re: Since Woodward is a big-game game hunter in Coaching Hires

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This is a great example for the Wadestans

Pearl was fired at Tennessee and given a 3 year show cause. While he is doing exceptionally well Auburn Tennessee has also done well with out him

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Well the opposite is clearly happening for LSU so...

The anti Wade people can be broken down into 2 categories.

- fans who claimed he wasn’t winning enough and now say that it’s fine McMahon is losing almost every game

- fans who approve of firing Wade to protect football and will use hyperbole to silence all opinions contrary to any decision “LSU” makes as a program


Neither group cares whether the basketball team wins or not. Group A is only interested in defending their incorrect opinions regarding Wade and McMahon. Group B doesn’t give a rip about basketball and just doesn’t want people criticizing the admin.

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They are. And it took 7 years and 3 different HCs to get to that point.

LSU hadn't won consistently for nearly 3 decades before Wade arrived, and they sure as hell aren't winning now. That's why many LSU fans, if they had their wishes, would prefer to just bring Wade back rather than potentially go through several years and multiple coaches hoping one will eventually work out.

The affection for Wade is not misguided or without reason. It's because the guy did what most LSU HCs haven't been able to do (at least since Brown)....win consistently which, at the end of the day, is ALL any fan really wants (if they are being honest and not sitting on some imaginary high horse saying they want a guy who "does it the right way.")

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This sums it up perfectly and sums up my position on Wade and all perfectly too. I liked the McMahon hire at the time but it's abundantly clear the SEC is way out of his league in terms of his coaching ability. The more the years progress and we lose conference games, 2024 seems more an aberration than a normality, he couldn't do it Year 1 despite our success with getting transfers and he can't do it this year with our elite HS recruiting class and transfers including Cam Carter. The guy stinks at coaching high-level college basketball.

His inability to make adjustments or have any versatility at all is shocking. His teams lack basic fundamental principals that all winning teams have. His inability to identify what his teams even are and what they can and can’t do well is also shocking for a coach at this level. People keep saying he just needs better players, well he would need 8 All- American level players just to contend in the conference and nobody in the country even gets that amount of talent so the theory is a pipe dream.

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Yep, terrible timing too bad he was too f*cking stupid to not talk on the phone. But alas he’s not the only coach that can do that.

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This entire situation got blown out of proportion for basically nothing

Do you really understand the absurd and wholly improbable set of circumstances that led to all of this? This wasn't an NCAA triggered investigation aided by the FBI to root out "evil" cheating coaches. In fact, the start didn't even involve the NCAA or college basketball.

In short:

Pittsburgh financial advisor gets pinched for defrauding client (some of whom are professional athletes).

To save his arse, he tells the FBI he knows a guy (a runner) who had ties to college basketball recruiting and shoe company (Nike and Adidas) "bribery".

Being a much more newsworthy story, the DOJ decides to pursue it for the fame/notoriety. In doing so they squeeze the runner on charges.

The runner, to save himself, offers up college coaches he discusses players with and agrees to wear a wire.

Wade, and several others, are recorded. However, Wade, nor LSU is ever implicated in any criminal activity. In fact, the FBI and DOJ don't even give a shite about Wade's conversations because it's irrelevant to their case.

The runner's defense attorney leaks the Wade tape to yahoo to make the public argument that none of the schools were being bribed (the foundation of the DOJs case).

Yahoo publishes the story and tape, thus getting the NCAA involved where they otherwise weren't investigating LSU basketball.

Never before in the history of college sports had the FBI ever investigated recruiting. Thus, there was no reason ANY coach should have ever had reason to be concerned one of the dozens of "runners" he meets with about players on a yearly basis may not only be wearing a wire, but participating in a criminal investigation. That's like saying the people of Japan were dumb for not taking precautions to prepare for an atomic bomb.

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Cuonzo Martin replaced Pearl and made 2 NITs and then Sweet 16 in year 3. He left because there was a push to bring Pearl back

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I can assure you, Martin was not on the cusp of greatness at Tenn….as evidenced by the fact he flamed out at both Cal and Missouri after he left UT.

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His replacement lasted 1 year, no post season

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That’s because he was found to be in such violation of NCAA rules that he got a 10 year show-cause penalty. The only other HC to get such a penalty was Dave Bliss at Baylor…who had one player murder another player!

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Maybe the Pearlstans ruined it?

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I’m sure if they could have, Tennessee would have preferred to just bring Pearl back rather than waste several years getting back to the place they were when they fired Pearl. Of course, they got lucky with Martin leaving on his own and Tyndall allowing himself to be fired with case. Unfortunately, McMahon has been a really good guy while losing 70% of his games against major conf opponents.

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He was busted cheating. It doesn’t matter what other coaches you think or actually did cheat. It doesn’t matter that the FBI stumbled across it. It doesn’t matter if you think Woodward/LSU overreacted. It’s over.

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He got “busted” for doing something (allegedly paying players) that is now not only legal, but ENCOURAGED by the athletic department. Literally, you can write a check to an LSU affiliate entity for the sole purpose of paying players. You don’t have to secretly wire it to Wade. The absurd “logic” is LSU shouldn’t try to rehire Wade because he was “busted” doing…WHAT LSU IS GOING TO DEMAND THEIR NEXT COACH DO…raise money to pay players. Do people not realize the irony of saying “McMahon just needs more NIL money” while simultaneously rejecting the guy who they also say was only good because he was good at raising money to pay players?

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SW just needs to hire a good coach. He hired Both zz Williams at A&M,

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Who is the successful major conf HC out there who is from Louisiana and wants an opportunity to come home? A&M being located in the state of Texas is the reason Williams is there’. The same reason Mulkey is at LSU. Both left good jobs to come home. Woodward wasn’t some AD savant. He just got lucky to be the AD at schools in Texas and Louisiana at the right time

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I’m sure if they could have, Tennessee would have preferred to just bring Pearl back rather than waste several years getting back to the place they were

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Pearl had a 3 year show cause. Barnes was hired 4 years after Pearl was fired. So at most they “wasted” 1 year. And Pearl did not make the tournament until his 4th year at Auburn Barnes made it in year 3 at Tennessee.

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He got “busted” for doing something (allegedly paying players) that is now not only legal, but ENCOURAGED

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Like I said bad timing. Sucks but it’s over.

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Who is the successful major conf HC out there who is from Louisiana and wants an opportunity to come home?

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The situation does not have to be literally the exact same. The point is there are other good coaches out there but all you Wadestans want to do is throw a tantrum until your guy comes back. My guess anyone short of maybe Dan Hurley and you guys will bitch and complain

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In MBB, take a shot at Rick Pitino.

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Rudy Macklin is not walking through that door, my friend. Chris Jackson is not walking through that door.