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February 20, 2008

Reynolds and Donaldson hoops chat transcript

Jim Donaldson: Good afternoon, everyone! Looking forward to chatting with you.

Bill Reynolds: Hello everyone: welcome. fire away

Friar Fan: I am a 20 year season ticket holder and sit court side. Jim I haven't seen you at many games how many have you gone to? I think Welsh should be able to coach his kids thru their senior years. PC should give him an extension with a no buyout clause. What team cane win without their starting point guard? When you say Pitt just remember to check out their record without Fields.

Jim Donaldson: Friar Fan: Here's the crux of the matter. This is Tim's 10th season at PC. Unless there's a dramatic turnaround down the stretch, the Friars will miss out on the Big East tournament for the second time in three years. Under Welsh, PC has won only one conference tourney game. The Friars have been to two NCAA tournaments and are 0-2, including a disappointing loss as a #5 seed. It's time for a change. He's had more than enough time to establish the program.

PCBobby: This is for Bill. You've been insistent over the years that PC fans are unreasonable in their expectations for their basketball program. Do you think that PC fans have been unreasonable in their treatment of Tim Welsh? In other words do you think that we've been impatient with him? Do you believe that the product he has put on that court is the best that PC fans are entitled to expect?

Bill Reynolds: to PCBpbby: My main point is that in a league where the top teams have goals to get to the final four and win the national championship, and PC's unofficial goal is to get to the NCAA Tournament once every three or four years that it's apples and oranges. That being said, I understand fans' frustrations

massfriar: Last month, Jim O'Brien was cleared to return to coaching by the NCAA. Do you think that his infraction would be too damning for Father Shanley and the rest of the PC administration to overlook? I think it was a minor but my opinion isn't what matters. Weren't the rumors about O'Brien coming to PC when he was still a BC? It seems too good to be true - O'Brien is available and PC needs a new coach - but I think he would be a great fit for the school. What do you guys think?

Jim Donaldson: massfriar: Check out today's paper. I quote Dick Vitale, who is a big fan of Jim O'Brien's. I also mention that Fr. Shanley might be willing to give O'B absolution for past sins if he promises to transgress no more.

shuffs: assuming that pc fires welsh, which in my opinion is a no brainer, who are the likely candiates pc will look at to replace him??

Jim Donaldson: shuffs: Wrote a whole column about that today. Buy a paper.

Bill Reynolds: to Shuffs: assuming PC is looking for a new coach next year, i would think the school would want a young, hungre coach with his career ahead of himt

Steve L.: Why are so many coaches and media people quick to jump to Tim Welsh's defense, when he has proven he can't inspire and teach his teams to play the type of in-your-face defense needed to win at this level in the big games? I have no doubt he knows what to do but he obviously doesn't have the ability to make the players go above and beyond. PC's next coach needs to be a charismatic leader as X's and O's are not enough to win at PC. Do you guys agree? Thanks.

Jim Donaldson: SteveL. -- I don't think you could say I have jumped to Welsh's defense. I don't think he's done a bad job. But he hasn't been good enough, as his postseason record clearly indicates. A decade is a long time to go without an NCAA win and only one conference tourney win.

lou: An awful lot has been written or said over the last few weeks concerning the status of the Friars and the coaching situation. While we as fans have become increasingly frustrated with this team's performance this year, I think it is really difficult to place blame on either the coach, his staff or even the players. What I think has happened is that the days of Coach Welsh and his staff have outgrown their stay here. While you can point to the number of losses in close games over the years, the failure to win in post season , the number of players who have left and gone elsewhere, the many recruits who simply are not Big East Caliber players, the failure to develop players (Did it really take Herb Hill 4 years to be able to be a good player?), etc., etc., etc., it's time for change simply for change's sake. While we've all heard about all the reasons why this situation is so difficult compared to other schools in the conference, other coaches such as Gillen, Barnes, Pitino found a way to overcome these difficulties. We need a new face with a new attitude and a new outlook on this program

Jim Donaldson: lou: brevity is the soul of wit.

Bill Reynolds: Lou: i think you make a great point. 10 years is a long time in this day and age and maybe it has played out for Welsh here. But let's not forget that has had only two seasons isince the Big East started where they have won an NCAA Tournament game.

crowesman'66: My biggest issues with Tim's teams are freethrows and turnovers. Issues that have not improved from his first season at the helm. How many times are you going to lose a game by three or four points and miss eight,ten or twelve freethrows and have twenty turnovers.

Also why does he refuse to recruit local players. Jeff Xavier grew up dreaming of playing for PC but Tim wouldn't even give him a sniff. The only reason he's here now is because Seton Hall fired Louis Orr(the same season he made the NCAA tourney) and hired Bobby G. from Marshall. How about Jeff Mazulla(sp) from West Viginia. He also dreamed of playing for PC. And to a lesser extent TJ Sorrentine from UNH. I know RI does not have the pool of talent to draw from like Indiana but these are quality D1 players he didn't even have to recruit to play here.

Bill Reynolds: Crowesman: The sad truth is that there are not enough local players to live off. it doesn't mean they don't make mistakes once in a while.

Jim Donaldson: crowesman'66: It's not that PC won't recruit local kids. They've recruited Mike Marra, from Smithfield, but he appears to be more interested in Louisville. Now, Bobby G. came Manhattan, not Marshall. It's Joe Mazzulla, not Jeff. And Sorrentine went to Vermont, not UNH. Other that that, you're right on target. Could we please raise the discussion level here, just a bit.

crowesman '66: Why didn't Welsh reconize the talent of Gomes(a player he saw everyday in practice) he was going to red shirt him,he didn't even play his first eight games I believe. I guess my question really is if Ryan Gomes hadn't fallen into Welsh's lap we would have been having this same discussion four or five years ago?

Jim Donaldson: crowesman'66: Ask Jim Calhoun about not recognizing Gomes' talent. Just be prepared for an obscene reply, like the one he directed at a New Haven reporter who asked him that question at a postgame press conference a couple of years ago.

Bill Reynolds: crowesman66. He did recognize the talent of gomes. he recruited him. that question would be better asked to schools that didn't recruit him, namely in-state UConn..

gman: who is going to be the next coach

Jim Donaldson: gman: Better you should ask Bob Driscoll that question

friarfanatic: Wouldn't you both agree Welsh's biggest coaching fault is the lack of consistancy with his substiutions and playing time? How does Jonathan Kale play great against URI earlier this season and then not play the next game? How does Greedy or Alex show promise early in the season and then not play for the likes of Hall or Brooks? Why does Welsh yank players as soon as they mess up one play? There's hardly and flow or rhythm with his teams because there's never any flow or rhythm with his substitutions.

Jim Donaldson: friarfanatic: I don't know as I'd say it's Tim's "biggest" coaching fault, but it is an issue. There sometimes seems to be little rhyme or reason as to who plays and who doesn't, and when.

Bill Reynolds: Friarfanatic: good question. Obviously, this team has struggled, and most struggling teams have players going in and out of the lineup, that just comes with the territory.

friarfanatic: Why, in a year when URI cracked the top-25 and PC probably won't make the Big East tournament, does PC still get more than or at least equal media attention as URI? Is URI that far behind PC?

Jim Donaldson: friarfanatic: Look at Tuesday's paper, when there were two pieces about the Rams on the front sports page, and both PC stories were inside, and today's paper, when Billy's column about Jimmy Baron's scoring problems led the section.

Bill Reynolds: friarfanatic: PC still gets a lot of media attention because even when they in the midst of a struggling season there is still huge interest, by all standards of measure, eveything from crowds to website traffic here at the journal

hello: I loved Kevin Mac's quote the other day about PC having too many people wanting Stanford during the day and Memphis at night, thoughts?

Jim Donaldson: hello: PC would be better off wanting to be Stanford at night. As in, in their dreams.

Bill Reynolds: Hello:I think wanting to be stanford during the day and memphis at night is at the root of PC's problems. They built their reputation as the little school that deified the odds and now the odds are fighting back

Jimmy: What is the buzz with respect to any PC players transferring after this season?

Bill Reynolds: Jimmy: I haven't heard any specifics, but any time there is a season like this, with rumors of a coaching change, it puts players in an anxious state. So nothing would surprise me..

crowesman'66: I'm so sic of hearing about only twoseasons with tourney wins. What does that have to do with a 5 seed getting beat by #12 Pacific?

Jim Donaldson: crowesman'66: Nothing

Bill Reynolds: Cowesman66: you maybe sick of hearing about it. but those are the facts. As for a 5th seed getting beat by a 12th seed? that's basketball. it happens every year.

Jimmy: Do you think Greedy can be a solid contributor for PC in the next three years?

Jim Donaldson: Jimmy: No reason he shouldn't be. He has tremendous athletic ability.

Bill Reynolds: Jimmy: I think greedy can be a contributor, but he's always going to be undersizeed for his position and must improve his skills

Jimmy: Let's say that PC wins two more games. Will that be enough to keep Timmy around?

Jim Donaldson: Jimmy: Shouldn't be. Whether he stays or goes is a decision that should be based on what he's done over the past decade, not what happens in the next two weeks.

Jimmy: Brooks does not deserve to play even a minute against anyone. He is awful.

Bill Reynolds: Jimmy: as for brooks, he is not now ready to play in these kind of games.

crowesman'66: It's always been said Providence is a steppingstone job. Is that such a bad thing? Aren't about 75% of headcoaching jobs really steppingstone jobs? Don't you want a coach who is drawing interest from bigger programs? That means his program is successful. Give me a hungry young coach looking to make a name for himself.

Jim Donaldson: crowesman'66: Providence IS a steppingstone job in today's basketball world. Unless, perhaps, you bring in an older coach, such as O'Brien or Larranaga. Pitino stepped from PC to the Knicks; Barnes stepped from PC to Clemson; Gillen stepped from PC to Virginia. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

Bill Reynolds: crowesman66: I agree with you about PC being a stepping stone job, for that means t- by definition - that for the coach to move on to a bigger job that means he would have great success here.

crowesman'66: Allow me to vent for a minute. After the game at DePaul last month Kevin Mac had a blurb in the Friar notes about how Dickey Simpkins(who did the TV for the game) was an AAU coach and how the assistant coaches had exchanged business cards with him. I could have put my fist through a wall. You mean to tell me after ten years you're just making contact with a guy like Dickey Simpkins now. To be successful at a place like PC you have to you have turn over every stone to find players. For every Dickey Simpkins ther are twenty other guys with PC connections who would love to send players to Prov. Just what are these asst coaches doing? Alot of Gillen's success was due to his asst coaches.

Bill Reynolds: Crowesman66: i agree with your larger point that PC must overturn evey rock. It's all about getting players. Criticize welsh all you want for who he plays, and when he takes his timeouts, and all the rest of it, but the sad truth is that the best players usually win .and in this league welsh does not have the best players.

friarfanatic: For awhile, fans and students have had problems with Welsh. Do you think part of it (aside from wins/losses) is that he does little to excite PC students and is often curt with media and fans? By contrast, coach Baron goes to the cafeteria to get the students revved up and shakes hands of students lined up outside the stadium before the game. And the Ryan Center's been rocking this year because of it!

Jim Donaldson: friarfanatic: Can't tell you about Welsh's relationship with students, but I assure you that, in my dealings with him, he always has been pleasant and insightful. I like him, personally.

Jimmy: Where could you see Welsh coaching next if he does get canned?

Jim Donaldson: Jimmy: No idea. But there's no reason he shouldn't get another coaching job somewhere else.

friarfanatic: Do either of you feel like PC rushed Curry back initially? He came back and played one game a little earlier than the timeline Welsh had previously talked about. Then, he's done for the season because he reaggrevated the foot.

Bill Reynolds: friarfanatic: I have no idea of whether curry was rushed back too soon. I do know that his absence has hurt this team very much, especially against good defensive teams that pressure the guards..

Preston: any chance they will cut Welsh loose now and try to salvage the season?..can't get any worse

Jim Donaldson: Preston: Bob Driscoll has said no decision would be made until after the season. That's the right call.

Preston: How long will Driscoll be around? From my observation all PC sports are underperforming. Start from the bottom of the standings (it will save you time) when looking for PC's record.

Jim Donaldson: Preston: I'd say Driscoll be around about as long as the next basketball coach he hires.

Bill Reynolds: Preston: or until he can get a better job

friarfanatic: Do you think Driscoll will talk to the players before he makes a decision on Welsh or will that not even play a factor? Seems to me that if the players are for Welsh, keep him because next year the team will be senior-laden. If they have had problems with him, maybe it's time to experiment and try to catch lightning in a bottle next season when this team will probably be its best for the next 2-3 years.

Jim Donaldson: friarfanatic: The inmates should not be allowed to run the asylum

ken: Any sens on where Driscoll and Shanley stand on Welsh? After all, they're the ones who will make the decision once the season ends.

Jim Donaldson: ken: If they have any sense, they'll know it's time for a change.

Bill Reynolds: Ken: I don't have any real sense, other than what we heard in the pre-season that he would be evaluated by this season. which, of course, got complicated when curry went down, and the face of the booing in the Dunk and the amount of obvious fan dissatisfaction..

chrisherren: Bill, I understand that they have only won NCAA games two 2 out of 28 seasons, but Welsh has been here for more than 1/3 of that time, so he is partly responsible. Also, after this season it will have 5 seasons out of 10 that ended in an under .500 record - and you think he should be extended????

Jim Donaldson: Chris: Bill says that it's bad enough he has to deal with you in real life, he doesn't want to have to deal with you in virtual reality. Personally, Chris, I think it's been all downhill for Bill after "Fall River Dreams."

Jimmy: Let's be realistic, can PC pay someone like O'Brien the money needed for him to take the job?

Jim Donaldson: Jimmy: You get what you pay for. They're playing in the big leagues. That means they have to pay the big bucks. It also puts more pressure on Driscoll to hire the right guy.

Bill Reynolds: JIimmy: I don't think money for a coach's salary is the real impediment here, unless you're talking about a heavyweight who is going to coammnd huge money.

crowesman'66: How much of the blame goes to the administration in this whole mess? Tim seems to bite his tongue but how many players have they refused to admit. He sure could use some juco players.

Jim Donaldson: crowesman'66: It is rare -- I repeat, rare -- for the Friars (or most other Div. I schools, for that matter) to refuse to admit a "qualifier" under the not-exactly stringent NCAA standards.

friarfanatic: But how can the players have NO SAY in who coaches them? From your article Jim, it seems like Efejuku has major problems with Welsh and if he had a coach who appreciated him more, the team might be better off for it. If Driscoll talked to the players at least for their thoughts on their coach, I bet he'd get an inside perspective that might help him make a decision.

Jim Donaldson: friarfanatic: Let's put this in another context -- too many students give higher ratings and evaluations to teachers who are "nice" or "easy" than to those who are demanding.

Jimmy: This school needs a heavyweight after the Welsh debacle.

Jim Donaldson: Jimmy: What they need is a guy who can win.

Bill Reynolds: Jimmy: Speaking of heavyweights, Rick majerus is already under contract.

dailey7779: Hey guys do you think PC might go after Sean Miller, head coach of Xavier? Xavier seems to have great coaches who always do well making the jump to bigger conferences....Madda, Prosser, and of course Gillen! Go Friars!

Jim Donaldson: dailey7779: No reason he shouldn't be a candidate. The questions with him, as with other top coaches, is whether they can get him, and whether they'll pay him. Frankly, if he's moving, it's probably to what is generally perceived as a "better" situation.

crowesman'66: If you look at the teams roster doesn't it look like they could make some kind of run with the right coach?

Jim Donaldson: crowesman'66: Yes

friarfanatic: Do you think playing at the Dunk, as opposed to a place like the Ryan Center, really hurts the Friars that much? In terms of the face the Friars can't always practice there the night before and it's not on campus.

Jim Donaldson: friarfanatic: If you've got guys who can play, they can play anywhere. You think Tiger Woods worries about what golf course he's playing on?

friarfanatic: Jim, I don't think that analogy quite works here. Classes aren't viewed on how they win or lose games to other classes. If there's a problem with a class, then you should talk the students for what's wrong. If there's a problem with a team and they're not winning, you should talk to the players and see if there's something wrong between them and the coach that you can fix. Driscoll should at least listen to them. Listening and allowing them to run an asylum are compeltely different.

Jim Donaldson: friarfanatic: The players will be gone in, at most, four years. Driscoll would like to stay longer than that. That's why it's decision, based on his criteria, not theirs.

friaredup: pc has big probs coming up.....aging blue haired fan base, lowering attendance, apathy, and they better pick the next coach real carefully.....we need a winner in town at all costs.....

Bill Reynolds: Friared-up: Good points. But there's no guarantee that if there is a next coach he is going to have any more success thna Tim Welsh has had. Not in this league. Not now. That's the reality. It doesn't mean it can't change, but, as you say, this program has problems and it's going to take a lot of winning to to deal with them.......the game's over for me today, folks. thanks for you questiomns.

Jim Donaldson: friaredup: Would that be Rhody Blue hair?

crowesman'66: Jim-what do think of Barnes now-you were quite critical when he was here?

Jim Donaldson: crowesman'66: He could always recruit 'em, he just couldn't coach 'em. He's doing a better job now, but, when it comes to X's and O's, he doesn't belong in the same gym with PC legends such as Joe Mullaney and Dave Gavitt.

friaredup: we have the worst home fans in America......no atmosphere there at all...

Jim Donaldson: friaredup: Allow me to point out that, with the Friars down a couple of buckets in the second half against Georgetown, I'd have preferred to hear a rousing rendition of the fight song, and see the crowd (or at least the students) up and cheering, than watch three guys in blindfolds crawl around the court. Not exactly the sort of thing to fire up the crowd -- or the team.

Mike: Jim--What would have been a realistic goal for PC this year if they knew from the start Curry would miss the season?

Jim Donaldson: Mike: Clearly, the loss of Curry has resulted in more L's than W's. As that relates to Welsh, however, he's being judged on his decade's work.

Jim Donaldson: It's after one, loyal readers. The final buzzer just sounded. Sayonara.

Posted by Mike McDermott at 1:44 PM | Permalink

February 20, 2008

Reynolds and Donaldson hoops chat transcript

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