Every coach has strengths and weaknesses. Some recruit better, some develop better, some scheme better, some manage games and motivate better. Billy Kennedy has weaknesses in several areas we can all see that, but in the end you have to judge on results. Wins and losses. The reality also is that expectations also come into play, if Billy Kennedy's first year was at A&M in 2004-05, then his results would look great, if he was hired at South Carolina in 2012 then his results would likely look great to them. He was hired at Texas A&M in 2011 and the reality is he did not meet expectations for several years. We had another down year this year, so that is bad, but another good year like 2015-16 puts him on a higher trend again based on his last 3 years of results. A down year...well, he's got to get fired if we disappoint next year, and I think he would be.

zooguy96 said:

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Wagering over +/- 18 wins is not really too much of a gamble, given that we play in a crap conference and the returning talent we have.

Now, if you wanted to wager something about being above a 5 seed in the tournament or so, that would be a pretty even wager.

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The poster said A&M would win 18 games and stay home, so I offered to accept that bar as a wager. That was his proposition, not mine.

free_mhayden said:

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Advancing far in the tournament can make up for a lot of things.

If Kennedy makes a Sweet 16 next year, he'll get at least 2 more years of leash. If he found his way to an Elite 8, then likely 3.

It doesn't necessarily change how good a coach he is, but it works both ways... I ignore all of the excuses some have made for his piss-poor performance at A&M and simply say look at the results... If he puts up solid results next year, even if he "lucks into them", then overall results start looking more competent.

Basically I want the guy canned because I don't think what he's done shows that he's capable of getting it done here -- that's including next season. The people that are already penciling in a Sweet 16 simply aren't realistic -- Kennedy's history shows it is not likely.

But if he gets us there, then you certainly won't see me calling for his head the next year.

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I agree with this, but with an important caveat. In his six years here I haven't seen one where Kennedy has outperformed the talent on his team. His team has performed equal to the roster talent once, way worse than the roster talent once, and slightly underperforned relative to the roster four times.

I can live with slightly underperforming relative to the roster as long as he continues to bring in great talent like the last three recruiting classes. Even if we make the Sweet 16 next season, if recruiting is looking more like a top 50 class in terms of average player ranking as opposed to a top 20 class, I would be in favor of moving on while a strong foundation from the incoming 2017 freshmen is still in place for the next coach. If he makes the elite 8 or better that's the best any coach has ever done here and he buys at least one or two more years.

DogCompany74 said:

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Hop...context is everything.

In the context of Billy Kennedy's 18 year career as a head coach coupled with his six years here, I personally do not think that he has the capacity ( recruiting+ strategic vision+gameday execution) to build a foundation for a sustainable program.

If we put the failures of the past season in the context of the last six years then you see yet another litany of excuses that not only Billy Kennedy , but too many coaches at A&M use for consistently underperforming.

When you overlay his on court history over the issues of his unfortunate health prognosis, then what exactly does an Aggie basketball fan like me build his hope for the future of the program? We are trapped by the lowered expectations for our current coach and an athletic department mentality that has created a self fulfilling prophecy of mediocrity being good enough for A&M basketball.

I don't want to become as cynical as you are about basketball at A&M. I want to hold out hope that Reed can be packed and that my school is relevant in a sport that I love. I want Kentucky worried about playing my Aggies every year. I want to gripe about seeding errors.

Regardless of the talent on paper, I have no faith that Billy Kennedy can develop a cohesive winning team out of these different parts. There may be enough talent to overcome his history of ineptitude to get us to the dance in 2018 , but is an occasional Sweet 16 loss the best we can aspire to?

There is no sustainable future with Billy Kennedy and our aspirations for are held hostage to his ability to win on a day to day basis. As you would probably note Hop, maybe that's all Aggie basketball fans should expect.

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After that lack of all hope and aspirations post, you claim I'm the one that is cynical? I think next year's team can be special and I'm looking forward to a great season. The fact that the staff added a 22-year old floor general as insurance and to be a steady locker room presence shows some strategic forethought. Getting the Nebo kid who will come online as Williams and Trocha leave is another good strategic move as I've been saying the front court pipeline was dangerously low.

I'm very optimistic about the program after the last week. It was a very good 6 days for the program going forward. And, I will judge what I see as we go.

We can certainly debate relative cynicism, but I really do want to be optimistic about the future despite past history.

I should probably quit worrying about the future potential of the program and enjoy whatever good basketball could potentially be played next year under Coach 52% . I can not do a thing about his holding us hostage but I think I can separate the athletic skills of the players he recruits in year one from the development promise that those players will probably never see. I will heartily applaud as these new players try to cast off the chains of the " stand around" offense favored by the incumbent.

So I will renew my season tickets but move over to the south side so that I don't have to look at the gum smacking, hands on hip, WTF look on BKs face as he debates a questionable rotation or mystery time out in the face of yet another 8 minute scoring drought.

See ...I can be positive . I just need to know the limitations of my optimism.

Double Diamond said:

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I think it's nuts that people are so positive next year is just a waltz into the tourney.

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We are not nuts. We are setting the bar high, so if next year is like this year and maybe if baby Jesus blesses us it will be BK's last year.

Quote:

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See ...I can be positive . I just need to know the limitations of my optimism.

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I won't be positive on this board until BK is gone or BK makes me eat crow and we are in the Final Four. I had the same attitude about fran and BK is no different IMO.

What about his tenure here leads you to believe his offense is creative enough to make it to the elite 8? We may have the talent, but his offensive gameplan won't allow them to capitalize on it.

czar_iv said:

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Quote:

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See ...I can be positive . I just need to know the limitations of my optimism.

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I won't be positive on this board until BK is gone or BK makes me eat crow and we are in the Final Four. I had the same attitude about fran and BK is no different IMO.

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If BK retired now the new coach would be walking into the best roster situation on paper in school history. Fran ran that **** all the way down into the ground.

RedlineAg08 said:

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What about his tenure here leads you to believe his offense is creative enough to make it to the elite 8? We may have the talent, but his offensive gameplan won't allow them to capitalize on it.

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When you have as well rounded a team as we have in '17/'18 it doesn't take much creativity to manufacture scoring.

Touche!

But we did have Von and a few others that developed nicely.

Like many others apparently I have zero confidence that Billy Kennedy will ever be better as a coach than what he has shown over 18 years as a head coach. I am conflicted greatly by my love for Aggie basketball coming into direct conflict with my desire to have him exposed as an underachiever and poor tactician. 18 years as a coach with little to show as sustainable development is a tough metric for me to ignore.

Because of his health issues the powers that be will keep redefining success as it relates to him year to year. He will continue to alibi for the shortcomings and claim " I've told them all along" credit for the successes.

Since I have zero control over if and when he leaves I have resigned myself to watching and supporting our players while recognizing that in my view , they were sold a development path that they will never step foot on with Coach BK.

Maybe this next group will have enough talent to overcome his stand around offense and mind boggling in game decisions ( How many time outs did we have?) to actually achieve success and Ill be happy for their success by overcoming the hurdle of poor coaching.

I'll join you in that plate of crow if in the unforeseen future a BK coached team makes the Final 4 but I'm not that concerned if in fact our players thrive and our students come back to Reed,

DogCompany74 said:

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Like many others apparently I have zero confidence that Billy Kennedy will ever be better as a coach than what he has shown over 18 years as a head coach. I am conflicted greatly by my love for Aggie basketball coming into direct conflict with my desire to have him exposed as an underachiever and poor tactician. 18 years as a coach with little to show as sustainable development is a tough metric for me to ignore.

Because of his health issues the powers that be will keep redefining success as it relates to him year to year. He will continue to alibi for the shortcomings and claim " I've told them all along" credit for the successes.

Since I have zero control over if and when he leaves I have resigned myself to watching and supporting our players while recognizing that in my view , they were sold a development path that they will never step foot on with Coach BK.

Maybe this next group will have enough talent to overcome his stand around offense and mind boggling in game decisions ( How many time outs did we have?) to actually achieve success and Ill be happy for their success by overcoming the hurdle of poor coaching.

I'll join you in that plate of crow if in the unforeseen future a BK coached team makes the Final 4 but I'm not that concerned if in fact our players thrive and our students come back to Reed,

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I'll take a F4. Everything else changes if that happens.

A school from the state of Texas has gone to the Final Four like once in the last 30 years. Barnes did it one time in Austin. That's it for Texan school representation in Final Four for quite some time.

So if A&M somehow got to Final Four under Kennedy, due to recruiting, coaching, sheer luck, whatever the reason, as Aggie fans you not only 'forgive' him. You throw him a parade.

The odds are so small of a school like A&M getting to Final Four, that hard to even realistically talk about it. A school like South Carolina is in same boat. But they hit the jackpot this year.