statistical category that matters.  

[thirdlawson 0]

I don't know how to say this any clearer than I have already said in earlier posts on this thread, but here goes nothing:

1.     His record is comparable to AU's past records

2.     He has dealt with issues (and or combinations of issues)  that no other AU coach has dealt with

3.     Despite this he has consistently put a team on the court that plays hard and usually has a chance to win

4.     Last year's team was good enough to make the tournament and had the most wins in AU history

5.     Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that he is actually a better coach than we have had before

6.     Probation is over and so are most of its lasting effects

7.     New arena is almost ready, and its construction has already helped him put together a very solid

        recruiting  class

8.     Therefore, I think it is logical to conclude that he is actually a good basketball coach that has AU pointed in

        the right direction and deserves the chance to open up the new arena and see if he can get us over the

        hump.     

You must not have been around in 1999 or 2000.....

[thirdlawson 0]

The best team that Jeff Lebo has every had, which was 2008-09, was 24-12. Our starting lineup had 4 guards and a 6'7" center. That's not even mid-major....its more like NAIA.

[MJ2144 0]

The whole "Lebo should be kept/fire" thing will be resolved soon. Lately these Lebo threads have been more about bashing one's opinion than Lebo himself. Hurry up JJ, we all want to know what the verdict is.

Here is an Auburn Undercover article on Lebo

http://auburnundercover.com/news/articles/2010/3/12/lebos-status-will-be-revolved-very-soon

[AUBURN05 0]

I totally agree with this first post.  I think Lebo is well respected around the league and nation.

[jason4au 0]

Lebo has done nothing to keep his job.  I mean when he came in, didn't all 5 of our starters leave the team?  Marco Killingsworth to Indiana, Monroe, and I forget the guy that went to FSU, but my point is it seems like every year we have 3 or 4 guys leave them the team.  Now I realize when new coaches come in, that they make it point to install their philosophy, but dang to run off your starting 5 in the first year, who needs probation?  You've got to learn to have a little give and take and choose your battles. Why am I rambling on about his first few years?  To illustrate my point that he failed at building a foundation, and now he stands on shaly ground because every year is a different problem.  It's like trying to stop a leaky dam with duct tape, with his teams chucking up countless 3 pt bricks, and committing way too many turnovers.

Bottom line - As long as Lebo is coach, we are gonna be what Miss St has been in football for years. Sure we may win a couple games we're not supposed to, but rarely will we make it to a bowl game. (NCAA Tourney)

:banghead:

[jgforau 0]

I agree with the Auburn Undercover article by Phillip Marshall.  Anyone who knows hoops ,and is not just a fan that is tired of losing, realizes how good a floor coach Lebo is.  Nothing against any of you posters, but some of you guys, based on the rants I hear,  are just not that knowledgeable when it comes to basketball.  We ran some great sets last night and simply missed the shots.  FL hit theirs...and thus they won.  That said...Jeff is probably gone to satisfy the naysayers and I am afraid AU will be making a mistake.  I love Auburn basketball as much as football and just wish an honest man who really can coach would get a the same chance somebody new will get.  We will probably hire a average mid level guy and have to start over AGAIN.  Maybe Auburn will pony up and get someone better...I doubt it.  On a positive note, the new arena will make a huge difference whoever we hire.  Oh well...

War Eagle anyway...

[CadillacCone 0]

I agree with the Auburn Undercover article by Phillip Marshall.  Anyone who knows hoops ,and is not just a fan that is tired of losing, realizes how good a floor coach Lebo is.  Nothing against any of you posters, but some of you guys, based on the rants I hear,  are just not that knowledgeable when it comes to basketball.  We ran some great sets last night and simply missed the shots.  FL hit theirs...and thus they won.  That said...Jeff is probably gone to satisfy the naysayers and I am afraid AU will be making a mistake.  I love Auburn basketball as much as football and just wish an honest man who really can coach would get a the same chance somebody new will get.  We will probably hire a average mid level guy and have to start over AGAIN.  Maybe Auburn will pony up and get someone better...I doubt it.  On a positive note, the new arena will make a huge difference whoever we hire.  Oh well...

War Eagle anyway...

Dude, Lebo may be a great x's and o's coach but there's more to coaching than that. Its called recruiting! Lebo recruited those guys that were missing open shots.

[casatiger 514]

I believe Lebo is a great floor coach.  I have seen him take very average talent each year and be very competitive year in and year out.  The problem is the talent has remained average.  It is clear that you cannot win big in college bball without a pipeline to the AAU programs.  We do not have it and will not have it with Lebo as coach.  As a fanbase do we want to win big in basketball?  If so, we will have to work the AAU circuit.  That is the choice:  Work in the gray areas like all of the big boys do or remain average.  The article talked about the promising freshman and incoming classes.  I cannot say that I saw anything promising about them.  They averaged 3-5 minutes per game this year.  At what point should CJL have looked at his team and saw that the four starting seniors were not getting it done and made significant changes to the minutes played by the freshmen?  At least we would have been able to see the potential talent.  We would have something to look forward to.  He continued to march out seniors that just could not get it done night after night.  4 of 5 starters are graduating and we have a young and inexperienced team coming back.  After the Sam Houston State game we should have made significant changes to the starting lineup and we did not.  CJL is a great floor coach, but maybe not a great decision maker.  In the end, these small decisions will probably cost him his job. 

[charsta 0]

As I read more and more posts about Lebo I get thoroughly confused.  I am a high school tennis coach and I know that if my team consistenly underachieved, or I couldn't bring in quality players, then I would be fired from my job as coach.  I am sure that he is a very likable person (and maybe even a good coach), but he does not appear to be the right fit for Auburn.  It seems like it would be best for both sides to just move on.  I mean, really, can it get any worse than being insignificant?

[jonesc1_98 0]

I think every Auburn fan would say that Lebo is a good man and we are thankful for his time here, but usually when someone comes in and rebuilds a program they run an offense that is small until they get the players in that they need to run "Their" offense. Well it's been 6 years and we are still getting guards and the offense hasn't changed. So I  personally disagree that he is a good X O coach because when I watch the games, all I see is like other people have stated, players getting the ball and shooting 3's, no offense, just get the ball and shoot... that is bad coaching to me? Again, nothing against Lebo...