[pincemob]

I think Garvin hit the key point.  4 years in the bottom half of the conference.  Montgomery has only done that 3 times in his entire career including Montana.  It's not like Dawkins inherited a program on probation, had rashes of injuries every season, or had a tenure when the rest of the league was peaking.  Guys like Ernie Kent and Ben Braun were toast after 4 appearances in the bottom half of the league, and that was when the league was good.  This should have been our golden era where our national recruiting allowed us a leg up on schools relying on what has been a weak California talent pool.

We know Coach K started slow.  But by his 4th year at Duke he was 3rd in the league and made the second round of the tourney.  What percentage of coaches who have had such a poor start have been excellent?  Maybe the number is higher than I think, but I'd guess 5%. 

I agree basketball has low expectations.  Imagine if we had a football coach who finished 9th, 8th, 7th, and 7th with no bowl appearances.  And also assume the stadium went from 90% full to 60% full.  Would anyone be debating that guy's future? 

I trust Bowlsby to make the call.  He might decide Dawkins is done, but it makes sense to wait a year and keep the recruits.  Or maybe he sees something great which is not obvious to fans.  We'll find out.

[pincemob]

I think Garvin hit the key point.  4 years in the bottom half of the conference.  Montgomery has only done that 3 times in his entire career including Montana.  It's not like Dawkins inherited a program on probation, had rashes of injuries every season, or had a tenure when the rest of the league was peaking.  Guys like Ernie Kent and Ben Braun were toast after 4 appearances in the bottom half of the league, and that was when the league was good.  This should have been our golden era where our national recruiting allowed us a leg up on schools relying on what has been a weak California talent pool.

We know Coach K started slow.  But by his 4th year at Duke he was 3rd in the league and made the second round of the tourney.  What percentage of coaches who have had such a poor start have been excellent?  Maybe the number is higher than I think, but I'd guess 5%. 

I agree basketball has low expectations.  Imagine if we had a football coach who finished 9th, 8th, 7th, and 7th with no bowl appearances.  And also assume the stadium went from 90% full to 60% full.  Would anyone be debating that guy's future? 

I trust Bowlsby to make the call.  He might decide Dawkins is done, but it makes sense to wait a year and keep the recruits.  Or maybe he sees something great which is not obvious to fans.  We'll find out.