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Ali wrote:Agree 100%. Consistently making the NCAA as a mid major is a sign of a great program. I'd take multiple consecutive NCAA trips over a single trip which ended in a Sweet 16 any day.

I'd have to define that a little better to get on board. One sweet 16 trip within a given 10 year span is probably equal to 6 appearances with no wins, 4 appearances and one win, or 3 appearances and two wins over the same time frame.

Drake had one fluke season and got in the dance. Does that mean they achieved the ultimate goal?

Both Drake and InSU had a coaching change that prevented extended success.

I evidently led this thread off the cliff when I responded to Casey's post that all of MSU's sports had hit toilet status.

I suggested that the loss of athletic dominance could be associated with budget considerations in the athletic department. I gave several examples of MSU responding to budget restraints in their hirings to support my hypothesis.

Evidently pointing out facts makes me an evil "WSU is uber-powerful" villain. I still do not consider a coach who wins a conference title and then bolts after 3 years to be a successful hire. At best that's a "we couldn't keep a successful hire" coach.

If pointing out the fact that WSU has a huge basketball budget compared to most schools in the Valley means that WSU is "elitist", then get used to WSU as an elitist school and WSU fans as elitist fans.

WSU can afford BCS-affiliated wages for their coach. Marshall can make a recruiting visit to a kid in Georgia or on the East Coast and still be home in time for supper. He gets enough charter recruiting flights to do that.

Right now, CU and WSU are the elite programs in the Valley. There will be a team or two challenging every year, but WSU and CU are the teams with the resources, tradition, and budget to remain at the top.

Calling WSU or CU fans "elitist" isn't an insult. It's a recognition of what those programs are doing.

pafan wrote:Both Drake and InSU had a coaching change that prevented extended success.

I am pretty sure Lansing is still the coach at Indiana State and he was the one who led them to the tournament.