Xavier v. Toledo (11/27/2020 - XU Invitational)

[xudash]

My evaluation of Steele (and my level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction) is highly circumstantial. The way this team laid down last year, particularly against DePaul? I am totally not fine with that. That was an abomination and I hold both the coaches and the players responsible for that.

The way this year's team has fought and just kept grinding (and I'll stipulate for the record the teams they just played were OK, not great and probably not BE caliber)? I enjoy the hell out of these kids. I hold both the coaches and players responsible for that as well.

Steele started at the bottom and worked his way up. I'm partial to that as I bet are many others on this board. He wasn't loyal because he couldn't get a job somewhere else. Our friend Chris Mack wanted him at the junior college 90 minutes south on I-71. I'll bet Mack would have paid him, as senior assistant, something close to what he is now making at X. And, I love loyalty as much as I love starting in the mail room. But, that isn't a reason to keep Steele as our coach. A reason to keep him as our coach is progress. And, I see progress (or think I see it) where others on this board see a repeat of last year's debacle.

I recall my first big promotion (sadly, many years ago now). I was not ready. I'm sure others have had a similar experience so I won't belabor it. I thrashed and flailed my first couple of years. I was taken advantage of by some of my team members. I made some horrible decisions and I made a few terrible hires. But, I stuck it out. Most importantly, I was allowed to stick it out by those above me on the corporate food chain. I kept grinding, gained valuable experience and when I retired, a couple of years ago, my team and I had built a hugely successful, well regarded and highly profitable national business. It took some patience from people above me and patience from many people a few rungs down the ladder beneath me. And, it was a hugely humbling experience because, when I was promoted, I was young (like Steele) and it was my first big job (like Steele). I was such a fucking rookie. What I think I learned (which I practiced over the next three decades as I added managers below me) is to value continuity and effort as long as people are making progress. Sometimes that progress is only baby steps forward.

While I have been critical of Steele at times, I believe I see leadership and I believe I see progress. Of course, time will tell. But, I think he has earned time without the Xavier fan base looking over his shoulder and communicating this must be the year we see results. Success often occurs in stops and starts. It isn't generally a smooth process.

I like this team.

Public reps.

[xu82]

My evaluation of Steele (and my level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction) is highly circumstantial. The way this team laid down last year, particularly against DePaul? I am totally not fine with that. That was an abomination and I hold both the coaches and the players responsible for that.

The way this year's team has fought and just kept grinding (and I'll stipulate for the record the teams they just played were OK, not great and probably not BE caliber)? I enjoy the hell out of these kids. I hold both the coaches and players responsible for that as well.

Steele started at the bottom and worked his way up. I'm partial to that as I bet are many others on this board. He wasn't loyal because he couldn't get a job somewhere else. Our friend Chris Mack wanted him at the junior college 90 minutes south on I-71. I'll bet Mack would have paid him, as senior assistant, something close to what he is now making at X. And, I love loyalty as much as I love starting in the mail room. But, that isn't a reason to keep Steele as our coach. A reason to keep him as our coach is progress. And, I see progress (or think I see it) where others on this board see a repeat of last year's debacle.

I recall my first big promotion (sadly, many years ago now). I was not ready. I'm sure others have had a similar experience so I won't belabor it. I thrashed and flailed my first couple of years. I was taken advantage of by some of my team members. I made some horrible decisions and I made a few terrible hires. But, I stuck it out. Most importantly, I was allowed to stick it out by those above me on the corporate food chain. I kept grinding, gained valuable experience and when I retired, a couple of years ago, my team and I had built a hugely successful, well regarded and highly profitable national business. It took some patience from people above me and patience from many people a few rungs down the ladder beneath me. And, it was a hugely humbling experience because, when I was promoted, I was young (like Steele) and it was my first big job (like Steele). I was such a fucking rookie. What I think I learned (which I practiced over the next three decades as I added managers below me) is to value continuity and effort as long as people are making progress. Sometimes that progress is only baby steps forward.

While I have been critical of Steele at times, I believe I see leadership and I believe I see progress. Of course, time will tell. But, I think he has earned time without the Xavier fan base looking over his shoulder and communicating this must be the year we see results. Success often occurs in stops and starts. It isn't generally a smooth process.

I like this team.

Public reps as well.

[xu82]

Broncos have to play tomorrow with no QB’s. All tested positive. Some WR who played QB at Wake Forest will step in.

How does this college hoops season play out with a dozen or so players?

apoport
@RapSheet
#Broncos WR Kendall Hinton will play plenty at QB tomorrow, source said. 2020! He did play QB for a few years at Wake Forest.


Adam Schefter
@AdamSchefter
The most 2020 scene of all: Denver's QBs were deemed high-risk, close contacts because they were not wearing their masks. The Broncos will hit the field Sunday against the Saints without a quarterback.

[Xuperman]

Other than the three players - all of those things affect Toledo and Bradley - probably moreso being on the road. Tired of sugar coating crappy play against lower tear teams. It's Toledo and Bradley for crying out loud. Glad for the wins. Damn glad for the wins. But looking for signs of progress we;ve all been hoping for is sorely missing. In fact, it looks a lot like the same old same old.

There has been a great deal of excuse making and "only-time-will-tell"ing and cautiously optimisticing. I think we have been patient long enough. It's do or die with Travis.

Lower tier teams? You are delusional. Can we please view the last 2 wins in proper context. BOTH of those teams are projected to challenge for league championships. Both have league POY candidates. We're not talking the MEAC here. The MVC is a tough conference and the MAC is very respectable at the top. Ask Illinois about OU.

[xu82]

Coach Steele ain't no Jay Wright.

Who is?

Let’s keep making progress. I hope he keeps growing, and I don’t want to turn into the Cleveland Browns of college basketball.

[xudash]

Coach Steele ain't no Jay Wright.

Jay Wright is 58 years old. It took him time to get to where he is now. It would be safe to argue that he really set the stage - created the culture for what is now Villanova basketball - in the last 10 years. So, it isn't unreasonable to think that he really got it going there starting when he was 48 - at the very least, when he was somewhere in his upper 40's.

Travis Steele is 39 years old. And he is in his 3rd year of being a HC, obviously.

No one is asking for Travis Steele "to be" a Jay Wright immediately. Thinking that Travis Steele should be a Jay Wright now or that anyone implied that he should be operating at such a level at this point in his career is ignorant.

[JEHARDI]

My evaluation of Steele (and my level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction) is highly circumstantial. The way this team laid down last year, particularly against DePaul? I am totally not fine with that. That was an abomination and I hold both the coaches and the players responsible for that.

The way this year's team has fought and just kept grinding (and I'll stipulate for the record the teams they just played were OK, not great and probably not BE caliber)? I enjoy the hell out of these kids. I hold both the coaches and players responsible for that as well.

Steele started at the bottom and worked his way up. I'm partial to that as I bet are many others on this board. He wasn't loyal because he couldn't get a job somewhere else. Our friend Chris Mack wanted him at the junior college 90 minutes south on I-71. I'll bet Mack would have paid him, as senior assistant, something close to what he is now making at X. And, I love loyalty as much as I love starting in the mail room. But, that isn't a reason to keep Steele as our coach. A reason to keep him as our coach is progress. And, I see progress (or think I see it) where others on this board see a repeat of last year's debacle.

I recall my first big promotion (sadly, many years ago now). I was not ready. I'm sure others have had a similar experience so I won't belabor it. I thrashed and flailed my first couple of years. I was taken advantage of by some of my team members. I made some horrible decisions and I made a few terrible hires. But, I stuck it out. Most importantly, I was allowed to stick it out by those above me on the corporate food chain. I kept grinding, gained valuable experience and when I retired, a couple of years ago, my team and I had built a hugely successful, well regarded and highly profitable national business. It took some patience from people above me and patience from many people a few rungs down the ladder beneath me. And, it was a hugely humbling experience because, when I was promoted, I was young (like Steele) and it was my first big job (like Steele). I was such a fucking rookie. What I think I learned (which I practiced over the next three decades as I added managers below me) is to value continuity and effort as long as people are making progress. Sometimes that progress is only baby steps forward.

While I have been critical of Steele at times, I believe I see leadership and I believe I see progress. Of course, time will tell. But, I think he has earned time without the Xavier fan base looking over his shoulder and communicating this must be the year we see results. Success often occurs in stops and starts. It isn't generally a smooth process.

I like this team.

Well said!

[xu82]

Jay Wright is 58 years old. It took him time to get to where he is now. It would be safe to argue that he really set the stage - created the culture for what is now Villanova basketball - in the last 10 years. So, it isn't unreasonable to think that he really got it going there starting when he was 48 - at the very least, when he was somewhere in his upper 40's.

Travis Steele is 39 years old. And he is in his 3rd year of being a HC, obviously.

No one is asking for Travis Steele "to be" a Jay Wright immediately. Thinking that Travis Steele should be a Jay Wright now or that anyone implied that he should be operating at such a level at this point in his career is ignorant.

What he said is all I have to offer.

I think it was in jest, so I’ll take it in that light.


.

[bobbiemcgee]

obviously.

Thinking that Travis Steele should be a Jay Wright now or that anyone implied.

Never implied that. Just stated a fact. Guess you're saying we should wait 10 more years. sorry, unacceptable.

[XUGRAD80]

Never implied that. Just stated a fact. Guess you're saying we should wait 10 more years. sorry, unacceptable.

What is being said is that less than “acceptable” past performance is not a guarantee of future failure.

What is being pointed out is that many of those coaches that are currently at the top of the heap had to earn that spot. Many of them struggled for a number of years while they were building their programs. Steele is still building his program. He is still building the roster. Meanwhile he is competing in what many argue is the best conference in the country. He isn’t competing agains the MCC and A10 schools that most of the great past X coaches competed against. Sure, his recruits are better than those coaches had, but so are the recruits in the schools they are competing against. On paper, they’ve had 2 really good recruiting classes, but those players are still underclassman, and the roster still isn’t complete.

Past good performance is no guarantee of future success, either.
Some other coaches started out having great success for a few years, but flamed out after that.