What's Killing Wildcat Basketball

[n.ogdencat]

What is killing Wildcat Basketball?

This isn't necessarily a bash Randy Rahe thread. I definitely think he has the program headed in the wrong direction, but I feel there are a number of other issues really hurting Wildcat Basketball.

1. Pre-arranged Big Sky Tournament -- In the past, winning the right to host the post-season tournament created an amazing atmosphere during the conference season. Every game mattered, and it usually came down to the final week of the season before we knew who won the right to host. The conference really shot themselves in the foot when they went to a neutral, pre-arranged, location. One of the reasons why the conference supposedly went this direction was because of "ESPN" but as time goes on, having ESPN covering the championship becomes less and less important. Even with a pre-arranged location, the championship game is seen on ESPN U. Personally, I would rather have a competitive conference season than ensuring our championship game is on one of the least accessible ESPN channels.

2. Everybody goes to the conference tournament -- once again, what is the purpose of the conference season if everybody gets a participation trophy in the end? The only week in the season that matters is in March. Basketball has become like track. You go to random meets and then the only one that really matters, or is pointed, is the conference meet. At least in track you have to qualify to participate. In basketball just being a member gets you a spot. The most that should be invited is 8. Make the season worth something again. If Weber doesn't win enough games and doesn't qualify, then they don't go. Personally, I think fans would rather see teams compete. Isn't that the purpose of sports?

3. OOC schedule -- Every season of Weber State Basketball, the team has played one or two cream puffs, but the teams visiting lately are absolutely pathetic. Bethesda?? West Coast Baptist?? What the hell? I mean Western, Fort Lewis, Montana Tech, Montana Mines, College of Idaho, are all faaaarr better than some random team from some made up conference. Dixie State and Westminster are close by and would create more fan attendance than benedictine college of aspiring Nuns. Also, why the hell has everyone else we've played, played three or four more games than we have? Randy isn't even filling his schedule. He could have played more games during the OOC up to this point, but doesn't. Why not play as many games a possible?

4. Rotating players -- Our guys aren't staying. Right when we invest interest in a player and start becoming his fan, he's gone. Nero is the latest. The kid played hard and now arbitrarily he's become the 8th guard? I'm guessing the same issue is going to occur with Barns. Suddenly he has found his way into the Randy Rahe dog house. The kid is a slasher, not a spot up 3 point shooter. Nonetheless, most of our guys don't stay, even the guys who invest four seasons, are ushered out (Gittens).

5. Local guys -- Whenever a local kid is signed, he usually is gone by the end of the season, losses time, or ends up in the Randy Rahe dog house. To me, that is a huge affront to the community. Morris is the latest example. Granted a walkon, but has 5 years of experience. Give him a chance. What do you have to lose Randall, you are 1-5 right now? Look at Jay Hill. How many one time walkons are now playing significant downs for him? Quite a few. At one time, Randy was really plugged in and got his share of local talent. Those kids weren't the best athletes, but they were basketball players. However, I would take those blue-collar guys over some of the "athletes" that are coming into the program for a season and then leaving now. Local guys help commit fans to the program. No, not every player needs to be local, but, right now one more would be better than the 1 or 2 we currently have. I find the Brizee signing hilarious. Randy has been going to Europe, on the universities dime and they find a kid in Idaho who is better than his Euro guys (even though those kids are great people and I'm glad they are here). Just saying that he overlooks a lot of local talent (high school and JC).

6. NBA -- College basketball is not NBA Basketball. Randy is somewhat obsessed lately with the chucking experienced daily in the NBA and that is a huge part of his current offense. No movement, very little passing, lots of Chucking. Now, one thing that was usually consistent with Randy Rahe Basketball, defense and toughness, are looking more and more like things of the past.

 

[weberwildcat]

I agree, the problems aren't the coach's fault.

Your #1,2 and 3 have made WSU and Big Sky hoops less fun over the years. It seemed to have changed for the worse when all the conference realignment changes took place which was like 2008-2010 I think. All the schools in the state were upgraded by it except Weber and BYU but BYU's was by choice ours wasn't.

The Big Sky became worse off after that time period but at least UND is now gone. The neutral conf tourney they said made sense for planning reasons but it ruined it completely. It makes basketball less fun and guarantees no crowd for the post season. Having the champ game on ESPNU isn't worth caring about, its not the same as ESPN2. I would rather it not be on TV and be at a Big Sky arena than in Boise or Reno in front of 10-20 fans. I went to 2 of the 3 Reno tourneys and I went to Boise. I can't go back to Boise even if we are the 1 seed it isn't fun the on neutral.

If there is something I hate more than the Big Sky tourney's current format, it would be the OOC scheduling. The root cause is the NCAA not Weber or Rahe. It is still up to Weber and its coach though to get a schedule that isn't terrible. What ever the explanation for this season's schedule is it doesn't really matter and its not just this year. You have to have D1 home games and you need to play the in-state teams and on your home floor. If we are scheduling for 20 wins that would be a mistake because the prestigious 20 win season is gone, anyone can do it. In 2018 we had 6 of 12 get 20+ wins and we don't even have the scheduling power of a big conf like Pac12. Back in the days of the conf having 8-9 schools you would see 1-2 teams with 20 wins.

 

[Brick3’s]

I see only #6 as being the issue.
This isn’t team ball! It’s watching the guards chuck it up from any where. We don’t use our post players and opposing teams are 100% clued into our offense strategy or lack of and know that if they cover Harding and John they can beat Weber State. This started 2 or 3 years ago! I call it the Golden State syndrome, except the Warriors take as much pride in good assist as they do scoring. Our players are only looking for their points.

It’s all about coaching. This is the system that Rahe thought would take the program to the next level. What’s it’s going to be next year when 45% of our offense has graduated? It’s amazing to me that the players we recruit regress in their development after their Freshman year. I guess Nero and Barnes are the piñatas this season.

Crazy that we want to blame everything except for the root cause. It’s the losses and the style of play that’s bringing the program to the basement.

 

[Chex]

The conference tournament at a neutral site with every team making hasn’t incentivized the regular season, but that isn’t the big reason for the tailspin the program is in.

The long-term contract has left Rahe with no incentive to perform. Instead he is going through the motions and hoping he finds some hot shooters.

Look at footage from when he first started, he was energetic and all over the refs. Now he just sits back and watches the game go by him. His first teams had grinders and hustle players and had a team concept. The team that lost the CIT played intense defense. These teams don’t even keep their arms up on defense.

If the assistant coaches aren’t good, it is Rahe’s job to get new ones.

It is apathy from Rahe.

Other teams still get fired up to play. When UVU trash talked our team at the Dee and they sat there and took it...that’s when I knew we hit rock bottom. Any player with self respect would have put those players two rows into the stands.

 

[Webergrad02]

As much as I would like to place the blame on the conference or other factors, coach is the one killing Wildcat basketball. Here is Randy in 2012 after the win at Dayton talking about everything that his current team isn't. Doesn't take long to see the areas that have fallen off. https://youtu.be/FAYPuMbved0

 

[SWeberCat02]

https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/sports/bobcats/mens-basketball/how-montana-state-increased-men-s-basketball-marketing/article_1493eab0-1847-5207-947c-aef44ea0e45f.amp.html?__twitter_impression=true

Since his hiring, he and the athletic department have put an emphasis on increasing marketing, attendance and energizing a fan base that experienced growing lethargy throughout the past several years as the team has finished above .500 only once since 2003-04.

This is the kind of coach this program needs. It's also happening at USU. And both are experiencing immediate success.

 

[WSUfan1]

Randy Rahe is what is killing WSU basketball. Please, Randy, step down and walk away from the program. He is a complete cancer, and its not curable. I cant believe we are still dealing with him. Please private donors, fans, students, alumi, staff, do not attend or donate to the program anymore. This madness needs to end now. Why do people go watch that disaster? If you care about WSU bball, express that concern by cutting off all donations, and support. Conference begins tomorrow, and I have zero desire to go watch. I will not donate to help WSU keep Rahe, but I would donate to help remove him. Can someone start a website that we can donate to fire Rahe?

 

[Webergrad02]

It better be one hell of a website. 1.6 million is a pretty big buyout.

In other news.... Looks like Brett Hein is wearing his purple panties today. It takes a real purple kool-aid drinking homer to rationalize our pathetic preseason to the fact that we had the 36th most difficult schedule in the nation. Way to dig for that one Brett. #findthepurplelining https://www.standard.net/sports/weber-state/it-s---now-weber-state-basketball-resets-for/article_a021ebae-3329-55cb-a834-d327867c7f9a.html

 

[WSUfan1]

It better be one hell of a website. 1.6 million is a pretty big buyout.

In other news.... Looks like Brett Hein is wearing his purple panties today. It takes a real purple kool-aid drinking homer to rationalize our pathetic preseason to the fact that we had the 36th most difficult schedule in the nation. Way to dig for that one Brett. #findthepurplelining https://www.standard.net/sports/weber-state/it-s---now-weber-state-basketball-resets-for/article_a021ebae-3329-55cb-a834-d327867c7f9a.html

Any website at this point. A GoFund me or anything. Rahe continues to impress with all those quotes about not caring about the OOC schedule, how he didnt expect to win the games, how it was the most difficult (credit Hein for pointing out it isnt the most difficult in his 14 years), how the team resets to 0-0 on the season, how he had to reset the entire offense becuase of a single injury, and how he trully doesnt care about the OOC games. Why play them then?? If I were a recruit or player of interest, and I heard a potential coach speak like that, I would never play for him. Maybe this is why we are recruitung futher and further way from campus. Is any one here planning on going to the game Saturday?

 

[Chex]

It better be one hell of a website. 1.6 million is a pretty big buyout.

In other news.... Looks like Brett Hein is wearing his purple panties today. It takes a real purple kool-aid drinking homer to rationalize our pathetic preseason to the fact that we had the 36th most difficult schedule in the nation. Way to dig for that one Brett. #findthepurplelining https://www.standard.net/sports/weber-state/it-s---now-weber-state-basketball-resets-for/article_a021ebae-3329-55cb-a834-d327867c7f9a.html

Any website at this point. A GoFund me or anything. Rahe continues to impress with all those quotes about not caring about the OOC schedule, how he didnt expect to win the games, how it was the most difficult (credit Hein for pointing out it isnt the most difficult in his 14 years), how the team resets to 0-0 on the season, how he had to reset the entire offense becuase of a single injury, and how he trully doesnt care about the OOC games. Why play them then?? If I were a recruit or player of interest, and I heard a potential coach speak like that, I would never play for him. Maybe this is why we are recruitung futher and further way from campus. Is any one here planning on going to the game Saturday?

I don’t know. A matinee sounds fun, but other things might be interesting, too. I hope they get fired up to beat EWU after last year when their a**clown coach took a selfie in front if the student section. Doubt it though. More of the same dumpster fire.

 

[WSUfan1]

It better be one hell of a website. 1.6 million is a pretty big buyout.

In other news.... Looks like Brett Hein is wearing his purple panties today. It takes a real purple kool-aid drinking homer to rationalize our pathetic preseason to the fact that we had the 36th most difficult schedule in the nation. Way to dig for that one Brett. #findthepurplelining https://www.standard.net/sports/weber-state/it-s---now-weber-state-basketball-resets-for/article_a021ebae-3329-55cb-a834-d327867c7f9a.html

Any website at this point. A GoFund me or anything. Rahe continues to impress with all those quotes about not caring about the OOC schedule, how he didnt expect to win the games, how it was the most difficult (credit Hein for pointing out it isnt the most difficult in his 14 years), how the team resets to 0-0 on the season, how he had to reset the entire offense becuase of a single injury, and how he trully doesnt care about the OOC games. Why play them then?? If I were a recruit or player of interest, and I heard a potential coach speak like that, I would never play for him. Maybe this is why we are recruitung futher and further way from campus. Is any one here planning on going to the game Saturday?

I don’t know. A matinee sounds fun, but other things might be interesting, too. I hope they get fired up to beat EWU after last year when their a**clown coach took a selfie in front if the student section. Doubt it though. More of the same dumpster fire.

Sub 2k attends tomorrow. Terrible product and Rahe doesnt care about the fans or community. We want oranges, but he only sells apples. When you tells fans that the games we car about (OCC games and state games) how OCC games are not important, why go and support that?

 

[sasquatch]

I've always had a problem with coaches who say that out of conference games don't matter. If they don't matter, then don't charge admission for them. If they don't matter, start your walk-ons. If they don't matter, take win incentives/bonuses out of contracts.