FishDuck Article Administrator No. 1 Share Posted April 15 Well, now we have NO Chance…or Grace, or Kennedy or Priscilla. (My granddaughter gets credit for that opening NO Chance line.) Just when I was getting ready to write a piece that I was going to headline, “In Defense of Coach Graves,” another mass exodus of players hits. For those of you who have read any of my three-part series ... Oh My! Oregon WBB: It Couldn’t Get Any Worse? | FishDuck FISHDUCK.COM Well, now we have NO Chance…or Grace, or Kennedy or Priscilla. (My granddaughter gets credit for that opening NO Chance line.) Just when I was getting ready to… 1 1 Two Sites: FishDuck and the Our Beloved Ducks forum, The only "Forum with Decorum!" And All-Volunteer? What a wonderful community of Duck fans! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Administrator No. 2 Share Posted April 15 Don...this is a great article that gets me pondering and asking even more questions. Good coaches who have a track record, (and thanks for the research into his time at St. Mary's and Gonzaga) do not get incompetent over-night, thus I cannot explain it. Yet the slide in five years is dramatic. 1 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haywarduck Moderator No. 3 Share Posted April 15 I would say he has turned the program around twice. The second time was in the wrong direction, after a long-term contract was signed. Time for somebody to turn the program back around. We seem to need a younger, player type coach, worked for South Carolina! Agree times have changed, seems like Graves hasn't, can't change. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudslide No. 4 Share Posted April 15 I have yet to see a one-on-one interview with any of the departing players or their friends. I don't see that any reporter has dug deeply into these folks social media posts. (Being that this is the forte of writers such as John Canzano, he who particularly enjoys writing hit pieces on the Ducks, I'm surprised.) The Fall of the Lady Ducks will be nothing but speculation until we see a public expression of this basketball demise. (They may exist, but I haven't seen any.) For me ... I don't particularly care to know the reason. I just know that the poor seasonal performances are mounting. I don't really care about Coach Graves past record. I'm of the what-have-you-done-for-me-now crowd. If a corporate CEO made millions for another company, and only tens of thousands for our company ... but has lost millions over the recent years ... well, what would you do?! Even though it will be costly to UO, I certainly hope we awake tomorrow to find an end to the train wreck and engaging a new and worthy coach. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drake Moderator No. 5 Share Posted April 15 He had a championship caliber team and COVID definitely took away an opportunity to win it. That seems to have broken his desire and ambition needed to stay competitive at that level. Personally, I don’t follow WBB. However, it is obvious that an honest assessment of the program’s head coach is needed. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JabbaNoBargain No. 6 Share Posted April 15 (edited) I suspect he’s old school and not used to re-recruiting players once he gets them on the roster. Beavis, arguably has it worse. Make the Elite 8 with everyone on the roster eligible to return, and then lose 80% of your starters in 2 weeks while headed to the WCC with no recruiting class in hand, major ouch. Overall women’s hoops is riding a wave of massive popularity at the moment, but IMO whether or not that sustains is very much in question. Having the “right” all time scoring leader to showcase won’t be an option next year. Apathy may be lurking. Edited April 15 by JabbaNoBargain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph No. 7 Share Posted April 15 Another terrific article, Don, thank you. In 2023, Oregon Athletics produced a Total Revenue of $121,317,887. Total Expenses were $121,162,341 for a net of $155,546. Oregon has one of the few Atletic Departments in the USA to finish in the black. Football produced a Net Profit of $40,444,162. Men's Basketball was the only other program that earned a positive net profit; far behind what Football brought in. From the College Data Analytics Team (the go-to site for college sports financial information) site: "On the money side of things, the UO women's basketball program brought home $1,900,170 in revenue and paid out $5,043,054 in total expenses for a net loss of ($3,147,884.) As Bill Parcells once opined: "You are what your record says you are." But looking at the financial situation does this ipso facto mean that Kelly Graves should be fired? James Crepea notes that Graves's buyout through 2028 is $1.5 million, considerably less than the $6 million plus he will earn under his contract. Per Crepea - "He [Graves] is the only women's basketball coach at a public school with a losing record in 2023-24." When it comes to the NFL and big-time profitable college football, I agree with Bill. Considering the bottom line, what would the ROI be if Coach Graves is terminated for $1.5 million? Is the game worth the candle? Was the program in the black when Sabrina was here? Sabrina's teams dropped more money to the bottom line but still did not make a profit, A handful of women's basketball teams are profitable. The women's championship game between Iowa and South Carolina had more people watching than the men's championship game between UConn and Purdue. Yet, because of the difference in media contracts, the women's tournament did not produce bottom-line revenue for the NCAA and member schools. In the case of Coach Graves, another agent out-negotiated an athletic director. A contract extension was warranted but for six seasons at $1 million plus? The competition will ratchet up with UCLA and USC women's programs coming along for an already difficult B1G ride. But until such a time as women's basketball is in the black, does it make more sense to pay $1.5 million for a Rob Mullens mistake, or give Coach Graves a chance to turn things around? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven A Moderator No. 8 Share Posted April 15 On 4/15/2024 at 8:29 AM, Drake said: That seems to have broken his desire and ambition needed to stay competitive at that level. I would hope that his desire and ambition are still there, otherwise he needs to show himself the door. I think he is slow in changing his ways in that he will probably never see another holy trinity as he did with Sabrina, Ruthy and Satou. Plus, the supporting cast that seemed to be truly supporting. Hopefully he can turn it around, otherwise Mullens' tough choice will be the replacement, not replacing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudslide No. 9 Share Posted April 15 (edited) On 4/15/2024 at 12:19 PM, Steven A said: I would hope that his desire and ambition are still there, otherwise he needs to show himself the door. I think he is slow in changing his ways in that he will probably never see another holy trinity as he did with Sabrina, Ruthy and Satou. Plus, the supporting cast that seemed to be truly supporting. Hopefully he can turn it around, otherwise Mullens' tough choice will be the replacement, not replacing. My concern is not so much the dismal record of the recent teams, and definitely not the quality of players. What gets me is the enormous, outrageous turnover in players (and staff). And some of these are excellent basketball talents. It seems that there is something afoot in the program and no one is spilling the beans about it. Edited April 15 by Mudslide 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Hilarius Moderator No. 10 Share Posted April 15 Dear RM, This is not rocket science. Graves has _never_ been a good coach at UO. The Ionescu years were exactly that—the sheer force of will of the GOAT—Ionescu. Replace Graves with a driven female coach. Spend a little money to promote the coach and a couple star players with the “Oregon” brand. Let the Duck faithful take it from there… We’d see a real ROI. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Ducker1 No. 11 Share Posted April 16 Its time for a change. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
anyotherduck No. 12 Share Posted April 16 What's it going to take to move Graves? Zero wins next season? Does Graves have video of Mullins in a "compromising position"? Too many questions and absolutely no answers at this point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
