I gave him a chance. Probably more of a chance than most other fans. This is a disaster.
i still think most of you are overreacting.
this season has been an unmitigated disaster and fans are understandably frustrated. oscar lost the players, the players aren't playing hard, and the end result is an on-court product that's been as bad as it's been in a decade - maybe more. but let's not act like this is unprecedented.
the most comparable coach to oscar weber, in terms of credentials, situation and philosophy, is matt painter. like weber, he is coaching in the shadow of a college hoops blueblood (indiana); like weber, he is considered a
good coach but not elite; like weber, he learned under gene keady.
painter had early success at purdue, made a few nice runs in the ncaa tourney, etc. and then, out of nowhere, purdue went 16-18 in 2012 and fans began panicking as tom crean's hoosiers had risen to elite status. the next year, the rebound year, purdue went 15-17...finished with just
five conference wins...and missed the postseason for a second straight year.
this year, purdue was expected to finish in the bottom half of the league. early in non-con, they lost to north florida and gardner webb. the sharks began to circle and fans feared a third straight non-ncaa tourney year. and
then...purdue dramatically improved and is now a near lock to finish with 20 wins and a top-5 league finish.
painter's two down years weren't unlike the season oscar is having this year. painter mostly hated his team (certainly last year's), the lack of effort was apparent, and the future didn't look rosy...even with decent talent. and yet, here they are. another example, one you've all seen first-hand: bob huggins at wvu. he missed the tourney two straight years before this year - and it should have been
three - and in recent years, hugs has
hated his team. last year, he bickered about poor effort, made scheduling excuses, acted like a fool on the sideline, etc.
a lost season is a lost season. don't make it more than it is.
