Post by ceharv on Apr 16, 2024 9:21:43 GMT -5
These are trying times for Bona Nation, particularly those of us on the Bandwagon. Since the turbulent end to the disappointing season I have remained quiet and not posted, which many may consider a positive and something I should continue. But the truth is I just can’t keep quiet forever so I will air my concerns about the Program. In the short term I am distressed by us having to completely rebuild the team for 24-25, meaning we are probably looking at a top 8 finish at best, given what other teams have coming back. That’s frustrating given that our front line was eligible to return and had they, would have given us one of the top such returning groups in the league.
But frankly that short term concern is secondary to a larger concern, specifically about our head coach. When Mark was named to the position even those of us who did not feel that having a “Bona guy” as head coach was a requirement for the job had to be at least a little concerned that Mark wouldn’t “get it” and instead look at the job as a stepping stone to another, higher profile and higher paying job. But Mark proved those concerns unwarranted. He dove head first into the job, completely turning around the concept that Bonas being “65 miles southeast of Buffalo and a thousand miles from nowhere” (thank you, Sports Illustrated) made it nearly impossible to recruit top recruits there (Plus his putting the scandal behind us and putting us in the top 4 or 5 Programs in the league.) Mark rather brilliantly focused on 2.5 to 3 star targets who he and his staff could coach up and recruit he right guys with the idea that Bonas, because of its relative obscurity, was the best place to focus on developing basketball skills free from the distractions of the “big cities” and such places. TV commentators and other college hoops experts have for years marveled at how Mark has succeeded recruiting and developing the right mix of guys who can play with just about anybody.
Mark also bought into and used the culture of Bona Nation as demonstrated by his classic and spot-on description of it being “like a cult, but in a good way.,” which just nailed us with a wink and a smile. He committed to the Olean community generally, plus the alums and the RC more specifically. Critically, his enthusiasm for the job was palpable. Given the potentially frustrating challenges of having your career and livelihood being dependent on 17-21 year olds, I believe that a high level of enthusiasm for the job is critical to success at it. That kind of job pressure just isn’t for everyone. (I think a perfect example of how job enthusiasm can overcome otherwise limited ability was Keith Dambrot at Duquesne. He was not a great recruiter, and certainly not an innovator in Xs and Os, or as an in-game coach. Yet he loved Duquesne and pulled that Program from insignificance and near death to the NCAAs and national notoriety, I believe because he was enthusiastic about his job and never gave in.) Mark was always enthusiastic about everything Bonas and IMO that was critical to his considerable success in pulling us out of the funk resulting from the scandal and back into the regional and even national spotlight (Laughing at that thought? Remember the notoriety of beating UCLA, winning at Syracuse and taking Kentucky to the wire) in the last 18 years and compare that to listening to reports on ESPN and elsewhere about us no-showing for league games, forfeiting half a season of wins and then the Sol years, all for us having lowered our standards to accept a kid, who though a nice, decent kid, just didn’t meet the school’s enrollment standards (I apologize for bringing up all that crap, but IMO it’s important to remember where we were to appreciate where we are, and have been recently.)
I have no idea what happened to this year’s team and see no reason to add more speculation but I think something happened and could certainly understand if Mark has already suffered a loss of enthusiasm even before this season as a result of other recent changes to the job consisting of changes to the college hoops environment of the NIL money situatiion a place with limited resources to complete in that battleground, plus the transfer situation that threatens his core philosophy of developing players over several years.
And now, for the second time very recently he needs to completely rebuild the team, which has to be frustrating and daunting. So I worry about Mark’s willingness to continue with the battle, given that he’s not a kid any longer.
So every day I check the Bandwagon looking and hoping for the most obvious sign that he’s still committed to the battle - the commitments of new recruits to serve as the first building blocks for the rebuilt 24-25 team. I remain encouraged by seeing reports of us making offers to new targets but every day that goes by without a signing just increases my concerns.
For those who now wish I continued with my silence, I apologize but I can’t help chiming.
Oh and I forgot, he also will need to break in a new boss sometime soon.
And GO BONNIES!
But frankly that short term concern is secondary to a larger concern, specifically about our head coach. When Mark was named to the position even those of us who did not feel that having a “Bona guy” as head coach was a requirement for the job had to be at least a little concerned that Mark wouldn’t “get it” and instead look at the job as a stepping stone to another, higher profile and higher paying job. But Mark proved those concerns unwarranted. He dove head first into the job, completely turning around the concept that Bonas being “65 miles southeast of Buffalo and a thousand miles from nowhere” (thank you, Sports Illustrated) made it nearly impossible to recruit top recruits there (Plus his putting the scandal behind us and putting us in the top 4 or 5 Programs in the league.) Mark rather brilliantly focused on 2.5 to 3 star targets who he and his staff could coach up and recruit he right guys with the idea that Bonas, because of its relative obscurity, was the best place to focus on developing basketball skills free from the distractions of the “big cities” and such places. TV commentators and other college hoops experts have for years marveled at how Mark has succeeded recruiting and developing the right mix of guys who can play with just about anybody.
Mark also bought into and used the culture of Bona Nation as demonstrated by his classic and spot-on description of it being “like a cult, but in a good way.,” which just nailed us with a wink and a smile. He committed to the Olean community generally, plus the alums and the RC more specifically. Critically, his enthusiasm for the job was palpable. Given the potentially frustrating challenges of having your career and livelihood being dependent on 17-21 year olds, I believe that a high level of enthusiasm for the job is critical to success at it. That kind of job pressure just isn’t for everyone. (I think a perfect example of how job enthusiasm can overcome otherwise limited ability was Keith Dambrot at Duquesne. He was not a great recruiter, and certainly not an innovator in Xs and Os, or as an in-game coach. Yet he loved Duquesne and pulled that Program from insignificance and near death to the NCAAs and national notoriety, I believe because he was enthusiastic about his job and never gave in.) Mark was always enthusiastic about everything Bonas and IMO that was critical to his considerable success in pulling us out of the funk resulting from the scandal and back into the regional and even national spotlight (Laughing at that thought? Remember the notoriety of beating UCLA, winning at Syracuse and taking Kentucky to the wire) in the last 18 years and compare that to listening to reports on ESPN and elsewhere about us no-showing for league games, forfeiting half a season of wins and then the Sol years, all for us having lowered our standards to accept a kid, who though a nice, decent kid, just didn’t meet the school’s enrollment standards (I apologize for bringing up all that crap, but IMO it’s important to remember where we were to appreciate where we are, and have been recently.)
I have no idea what happened to this year’s team and see no reason to add more speculation but I think something happened and could certainly understand if Mark has already suffered a loss of enthusiasm even before this season as a result of other recent changes to the job consisting of changes to the college hoops environment of the NIL money situatiion a place with limited resources to complete in that battleground, plus the transfer situation that threatens his core philosophy of developing players over several years.
And now, for the second time very recently he needs to completely rebuild the team, which has to be frustrating and daunting. So I worry about Mark’s willingness to continue with the battle, given that he’s not a kid any longer.
So every day I check the Bandwagon looking and hoping for the most obvious sign that he’s still committed to the battle - the commitments of new recruits to serve as the first building blocks for the rebuilt 24-25 team. I remain encouraged by seeing reports of us making offers to new targets but every day that goes by without a signing just increases my concerns.
For those who now wish I continued with my silence, I apologize but I can’t help chiming.
Oh and I forgot, he also will need to break in a new boss sometime soon.
And GO BONNIES!
