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Whats enough to keep PD around?

#1

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Posts: 36

10/24/09 2:21 PM

Thanks for that article! Great stuff.

I wanted to get others take on what would be enough for you guys to want PD back next year as head coach? 20 wins and another early exit in the BWT? 10-15 wins?

For me, since we only won 12 games last year, there isnt a high bar that is set, and with such an easy schedule, I will not be happy with a 15-20 win season and then another early BWT exit.

For me, its NCAA tourney or you let him walk.

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americandesi1987

#2

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Posts: 268

10/24/09 6:22 PM

I feel this is not the right time to let him go. Not because I am a big PD fan but because I think the economic climate doesn't afford the Athletics Department looking for a QUALITY coach for the program. At this point in UCI's progression as a top D-1 school, I expect a good coach (ala Volleyball, Baseball, Water Polo, Soccer). First, they can't afford a good big name coach (which is what we need to move the program ahead, with some stud recruits as well obviously). Second, they would not be able to justify paying another coach 300k+ (I think that is PD's salary which he has earned for being the all-time Wins leader at Irvine)...

This is what I feel. Please educate me if I'm somehow mistaken in my thought process behind this.

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#3

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Posts: 32

10/24/09 7:02 PM

UCIEATER wrote:

Thanks for that article! Great stuff.

I wanted to get others take on what would be enough for you guys to want PD back next year as head coach? 20 wins and another early exit in the BWT? 10-15 wins?

For me, since we only won 12 games last year, there isnt a high bar that is set, and with such an easy schedule, I will not be happy with a 15-20 win season and then another early BWT exit.

For me, its NCAA tourney or you let him walk.

I think the recruiting PD has done for 09, and the guys lined up so far in 2010 leads me to beleive there is a change for the bertter.

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#4

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Posts: 650

10/25/09 3:20 PM

In my opinion something the AD will take into consideration is PD's age. He'll be about 61 next year. Does the AD fire the coach with the most wins in school history and risk upsetting PD supporters or lose PD recruits or does the AD wait a few more years and let PD exit through retirement making for a smoother transition into the next coach?

Let's remember in the AD's 1st year at UCI, PD took the team into the Big West Tournament Finals making a good 1st impression on the AD. After losing Darren Fells and Patrick Sanders, the team started last season something like 1-10 but turned it around through coaching in the 2nd half finishing tied for 4th in the Big West regular season.

Personally I want to give the combination of PD and Doug Oliver a few years and see if they can take UCI dancing.

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#5

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Posts: 37

10/25/09 6:24 PM

Change for the better ? After13 years at UCI and not ever being able to win any big west tournaments, thats enough for me to say we need to look elsewhere.

Im open to the idea of really watching how the team does this year with the new recruits, but I do not think there will all of a sudden be a change for the better.

Some of you have a whole lot more patience than I have to just wait around a few years to see when PD will retire. Mike Izzi has done a great job in his short run at UCI so far, and I think he will make the right decision after seeing what PD can do his last season of his contract.

I would love to see a big name coach at UCI but I dont see that hapening but I wouldnt mind Doug Oliver, with his resume, taking over next year to see what he can do.

Last Edited By: UCIEATER 10/25/09 6:29 PM. Edited 1 time.

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#6

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10/26/09 6:39 AM

UCIEATER wrote:
Change for the better ? After13 years at UCI and not ever being able to win any big west tournaments, thats enough for me to say we need to look elsewhere.

Im open to the idea of really watching how the team does this year with the new recruits, but I do not think there will all of a sudden be a change for the better.

Some of you have a whole lot more patience than I have to just wait around a few years to see when PD will retire. Mike Izzi has done a great job in his short run at UCI so far, and I think he will make the right decision after seeing what PD can do his last season of his contract.

I would love to see a big name coach at UCI but I dont see that hapening but I wouldnt mind Doug Oliver, with his resume, taking over next year to see what he can do.

I'm just saying that in recruiting alone (09-10) PD has improved.

Your right. Doug Oliver was a huge get for UCI.

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EatersFan

good article

#7

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Posts: 27

10/26/09 7:50 AM

Anyone see any play by the new players? How likely is it that they will make a big impact like Wise did last year?

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#8

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Posts: 651

10/26/09 9:32 AM

UCIEATER wrote:
Some of you have a whole lot more patience than I have to just wait around a few years to see when PD will retire.

In this case what I have more than you is historical perspective.

Here is UCI's record the 10 years before PD.

87-88 = 16-14
88-89 = 12-17
89-90 = 5-23
90-91 = 11-19
91-92 = 7-22
92-93 = 6-21
93-94 = 10-20
94-95 = 13-16
95-96 = 15-12
96-97 = 1-25

That's a total of 96 wins over the 10 years before PD was hired.
In PD's last 10 years UCI has had a total of 170 wins.

From 1987 to 1997 UCI averaged 9.6 wins per year. Today people are saying they will not be happy with a 15-20 win season.

Well this spoiled attitude is possible because of PD's success at UCI where from 1999 to 2009 PD averaged 17 wins per year.

It's kinda funny someone's sense of self entitlement wants to fire PD, the man who's success is responsible for that sense of entitlement in the 1st place.

Last Edited By: gouci 10/26/09 10:23 AM. Edited 1 time.

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dinoeater

#9

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Posts: 169

10/26/09 9:46 AM

This is good stuff. However can you provide UCI's complete W-L records for the 10 seasons prior to PD? I think you only included conference records. I was a student from 90-94 so I know first hand how abysmal we were before PD. The only teams that weren't horrible in the 10 years prior to PD were the 2 years with Miglinieks, Keefe, and Simmons. If PD had those guys, I have no doubt we would have made the big dance.

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#10

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10/26/09 10:29 AM

dinoeater wrote:
This is good stuff. However can you provide UCI's complete W-L records for the 10 seasons prior to PD? I think you only included conference records.

Your right. Oops I was in a rush and listed the conference records by mistake. I made the correction.

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#11

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Posts: 38

10/26/09 10:26 PM

Make no mistake about it, PD took UCI to that next step, and he's done great things for the school. But it comes down to if you rather have the wins from the regular season, or the important wins in the tournament. PD simply has not been able to win the big games. In his long tenure, we still haven't been able to win a BW Tournament. To me, I rather have a strong push in the BW tournament, than a 20 win season and then loose in the quarter-finals year after year in the tournament. But again, I want to see how he will respond this year when there is some pressure on him.

No question that PD did bring us out of that bad phase 1987-97, but he may not be the right coach to take us to the next level. And now that he's in a contract season, I say you explore all your options, and if there is a better candidate for the job, then you go for it. There is nothing wrong with UCI fans expecting/wanting more from our basketball program.

Here is UCI under PD , with the overall record and when they got eliminated in the BWT.

UC Irvine	1997-98	9	18
UC Irvine	1998-99	6	20
UC Irvine	1999-00	14	14
UC Irvine	2000-01	25	5	NIT 1st Round
UC Irvine	2001-02	21	11	NIT 1st Round
UC Irvine	2002-03	20	9	Big West Tournament Semifinals
UC Irvine	2003-04	11	17
UC Irvine	2004-05	16	13	Big West Tournament Quarterfinals
UC Irvine	2005-06	16	13	Big West Tournament Semifinals
UC Irvine	2006-07	15	18	Big West Tournament Quarterfinals
UC Irvine	2007-08	18	16	Big West Tournament Finals
UC Irvine	2008-09	12	19

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TonyEater08

How has Mike Izzi done a great job so far?

#12

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10/27/09 12:46 PM

Our schedule blows, Pat Douglass is still the coach, and Izzi can't take credit for hiring Gillespie. He certainly hasn't met my expectations at this point.

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#13

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10/27/09 2:06 PM

TonyEater08 wrote:
Our schedule blows, Pat Douglass is still the coach, and Izzi can't take credit for hiring Gillespie. He certainly hasn't met my expectations at this point.

Yea, playing Texas, at Texas, sure is weak.

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#14

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10/27/09 2:29 PM

TonyEater08 wrote:
How has Mike Izzi done a great job so far?

1. Izzi replaced the women's basketball coach.

2. Izzi hired Paula Weishoff as new women's volleyball coach. UCI is currently ranked in the top 25.

3. Under Izzi UCI's budget last year was $660,000 in the black. The budget was 1.5 mil in the red over a few years under Chichester.

4. Izzi gave UCI men's volleyball coach John Speraw a new contract when Arizona St. women tried to hire him away last year. As a result UCI won the 2009 national title.

Last Edited By: gouci 10/27/09 2:34 PM. Edited 3 times.

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JoeGuci

#15

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Posts: 199

10/27/09 8:12 PM

Bottom line -- UCI needs decent recruits to get over the hump irrespective of the coach --- UCI's players other than Green & and now Wise have been average -- We need Green & Wise on the same team to get over the hump...

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#16

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10/28/09 3:39 AM

JoeGuci wrote:
Bottom line -- UCI needs decent recruits to get over the hump irrespective of the coach --- UCI's players other than Green & and now Wise have been average -- We need Green & Wise on the same team to get over the hump...

Things just may be heading where you suggest.

PD did a great job of getting Flowers and Wilder on for 09. These guys are straight off the AAU travel circuit and know how to play.

If the USA article is any indication, 2010 recruit Mulloy should be a nice signing for PD as well.

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TonyEater08

Is that the best you can come up with?

#17

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Posts: 167

10/28/09 9:36 PM

Besides a road game at Austin, we scheduled San Jose State TWICE, Vanguard (Not Div 1), Laverne (Not Div 1), UTSA, Eastern Kentucky, Fairleigh Dickinson, Seattle.

Tell me, which home games do you plan on attending this year? There isn't a single home game on the slate that makes me even think about making the 20 minute drive to Irvine from my house. The schedule is a $%*#-sandwich.

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