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Post by Sly Fox on Aug 18, 2005 7:43:40 GMT -5
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Post by LUconn on Aug 18, 2005 8:27:06 GMT -5
Is the "head coach" part wrong or is the "Liberty University" part wrong  |
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Post by thesportscritic on Aug 18, 2005 8:51:37 GMT -5
I guess if it is true then it would be on the Flames athletic site sometime today.
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Post by GRM on Aug 18, 2005 9:18:05 GMT -5
;DCorrect: Zach Jones at Liberty
Incorrect: Head Coach
Sounds like a great staff shaping up - huh?
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Post by chris lang on Aug 18, 2005 11:13:38 GMT -5
Someone in the office sent me this link, and it obviously freaked me out after I got back from football practice.
Zack will be the No. 2 assistant. That's a major, horrible screwup on the U-T's part. Someone want to e-mail them?
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Post by LUconn on Aug 19, 2005 8:02:01 GMT -5
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Post by jimflamesfan on Aug 19, 2005 21:47:24 GMT -5
LUconn
What do you mean by they got it right? Dunton is staying, but in the beginning the UT makes it seem like Zack Jones was replacing him, until you read down further. I thought the article was unclear.
We know Dunton is staying, right?
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Post by Sly Fox on Aug 20, 2005 1:21:30 GMT -5
Yeah, Dunton isn't going anywhere. The first article from the San Diego fishwrap mistakenly had Zack getting a much better title than what was reality.
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Post by LUsupporter on Aug 27, 2005 14:08:34 GMT -5
It is a shame dunton is staying. He is more suited to high school. He is in over his head even at the low division 1 level. He runs terrible practices. I watched him work on a baseline in-bounds pass and he was running a back door screen for an alley-oop slam. The player that was running off the pick could barely dunk in warm-ups with no one on him and there is no way he would dunk in a game. Yet, he kept practicing it. He likes to stomp around the sidelines like Bob Huggins (look where that got him). I could care less about his antics on the sidelines but when it comes to X's and O's, he is terrible. The LU administration is clueless about his ability. Maybe with the new AD, things will change with Dunton.
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Post by PAmedic on Aug 27, 2005 14:24:22 GMT -5
I can't verify whether Dunton is any good or not, having never seen the man or a team he's coached- and I'm no college hoops expert- but that's what is worrisome @ our athletics dept. Up to now, we haven't had anyone to ACCURATELY judge talent- that is unacceptable at this level of NCAA sports. If the admin can't recognize when a coach or his staff is floundering, we are in trouble.
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Post by GRM on Aug 27, 2005 14:43:45 GMT -5
Now let me get this straight, LU Supporter. You're asking me to believe that Randy Dunton is so stupid that he cannot see whether a man can dunk the ball or not. hmmm. Very interesting. How has he revived a program that was dead last in the universe? How did he win the Big South championship by 45 points? Check the stats on the last three years of Liberty basketball, and see if the winning percentage is not the best ever over a three year period. (I don't have the stats at hand - but they are either at the top or close to it) What's Bob Huggins got to do with anything? What you wrote simply makes no sense whatsoever. Maybe you don't know basketball, but then, you should at least be able to read the standings. Have you had a bad experience with Coach Dunton? If so, maybe we can get you some counselling, but don't just blow smoke.
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Post by HarrisburgFlame on Aug 27, 2005 17:16:02 GMT -5
I like Coach Dunton but I would have to agree that the jury is still out. FYI - I was a Meyer guy and thought Jeff did a great job at LU. SCAR can certainly offer far more insoght than I but if Randy left - who do you get? Who can you get to come to LU that is so much better than Randy that it is worth making the change? LU is a great place - but is also a challeging place to draw top talent. You need a different type of kid - a kid with the ability to fall in line. I would assume LU is not going to WOW a new coach with $$$ - and it appears a buy out isn't a great way to go given the fact the ADept and the University are now just moving to the black after YEARS in the red scraping by.
I think Randy will be a much better coach when we get more talent (like most coaches). Last year's team was guard heavy - no true center - and a relatively non-existant inside game. I think Dunton will make or break his legacy based on his ability to recruit. and in my opinion the jury is still out on that aspect.
Time will tell. I don't think he's a great coach - I don't think he is terrible - I think he (like Karcher) needs time to build his program. I think the next 3 years or so will determine whether Randy is a hero or not.
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Post by LUsupporter on Aug 27, 2005 19:39:44 GMT -5
GRM, I guarantee you that my level of basketball knowledge is more than sufficient to be able to comment on Coach Dunton's practices and his strategy. Maybe I came across as too harsh on a written message board so let me rephrase some things. I don't think he is a terrible coach but I don't think he is a great coach, or even a good coach. He is another run of the mill, trying to make it big but never will, low division I coach. He is good for where he is at. Maybe a better question would be--would we rather have a young, up and coming coach that lasts 3 to 4 years and then gets noticed by a big-time program and moves on or would we rather have someone who would never make it in a big-time program and is therefore willing to stay around as long as the administration will let him (ie dunton)? I think we can find coaches that are better than dunton but then we might sacrifice stability because LU might become known as a revolving door of coaches.
PS. No, Dunton never said anything about his wing not beign able to dunk the ball. They just kept running it and running it
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Post by GRM on Aug 28, 2005 0:10:39 GMT -5
LUsupporter, I certainly disagree with your assessment, regrardless of your credentials, because I have observed Dunton winning at every level he has played at or coached. Admittedly, he has not coached at the Duke or Kentucky level, and perhaps I should therefore add that if you would be willing to substantiate your level of basketball knowledge and therefore your guarantee of evlauating sufficiency, I could afford your insights greater respect.
I'm very interested.
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Post by PAmedic on Aug 28, 2005 17:31:07 GMT -5
guests calling each other out now. BOO-YAH!
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Post by GRM on Aug 28, 2005 19:15:20 GMT -5
Here are some more facts for consideration re: LU Men's BBall. Their regular season home record against Big South opponents over the last three years is 23-2. The last three years have seen the best three-year regular season run in LU history, with 2nd-1st-2nd
finishes. As far as the new AD goes, Dr. Park, at last Tuesday's LU Flames club meeting, said that this men's basketball staff was the best in LU history. Strength coach, Neil Bryant, said that this is the best crop of young talent that he has seen in his time here (14 years - off & on - give or take). Regarding recruiting, two guys are coming in next week, and we might hope for good things there. One, Ricky Jackson, is a 6'7" # 4, who was on the Ohio State champs, and it is said that he would be considered for the Big Ten, but is a little undersized for them. (Steve Alford speaks highly of him). His grandmother and mentor both wanted him to sign immediately. He didn't, but there is good reason to be optimistic in the next week or so. The other notable might be Eugene Crockett, out of Beaumont, TX. He is 6'8" and in the 255-260 range. I believe both of these guys are rated high major by Gibbons.
We'll see what happens, but honestly, I believe an impartial person (and admittedly, I am not)
could look at LU going (I repeat myself) from last in the continental universe to more than respectability in a short period of time and say, "These are great years for LU, with the real possibility of even being better." We always say - "It will take time." Dunton took them from Worst to First in two years. How in the world can any right minded person say that he needs to go? I honestly believe it to be ludicrous. I'm still waiting to hear something more than bombastic generalities - with all due respect.
God bless.
GRM
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Post by GRM on Aug 28, 2005 19:20:03 GMT -5
Oh yes. Mu sources say that Dunton never ran an out of bounds dunk. Maybe he did, and it wouldn't shock me if he did, but this is a mighty good source. Perhaps he considered it in a practice, but still, this whole "dunk thing" is much ado about nothing.
Thanks for listening.
GRM
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Post by PAmedic on Aug 28, 2005 19:47:42 GMT -5
We've actually had this argument before. It would be best to continue it over on the "Dunton needs to be out" thread (still on page 1, MBB forum) and un-hijack this baby. Ironic that I'M the one pointing that out given my hx of hijacks. Go Mark Martin!
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Post by Sly Fox on Aug 28, 2005 21:40:26 GMT -5
Actually, I don't mind these little discussions on a dead topic thread as long as they keep it civil.
Interesting little nugget regarding Crockett. I'll check my local sources on him.
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Post by GRM on Aug 28, 2005 21:41:37 GMT -5
PAmedic,
I think I remember the original hi-jack. It's when I jumped on. Sorry about the whole thing, but when I saw what was written I couldn't restrain myself from rebutting. On the other issue for me, I have written to Sly, asking him to tell me in the most basic terms how to get registered. I understand that part of the problem is that I am on AOL. Anyway, I am feeling guilty about not being a member. I love the conversations and the involvement in the program.
Sincerely,
GRM
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Post by Sly Fox on Aug 28, 2005 21:50:29 GMT -5
For the record, I only have Moderator capabilities. The issues with registration come from Proboards. The one common thread of most people registering has been AOL. If you use America Online, you might try re-registering using a temporary Hotmail or Yahoo account.
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Post by SCAR on Aug 28, 2005 22:35:40 GMT -5
Alright I am sure there are some out there that value what I say while others will dismiss it as being biased but here is my opinion on the Dunton coaching issue. Forgive me Sly but I have to preface this post with a quick resume reflection. :-). I have known Dunton Since 1989 when I was a senior and he was an up and coming new assistant coach. I have helped LU with player relations and even unofficial recruiting since those days. In the mid 90's I got to work with Dunton on the staff when we were both assistants. I was excommunicated during the Hankinson years but was happy to see a familiar face, a family member regain control of the program that I hold close to my heart. I am going into my 3rd year as a TV analyst for Liberty basketball...In short I am an insider with knowledge of Liberty basketball, Randy Dunton, Liberty University and college basketball in general....Ok now that I got that out of the way, Dunton has had a great run with minimum talent the past few years. That first year back, they had to piece together a team that somehow did it with smoke, mirrors and Gabe Martin. The next year they brought in their own players, Dees, Blair, Lightbourne. All 3 made their marks on the program's history and Blair has not even really gotten started yet. Last season they lost several players and took time to gel and they struggled with a tough schedule but still managed a second place finish. Sure it was disappointing to lose in the first round to CSU but all in all 3 successful years...It is crazy to think of Liberty as not a good job to have. They have a conference, all home games on national TV, a 9000 seat arena, a decent recruiting budget, and a decent fan base (although last season was disappointing in terms of attendance for a team that just won the Big South). There are a ton of coaches who would love to coach here regardless of how much or how little it pays. The School is not doing Dunton any favors and Dunton is not staying because he doesn't have options. The fact is that the potential for this program to grow is unlimited. I have not met all the coaches yet but I am looking forward to them getting it going this year. I have seen a few of the new players and I will say that this team is going to compete with Winthrop for the championship again. Time will tell. Every coach has strengths and weaknesses. I don't think Dunton has all the answers and is a perfect coach but I don't think he thinks of himself that way either. Give him a chance. I think the program is headed in the right direction.
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Post by PAmedic on Aug 29, 2005 6:03:53 GMT -5
Sooooo, anyhooo- how 'bout that Zack Jones, huh? Quite a catch. seems like he'll be a big help to us.
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Post by thesportscritic on Aug 29, 2005 13:33:15 GMT -5
I agree with SCAR. This team has potential and last season this team was extremely young and inexperienced. Unfortunately it showed in the Big South Tournament with a loss to CSU. I have caught a quick glimpse of some of the freshmen and I was impressed with what I saw. I am not ruling Dunton out. We as fans need to support this team. Nobody in this conference has home games nationally televised let alone have a 9000 seat arena. We have taken all of these things we have for granted in my opinion. Even the coaches with programs in the top 10 in the nation are not perfect. Lets show our support for this team.
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Post by HarrisburgFlame on Aug 29, 2005 16:07:18 GMT -5
SCAR - I would have to say you are right on the money. My thoughts exactly.
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Post by Stevev on Aug 29, 2005 20:51:59 GMT -5
I agree with most of the comments made but it was a very disappointing non-conference performance this year to say the least with all of the blowouts and losses to WCU and New Hampshire. They played better at conference time but the only noteworthy team in the conference is Winthrop when you think about it. We need to better in our non conference portion of our schedule or at least be more competitive to get more recognition. I think that Dunton for the most part is doing a good job but would like to forget about last year. This year could be okay if we can recover from some unexpected losses and if the freshmen and JUCO's pan out.
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grm
Full Member
Posts: 158
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Post by grm on Aug 31, 2005 9:52:10 GMT -5
Sounds good, as long as we remember that non-conference records can be manipulated
by carefully choosing who you schedule. LU has played in some very competitive tournaments, and played against some great teams. You're going to take some lumps when you do that.
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