BobcatAttack.com - For Fans of Ohio University Sports

Welcome Guest!
Create an Account

site search

where to watch

about us

advertise with us

help

BobcatAttack.com Message Board

Ohio Basketball

Topic: RE: Jeff Boals

Topic: RE: Jeff Boals

Author

Message

SBH
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 3,749

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/19/2018 12:36:25 PM

We don't care about the Reese Cup. We starve our "minor" sports to fund BBall, FBall, Volleyball and Baseball.

Schaus has accomplished a lot here, particularly in fundraising. His hire of Saul was a bust, no question about it.

OhioCatFan
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 14,016

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/19/2018 1:34:13 PM

FearLeon wrote:

OU_Country wrote:

Casper71 wrote:

Maybe Schaus should go? How many Reese trophies have we won under his leadership/hires?

I would take Boals over Saul in a heartbeat!!

Finally, someone else willing to present this question. I'm not calling for anyone's job, but seems logical that the AD who hires coaches ought to have questions asked when things aren't going well.

Absolutely....100%^^^

Schaus, if he is anything, is an institutional survivor. He curries favor with those in the upper-level positions. Like Frank, I don't expect him to leave except on his own terms. I have become a little disenchanted with him over the years. He's not a bad guy, and I acknowledge some very good things that he has done, but IMHO he lacks the ability to think strategically and to build a sense of team spirit in his office. I think the long-term interest of the institution might be better served by a replacement, but I'm not holding my breath at the moment.

The only BLSS Certified Hypocrite on BA

"It is better to be an optimist and be proven a fool than to be a pessimist and be proven right."

Note: My avatar is the national colors of the 78th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, which are now preserved in a climate controlled vault at the Ohio History Connection. Learn more about the old 78th at: http://www.78ohio.org

.
General User

Member Since: 2/3/2005
Post Count: 2,949

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/19/2018 2:41:20 PM

This seems like one of those weird situations where almost everyone agreed Saul was the right guy to hire. Seemed like the perfect guy for this situation, this market and at the time he was just about to hit it big. A strange mix of circumstances and bad decisions means it probably just isn't going to work out. It's one of those things. The process was pretty solid. The results just didn't follow. So they'll move on and Saul will move on. It's going to be a strangely dispassionate coaching break-ups where both sides aren't going to be salty about it, but both know it's not working.

I'm cool with them going with a more inexpensive coach, but he'd better be really young and innovative if they're going into the bargain bin.

Last Edited: 11/19/2018 2:48:13 PM by .

cbus cat fan
General User

Member Since: 12/2/2011
Post Count: 1,169

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/19/2018 6:36:40 PM

SBH and Brian makes some excellent points here and our esteemed, dare I say "Dean of Posters" Ohio Cat Fan makes another great post. I can't remember where exactly you posted this Ohio Cat Fan, but I seem to recall that you made a recent observation that the end of last season and the start to this season is reminding you a bit of the old Coach Billy Hahn era. It sent a shiver down my spine because I remember the Hahn era all too well.

There's a lot more to coaching than x's and o's. There is team and assistant coach chemistry. If any of those are out of whack; well good luck. I remember from my high school coaching days how many successful coaches told me that it took a couple of jobs before they got it right; when to take things in stride and when to show your anger and frustration etc.

Perhaps everything that fell into place for Coach Phillips at North Dakota State didn't in Athens. I hope it all turns around this year, but despite me being the eternal optimist, this season has it's limits, especially when you are dealing with high expectations and making the kind of money that Coach Phillips is making.

Buckeye to Bobcat
General User

Member Since: 9/10/2013
Post Count: 1,776

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/19/2018 8:13:35 PM

SBH wrote:

Not to be critical here of this, but Volleyball has been a dud hire, basketball has it's dud, and football has been in a holding pattern.

On the fundraising front, we didn't even build a proper indoor practice facility with sawed off end-zones, couldn't get the thing funded so it's run by University Affairs, and our press box still has offices in it when it should be generating revenue on it. Lot of short-sighted answers, especially that AD Box which uses glorified intramural bleachers in it. No offense, even I avoided that place on gamedays......

As to his vision, how come in his 10 yeas not once has someone deemed a basketball facility urgent? No offense to football, but we botched that one and could have done the basketball facility for the same price, which would have alleviated a lot of problems at the Convo. But alas, our vision is so short sighted, along with building an academic center onto a facility that will need gutted and renovated if we're going to stay there.

Like everything at OU, let's kick the can down the road til it's urgent, then pray to god.....

Last Edited: 11/19/2018 8:28:21 PM by Buckeye to Bobcat

catfan28
General User

Member Since: 6/11/2011
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 1,503

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/19/2018 8:26:48 PM

Buckeye to Bobcat wrote:

+1. The role Schaus played in fundraising is pretty overstated. The two biggest projects under his tenure (Fieldhouse and Sook Center) can pretty much be 100% attributed to McDavis.

BillyTheCat
General User

Member Since: 10/6/2012
Post Count: 9,471

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/19/2018 9:16:46 PM

cbus cat fan wrote:

This team does not resemble the Hahn era. #1 there are not 2 NBA players on the roster. #2 there is no NCAA future scoring leader type player on the roster. #3. Players like each other #4 players like the coaches, we simply are what we are right now. Some of you are like the football board, willing to throw dirt on the hard work of kids after 15% of the season.

bobcatsquared
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 5,039

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/19/2018 9:37:16 PM

And some of you are also like the football board, remaining optimistic with where the program is/will be despite evidence on the football field/basketball court pointing elsewhere.

cbus cat fan
General User

Member Since: 12/2/2011
Post Count: 1,169

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/19/2018 10:46:03 PM

BillyTheCat wrote:

cbus cat fan wrote:

I will give you the benefit of the doubt Billy that you weren't responding to my post but to others. Otherwise, your post makes absolutely no sense, since my post and most of the ones I have read made no critical remarks about any of the players. I was there for that Hahn era (every home game-and it is indelibly etched in my mind.) No one had anyway of knowing that Snoopy Graham and Dave Jamerson would make the NBA because the team was a train wreck. Who knows we might have a couple of diamonds in the rough on this squad?

I certainly made no disparaging remarks about any of the players and I didn't read many other posters who did. The vast majority of the concerns raised here focused on the coaching decisions. Also, I am not sure why you brought up those who post their thoughts on the football board, when they are not one in the same.

Last Edited: 11/19/2018 10:47:20 PM by cbus cat fan

.
General User

Member Since: 2/3/2005
Post Count: 2,949

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/20/2018 9:19:38 AM

If we�re throwing dirt on the coaching staff, it�s only because the AD already dug the grave before the season by not extending his contract.

If Saul had been extended, I�d have accepted it and looked to the future. That�s hard now when we�re likely in for en masse transfers and are not in the strong position we�ve been in the last couple times when searching for a new coach.

If Saul had been fired, the process could�ve started already.

Instead Ohio chose the lame duck, drawn out painful option. I understand finances made that their only option, but it means this year is going to be a wreck. It feels like Jimmy Haslam is running the Bobcats this season.

Last Edited: 11/20/2018 9:27:00 AM by .

Speaker of Truth
General User

Member Since: 1/26/2011
Post Count: 441

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/20/2018 9:31:24 AM

I'm not convinced that OU Sports Management students would stay all that much longer unless they had ties to the area outside of the school. Athens is not a great place for people 25-35 from a social standpoint. People will want a bigger city. Drake Bolan was an exception here as he had ties to the area and did a great job. That is until some wanna be Sherlock Holmes wasted tons of University resources to get him ousted over peanuts. Which those peanuts can lead back to lack of funding for jobs in the department.

Schaus certainly has his drawbacks as a fundraiser. It is telling that he is still in Athens. He's had tons of success in football and basketball which usually means moving on up. However, the consistency at the MAC level is a good thing in my book vs hiring young guns that leave in a few years because they are too good or too bad. That process is tough to be successful at every three years in hiring.

100%Cat
General User

Member Since: 1/17/2013
Post Count: 2,491

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/20/2018 9:35:05 AM

bobcatsquared wrote:

And some of you are also like the football board, remaining optimistic with where the program is/will be despite evidence on the football field/basketball court pointing elsewhere.

Since you're finger pointing at "my people" (the non-cynical, trying to be optimistic, patient type), allow me to respond with what I know your people don't want to hear. I refuse to look solely at the W-L column for the last two years. I can't ignore the impact of losing such key players to injury for prolonged periods of time and pretend it shouldn't impact the results. Two years ago it was the reigning MAC POTY lost for the entire MAC season, and the team was looking pretty good up until that point. Last year we get a possible MAC POTY poached from our roster AND have Jason Carter go down for basically the whole year. On top of that, key players that could get on the court were hobbled. If you seriously think those situations had nothing to do with the W-L columns, I can't help you. I don't like losing, either, but ignoring the factors that led to the losses is reckless and foolish, to me. As is throwing in the towel on a season with a bunch of new faces who struggled in a neutral court tournament in two games.

I'd love to know, looking back on the "glory days," did FearLeon and his band of angry elves call for heads when our team lost three in a row to the murderers row of Marshall, Tulsa, and Austin Peay? Call for intervention when we lost 4 straight conference games and couldn't buy a road conference win? Or do you just revel in the Georgetown win that year? How about we see how the season plays out before we rush to judgement? I know that's not the way society works these days, but that doesn't make it right. It's like some of you want to lose so you have something to grandstand and gripe about. You say nothing when we win and light this place up when we lose. It's getting stale.

Recovering Journalist
General User

Member Since: 8/17/2010
Location: Cleveland, OH
Post Count: 1,839

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/20/2018 11:08:09 AM

Brian Smith wrote:

Exactly right. We're crepe hanging because this moribund staff is lurching toward its inevitable exit and the play on the court suggests nothing good is coming. I've never been less enthusiastic about the future of this program since I became a fan. It will be a multi-year rebuild to respectability and this season is not going to produce a lot of joy.

bobcatsquared
General User

Member Since: 12/20/2004
Post Count: 5,039

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/20/2018 12:49:02 PM

[QUOTE=100%Cat] Since you're finger pointing at "my people" (the non-cynical, trying to be optimistic, patient type), allow me to respond with what I know your people don't want to hear. /QUOTE]

My people?? I'm not sure who my people are.

I've never called for the firing of our head coach, whether it'd be Solich or Saul. And I'm sure not putting lipstick on the pig that is the basketball team's performance last weekend.

.
General User

Member Since: 2/3/2005
Post Count: 2,949

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/20/2018 1:18:36 PM

100%Cat wrote:

Two years ago it was the reigning MAC POTY lost for the entire MAC season

I definitely think there was some sort of alternate universe where Campbell stays healthy, that team wins the MAC tourney and an NCAA tournament game or at least plays a power five team tough and recruiting goes differently fresh off those good vibes and national stage.

That's why I don't judge Saul too harshly. This wasn't him being in over his head at Ohio. (Which ironically has made the ending messier. If he was a disaster, it's an easy decision. If he was great, it's an easy decision. He's put himself squarely in the Tim O'Shea "You don't dare love me but I'm just barely good enough that you can't justify firing me" zone). He hasn't recruited as well as he needs to. But there's also a not-so-hard-to-imagine scenario where it all turns out differently that has nothing to do with how he coaches the X's and O's. He was also unlucky.

Last Edited: 11/20/2018 1:20:45 PM by .

FearLeon
General User

Member Since: 3/12/2005
Post Count: 4,125

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/22/2018 8:50:34 AM

100%Cat wrote:

bobcatsquared wrote:

And some of you are also like the football board, remaining optimistic with where the program is/will be despite evidence on the football field/basketball court pointing elsewhere.

I'd love to know, looking back on the "glory days," did FearLeon and his band of angry elves call for heads when our team lost three in a row to the murderers row of Marshall, Tulsa, and Austin Peay? Call for intervention when we lost 4 straight conference games and couldn't buy a road conference win? Or do you just revel in the Georgetown win that year?

The "angry elves" enjoyed the Groce era immensely. He recruited well and won in March. Two ingredients the "angry elves" love to see with every Ohio Men's Basketball Coach. And if I recall, there was more energy or as the kids like to say "juice" in the Convo back then. Look at the roster of those two Groce NCAA Tournament teams and compare it to what we have now in 2018-2019. There was a ton of talent and athleticism on those Groce teams. I'm pretty sure either of those NCAA squads would line up today as a 12-15 point favorite against this year's club.

Happy Thanksgiving!

FearLeon and his angry elves

Last Edited: 11/22/2018 9:18:12 AM by FearLeon

#BleedGreen #TrentIsGOAT

Recovering Journalist
General User

Member Since: 8/17/2010
Location: Cleveland, OH
Post Count: 1,839

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/22/2018 1:31:41 PM

Brian Smith wrote:

He's put himself squarely in the Tim O'Shea "You don't dare love me but I'm just barely good enough that you can't justify firing me" zone).

God forgive me for defending TOS, but Saul isn't in the same league as our beloved punching bag. TOS made the tournament, was well above .500 both overall and even in MAC play (despite his "life on the road" stance). He had wins against Butler, North Carolina, UVA and Maryland. Oh, and he made won the MAC Tournament and made the dance in year four. You've made me long for TOS - that's how bad things are in the Convo.

FearLeon
General User

Member Since: 3/12/2005
Post Count: 4,125

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/25/2018 12:03:16 PM

Just another quality road win at Rhode Island. Stony Brook is now 5-1. #PayAttention

#BleedGreen #TrentIsGOAT

bshot44
General User

Member Since: 2/12/2012
Post Count: 2,211

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/25/2018 12:48:02 PM

FearLeon wrote:

Just another quality road win at Rhode Island. Stony Brook is now 5-1. #PayAttention

C'mon! We blew an 18-point lead at home to Austin Peay only to rally and win in OT!

That's not as impressive???

Gonna be a long year.

Alan Swank
General User

Member Since: 12/11/2004
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 7,023

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/25/2018 6:02:03 PM

bshot44 wrote:

FearLeon wrote:

Just another quality road win at Rhode Island. Stony Brook is now 5-1. #PayAttention

C'mon! We blew an 18-point lead at home to Austin Peay only to rally and win in OT!

That's not as impressive???

Gonna be a long year.

When we were down 5 with 1:43 in OT and had not scored a point, I noticed some folks heading for the doors. Not sure what happened but just like that the mojo on the floor changed and tide turned. Gritty win and it was nice to see the team not toss in the towel. My greatest concern at this point is it appears we only have a seven man rotation. Against teams that bang and/or run and gun, it's going to be tough to win in a closely called game.

Tuesday night should be interesting.

OU_Country
General User

Member Since: 12/6/2005
Location: On the road between Athens and Madison County
Post Count: 8,320

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/26/2018 1:31:11 PM

FearLeon wrote:

Just another quality road win at Rhode Island. Stony Brook is now 5-1. #PayAttention

#WhatAreWePayingAttentionToStonyBrookFor? #WhatsThePurposeOfUsingHashtagsInBobcatAttack?

Going back to typing like an adult again...Maybe it's me, but I'd be surprised if Coach Boals would come here for anything short of $450-550k that the job has paid in the last 5-7 years. Maybe I'm wrong. Working off the assumption that we're highly likely to cut whatever the coaches salary will be, I think Boals might be more than Ohio will choose to afford. Again, maybe I'm wrong.

I'd also assume that he's a guy who left Ohio State for a head coaching gig that might actually pay him LESS than he made with Thad as Associate Head Coach. I'm sure that info is out there somewhere - I haven't looked it up.

If I'm a betting man, I'm betting Coach Boals aspires to get to a P5 level job. If he does, is Ohio a better job for him, right now, than Stony Brook? 5-6 years ago, this wasn't even a debate, because it was. But, Stony Brook has done some renovations in recent years to facilities that might have changed that. They're also in a conference I'd argue that is easier to win in, and in an area that may be easier to recruit from. Again, I don't know. There's some assumption in this space that thinks he would come here just because it's his Alma Mater. Not everyone does that. I'm not sure I'd do that in his case If I were him, solely because it's his Alma mater.

Whenever Saul leaves, and that he will seems to be a forgone conclusion, the next hire is one that Schaus & Ohio absolutely can't screw up. Because they've screwed up the current situation since JG's departure in a few ways - I think that's agreed upon here. The next hire had better be able to convince the best players we currently have to stay, or it's gonna be a long, long couple years of rebuilding for the new coach. The next hires had better be able to help sell the public on coming to games, and then deliver on that sales job. And the question is, is Boals that guy to do that? Because he's an alumnus from a great team in a good era of Ohio hoops, I'd say he'd help sell the program to some of the older crowd. Short of being 5-1 this year at Stony Brook, I have no clue what kind of coach he is. Something important for my money, with a new hire, is having a brand of basketball that can be sold to younger fans/alumni/students. One that is fun to watch, because some blend of fun to watch and winning is what puts butts in the seats, right?

Lastly, to come back to things unrelated to coaches, recruiting, and winning, if they want to restore some lost luster to this program, it's time to get their act together on game day experience, and the basic aesthetics of being in The Convo. Because right now, the folks running the show can't simply blame wins and losses or coaching success or lack of, on the waning numbers of bodies in the seats. When you go to hire the next coach, you'd be wise to approach this from an all-in rebrand of the basketball program and the facility itself. Being honest, I personally have minimal faith in that actually happening, or being done close to the right way.

100%Cat
General User

Member Since: 1/17/2013
Post Count: 2,491

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/26/2018 2:20:02 PM

OU_Country wrote:

FearLeon wrote:

Just another quality road win at Rhode Island. Stony Brook is now 5-1. #PayAttention

Being honest, I personally have minimal faith in that actually happening, or being done close to the right way.

You only say that because we have a t-shirt cannon that can't get a shirt past the first three rows of the student section.

OU_Country
General User

Member Since: 12/6/2005
Location: On the road between Athens and Madison County
Post Count: 8,320

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/26/2018 2:33:03 PM

100%Cat wrote:

OU_Country wrote:

FearLeon wrote:

Just another quality road win at Rhode Island. Stony Brook is now 5-1. #PayAttention

Being honest, I personally have minimal faith in that actually happening, or being done close to the right way.

You only say that because we have a t-shirt cannon that can't get a shirt past the first three rows of the student section.

So it's a T-shirt pellet gun?

GoCats105
General User

Member Since: 1/31/2006
Location: Seattle, WA
Post Count: 6,913

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/26/2018 3:46:41 PM

OU_Country wrote:

FearLeon wrote:

Just another quality road win at Rhode Island. Stony Brook is now 5-1. #PayAttention

What exactly has Boals done to prove he needs to be offered a P5 job? His overall record is 36-34 and has yet to make an NCAA Tournament. If those were the only criteria then Saul would have skipped Ohio altogether, having been there twice and also winning. Boals needs to work his way up the ladder before anything seriously happens.

And yes, Ohio is a better job than Stony Brook, regardless of their facilities or how easy their conference is to win.

Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
General User

Member Since: 7/30/2010
Post Count: 3,284

Status: Offline

RE: Jeff Boals

Posted: 11/26/2018 7:44:32 PM

GoCats105 wrote:

OU_Country wrote:

FearLeon wrote:

Just another quality road win at Rhode Island. Stony Brook is now 5-1. #PayAttention

In a vacuum, Ohio is a better job than Stony Brook. But the choice won't be made in a vacuum. The choice Boals would be asked to make is to rebuild at Ohio or stay on at Stony Brook where's he's built some momentum and has the program on the right trajectory.

To be clear, I don't really have a dog in this fight. I thought Boals was the right guy when Christian got the job, but didn't really know much about him beyond that he came from the same tree as Groce and is an alum. I'm just not so sure we can wave a big raise in front of a guy who is building something at a school in another 1 bid league and always expect to get them. I'm not even sure, honestly, that we want to get in the habit of doing so. I prefer the TOS, Groce method of finding a respected P5 assistant and promoting them. It's cheaper and in the case of OU the results have been better.

Showing Replies:	26 - 50 of 102 Posts
Jump to Page:	< Previous 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| 5 Next >

View Other 'Ohio Basketball' Topics

There are 361 Active Visitors on BobcatAttack.com

360 Guests
1 Registered User:
	Ted Thompson

There are no other users looking at this page.