Topic: 4 yr. home & home hoops deal with Louisville...

[GreenSteve]

Marshall Athletics has announced a four-year, home-and-home agreement to play perennial basketball power Louisville starting next season at the Henderson Center.

The agreement begins with the Cardinals coming to Huntington in the 2005-06 and 2007-08 seasons, with the Herd making trips to Freedom Hall for the 2006-07 and 2008-09 campaigns.

http://www.herdzone.com/sports/mbball/release.asp?RELEASE_ID=9563

[ThunderZone]

WOW!!! This is great  :cool:

[lexkyherdfan]

That is a great game for the Herd.  That will definitely draw a huge crowd.  Hopefully we will see some more announcements like that one for both football and basketball.

[OhYeaahMU]

Mmmm, sounds good!

[Blade]

Our first bene for joining CUSA!

[DJdaHERDfan]

we never got deals like this in the freakin MAC!!

Louisville might be stomping holes in our a$$es at the Cam but *_+! we got them for four years!!!
woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just hope that Jirsa can get it turned around

[marshall fanatic]

we would have never gotten this deal without the recruiting of Jirsa!

[herdfanstuckinohio]

Don't want to throw Jirsa under the bus, recruiting is great....but winning is what it important.  Recruiting doesn't bring in the people to watch, winning does.  If Jirsa cant get it done next year with "his players" then it is time to look elsewhere.  Jeff Battle is a big time assistant coach at Wake Forest.  Was named last year as one of the assistants to look out for in the future.  People are big in hiring alumni....there is one to look at

[Mako]

I think in basketball, you almost have to be willing to give a coach 4 years to "do his thing."  Dean Smith had losing records his first 5 years at North Carolina.  The Dukies were ready to lynch Coach K after about 3 years.  Now, before people start screaming that surely I'm not comparing Jirsa to Smith or Coach K or comparing Marshall to UNC or Duke let me say that I'm not.  But, the point is that if either had been fired after their first few seasons, it is possible their programs would never have been built to the point they are today.

[Garbanjo]

Jirsa gets 4 years minimum and maybe 5 to turn this thing around. We can't afford to remove him at this stage, and to do so would not provide him with an opportunity to right the ship. I will say that I am very disappointed with this year's results. Pitiful................

As I've said before, Kayo's legacy depends upon Jirsa's results.............

[ATHENSHERDFAN]

While Jeff Battle could be an option, we need to give Jirsa at least one more season. I have posted before and I will again, we have been only one guy from being a much better team. If we had that one guy that we can count on for 30-35 minutes and 19-25 pts. per game, this season may have been different. We've got 3 or 4 that might give you 20 but as we've seen, they can't be counted on. I know a 25 pt. guy's don't fall of tree's, but we have had several over the last 20 year's. This season has been terribly disappointing, but I am an optimistic about the future. We do have the kid from Florida, he could be this guy.

[mr_ash_1995]

The Cards will kick our butts.  However, the school will make some $$$ and boys will get some great experience of playing against some great talent.

I do like the thought on Jeff Battle.  When did he graduate from MU?  It seems like we won the SC tourney that year.

[Tantus_has_a_herd_on]

I think in basketball, you almost have to be willing to give a coach 4 years to "do his thing."  Dean Smith had losing records his first 5 years at North Carolina.  The Dukies were ready to lynch Coach K after about 3 years.  Now, before people start screaming that surely I'm not comparing Jirsa to Smith or Coach K or comparing Marshall to UNC or Duke let me say that I'm not.  But, the point is that if either had been fired after their first few seasons, it is possible their programs would never have been built to the point they are today.

Dean Smith did not have 5 losing seasons his whole career at North Carolina.

I do understand your point though, especially with Coach K.  Like Coach Jirsa, Coach K did not have very much success at his first coaching job.  I really do not know much about Army basketball before Coach K, so maybe they loved him.  But none the less having a 75-59 record after 5 years isn't exactly tearing it up.  Especially considering that after "peaking" with records of 20-8 and 19-9, the final year Coach K was there they went 9-17.